Southport (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Southport
County constituency
for the House of Commons
North West England - Southport constituency.svg
Boundary of Southport in North West England
County Merseyside
Electorate 74,168 (2023) [1]
Major settlements Southport, Ainsdale-on-Sea
Current constituency
Created 1885
Member of Parliament Patrick Hurley (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created from South West Lancashire

Southport is a constituency in Merseyside which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Patrick Hurley of the Labour Party.

Contents

Boundaries

Southport (UK Parliament constituency)
Map of boundaries 1974–1983

Historic

Southport in Lancashire, boundaries used 1974-1983 Southport1974Constituency.svg
Southport in Lancashire, boundaries used 1974–1983

1885–1918: The Borough of Southport, the Sessional Division of Southport, and the parishes of Blundell, Great and Little Crosby, Ince, and Thornton.

1918–1983: The County Borough of Southport.

1983–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Ainsdale, Birkdale, Cambridge, Dukes, Kew, Meols, and Norwood.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

The four, largely rural, West Lancashire Borough wards were transferred from South Ribble, offset by the loss of Ainsdale ward to Sefton Central.

Following a local government boundary review in West Lancashire which came into effect in May 2023, [3] [4] the constituency will now comprise the following from the 2024 general election:

The constituency covers the whole town of Southport and the localities of Birkdale, Blowick, Churchtown, Crossens, Highpark, Hillside, Kew, Marshside, Meols Cop, and Woodvale. It also now includes the West Lancashire villages of Banks, Hesketh Bank, Becconsall, Tarleton and Rufford. It is bordered to the north by Fylde (across the Ribble estuary), to the east by South Ribble, and to the south by Sefton Central and West Lancashire .

History

Prominent members

In the 19th century, the constituency was represented by George Nathaniel Curzon, who later became the Viceroy of India. Trial barrister Edward Marshall Hall represented the seat from 1900 to 1906, while Sir John Brunner, 2nd Baronet held the seat from 1923 until 1924.

Robert Hudson held the seat from 1931 to 1952. During World War II he was the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. He was made a viscount in 1952.

Political history

Until 2024, the constituency had been a Liberal or Conservative seat throughout its history, and marginal for much of that time. It changed hands 11 times between the parties after it was created in 1885, with nine Conservative MPs and eight Liberal or Liberal Democrat MPs in its history.

During the nadir of the Liberal Party, from the 1930s to the 1960s, the constituency became a safe Conservative seat, with absolute majorities from 1931 until 1970 inclusive.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was the Labour Party candidate for the seat in 1966 and came in second place.

With the revival the Liberal Party's fortunes in the early 1970s, elections became close contests once again. The constituency changed hands in the 1987 general election, when it was won by Ronnie Fearn of the Liberal Party, for the SDP-Liberal Alliance, shortly before the two parties merged to form the Liberal Democrats. Fearn had contested the seat unsuccessfully for the Liberals throughout the 1970s.

Fearn lost the seat to the Conservatives' Matthew Banks at the 1992 election, one of the few Conservative gains at that election, only to regain it at the 1997 election. The Liberal Democrats held the seat, under John Pugh (after Fearn stood down) in 2001 until 2017.

The seat was one of the eight Liberal Democrat seats that survived its national vote share collapse at the 2015 general election, although there was a higher-than-average drop in the Liberal Democrats' vote share. Pugh opted not to re-contest the seat in the 2017 general election, at which it returned to the Conservatives, the only seat the Tories gained from the Liberal Democrats in 2017 (aside from Richmond Park, which they had gained at a 2016 by-election).

In the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, of which the constituency is a part, voted to remain in the European Union by 51.9%. [6] Given its demography, it is estimated that Southport voted to remain by 54%. [7]

In 2019, a resurgent Labour vote pushed the Liberal Democrats into third place for the first time since 1966 with the seat becoming a Tory-Labour marginal. Labour won the seat from the Conservatives in 2024, making it the first time Labour has held the seat, as well as the first time Labour has held every seat in Merseyside.

