Luton North (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Luton North
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Luton North (UK Parliament constituency)
Boundaries since 2024
East of England - Luton North constituency.svg
Boundary of Luton North in the East of England
Local government in England Bedfordshire
Electorate 73,266 (2023) [1]
Major settlements Luton
Current constituency
Created 1983
Member of Parliament Sarah Owen (Labour Party)
SeatsOne
Created from Luton West, Mid Bedfordshire, South Bedfordshire and Luton East [2]

Luton North is a constituency [n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Sarah Owen, of the Labour Party. [n 2]

Contents

Constituency profile

Luton North was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of Luton West. It consists of the northern portion of the town of Luton, excluding Stopsley.

One constituency other than Luton North includes Luton; Luton South. Both cover a similar housing profile [n 3] [3] and economic ambit that have seen house prices increase above the national average since 1997, two periods of relatively high numbers of the unemployed and lowest wage earners (the 1990s and 2008–2011 global recession). [4] The former covers roughly the LU3 and 4 postcode districts and excludes the town centre of what one broadsheet characterised as a tough town [5] whereas other commentators state that Luton has a resilient economy which "revolves around the airport as well as the retail sector." [6]

History

At creation, Luton North included eight wards from the neighbouring districts of Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire; these made it a much safer seat for the Conservatives than Luton South, which included only one ward from outside the Borough of Luton. Boundary changes in 1997 reduced the Conservative majority from 13,094 to 7,357, and it was 81st on Labour's list of target seats; Labour duly gained it on a 17.1% swing, and since then the party has held the seat with comfortable majorities.

From 2005 to 2015, Luton North was Labour's safest seat in the East of England by both vote and vote share majority; in 2017 it was overtaken in the former count by Norwich South, but the percentage margin in Luton North (30.8% compared to 30.4% in Norwich South) is slightly higher.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1983–1997

Created as a county constituency formally named North Luton, [7] incorporating the bulk of the abolished borough constituency of Luton West. Extended northwards to include part of the abolished constituency of South Bedfordshire as well as Flitwick, transferred from Mid Bedfordshire.

1997–2010

Luton North (UK Parliament constituency)
Map of boundaries 2010-2024

Redesignated as the borough constituency of Luton North. The parts of the Districts of Mid Bedfordshire (including Flitwick) and South Bedfordshire transferred to Mid Bedfordshire. Gained the Saints ward of the Borough of Luton from Luton South.

2010–2024

Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency was expanded with the transfer of the Luton Borough ward of Stopsley (as it existed on 1 December 2020) from Luton South. [10]

Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, [11] [12] the constituency now comprises the following wards of the Borough of Luton from the 2024 general election:

Members of Parliament

Luton West, Luton East, Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire prior to 1983

ElectionMember [14] Party
1983 John Carlisle Conservative
1997 Kelvin Hopkins Labour
2017 Independent
2019 Sarah Owen Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Luton North [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sarah Owen 14,677 37.9 −16.0
Conservative Jilleane Brown7,16718.5−15.8
Reform UK James Fletcher4,66612.0+9.0
Independent Toqueer Shah4,39311.3N/A
Workers Party Waheed Akbar3,91410.1N/A
Green Ejel Khan1,9405.0+3.1
Liberal Democrats Sean Prendergast1,8904.9+0.3
SDP Paul Trathen980.3N/A
Majority7,51019.4−11.4
Turnout 38,74551.8–9.1
Registered electors 74,866
Labour hold Swing Decrease2.svg0.1

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result [16]
PartyVote %
Labour 24,01553.9
Conservative 15,27534.3
Liberal Democrats 2,0634.6
Brexit Party 1,3193.0
Others1,0862.4
Green 8321.9
Turnout44,59060.9
Electorate73,266
General election 2019: Luton North [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sarah Owen 23,496 55.2 −8.6
Conservative Jeet Bains14,24933.5+0.5
Liberal Democrats Linda Jack2,0634.8+3.1
Brexit Party Sudhir Sharma1,2152.9N/A
Green Simon Hall7711.8+0.4
Independent Muhammad Rehman6461.5N/A
Women's Equality Serena Laidley1490.3N/A
Majority9,24721.7−9.1
Turnout 42,58962.5−8.5
Labour hold Swing
General election 2017: Luton North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kelvin Hopkins 29,765 63.8 +11.6
Conservative Caroline Kerswell15,40133.0+3.1
Liberal Democrats Rabi Martins8081.7−1.4
Green Simon Hall6481.4−0.9
Majority14,36430.8+8.5
Turnout 46,62271.0+7.0
Labour hold Swing +4.3
General election 2015: Luton North [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kelvin Hopkins [19] 22,243 52.2 +2.9
Conservative Dean Russell [20] 12,73929.9−1.9
UKIP Allan White [20] 5,31812.5+8.9
Liberal Democrats Aroosa Ulzaman1,2993.1−8.0
Green Sofiya Ahmed9722.3+1.2
Majority9,50422.3+4.8
Turnout 42,57164.0−1.5
Labour hold Swing +2.4
General election 2010: Luton North [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kelvin Hopkins 21,192 49.3 +0.7
Conservative Jeremy Brier13,67231.8−0.4
Liberal Democrats Rabi Martins4,78411.1−4.5
UKIP Colin Brown1,5643.6+0.4
BNP Shelley Rose1,3163.1N/A
Green Simon Hall4901.1N/A
Majority7,52017.5+0.9
Turnout 43,01865.5+8.6
Labour hold Swing +0.5

