Corby and East Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Corby and East Northamptonshire
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Corby and East Northamptonshire in the East Midlands
County	Northamptonshire
Electorate	81,941 (2018) [1]
Major settlements	Corby, Irthlingborough, Raunds, Thrapston and Oundle
Current constituency
Created	1983 (renamed in 2024)
Member of Parliament	TBC (TBC)
Created from	Kettering and Wellingborough

Corby and East Northamptonshire is a constituency ^{[n 1]} in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since May 2015 by Tom Pursglove, a Conservative. ^{[n 2]}

Prior to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was known as Corby. The 2024 general election will be the first general election that the 'Corby and East Northamptonshire' constituency will be contested following the boundary changes of 2023. ^[2]

History

From 1832 - 1918, the village of Corby was part of the North Northamptonshire constituency, which consisted of most of the Soke of Peterborough, the towns of Oundle and Thrapston and the surrounding villages and hamlets of north-eastern Northamptonshire. ^[3]

The North Northamptonshire constituency boundaries were changed slightly in 1885, with some of the constituency being transferred to the newly created Mid Northamptonshire constituency. However, Corby remained within the revised constituency of North Northamptonshire. ^[4]

The North Northamptonshire constituency was abolished in 1918 for that year's general election, and from 1918 - 1950, Corby was part of the Peterborough constituency. The Peterborough constituency consisted of most of the former North Northamptonshire constituency - including the Soke of Peterborough, Corby, Oundle, Thrapston and surrounding villages. ^[5] The Peterborough constituency created in 1918 included the actual city of Peterborough itself, unlike the North Northamptonshire constituency it replaced, which had included the rural parts of the Soke of Peterborough but not the city.

Boundary changes for the 1950 general election saw Corby transferred to the Kettering constituency; Corby remained part of the Kettering constituency until 1983. The Parliamentary seat of 'Corby' was created due to population increases in and around the town of Corby for the 1983 general election. Since creation, the Corby constituency has been a marginal seat alternating between Labour and the Conservative representatives with marginal majorities relative to national averages on all but two occasions, the 1997 Labour landslide and the 2012 by-election. The first Member of Parliament elected for the constituency in 1983 was William Powell, who represented the Conservatives for three sessions of Parliament until 1997. Labour then held the seat until 2010.

On 6 August 2012, MP for the seat since 2010 Louise Mensch (formerly Louise Bagshawe) announced she was resigning, triggering a by-election held on 15 November 2012. Labour's Andy Sawford won, becoming the first Labour MP for the seat since Phil Hope was defeated in 2010, and only the second in the seat's history. This was Labour's first by-election win from a Conservative since the 1997 Wirral South by-election. At the 2015 general election Tom Pursglove standing for the Conservatives won with a small majority. He won again with a similar margin in 2017 and in 2019 Tom Pursglove took the seat for the third time, but with a majority of over 10,000, turning Corby into a non-marginal seat by Conservative Party standards.

Boundaries

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

Historic (Corby)

1983–2010: The District of Corby, and the District of East Northamptonshire wards of Barnwell, Brigstock, Drayton, Forest, Irthlingborough, King's Cliffe, Lower Nene, Margaret Beaufort, Oundle, Raunds, Ringstead, Stanwick, Thrapston, Willibrook, and Woodford.

2010–2021: The Borough of Corby, and the District of East Northamptonshire wards of Barnwell, Dryden, Fineshade, Irthlingborough, King's Forest, Lower Nene, Lyveden, Oundle, Prebendal, Raunds Saxon, Raunds Windmill, Ringstead, Stanwick, Thrapston, and Woodford.

2021–2024: With effect from 1 April 2021, the Borough of Corby and the District of East Northamptonshire were abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of North Northamptonshire. ^[6] From that date, the constituency comprised the District of North Northamptonshire wards of Corby Rural, Corby West, Irthlingborough, Kingswood, Lloyds, Oakley, Oundle, Raunds and Thrapston.