Constituency profile

This is a generally affluent seaside town in the borough of Sefton which has not suffered from significant deprivation compared to its Lancashire counterpart Blackpool. Workless claimants (registered jobseekers) were in November 2012 close to the national average of 3.8%, at 4.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . [8] Southport is home to the Royal Birkdale Golf Club, and Ainsdale Beach is part of the Sefton Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [9] Party
1885 George Augustus Pilkington Liberal
1886 George Curzon Conservative
1898 by-election Sir Herbert Naylor-Leyland Liberal
1899 by-election George Augustus Pilkington Liberal
1900 Edward Marshall Hall Conservative
1906 John Meir Astbury Liberal
1910 Godfrey Dalrymple-White Conservative
1923 John Brunner Liberal
1924 Godfrey Dalrymple-White Conservative
1931 Robert Hudson Conservative
1952 by-election Roger Fleetwood-Hesketh Conservative
1959 Ian Percival Conservative
1987 Ronnie Fearn Liberal
1988 Liberal Democrats
1992 Matthew Banks Conservative
1997 Ronnie Fearn Liberal Democrats
2001 John Pugh Liberal Democrats
2017 Damien Moore Conservative
2024 Patrick Hurley Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Southport [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Patrick Hurley 17,252 38.3 +1.5
Conservative Damien Moore 11,46325.4−25.0
Reform UK Andrew Lynn7,39516.4New
Liberal Democrats Erin Harvey5,86813.0+0.5
Green Edwin Black2,1594.8+4.4
Independent Sean Halsall9222.1New
Majority 5,78912.9N/A
Turnout 45,05961.2−6.8
Registered electors 73,641
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +13.3

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Southport [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Damien Moore 22,914 47.6 +8.9
Labour Liz Savage18,76739.0+6.4
Liberal Democrats John Wright6,49913.5−12.9
Majority 4,1478.6+2.5
Turnout 48,18068.0−1.1
Conservative hold Swing +1.3
General election 2017: Southport [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Damien Moore 18,541 38.7 +10.7
Labour Liz Savage15,62732.6+13.4
Liberal Democrats Sue McGuire12,66126.4−4.6
UKIP Terry Durrance1,1272.4−14.4
Majority 2,9146.1N/A
Turnout 47,95669.1+3.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing −1.4
General election 2015: Southport [13] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John Pugh 13,652 31.0 −18.6
Conservative Damien Moore 12,33028.0−7.8
Labour Liz Savage8,46819.2+9.8
UKIP Terry Durrance7,42916.8+11.7
Green Laurence Rankin1,2302.8New
Southport PartyJacqueline Barlow9922.2New
Majority 1,3223.0−10.8
Turnout 44,10165.5+0.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing −5.4
General election 2010: Southport [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John Pugh 21,707 49.6 +3.3
Conservative Brenda Porter15,68335.8−1.2
Labour Jim Conalty4,1169.4−3.4
UKIP Terry Durrance2,2515.1+3.3
Majority 6,02413.8+4.5
Turnout 43,75765.1+4.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +2.2

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Southport [16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John Pugh 19,093 46.3 +2.5
Conservative Mark S. Bigley15,25537.0+0.5
Labour Paul Brant5,27712.8−3.8
UKIP Terry Durrance7491.8+0.5
Your PartyBill Givens5891.4New
Veritas Harry Forster2380.6New
Majority 3,8389.3+2.0
Turnout 41,20161.0+1.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +1.0
General election 2001: Southport [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John Pugh 18,011 43.8 −4.3
Conservative Laurence Jones15,00436.5+0.6
Labour Paul Brant6,81616.6+4.5
Liberal David Green7671.9+1.1
UKIP Gerry Kelley5551.3New
Majority 3,0077.3−4.9
Turnout 41,15358.6−13.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Southport [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Ronnie Fearn 24,356 48.1 +6.6
Conservative Matthew Banks 18,18635.9−11.1
Labour Sarah Norman6,12912.1+1.9
Referendum Frank Buckle1,3682.7New
Liberal Susan Ashton3860.8New
Natural Law Elizabeth Lines930.2−0.1
National Democrats Michael Middleton920.2New
Majority 6,17012.2N/A
Turnout 50,61072.1−5.5
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +8.9
General election 1992: Southport [19] [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Matthew Banks 26,081 47.0 +2.5
Liberal Democrats Ronnie Fearn 23,01841.5−6.4
Labour James King5,63710.2+3.8
Green Justin Walker5451.0−0.2
Natural Law Geoffrey Clements1590.3New
Majority 3,0635.5N/A
Turnout 55,44077.6+1.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +4.5

