Wallasey (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Wallasey
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
North West England - Wallasey constituency.svg
Boundary of Wallasey in North West England
County Merseyside
Electorate 73,054 (2023) [1]
Major settlements Wallasey, Seacombe, New Brighton, Liscard, Leasowe and Moreton
Current constituency
Created 1918
Member of Parliament Angela Eagle (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created from Wirral (parts of) and Birkenhead

Wallasey is a constituency [n 1] in Merseyside created in 1918 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1992 by Angela Eagle, a member of the Labour Party. [n 2]

Contents

Boundaries

Historic

1918–1950: The County Borough of Wallasey.

1950–1983: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.

1983–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral wards of Leasowe, Liscard, Moreton, New Brighton, Seacombe, and Wallasey. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.

Wallasey (UK Parliament constituency)
Map of 2010–2024 boundaries

2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral wards of Leasowe and Moreton East, Liscard, Moreton West and Saughall Massie, New Brighton, Seacombe, and Wallasey. The constituency's borders remain unchanged.

Minor 2010 boundary reform and abortive proposals

The Boundary Commission initially proposed the abolition in its 2005 draft review: Wallasey was to have been linked with sections of the city of Liverpool in a cross-river constituency. [2] [n 3] [3] The areas are linked only by a road tunnel under the river Mersey. Following opposition from political parties, local MPs and local residents, the sub-plan was dropped. [4] The change made was the omission of a 40 electors' sub-neighbourhood from formerly shared ward: Hoylake and Meols in favour of Wirral West.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the boundaries were expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring from Wirral West the northern half (polling districts MA and MB) of the Wirral Borough ward of Upton. [5]

The constituency covers the town of Wallasey, at the north of the Wirral Peninsula, which comprises the six areas: Wallasey Village, Seacombe, Egremont, Liscard, New Brighton and Poulton, as well as Moreton and Leasowe. It is one of four constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.

History

The seat was created under the Representation of the People Act 1918.

Summary of results

Angela Eagle of the Labour Party gained the Wallasey seat in 1992. Eagle has achieved an absolute majority of votes since the 1997 general election inclusive. The 2015 result made the seat the 39-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority. [6]

The seat was Conservative until 1992, with a three-year exception during World War II when represented by an ex-mayor who had been in both the Labour and Conservative parties. Increasing unemployment in the area saw the Conservative vote decline throughout the 1980s in local and general elections, only retaining Moreton West & Saughall Massie and Wallasey wards on the local level into the 2010s, with the remaining wards such as Leasowe and Seacombe safely Labour.

Opposition parties

A Conservative candidate was runner-up in the elections from 1992 to 2019 inclusive. In the 2024 election the runner-up was the Reform Party candidate. Weaker in Wallasey than national average, in 2015 the candidate from UKIP, Caton, amassed +8.8% swing. [n 4] Liberal Democrat, Brown, lost 11.3% of the vote in that year, whereas nationally the party suffered a record −15.2% swing. Neither Brown nor his Green Party counterpart achieved more than 5% of the vote thereby forfeiting their deposits.

Turnout

Turnout has ranged from 82.6% in 1992 to 57.5% in 2001 — elections at which Angela Eagle was elected, and the latter election saw record-low turnout nationwide.

Prominent frontbenchers

Rt Hon Ernest Marples was Postmaster General while running the telephone network run by the General Post Office, Marples introduced subscriber trunk dialling, which eliminated the compulsory use of operators on national phone calls. On 2 June 1957, Marples brought in British postcodes and made the first draw for the new Premium Bonds. [7] Marples was Minister of Transport (1959–1964).

His successor to the seat was the Rt Hon Lynda Chalker Minister for Europe (1986–1989) and Minister for Overseas Development (1989–1997).

Angela Eagle was Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury for two years then Minister for Pensions and Ageing Society for a year at the close of the Brown Ministry, before becoming in opposition Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury until October 2011, when in the general Shadow Cabinet reshuffle of Ed Miliband, she succeeded the Rt Hon Hilary Benn as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. She unsuccessfully stood for Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party in 2015 and subsequently was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by Jeremy Corbyn.

