List of parliamentary constituencies in Leicestershire and Rutland

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The county of Leicestershire in relation to England EnglandLeicestershire.svg
The county of Leicestershire in relation to England

The ceremonial county of Leicestershire (which includes the unitary authority of Leicester), is divided into 11 parliamentary constituencies - 3 borough constituencies and 8 county constituencies. One of these is a cross-county boundary constituency with Lincolnshire also including the small historic county of Rutland, which was administratively a district of Leicestershire from 1974 to 1997. Since 1997, Rutland has been a separate unitary authority.

Contents

Constituencies

   Conservative    Labour    Liberal Democrat    Independent

Name [nb 1] Electorate [1] Majority [2] [nb 2] Member of Parliament [2] Nearest opposition [2] Map
Harborough, Oadby and Wigston CC 74,8102,378 Neil O'Brien Hajira Piranie
HarboroughOadbyandWigstonConstituency2024.svg
Hinckley and Bosworth CC 75,6835,408 Luke Evans Michael Mullaney
2024 Hinckley and Bosworth UK Parliament Constiuency Boundaries.svg
Leicester East BC 76,4654,426 Shivani Raja Rajesh Agrawal
Leicester East 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
Leicester South BC 71,007979 Shockat Adam Jon Ashworth
Leicester South 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
Leicester West BC 72,8488,777 Liz Kendall Max Chauhan
Leicester West 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
Loughborough CC 73,9023,960 Jeevun Sandher Jane Hunt
Loughborough 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
Melton and Syston CC 71,6155,396 Edward Argar Zafran Khan
Rutland and Melton 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
Mid Leicestershire CC 76,1732,201 Peter Bedford Robert Martin
Mid Leicestershire 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
North West Leicestershire CC 75,3731,012 Amanda Hack Craig Smith
North West Leicestershire 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
Rutland and Stamford CC 70,86410,394 Alicia Kearns Joe Wood
Rutland and Stamford 2024 Constituency Boundaries.svg
South Leicestershire CC 75,6345,508  Alberto Costa Robert Parkinson
South Leicestershire.svg

Historic constituencies

In the unreformed House of Commons, Leicestershire and Rutland were represented by two Knights of the Shire each, and the only parliamentary borough was Leicester, which sent two burgesses.

Under the Reform Act 1832, Leicestershire was split into two divisions, North and South, which each elected two members. The Reform Act 1885 redistributed these seats into four single-member divisions: Melton, or Eastern, Loughborough, or Mid, Harborough, or Southern, and Bosworth, or Western.

At the 1918 general election, the four divisions of the county were retained, and the borough of Leicester was split into three single-member constituencies, Leicester East, Leicester South, and Leicester West. From 1950 to 1974 Leicester had four constituencies, these being Leicester North East, Leicester North West, Leicester South East and Leicester South West: the three seat arrangement of South, East and West was reverted to thereafter.

Rutland constituted a constituency on its own until 1918, when it became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, with nearby Stamford in Lincolnshire.

In 1983, seats in Leicestershire were redrawn. Rutland was merged with Melton to form Rutland and Melton, with Loughborough, Bosworth, and Harborough remaining as seat names. The new North West Leicestershire constituency was created. A further constituency, Charnwood was created in the north for the 1997 election.

Boundary Changes

2024

See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.

For the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which redrew the constituency map ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Boundary Commission for England opted to include Leicestershire and Rutland with Lincolnshire in a sub-region of the East Midlands region, creating one additional seat by re-establishing the constituency of Rutland and Stamford, which spans all three counties. As a consequence, Rutland and Melton is now abolished, being replaced by Melton and Syston, while a reconfigured Charnwood has been renamed Mid Leicestershire. Bosworth is renamed Hinckley and Bosworth and Harborough renamed Harborough, Oadby and Wigston. [3] [4]

Former nameBoundaries 2010–2024Current nameBoundaries 2024–Present
1 Bosworth CC
LeicestershireRutlandParliamentaryConstituencies2007.svg
1 Harborough, Oadby and Wigston CC
Leicestershire Rutland Parliamentary Constituencies 2023.svg
2 Charnwood CC 2 Hinckley and Bosworth CC
3 Harborough CC 3 Leicester East BC
4 Leicester East BC 4 Leicester South BC
5 Leicester South BC 5 Leicester West BC
6 Leicester West BC 6 Loughborough CC
7 Loughborough CC 7 Melton and Syston CC
8 North West Leicestershire CC 8 Mid Leicestershire CC
9 Rutland and Melton CC 9 North West Leicestershire CC
10 South Leicestershire CC 10 Rutland and Stamford CC
11 South Leicestershire CC

2010

In the Fifth Review the Boundary Commission for England recommended that Leicestershire retained its current constituencies, with minor changes only to reflect revisions to local authority ward boundaries. Although virtually unchanged, Blaby was renamed South Leicestershire on the grounds that it does not match the borders of Blaby district, and the village of Blaby itself is not one of the major population centres.

