Stockton North (UK Parliament constituency)

Stockton North
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Stockton North in Cleveland
Location of Cleveland within England
County	County Durham
Electorate	65,023 (2018) [1]
Major settlements	Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham, Wolviston, Port Clarence and Thorpe Thewles
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of Parliament	Alex Cunningham (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Stockton-on-Tees

Stockton North is a constituency ^{[n 1]} covering the town of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham and other nearby settlements in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees located north of the River Tees, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Alex Cunningham, a member of the Labour Party. ^{[n 2]}

Boundaries

Map of current boundaries

1983–1997: The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees wards of Blue Hall, Charltons, Elm Tree, Glebe, Grange, Hardwick, Marsh House, Mile House, Newtown, Northfield, Norton, Portrack and Tilery, Roseworth, St Aidan's, St Cuthbert's, Whitton, and Wolveston.

1997–2010: The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees wards of Blue Hall, Charltons, Glebe, Grange, Hardwick, Marsh House, Mile House, Newtown, Northfield, Norton, Portrack and Tilery, Roseworth, St Aidan's, St Cuthbert's, Whitton, and Wolviston.

2010–present: The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees wards of Billingham Central, Billingham East, Billingham North, Billingham South, Billingham West, Hardwick, Newtown, Northern Parishes, Norton North, Norton South, Norton West, Roseworth, Stockton Town Centre, and Western Parishes.

Stockton North consists of the north-eastern part of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham and the nearby towns and villages of Billingham, Wolviston, Port Clarence and Thorpe Thewles. ^[2]

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following wards of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• Billingham Central; Billingham East; Billingham North; Billingham South; Billingham West; Hardwick and Salters Lane; Newtown; Northern Parishes; Norton North; Norton South; Norton West; Parkfield and Oxbridge; Roseworth; Stockton Town Centre. ^[3]

In order to bring the electorate within the permitted electoral range, the Parkfield and Oxbridge ward will be transferred in from Stockton South (to be renamed Stockton West) in exchange for Western Parishes.

Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, ^{[4] [5]} the constituency will now comprise the following wards of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees from the next general election:

• Billingham Central; Billingham East; Billingham North; Billingham South; Billingham West & Wolviston; Eaglescliffe East (small part); Grangefield (majority); Hardwick & Salters Lane; Newtown; Northern Parishes (majority); Norton Central; Norton North; Norton South; Ropner; Roseworth; Stockton Town Centre; and a very small part of Hartburn. ^[6]

History

The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, partially replacing the former Stockton-on-Tees constituency. The outgoing MP for Stockton-on-Tees was Bill Rodgers, who had held the seat since 1962. He had been a Labour Party member until 1981, when he left to found the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The 1983 election was the first since Rodgers had left the Labour Party, and he was narrowly defeated by Labour's Frank Cook. Cook held the seat with majorities between 16% and 48% until the 2010 general election, when after 27 years as the MP he was de-selected by his local party. Cook chose to run again however, as an independent candidate. Cook polled less than 5% of the vote, fifth of the seven candidates who stood, and joined four of these in forfeiting his deposit and the seat was held by the Labour Party's next candidate, Alex Cunningham.

In November 2021, Cunningham announced his intention to stand down at the next general election. ^[7]

Constituency profile

The town of Stockton-on-Tees is a significant exports manufacturing and processing base in the United Kingdom. Stockton North has often in economically troubled times significantly more unemployment than Stockton South: workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly above the national average of 3.8%, at 7.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian compared to 4.5% in Stockton South. ^[8]

In November 2023 Home Secretary James Cleverly was accused of calling the constituency "a shithole" during a Commons debate. The comment was said to have been made after the prime minister Rishi Sunak was challenged by MP Alex Cunningham on the level of child poverty in his constituency. ^{[9] [10]}

Members of Parliament

Election		Member [11]	Party
	1983	Frank Cook	Labour
	2010	Alex Cunningham	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: Stockton North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Sam Bradford [12]
	Conservative	Niall Innes [13]
	Reform UK	John Gerard McDermottroe [14]
	Labour	Chris McDonald [15]
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
			Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Stockton North ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alex Cunningham	17,728	43.1	−13.8
	Conservative	Steven Jackson	16,701	40.6	+4.1
	Brexit Party	Martin Walker	3,907	9.5	New
	Liberal Democrats	Aidan King	1,631	4.0	+2.5
	North East	Mark Burdon	1,189	2.9	New
Majority			1,027	2.5	−17.9
Turnout			41,156	61.7	−2.8
	Labour hold		Swing	−9.0

General election 2017: Stockton North ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alex Cunningham [18]	24,304	56.9	+7.8
	Conservative	Mark Fletcher	15,589	36.5	+8.5
	UKIP	Ted Strike	1,834	4.3	−14.9
	Liberal Democrats	Sarah Brown [19]	646	1.5	−0.7
	Green	Emma Robson	358	0.8	New
Majority			8,715	20.4	−0.7
Turnout			42,731	64.5	+4.7
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.3