Constituency profile

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 higher than the national average of 3.8% and regional average of 4.4%, at 5.1% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . [8]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [9] Party
1918 Bouverie McDonald Coalition Conservative
1922 Robert Chadwick Conservative
1931 John Moore-Brabazon Conservative
1942 by-election George Reakes Independent
1945 Ernest Marples Conservative
Feb 1974 Lynda Chalker Conservative
1992 Angela Eagle Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Wallasey [10] [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 24,674 57.7 −6.0
Reform UK David Burgess-Joyce 6,67815.6+11.5
Conservative Robbie Lammas4,98711.7−14.2
Green Jane Turner3,9059.1+6.7
Liberal Democrats Vicky Downie1,8434.3+0.4
Workers Party Philip Bimpson4621.1N/A
Freedom Alliance Ian Pugh1970.5N/A
Rejected ballots168
Majority 17,99642.1+4.4
Turnout 42,74657.7−12.8
Registered electors 74,082
Labour hold Swing Decrease2.svg8.7

Changes are from the notional 2019 results on the 2024 boundaries. [12]

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result [13]
PartyVote%
Labour 32,76963.7
Conservative 13,34725.9
Brexit Party 2,1284.1
Liberal Democrats 2,0073.9
Green 1,2192.4
Turnout51,47070.5
Electorate73,054
General election 2019: Wallasey [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 29,901 64.3 –7.2
Conservative James Baker11,57924.9+1.7
Brexit Party Martin York2,0374.4N/A
Liberal Democrats Vicky Downie1,8434.0+2.4
Green Lily Clough1,1322.4+1.1
Majority 18,32239.4–8.9
Turnout 46,49270.1–1.6
Labour hold Swing –4.4
General election 2017: Wallasey [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 34,552 71.5 +11.1
Conservative Andy Livsey11,23223.2+0.5
UKIP Debbie Caplin1,1602.4–9.3
Liberal Democrats Paul Childs7721.6–0.7
Green Lily Clough6371.3–1.7
Majority 23,32048.3+10.6
Turnout 48,35371.7+5.5
Labour hold Swing +5.3
General election 2015: Wallasey [16] [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 26,176 60.4 +8.6
Conservative Chris Clarkson 9,82822.7–8.7
UKIP Geoffrey Caton5,06311.7+8.8
Green Julian Pratt1,2883.0N/A
Liberal Democrats Kris Brown1,0112.3–11.4
Majority 16,34837.7+17.3
Turnout 43,36666.2+3.0
Labour hold Swing +8.6
General election 2010: Wallasey [18] [19]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 21,578 51.8 –2.7
Conservative Leah Fraser13,07131.4+0.9
Liberal Democrats Steve Pitt5,69313.7+0.9
UKIP Derek Snowden1,2052.9+0.6
Independent Emmanuel Mwaba1070.3N/A
Majority 8,50720.4―3.6
Turnout 41,65463.2+5.4
Labour hold Swing –1.8

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Wallasey [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 20,085 54.8 –6.0
Conservative Leah Fraser10,97629.9+1.9
Liberal Democrats Joanna Pemberton4,77013.0+1.8
UKIP Philip Griffiths8402.3N/A
Majority 9,10924.9–7.9
Turnout 36,67157.5–0.1
Labour hold Swing –4.0
General election 2001: Wallasey [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 22,718 60.8 –3.8
Conservative Lesley Rennie10,44228.0+4.1
Liberal Democrats Peter Reisdorf4,18611.2+2.9
Majority 12,27632.8–7.9
Turnout 37,34657.6–16.2
Labour hold Swing –4.0

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Wallasey [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 30,264 64.6 +15.7
Conservative Madelaine Wilcock11,19023.9–18.0
Liberal Democrats Peter Reisdorf3,8998.3+0.6
Referendum Roger Hayes1,4903.2N/A
Majority 19,07440.7+33.7
Turnout 46,84373.8–8.8
Labour hold Swing +16.9
General election 1992: Wallasey [23] [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Angela Eagle 26,531 48.9 +6.9
Conservative Lynda Chalker 22,72241.9–0.6
Liberal Democrats Neil Thomas4,1777.7–7.9
Green Sally Davis6801.3N/A
Natural Law Geoffrey Gay1050.2N/A
Majority 3,8097.0N/A
Turnout 54,21582.6+2.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +3.8