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Southport [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Ronnie Fearn 26,110 47.9 +7.4
Conservative Nigel Thomas24,26144.5−5.9
Labour Audrey Moore3,4836.4−1.9
Green Justin Walker6531.2New
Majority 1,8493.4N/A
Turnout 54,50776.3+3.8
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +6.7
General election 1983: Southport [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 25,612 50.4 −0.4
Liberal Iain Brodie Browne20,57340.5+2.5
Labour Francis Brady4,2338.3−2.9
Independent Kevin Wood3740.7New
Majority 5,0399.9−2.9
Turnout 50,79272.5−2.2
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 25,953 50.8 +3.6
Liberal Ronnie Fearn 19,42638.0+2.3
Labour I.Gari James5,72512.8−4.3
Majority 6,52712.8+1.3
Turnout 51,10474.7+1.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 23,014 47.2 ±0.0
Liberal Ronnie Fearn 17,38735.7−3.9
Labour I.Gari James8,32317.1+3.9
Majority 5,62711.5+3.9
Turnout 48,72473.7−3.7
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 23,975 47.2 −3.0
Liberal Ronnie Fearn 20,09339.6+9.4
Labour Peter R. Ward6,69013.2−6.4
Majority 3,8827.6−12.4
Turnout 50,75877.4+6.9
Conservative hold Swing −6.2
General election 1970: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 22,950 50.2 −0.8
Liberal Ronnie Fearn 13,80930.2+10.5
Labour Bruce George 8,95019.6−9.6
Majority 9,14120.0−1.2
Turnout 45,70970.5−2.2
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 22,324 51.0 −0.9
Labour John Prescott 12,79829.2+4.1
Liberal C. Jack Coleman8,63019.7−3.3
Majority 9,52621.8−5.0
Turnout 43,75272.7−3.8
Conservative hold Swing −2.5
General election 1964: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 23,917 51.9 −4.1
Labour Leonard Goldwater11,57225.1+4.7
Liberal C. Jack Coleman10,60923.0−0.5
Majority 12,34526.8−5.7
Turnout 46,09876.5−0.3
Conservative hold Swing −4.4

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ian Percival 26,905 56.0 −14.2
Liberal Sam Goldberg11,29223.5+23.5
Labour Charles W Hadfield9,80520.4−9.4
Majority 15,61332.5−8.0
Turnout 48,00276.8+8.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Fleetwood-Hesketh 30,268 70.2 +10.0
Labour Peter Cameron12,82729.8+5.0
Majority 17,44140.4+4.9
Turnout 43,09568.8−8.9
Conservative hold Swing +2.5
1952 Southport by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Fleetwood-Hesketh 24,589 62.0 +1.8
Labour Alan Lever Tillotson11,31028.5+3.7
Liberal Hubert Bentliff 3,7769.5−5.5
Majority 13,27933.5−1.9
Turnout 39,675
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Hudson 30,388 60.2 +3.9
Labour H Owen Ellis12,53524.8−2.0
Liberal Hubert Bentliff 7,57615.0−1.9
Majority 17,85335.4+5.9
Turnout 50,49977.7−4.1
Conservative hold Swing +2.9
General election 1950: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Hudson 29,766 56.3 +3.6
Labour J P Bonney14,15926.8±0.0
Liberal Harry Ellington8,93316.9−3.6
Majority 15,60729.5+3.6
Turnout 52,85881.8+7.6
Conservative hold Swing +1.8