General election 2015: Stockton North ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alex Cunningham	19,436	49.1	+6.3
	Conservative	Christopher Daniels	11,069	28.0	+2.1
	UKIP	Mandy Boylett	7,581	19.2	+15.3
	Liberal Democrats	Anthony Sycamore	884	2.2	−13.9
	North East	John Tait	601	1.5	New
Majority			8,367	21.1	+4.2
Turnout			39,571	59.8	+1.2
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.2

General election 2010: Stockton North ^{[21] [22]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alex Cunningham	16,923	42.8	−12.0
	Conservative	Ian Galletley	10,247	25.9	+4.7
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Latham	6,342	16.1	-2.6
	BNP	James MacPherson	1,724	4.4	+1.8
	Independent	Frank Cook	1,577	4.0	New
	UKIP	Gordon Parkin	1,556	3.9	+1.2
	English Democrat	Ian Saul	1,129	2.9	New
Majority			6,676	16.9	-17.2
Turnout			39,498	58.6	+0.5
	Labour hold		Swing	-8.3

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Stockton North ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Cook	20,012	54.9	-8.5
	Conservative	Harriett Baldwin	7,575	20.8	-1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Neil Hughes	6,869	18.9	+7.0
	BNP	Kevin Hughes	986	2.7	New
	UKIP	Gordon Parkin	986	2.7	New
Majority			12,439	34.1	-7.2
Turnout			36,428	57.6	+2.8
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.6

General election 2001: Stockton North ^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Cook	22,470	63.4	-3.4
	Conservative	Amanda Vigar	7,823	22.1	+3.3
	Liberal Democrats	Mary Wallace	4,208	11.9	+1.1
	Green	Bill Wennington	926	2.6	New
Majority			14,647	41.3	−6.7
Turnout			35,427	54.8	−14.2
	Labour hold		Swing	−3.3

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Stockton North ^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Cook	29,726	66.8	+14.5
	Conservative	Bryan Johnston	8,369	18.8	−13.9
	Liberal Democrats	Suzanne Fletcher	4,816	10.8	−3.2
	Referendum	Kevin McConnell	1,563	3.5	New
Majority			21,357	48.0	+28.4
Turnout			44,474	69.0	−7.8
	Labour hold		Swing	+14.2

General election 1992: Stockton North ^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Cook	27,918	52.3	+3.1
	Conservative	Simon E Brocklebank-Fowler	17,444	32.7	+0.2
	Liberal Democrats	Suzanne Fletcher	7,454	14.0	-4.3
	Independent Labour	Ken McGarvey	550	1.0	New
Majority			10,474	19.6	+3.0
Turnout			53,366	76.8	+1.4
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.5

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Stockton North ^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Cook	26,043	49.2	+12.1
	Conservative	David Faber	17,242	32.5	−0.8
	SDP	Nicholas Bosanquet	9,712	18.3	−11.3
Majority			8,801	16.6	+12.8
Turnout			52,997	75.4	+5.1
	Labour hold		Swing	+6.5

General election 1983: Stockton North ^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Cook	18,339	37.1
	Conservative	Harry Davies	16,469	33.3
	SDP	Bill Rodgers	14,630	29.6
Majority			1,870	3.8
Turnout			49,438	70.3
	Labour win (new seat)

See also

• Stockton-on-Tees, approximate predecessor, abolished 1983.
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Cleveland
• History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Cleveland

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.

References

1. "England Parliamentary electorates 2010-2018". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
2. 2010 post-revision map Greater London and metropolitan areas of England
3. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 4 North East region.
4. "UK Government Web Archive". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
5. "The Stockton-on-Tees (Electoral Changes) Order 2022".
6. "New Seat Details - Stockton North". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
7. "Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham to retire at next election". BBC News. 25 November 2021.
8. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
9. "James Cleverly denies claims he called Stockton North a s***hole". The Independent. 22 November 2023. Speaking at PMQs, Mr Cunningham had asked: "Why are 34 per cent of children in my constituency living in poverty?" Before the Prime Minister could answer, Cleverly allegedly responded: "Because it's a shithole".
10. "Watch: MP accused of calling Stockton North a 's***hole'". The Spectator. 22 November 2023.
11. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 5)
12. "Sam Bradford: The Green Party Parliamentary Candidate For Stockton North". Stockton & Hartlepool Green Party. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
13. "New Conservative candidate for Stockton North Niall Innes: 'An opportunity to bring real change'". Teesside Live. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
14. "Stockton North Constituency". Reform UK . Retrieved 21 January 2024.
15. "Hartlepool-born businessman Chris McDonald selected by Labour to fight Billingham seat at next General Election". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
16. "Stockton North". BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
17. "Stockton North". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
18. "Alex Cunningham Statement Regarding Upcoming Election". Alex Cunningham. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
19. "Stockton Liberal Democrat Candidates".
20. "Stockton North". BBC News. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
21. "UK General Election results May 2010". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
23. "UK General Election results May 2005". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
24. "UK General Election results 2001: Stockton North". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
25. "UK General Election results 1997: Stockton North". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
26. "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
27. "UK General Election results June 1987". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
28. "UK General Election results June 1983". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 February 2011.

Sources

• Election result, 2005 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2001 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2005 Archived 18 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1983 – 1992 Archived 11 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1992 – 2005 (Guardian)

54°35′49″N1°18′43″W / 54.597°N 1.312°W / 54.597; -1.312