Batley and Spen | |
---|---|
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | West Yorkshire |
Population | 107,899 (2011 census) [1] |
Electorate | 80,110 (December 2019) [2] |
Major settlements | Batley, Cleckheaton, Birstall, Birkenshaw |
1983–2024 | |
Seats | One |
Created from | |
Replaced by |
|
Batley and Spen was a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The most recent MP was Kim Leadbeater, a Labour politician, elected in a 2021 by-election by a 323-vote margin. The seat had returned Labour MPs since the 1997 general election.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to boundary changes which will entail the loss of the town of Batley to the new constituency of Dewsbury and Batley. As a consequence, it was renamed Spen Valley , and first contested in the 2024 general election. [3]
The area is in the rolling Pennines of West Yorkshire with considerable commerce, industry, retail and occupational trades. A lower percentage of social housing is present than the regional average, however most of the larger settlements have some social housing. [4] The population in the district is ethnically diverse. Many of the towns in the Spen Valley have few residents from non-white heritage backgrounds (Birstall, Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Liversedge and Gomersal, generally more suburban and Conservative areas, with the exception of Cleckheaton, which has Liberal Democrat councillors[ citation needed ]). However, the constituency's largest town, Batley, has a sizeable number of residents with South Asian backgrounds, namely Pakistani (9.2%) and Indian (mostly Gujarati) (15.9%). Heckmondwike also has a well-established South Asian community with 16.9% residents having Pakistani heritage. [5]
The results of the last fifty years show marginal majorities for Labour and for the Conservatives, and is considered to be part of the "red wall". [6]
In the 2016 EU referendum, Batley and Spen voted 60% in favour of Brexit. [7]
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seats of Batley and Morley, Brighouse and Spenborough and Dewsbury. This West Yorkshire constituency covers Batley, Birkenshaw, Birstall, Cleckheaton, East Bierley, Gomersal, Hunsworth, and Liversedge.
The constituency did not exist in its present form before 1983 and has seen significant boundary changes since its creation – most notably those that took effect for the 1997 general election.
Heckmondwike was part of the seat from its creation in 1983 until 1997, when it was transferred to Dewsbury. Heckmondwike was returned to Batley and Spen for the 2010 general election.
The seat swung in Labour's favour in the elections of 1997, 2001 and 2005 though the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority in 2010 with a swing below the national average.
The electoral ward of Heckmondwike (which includes part of Liversedge) was considered part of the Spen Valley (although it was not part of the former Spenborough Urban District). Heckmondwike ward was for many years a Labour stronghold, but in the 2000s elected two BNP councillors. The BNP councillors were narrowly defeated by Labour in 2007 [8] and 2008. [9]
A by-election in 2016 occurred after the murder of Jo Cox, the sitting MP. Cox was killed on 16 June 2016 after being shot and stabbed multiple times by a man associated with far-right organisations. [10] [11] [12] The Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party and the Green Party announced they would not contest the by-election as a mark of respect. [13]
Another by-election occurred in 2021 following the resignation of Tracy Brabin MP, who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire on 10 May. [14] [15] [16] [17] The 2021 by-election received considerable media attention because of expectations of a Labour loss following the earlier Hartlepool by-election and a high-profile campaign by George Galloway for the Workers Party of Britain. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [ excessive citations ] The by-election was despite the expectations won for Labour by Jo Cox's sister, Kim Leadbeater, with a reduced majority.