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Wallasey [25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lynda Chalker 22,791 42.5 –3.5
Labour Lawrence Duffy22,51242.0+9.5
SDP Jonathan Richardson8,36315.6–6.0
Majority 2790.5–13.0
Turnout 53,94579.8+7.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Wallasey [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lynda Chalker 22,854 46.0 –3.6
Labour Co-op James Robertson16,14632.5–7.1
SDP Jonathan Richardson10,71721.6N/A
Majority 6,70813.5+3.4
Turnout 49,71772.6–4.7
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lynda Chalker 26,54849.65
Labour Hilary Hodge21,16739.58
Liberal Neil Thomas5,2699.85
National Front John Fishwick4910.92
Majority 5,38110.07
Turnout 53,47577.30
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lynda Chalker 23,49943.96
Labour Gerald McNamara21,52940.27
Liberal Peter Tyrer7,64314.30
National Front John Fishwick7871.47N/A
Majority 1,9703.69
Turnout 53,45876.27
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lynda Chalker 22,42840.71
Labour Robert Paterson19,93636.18
Liberal Peter Tyrer12,73423.11
Majority 2,4924.53
Turnout 55,09879.45
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1970: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 24,28344.99
Labour Clarence J Wells21,17239.22
Liberal David J Evans5,57710.33
Anti-Common MarketJohn D Hill2,9465.46N/A
Majority 3,1115.77
Turnout 53,97874.87
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 22,90143.69
Labour Ronald G Truman22,31242.56
Liberal Gruffydd Evans 7,20713.75
Majority 5891.13
Turnout 52,42076.06
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1964: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 24,78446.00
Labour Ian Levin18,66334.64
Liberal Gruffydd Evans 10,43219.36N/A
Majority 6,12111.36
Turnout 53,87976.63
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 35,56763.44
Labour Gordon Woodburn20,50136.56
Majority 15,06626.88
Turnout 56,06877.16
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 33,53763.45
Labour William T Clements19,31936.55
Majority 14,21826.90
Turnout 52,85672.26
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 37,42363.28
Labour Fred Jarvis 21,71836.72
Majority 15,70526.56
Turnout 59,14179.72
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1950: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 33,90457.08
Labour John London Hindle18,98931.97
Liberal Arthur Ward Jones6,50710.95N/A
Majority 14,91525.11
Turnout 59,40082.47
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Marples 18,44842.94
Independent George Reakes 14,63834.07N/A
Labour Co-op Thomas Findley9,87922.99
Majority 3,8108.87
Turnout 42,96575.23
Conservative hold Swing
1942 Wallasey by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent George Reakes 11,596 58.6 N/A
Conservative John Pennington6,58433.2−34.2
Independent Leonard Harrison Cripps1,5978.1N/A
Majority 5,01225.4N/A
Turnout 19,77734.2−31.9
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Notes

Moore-Brabazon was forced to retire early in 1942 for stating publicly (in fact in the House) the Soviet Union and Germany would hopefully destroy each other at the Battle of Stalingrad.

1939–40

Another general election was in normal circumstances required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Moore-Brabazon 27,94967.44
Labour John Airey13,49132.56
Majority 14,45834.88
Turnout 41,44066.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1931: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Moore-Brabazon 40,16183.89
Labour John Mack 7,71216.11
Majority 32,44967.78
Turnout 47,87377.10
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Robert Burton-Chadwick 21,457 46.0 −26.4
Liberal Hubert Phillips 13,62829.2N/A
Labour John Mack 11,54524.8−2.8
Majority 7,82916.8−28.0
Turnout 46,63077.6+2.9
Registered electors 60,075
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1924: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Robert Burton-Chadwick 22,599 72.4 +20.8
Labour John H. Warren8,63427.6N/A
Majority 13,96544.8+41.6
Turnout 31,23374.7+7.5
Registered electors 41,816
Unionist hold Swing +20.8
General election 1923: Wallasey [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Robert Burton-Chadwick 13,995 51.6 −12.1
Liberal Tudor Morris 13,14648.4+12.1
Majority 8493.2−24.2
Turnout 27,14167.2−2.0
Registered electors 40,367
Unionist hold Swing −12.1
General election 1922: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Robert Burton-Chadwick 17,508 63.7 +8.5
Liberal Tudor Morris 9,98436.3+21.0
Majority 7,52427.4−11.2
Turnout 27,49269.2+6.4
Registered electors 39,737
Unionist hold Swing −6.3

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Wallasey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Bouverie McDonald 14,63355.2
Labour Walter Citrine 4,38416.6
Liberal John Matthews Hay4,05515.3
NFDDSS Thomas David Owen3,40712.9
Majority 10,24938.6
Turnout 26,47962.8
Registered electors 42,174
Unionist win (new seat)
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

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. ↑ Proposed to contain the Liverpool wards of Everton and Kirkdale and the four Wirral wards Wallasey, New Brighton, Seacombe and Liscard.
  4. ↑ UKIP's swing nationally was +9.5% in 2015

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. ↑ "WIRRAL AND CITY TO SHARE MP; Historic constituency boundary changes to affect voters. – Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com.
  3. ↑ "Cross-river ward set to be declared a non-starter". Liverpool Echo . 15 June 2005.
  4. ↑ "Cross-Mersey constituency ditched". 15 June 2005 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  6. ↑ "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Arthur, Charles (7 October 2009). "Who would really benefit of postcode data were free?". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  9. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)
  10. ↑ "Wallasey – General Election Results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "Election Reslts for Wallasey". Wirral Council. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "Notional election for the constituency of Wallasey". UK Parliament.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ "Statement of persons nominated 2019" (PDF). 15 November 2019.
  15. ↑ "General Election 2017: who is standing for election". Liverpool Echo. 11 May 2017.
  16. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "Wallasey". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  25. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  26. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  27. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig

53°25′06″N3°04′27″W / 53.4184°N 3.0742°W / 53.4184; -3.0742

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.