The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seats of Kettering and Wellingborough. It is named after the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, and also covers much of the local government district of East Northamptonshire, but excluding Rushden and Higham Ferrers which are in the Wellingborough constituency. The seat is a highly marginal contest between the Tories and Labour, with Labour's vote strongest in the town of Corby itself, against the solidly Conservative rural areas of East Northamptonshire. ^[7]

The constituency was sometimes informally called "Corby and East Northamptonshire", ^[8] but the 2007 Parliamentary Constituencies Order ^[9] and Whitaker's Almanack both make it clear that, until 2024, its official name was "Corby".

Current (Corby and East Northamptonshire)

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 April 2021):

• The District of North Northamptonshire wards of: Corby Rural (polling districts CRWA, CSCA, CWGA, CWGB and CWGC); Corby West; Irthlingborough (polling districts RA, RB, RR, SG, SZ and UQ); Kingswood; Lloyds; Oakley; Oundle; Raunds; Thrapston. ^[10]

Parts of the Corby Rural and Irthlingborough wards were transferred to Kettering, and Wellingborough and Rushden respectively.

Members of Parliament

Kettering and Wellingborough prior to 1983

Election		Member [11]	Party
	1983	William Powell	Conservative
	1997	Phil Hope	Labour
	2010	Louise Bagshawe	Conservative
	2012 by-election	Andy Sawford	Labour
	2015	Tom Pursglove	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Corby and East Northamptonshire ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Lee Barron
	Independent	Karen Blott
	Green	Lee Forster
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Lofts
	Reform UK	Edward McDonald
	Conservative	Tom Pursglove
Majority
Turnout

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Corby ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tom Pursglove	33,410	55.2	+6.0
	Labour	Beth Miller	23,142	38.3	-6.4
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Stanbra	3,923	6.5	+3.9
Majority			10,268	16.9	+12.4
Turnout			60,475	70.2	-2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.25

General election 2017: Corby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tom Pursglove	29,534	49.2	+6.4
	Labour	Beth Miller	26,844	44.7	+6.2
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Stanbra	1,545	2.6	0.0
	UKIP	Sam Watts	1,495	2.5	−11.2
	Green	Steven Scrutton	579	1.0	−1.4
Majority			2,690	4.5	+0.2
Turnout			59,637	72.8	+2.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.1

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Corby

General election 2015: Corby ^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tom Pursglove	24,023	42.8	+0.6
	Labour Co-op	Andy Sawford	21,611	38.5	-0.1
	UKIP	Margot Parker	7,708	13.7	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Harris	1,458	2.6	-11.9
	Green	Jonathan Hornett	1,374	2.4	N/A
Majority			2,412	4.3	+0.7
Turnout			56,174	70.4	+1.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.4

2012 Corby by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Andy Sawford	17,267	48.4	+9.8
	Conservative	Christine Emmett	9,476	26.6	−15.6
	UKIP	Margot Parker	5,108	14.3	New
	Liberal Democrats	Jill Hope	1,770	5.0	−9.5
	BNP	Gordon Riddell	614	1.7	−3.0
	English Democrat	David Wickham	432	1.2	New
	Green	Jonathan Hornett	378	1.1	New
	Independent	Ian Gillman	212	0.6	New
	Cannabis Law Reform	Peter Reynolds	137	0.4	New
	Elvis Loves Pets	David Bishop	99	0.3	New
	Independent	Mr Mozzarella	73	0.2	New
	Young People's Party	Rohen Kapur	39	0.1	New
	Democracy 2015	Adam Lotun	35	0.1	New
	United People's Party	Christopher Scotton	25	0.1	New
Majority			7,791	21.8	N/A
Turnout			35,665	44.8	-24.4
	Labour Co-op gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.57