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Luton North [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kelvin Hopkins 19,062 48.7 −8.0
Conservative Hannah Hall12,57532.1+0.9
Liberal Democrats Linda Jack6,08115.5+5.8
UKIP Colin Brown1,2553.2+0.8
Open ForumKayson Gurney1490.4N/A
Majority6,48716.6−8.9
Turnout 39,12257.4−0.5
Labour hold Swing −4.5
General election 2001: Luton North [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kelvin Hopkins 22,187 56.7 +2.1
Conservative Amanda Sater12,21031.2−3.1
Liberal Democrats Robert Hoyle3,7959.7+0.6
UKIP Colin Brown9342.4+0.9
Majority9,97725.5+5.2
Turnout 39,12657.9−15.3
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Luton North [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kelvin Hopkins 25,860 54.6 +17.4
Conservative David Senior16,23434.3−16.9
Liberal Democrats Kathryn Newbound4,2999.1−1.1
UKIP Colin Brown6891.5N/A
Natural Law Aaron Custance2500.50.0
Majority9,62620.3N/A
Turnout 47,33273.2−8.6
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General election 1992: Luton North [25] [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Carlisle 33,777 53.7 −0.1
Labour Tony McWalter 20,68332.9+6.1
Liberal Democrats Jane Jackson7,57012.0−7.4
Green Roger Jones6331.0N/A
Natural Law Keith Buscombe2920.5N/A
Majority13,09420.8−6.2
Turnout 62,95581.8+4.2
Conservative hold Swing −3.1

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Luton North [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Carlisle 30,997 53.8 +5.5
Labour Michael Wright15,42426.8+0.6
SDP John Stephen11,16619.4−6.1
Majority15,57327.0+4.9
Turnout 57,58777.6+0.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Luton North [28]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Carlisle 26,115 48.3
Labour Kelvin Hopkins 14,13426.2
SDP John Stephen13,76925.5
Majority11,98122.1
Turnout 54,01877.4
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A borough 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.
  3. ↑ The proportion of semi-detached houses is in the highest of the five categories, similar to London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Bexley, Castle Point and Ipswich only surpassed in the east/south east by Rochford.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil parishes in Bedfordshire</span> List of places

A civil parish is a country subdivision, forming the lowest unit of local government in England. There are 125 civil parishes in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, most of the county being parished: Luton is completely unparished; Central Bedfordshire is entirely parished. At the 2001 census, there were 312,301 people living in the 125 parishes, which accounted for 55.2 per cent of the county's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makerfield (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Makerfield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It has been represented by Labour MP Josh Simons since 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke-on-Trent North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950 onwards

Stoke-on-Trent North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by David Williams, a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolverhampton South East (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Wolverhampton South East is a constituency in West Midlands that was created in 1974. The seat has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by Pat McFadden of the Labour Party since 2005. McFadden currently serves as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under the government of Keir Starmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards

Mid Bedfordshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Blake Stephenson of the Conservative Party since the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luton South and South Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Luton South and South Bedfordshire is a constituency in Bedfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Rachel Hopkins, a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevenage (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Stevenage is a constituency in Hertfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Kevin Bonavia, a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luton Rural District</span> History of Bedfordshire

Luton Rural District was a local authority in Bedfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It covered an area which almost surrounded but did not include the towns of Luton and Dunstable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limbury</span> Human settlement in England

Limbury is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, and was formerly a village before Luton expanded around it. The area is roughly bounded by Bramingham Road to the north, Marsh Road to the south, Bramingham Road to the west, and Catsbrook Road, Runfold Avenue, Grosvenor Road, Bancroft Road and Blundell Road to the east.

Luton was a constituency including the town of Luton in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1885 to 1974, elected by the first past the post system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luton West (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974–1983

Luton West is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created in 1974 parts of the abolished Luton constituency and parts of South Bedfordshire. It was abolished in 1983 when it was largely absorbed into the new constituency of Luton North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leagrave</span> Human settlement in England

Leagrave is a former village and now a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, in the northwest of the town. The current council ward is roughly bounded by Vincent Road, Torquay Drive and High Street to the north, Roman Road and Stoneygate Road to the south, the M1 to the west, and Marsh Road and Leagrave Park to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983–1997 & 2024 onwards

North Bedfordshire is a county constituency in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

Bramingham is a suburb of Luton, in the Borough of Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The area is situated in the north of the town and is roughly bounded by the A6 to the east, Great Bramingham Wood to the west, the edge of Luton to the north, and Icknield Way to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950–1983

South Bedfordshire was a county constituency in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

Challney is a district in Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, off the main arterial road leading from Luton into Dunstable. The area is roughly bounded by Rodheath, Stoneygate Road, Roman Road, and Beechwood Road to the north, Hatters Way to the south, the M1 to the west, and Waller Avenue and Chaul End Lane to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luton Borough Council</span> Local council of Luton, England

Luton Borough Council, also known as Luton Council, is the local authority of Luton, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Luton has had an elected local authority since 1850, which has been reformed several times. Since 1997 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.

References

  1. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "'Luton North', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  3. ↑ 2011 census interactive maps Archived 29 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.
  5. ↑ "Politics". The Guardian.
  6. ↑ "Area and Property Guide for lu3 - Mouseprice". www.mouseprice.com.
  7. 1 2 "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  9. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  10. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.
  11. ↑ LGBCE. "Luton | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "The Luton (Electoral Changes) Order 2022".
  13. ↑ "New Seat Details - Luton North". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  14. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)
  15. ↑ Luton North
  16. ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament . Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  17. ↑ "Luton North Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  18. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "LUTON NORTH 2015". electionresults.blogspot.co.uk.
  20. 1 2 "UK Polling Report". ukpollingreport.co.uk.
  21. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  26. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  27. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  28. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

51°54′07″N0°26′46″W / 51.902°N 0.446°W / 51.902; -0.446

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.