Batley & Morley, Brighouse & Spenborough, and Dewsbury prior to 1983
Election | Member [25] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Elizabeth Peacock | Conservative | |
1997 | Mike Wood | Labour | |
2015 | Jo Cox | Labour | |
2016 by-election | Tracy Brabin | Labour Co-op | |
2021 by-election | Kim Leadbeater | Labour | |
2024 | Constituency abolished |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 21,433 | 39.6 | N/A | |
Labour | Kenneth Woolmer | 20,563 | 38.0 | N/A | |
SDP | Stephen Woollery | 11,678 | 21.5 | N/A | |
Ecology | Clive Lord | 493 | 0.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 870 | 1.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 54,167 | 73.4 | N/A | ||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 25,512 | 43.4 | +3.8 | |
Labour | Kenneth Woolmer | 24,150 | 41.1 | +3.1 | |
SDP | Keith Burke | 8,372 | 14.3 | −7.2 | |
Moderate Labour | Allan Harrison | 689 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,362 | 2.3 | +0.7 | ||
Turnout | 58,723 | 79.0 | +5.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 27,629 | 45.4 | +2.0 | |
Labour | Eunice Durkin | 26,221 | 43.1 | +2.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gordon Beever | 6,380 | 10.5 | −3.8 | |
Green | Clive Lord | 628 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,408 | 2.3 | 0.0 | ||
Turnout | 60,858 | 79.7 | +0.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | 0.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 23,213 | 49.4 | +6.3 | |
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 17,072 | 36.4 | −9.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn Pinnock | 4,133 | 8.8 | −1.7 | |
Referendum | Ed O.C. Wood | 1,691 | 3.6 | N/A | |
BNP | Ron Smith | 472 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Green | Clive Lord | 384 | 0.8 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 6,141 | 13.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 46,965 | 73.2 | −6.5 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 19,224 | 49.9 | +0.5 | |
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 14,160 | 36.7 | +0.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn Pinnock | 3,989 | 10.3 | +1.5 | |
Green | Clive Lord | 595 | 1.5 | +0.7 | |
UKIP | Allen Burton | 574 | 1.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,064 | 13.2 | +0.2 | ||
Turnout | 38,542 | 60.5 | −12.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 17,974 | 45.8 | −4.1 | |
Conservative | Robert Light | 12,186 | 31.1 | −5.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Bentley | 5,731 | 14.6 | +4.3 | |
BNP | Colin Auty | 2,668 | 6.8 | N/A | |
Green | Clive Lord | 649 | 1.7 | +0.2 | |
Majority | 5,788 | 14.7 | +1.5 | ||
Turnout | 39,208 | 62.3 | +1.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 21,565 | 41.5 | −3.7 | |
Conservative | Janice Small | 17,159 | 33.0 | +1.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Bentley | 8,925 | 17.2 | +1.8 | |
BNP | David Exley | 3,685 | 7.1 | +1.1 | |
Green | Matt Blakeley | 605 | 1.2 | −0.5 | |
Majority | 4,406 | 8.5 | −5.0 | ||
Turnout | 51,939 | 67.7 | +6.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jo Cox | 21,826 | 43.2 | +1.7 | |
Conservative | Imtiaz Ameen | 15,769 | 31.2 | −1.8 | |
UKIP | Aleks Lukic | 9,080 | 18.0 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 2,396 | 4.7 | −11.1 | |
Green | Ian Bullock | 1,232 | 2.4 | +1.3 | |
TUSC | Dawn Wheelhouse | 123 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Patriotic Socialist | Karl Varley | 53 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 6,057 | 12.0 | +3.5 | ||
Turnout | 50,479 | 64.4 | −3.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 17,506 | 85.8 | +42.6 | |
English Democrat | Therese Muchewicz | 969 | 4.8 | N/A | |
BNP | David Furness | 548 | 2.7 | N/A | |
Independent | Garry Kitchin | 517 | 2.5 | N/A | |
English Independence | Corbyn Anti | 241 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Liberty GB | Jack Buckby | 220 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Independent | Henry Mayhew | 153 | 0.8 | N/A | |
Independent | Waqas Ali Khan | 118 | 0.6 | N/A | |
National Front | Richard Edmonds | 87 | 0.4 | N/A | |
One Love | Ankit Love | 34 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 16,537 | 81.0 | +68.0 | ||
Turnout | 20,393 | 25.8 | ―38.6 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 29,844 | 55.5 | +12.3 | |
Conservative | Ann Myatt | 20,883 | 38.8 | +7.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 1,224 | 2.3 | ―2.4 | |
Independent | Aleks Lukic | 1,076 | 2.0 | ―16.0 | |
Green | Alan Freeman | 695 | 1.3 | ―1.1 | |
Independent | Mohammed Hanif | 58 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 8,961 | 16.7 | +4.7 | ||
Turnout | 53,780 | 67.1 | +2.7 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +2.3 [a] |
a. ^ Swing is calculated from the 2015 election, not the 2016 by-election which was not contested by major parties. Aleks Lukic's vote change is in comparison to the 2015 election, when he stood as a UKIP candidate.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 22,594 | 42.7 | ―12.8 | |
Conservative | Mark Brooks | 19,069 | 36.0 | ―2.8 | |
Heavy Woollen Independents | Paul Halloran | 6,432 | 12.2 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 2,462 | 4.7 | +2.4 | |
Brexit Party | Clive Minihan | 1,678 | 3.2 | N/A | |
Green | Ty Akram | 692 | 1.3 | ±0.0 | |
Majority | 3,525 | 6.7 | ―10.0 | ||
Turnout | 52,927 | 66.5 | ―0.6 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | ―5.0 |
A by-election was held on 1 July 2021 following the resignation of MP Tracy Brabin to become Mayor of West Yorkshire.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Leadbeater | 13,296 | 35.3 | ―7.4 | |
Conservative | Ryan Stephenson | 12,973 | 34.4 | ―1.6 | |
Workers Party | George Galloway | 8,264 | 21.9 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Tom Gordon | 1,254 | 3.3 | ―1.3 | |
Yorkshire | Corey Robinson | 816 | 2.2 | N/A | |
English Democrat | Thérèse Hirst | 207 | 0.5 | N/A | |
UKIP | Jack Thomson | 151 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Monster Raving Loony | Howling Laud Hope | 107 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Alliance for Green Socialism | Mike Davies | 104 | 0.3 | N/A | |
CPA | Paul Bickerdike | 102 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Freedom Alliance | Jonathon Tilt | 100 | 0.3 | N/A | |
For Britain | Anne Marie Waters | 97 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Rejoin EU | Andrew Smith | 75 | 0.2 | N/A | |
SDP | Ollie Purser | 66 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Jayda Fransen | 50 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Heritage | Susan Laird | 33 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 323 | 0.9 | ―5.8 | ||
Turnout | 37,695 | 47.5 | ―19.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ―2.9 |
Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield, in the Heavy Woollen District. In 2011, the population was 48,730.