General election 2010: Corby ^{[15] [16]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Louise Bagshawe	22,886	42.2	+2.3
	Labour Co-op	Phil Hope	20,991	38.6	−4.5
	Liberal Democrats	Portia Wilson	7,834	14.5	+1.7
	BNP	Roy Davies	2,525	4.7	New
Majority			1,895	3.5	N/A
Turnout			54,180	69.2	+3.6
	Conservative gain from Labour Co-op		Swing	+3.4

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Corby ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Phil Hope	20,913	43.1	−6.2
	Conservative	Andrew Griffith	19,396	40.0	+2.8
	Liberal Democrats	David Radcliffe	6,184	12.7	+2.6
	UKIP	Ian Gillman	1,278	2.6	+0.8
	Socialist Labour	Steven Carey	499	1.0	−0.6
	Independent	John Morris	257	0.5	New
Majority			1,517	3.1	-9.0
Turnout			48,527	65.6	+0.6
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	-4.5

General election 2001: Corby ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Phil Hope	23,283	49.3	−6.1
	Conservative	Andrew Griffith	17,583	37.2	+3.8
	Liberal Democrats	Kevin Scudder	4,751	10.1	+2.6
	UKIP	Ian Gillman	855	1.8	+0.9
	Socialist Labour	Andrew Dickson	750	1.6	New
Majority			5,700	12.1	-9.9
Turnout			47,222	65.0	−12.9
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	-5.0

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Corby ^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Phil Hope	29,888	55.4	+11.5
	Conservative	William Powell	18,028	33.4	−11.1
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Hankison	4,045	7.5	−2.7
	Referendum	Sebastian Riley-Smith	1,356	2.5	New
	UKIP	Ian Gillman	507	0.9	New
	Natural Law	Jane Bence	133	0.2	New
Majority			11,860	22.0	N/A
Turnout			53,957	77.9	−5.0
	Labour Co-op gain from Conservative		Swing	+11.3

General election 1992: Corby ^{[20] [21]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Powell	25,203	44.5	+0.2
	Labour	Harry Feather	24,861	43.9	+3.0
	Liberal Democrats	Melvyn Roffe	5,792	10.2	−4.6
	Liberal	Judith I. Wood	784	1.4	New
Majority			342	0.6	−2.8
Turnout			56,640	82.9	+3.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.4

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Corby ^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Powell	23,323	44.3	+1.7
	Labour	Harry Feather	21,518	40.9	+4.8
	Liberal	Terrence Whittington	7,805	14.8	−5.5
Majority			1,805	3.4	−3.1
Turnout			52,646	79.6	+2.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.5

General election 1983: Corby ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Powell	20,827	42.6
	Labour	William Homewood	17,659	36.1
	Liberal	Terrence Whittington	9,905	20.3
	Ecology	Rosy J. Stanning	505	1.0
Majority			3,168	6.5
Turnout			48,896	77.5
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Northamptonshire

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

1. "England Parliamentary electorates 2010-2018". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
2. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – East Midlands | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
3. "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. XLV: An Act to amend the Representation of the People in England and Wales". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 154–206. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
4. "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 48 & 49 Victoria. Ch. 23: Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Schedule 7". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1885. pp. 166–167. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
5. S., Craig, Fred W. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN   0900178094. OCLC   539011.
6. "The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020".
7. "UKPollingReport Election Guide 2010 » Corby". ukpollingreport.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
8. Coupe, Kerry (14 November 2019). "General Election 2019: Corby and East Northamptonshire candidates announced". Stamford Mercury . Retrieved 25 January 2020.
9. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk.
10. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 1 East Midlands.
11. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 5)
12. "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice Of Poll". North Northamptonshire Council. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
13. "Declaration of Results UKPE 2019". Corby.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
14. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
15. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
16. of Persons Nominated ^{[ permanent dead link ]}, Corby Borough Council
17. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
19. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
20. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
21. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
22. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
23. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

52°29′N0°32′W / 52.48°N 0.53°W / 52.48; -0.53