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Hudson 26,792 52.7 −19.5
Labour William Hamling 13,59626.8−1.0
Liberal Robert Martin10,40420.5New
Majority 13,19625.9−18.5
Turnout 50,79274.2+3.3
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Hudson 29,652 72.2 +3.8
Labour Robert Carrington-Willis11,41927.8New
Majority 18,23344.4+7.6
Turnout 41,07170.9−8.8
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1931: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Hudson 30,307 68.4 +20.1
Liberal Moelwyn Hughes 13,98331.6−7.8
Majority 16,32436.8+27.9
Turnout 44,29079.7+0.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Godfrey Dalrymple-White 21,161 48.3 −12.7
Liberal Cecil Ramage 17,22039.4+0.4
Labour Arthur Leonard Williams5,38012.3New
Majority 3,9418.9−13.1
Turnout 43,76179.6+0.9
Unionist hold Swing −6.6
General election 1924: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Godfrey Dalrymple-White 17,430 61.0 +12.8
Liberal John Brunner 11,15839.0−12.8
Majority 6,27222.0N/A
Turnout 28,58878.7+2.8
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
Brunner Sir John Brunner.jpg
Brunner
General election 1923: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal John Brunner 13,704 51.8 +5.0
Unionist Thomas Comyn-Platt12,77648.2−5.0
Majority 9283.6N/A
Turnout 26,48075.9−0.4
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +5.0
General election 1922: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Godfrey Dalrymple-White 13,733 53.2 −18.8
Liberal John Brunner 12,06846.8New
Majority 1,6656.4−37.6
Turnout 25,80176.3+14.7
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Godfrey Dalrymple-White 14,70772.0+19.7
Labour Arthur Greenwood 5,72728.0New
Majority 8,98044.0+39.4
Turnout 20,43461.6−24.0
Unionist hold Swing
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
Woodcock Drysdale Woodcock.jpg
Woodcock
General election December 1910: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Godfrey Dalrymple-White 7,467 52.3 +0.9
Liberal H. B. D. Woodcock 6,79847.7−0.9
Majority 6694.6+1.8
Turnout 14,26585.6−3.6
Conservative hold Swing
General election January 1910: Southport
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Godfrey Dalrymple-White 7,637 51.4 +2.3
Liberal Maurice de Forest 7,21848.6−2.3
Majority 4192.8N/A
Turnout 14,85589.2+1.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1900s

Astbury John Astbury.jpg
Astbury
General election 1906: Southport [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal John Astbury 6,607 50.9 +1.9
Conservative Edward Marshall Hall 6,36749.1−1.9
Majority 2401.8N/A
Turnout 12,97487.3+5.0
Registered electors 14,854
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +1.9
General election 1900: Southport [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Marshall Hall 5,522 51.0 −3.0
Liberal George Augustus Pilkington 5,31349.0+3.0
Majority 2092.0−6.0
Turnout 10,83582.3−0.7
Registered electors 13,164
Conservative hold Swing −3.0

Elections in the 1890s

Pilkington Sir George Pilkington.jpg
Pilkington
1899 Southport by-election [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal George Augustus Pilkington 5,635 52.7 +6.7
Conservative Charles Balfour 5,05247.3−6.7
Majority 5835.4N/A
Turnout 10,68784.4+1.4
Registered electors 12,656
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +6.7
1898 Southport by-election [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Herbert Naylor-Leyland 5,100 51.4 +5.4
Conservative Edward Bootle-Wilbraham 4,82848.6−5.4
Majority 2722.8N/A
Turnout 9,92880.1−2.9
Registered electors 12,395
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +5.4
General election 1895: Southport [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative George Curzon 5,162 54.0 +0.6
Liberal Herbert Naylor-Leyland 4,39946.0−0.6
Majority 7638.0+1.2
Turnout 9,56183.0−1.6
Registered electors 11,523
Conservative hold Swing +0.6
General election 1892: Southport [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative George Curzon 4,752 53.4 +0.1
Liberal George Pollard 4,14846.6−0.1
Majority 6046.8+0.2
Turnout 8,90084.6+1.8
Registered electors 10,514
Conservative hold Swing +0.1

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Southport [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative George Curzon 3,723 53.3 +4.4
Liberal George Augustus Pilkington 3,26246.7−4.4
Majority 4616.6N/A
Turnout 6,98582.8−4.0
Registered electors 8,437
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +4.4
General election 1885: Southport [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal George Augustus Pilkington 3,741 51.1
Conservative John Edwards-Moss 3,58148.9
Majority 1602.2
Turnout 7,32286.8
Registered electors 8,437
Liberal win (new seat)

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
    2. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
    3. ↑ LGBCE. "West Lancashire | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
    4. ↑ "The West Lancashire (Electoral Changes) Order 2022".
    5. ↑ "New Seat Details - Southport". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
    6. ↑ "EU Referendum Results". BBC News. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
    7. ↑ "Revised estimates of Leave vote share in Westminster constituencies". Medium. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
    8. ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
    9. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)
    10. ↑ "Southport - General election results 2024". BBC News . Retrieved 19 March 2025.
    11. ↑ "Southport Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
    12. ↑ "Southport parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
    13. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
    14. ↑ "Southport". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
    15. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
    16. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    17. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    18. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    19. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    20. ↑ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
    21. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    22. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN   9781349022984.

    Sources

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