NameBoundaries 1997–2010Boundaries 2010–2024
1 Bosworth CC
LeicestershireParliamentaryConstituenciesNumbered.svg
LeicestershireRutlandParliamentaryConstituencies2007.svg
2 Charnwood CC
3 Harborough CC
4 Leicester East BC
5 Leicester South BC
6 Leicester West BC
7 Loughborough CC
8 North West Leicestershire CC
9 Rutland and Melton CC
10 South Leicestershire CC

(previously Blaby CC)

Results history

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019 [5]

2024

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Leicestershire and Rutland in the 2024 general election were as follows:

PartyVotes%Change from 2019SeatsChange from 2019
Conservative 173,71134.2%Decrease2.svg19.1%70
Labour 142,11428.0%Decrease2.svg4.1%30
Reform UK 77,88915.3%Increase2.svg14.5%00
Liberal Democrats 49,3439.7%Decrease2.svg0.1%00
Greens 34,0146.7%Increase2.svg6.7%00
Others30,8756.1%Increase2.svg5.6%1Increase2.svg1
Total507,946100.011

Percentage votes

Election year19831987199219972001200520102015201720192024
Conservative 50.652.048.736.838.137.441.043.948.953.334.2
Labour 25.327.333.043.841.536.127.630.640.132.128.0
Liberal Democrat 122.720.217.115.117.020.823.38.06.69.89.7
Green Party -*****0.42.72.13.56.7
UKIP ---***2.614.41.8*-
Reform UK 2---------0.815.3
Other1.40.51.24.33.45.85.10.40.50.56.1

11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

2 2019- Brexit Party

* Included in Other

Seats

Election year19831987199219972001200520102015201720192024
Conservative 86655577777
Labour 13355533333
Independent 00000000001
Total9991010101010101011

11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

1885-1910

1918-1945

1950-1979

1983-present

Historical representation by party

A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

1885 to 1918

   Conservative    Labour    Liberal    Liberal-Labour

Constituency188518868891189294189519000419060607Jan 1910Dec 19101316
Bosworth Ellis C. McLaren H. McLaren
Harborough Paget Tapling Logan Stanhope Lehmann Logan Harris
Leicester McArthur Whitehead Broadhurst Thomasson Crawshay-Williams Hewart
Picton Hazell Rolleston MacDonald
Loughborough Johnson-Ferguson de Lisle Johnson-Ferguson Levy
Melton J. Manners H. Manners E. Manners C. Manners Walker Yate
Rutland Finch Gretton

1918 to 1950

From 1918 to 1983 Rutland was categorised with Lincolnshire.

   Coalition Liberal (1918-22) / National Liberal (1922-23)   Coalition National Democratic & Labour    Conservative    Labour    Liberal    National Labour    National Liberal (1931-68)

Constituency1918221922192319242719293119313319351945
Bosworth McLaren Paget Ward Gee Edge Allen
Harborough Fraser Black Winby Stuart Tree Attewell
Leicester East Hewart Banton Evans Banton Loder Wise Lyons Donovan
Leicester South BlaneReynolds Allen Waterhouse Bowden
Leicester West Green Hill Pethick-Lawrence Pickering Nicolson B. Janner
Loughborough Guest Spears Rye Winterton Kimball Follick
Melton Yate Everard Nutting

1950 to 1983

From 1918 to 1983 Rutland was categorised with Lincolnshire.

   Conservative    Labour    Social Democratic

Constituency19505019511955565719596219641966671970Feb 1974Oct 1974197981
Bosworth Allen Wyatt Butler
Harborough Baldock Farr
Leicester NE / Leicester E (1974) Donovan Ungoed-Thomas Bradley
Leicester SW / Leicester S (1974) Bowden Boardman Marshall
Leicester NW / Leicester W (1974) B. Janner G. Janner
Leicester South East Waterhouse Peel
Loughborough Follick Cronin Dorrell
Melton Nutting Pike Latham
Blaby Lawson

1983 to present

   Conservative    Independent    Labour    Liberal Democrats    Reclaim

Constituency19831987199219972001042005201011201520172019202323232024
Blaby / South Leics (2010) Lawson Robathan Costa
Bosworth / Hinckley & Bosworth (2024) Butler Tredinnick Evans
Harborough / H., Oadby & Wigston ('24) Farr Garnier O'Brien
Leicester East Bruinvels Vaz Webbe Raja
Leicester South Spencer Marshall Gill Soulsby Ashworth Adam
Leicester West G. Janner Hewitt Kendall
Loughborough Dorrell Reed Morgan Hunt Sandher
Rutland & Melton / R. & Stamford ('24)1 Latham Duncan Kearns
North West Leicestershire Ashby Taylor Bridgen Hack
Charnwood / Mid Leicestershire (2024) Dorrell Argar Bedford
Melton and Syston Argar

1includes parts of Lincolnshire

See also

Footnotes

  1. BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.
  2. The majority is the number of votes the winning candidate receives more than their nearest rival.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicestershire</span> County of England

Leicestershire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, and Staffordshire to the west. The city of Leicester is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinckley and Bosworth (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Hinckley and Bosworth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Luke Evans, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutland and Melton (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Former parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 to 2024

Rutland and Melton was a county constituency spanning Leicestershire and Rutland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 2024. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election. For its entire existence, the seat elected members of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harborough, Oadby and Wigston (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Harborough, Oadby and Wigston is a constituency covering the south east of Leicestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Neil O'Brien of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charnwood (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997-2024

Charnwood was a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament from 1997 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loughborough (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Loughborough is a constituency in Leicestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jeevun Sandher of the Labour Party. The constituency is a considered a bellwether, as it has reflected the national result at every general election since February 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

South Leicestershire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Alberto Costa, a member of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutland and Stamford (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1983 and 2024 onwards

Rutland and Stamford is a county constituency comprising the area centred on the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, the county of Rutland and also parts of rural Leicestershire making it a very unusual parliamentary constituency as it spans three counties. It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, using the first-past-the-post voting system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2024 onwards

Mid Leicestershire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Peter Bedford, a Conservative.

References

General
Specific
  1. Baker, Carl; Uberoi, Elise; Cracknell, Richard (28 January 2020). "General Election 2019: full results and analysis".
  2. 1 2 3 "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  3. Moorhouse, Sam (16 November 2022). "Latest political changes planned for Leicestershire". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". paras 110-137. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  5. Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019".