Gomersal is a town in Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is south of Bradford, south west of Leeds. east of Cleckheaton and north of Heckmondwike. It is close to the River Spen and forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
The River Spen or Spen Beck, in West Yorkshire, England is a tributary of the River Calder. It rises north of Cleckheaton, runs through Liversedge and flows into the Calder to the south of Dewsbury at Ravensthorpe. The average rainfall for the river valley of between 600–1000mm per annum when combined with the steep narrow river channel, makes the Spen susceptible to regular flooding. It is referred to in the name of the local parliamentary constituency, Batley and Spen, to account for the villages and suburbs of Batley in the Spen Valley, such as Liversedge and Gomersal.
Cleckheaton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds. It is at the centre of the Spen Valley and was the major town in the former borough of Spenborough. Cleckheaton has a history as a mill town and forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The borough comprises the ten towns of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite. It is governed by Kirklees Council. Kirklees had a population of 422,500 in 2011; it is the third-largest metropolitan district in England by area, behind Doncaster and Leeds.
Heckmondwike is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, 9 miles (14 km) south west of Leeds. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge. It is mostly in the Batley and Spen parliamentary constituency, and had an estimated population of 16,986 at the 2011 Census increasing to 18,149 at the 2021 Census. Heckmondwike forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
Dewsbury was a constituency created in 1868 and abolished in 2024.
The Heavy Woollen District is a region of textile-focused industrial development in West Yorkshire, England. It acquired the name because of the heavyweight cloth manufactured there from the early 19th century.
Liversedge is an industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Liversedge lies between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike. The Kirklees ward is now called Liversedge and Gomersal with a population at the 2011 Census of 19,420. Liversedge forms part of the Heavy Woollen District and was historically part of the parish of Birstall.
Spenborough was, from 1915 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Yorkshire, West Riding, England.
Heckmondwike Grammar School (HGS) is an 11–18 mixed, grammar school and sixth form with academy status in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, England.
Spen Valley is a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Tracy Lynn Brabin is a British politician who has served as the Mayor of West Yorkshire since the office was established on 10 May 2021. She previously was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen from 2016 to 2021 under the Labour and Co-operative banner.
Helen Joanne Cox was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen from May 2015 until her murder in June 2016. She was a member of the Labour Party.
On 20 October 2016, a by-election was held in the UK parliamentary constituency of Batley and Spen. It was triggered by the murder of the incumbent member of parliament (MP), Jo Cox, on 16 June 2016. The Labour candidate, Tracy Brabin, won with 85.8% of the vote. Four parties with parliamentary representation did not enter candidates, out of respect for Cox. Nine candidates contested against Labour, and none reached the 5% threshold to keep their deposit.
The 2021 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 6 May 2021 to elect members of Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One-third of the seats were up for election, with two wards Almondbury electing two councillors. In November 2020, 3 Labour Councillors resigned in protest over the handling of the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn. This resulted in Labour losing overall control of Kirklees Council.
A by-election was held in the UK parliamentary constituency of Batley and Spen on 1 July 2021, following the resignation of the previous Member of Parliament (MP) Tracy Brabin, who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire on 10 May. Under the devolution agreement, the position holds the powers and responsibilities of a police and crime commissioner, meaning the occupant of the office cannot simultaneously sit as an MP. The by-election was the fourth of the 58th Parliament, elected in 2019.
Kim Michele Leadbeater is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Spen Valley, formerly Batley and Spen, since 2021.