Crewe and Nantwich (UK Parliament constituency)

Crewe and Nantwich
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Crewe and Nantwich in Cheshire
Location of Cheshire within England
County	Cheshire
Electorate	79,088 (December 2021) [1]
Major settlements	Crewe, Nantwich
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of Parliament	Kieran Mullan (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Crewe, Nantwich

Crewe and Nantwich is a constituency in Cheshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was created in 1983; since 2019 its Member of Parliament (MP) has been Kieran Mullan of the Conservative Party.

Constituency profile

The constituency was created for the 1983 general election following the major reorganisation of local authorities under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974. It combined parts of the abolished separate constituencies of Crewe and Nantwich and reunited the towns of Crewe and Nantwich in one constituency.

The seat is marginal as Crewe tends to vote Labour, and Nantwich and the surrounding Cheshire villages are more Conservative-inclined. Its residents are slightly poorer than the UK average. ^[2]

Boundaries

Map of present boundaries

• 1983–1997: The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich wards of Acton, Alexandra, Audlem, Barony Weaver, Bunbury, Combermere, Coppenhall, Delamere, Grosvenor, Maw Green, Minshull, Peckforton, Queens Park, Ruskin Park, St Barnabas, St John's, Shavington, Waldron, Wellington, Weston Park, Willaston East, Willaston West, Wistaston, Wrenbury, and Wybunbury ^[3]

Comprised the former Municipal Borough of Crewe, previously making up about half of the abolished constituency of Crewe, together with Nantwich and remaining parts of the new Borough of Crewe and Nantwich (excluding Haslington), previously in the abolished constituency of Nantwich

• 1997–2010: The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich wards of Alexandra, Barony Weaver, Coppenhall, Delamere, Grosvenor, Haslington, Maw Green, Queens Park, Ruskin Park, St Barnabas, St John's, Shavington, Waldron, Wellington, Weston Park, Willaston East, Willaston West, Wistaston, and Wybunbury ^[4]

The rural wards of Acton, Audlem, Bunbury, Combermere, Minshull, Peckforton, and Wrenbury were transferred to Eddisbury. To compensate for this loss, Haslington was transferred from Congleton

• 2010–present: The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 defined the boundaries as:

The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich wards of Alexandra, Barony Weaver, Birchin, Coppenhall, Delamere, Englesea, Grosvenor, Haslington, Leighton, Maw Green, St Barnabas, St John's, St Mary's, Shavington, Valley, Waldron, Wellington, Wells Green, Willaston, Wistaston Green, and Wybunbury ^[5]

Minor changes due to revision of ward boundaries

However, before this came into force for the 2010 election, the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich was abolished on 1 April 2009, becoming part of the new unitary authority of Cheshire East. Consequently, the constituency's boundaries are currently:

• The Cheshire East Borough wards of Crewe Central, Crewe East, Crewe North, Crewe St Barnabas, Crewe South, Crewe West, Haslington, Leighton (part), Nantwich North & West, Nantwich South & Stapeley, Shavington, Willaston & Rope, Wistaston, and Wybunbury

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be reduced to bring the electorate within the permitted range. This will be achieved by including Wybunbury in the new constituency of Chester South and Eddisbury. ^[6]

Political history

The seat had been a marginal seat since 2008, as its winner's majority had not exceeded 11.8% of the vote since the 18.9% majority won in that year. A swing seat, it has changed hands twice since 2008. Its 2017 general election result was the eighth-closest result, a winning margin of 48 votes. ^[7] In 2019, the Conservative candidate secured a 15.7% majority.

On its formation for the 1983 general election, the Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, who had served for the previous constituency of Crewe, came close to losing her second seat in 1983 (she had earlier lost her Exeter seat in 1970), when she scraped in by just 290 votes. Dunwoody increased her majorities at the general elections of 1987, 1992 and 1997. Her majority was slightly reduced at the 2001 and 2005 general elections. She died on 17 April 2008, after 34 years representing the seat and its predecessor, leading to a by-election held on 22 May 2008 which was won by the Conservative candidate Edward Timpson. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} The Labour candidate, Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin, came a distant second. Having previously enjoyed a considerable lead in support over the Conservatives (as indicated in Gwyneth Dunwoody's over 7,000 majority in 2005), the Labour government had lost support due to the onset of the global recession and Gordon Brown’s relatively weak image as a leader.

The by-election produced the first Conservative MP for the seat and nationally the first gain for a Conservative Party candidate at a parliamentary by-election since the Mitcham and Morden by-election in 1982 during the Falklands War, and the first from Labour since the Ilford North by-election of 1978.

Timpson held the seat until 2017, where Labour's Laura Smith gained it with a narrow majority of just 48 votes, the closest margin in the seat's history and the second-narrowest Labour gain of the election (behind Kensington, at 20 votes). In the 2019 General Election the Conservatives regained the seat with a majority of 8,508 on a swing of 7.9% to the Conservatives, with Kieran Mullan becoming the new MP. Edward Timpson became the Conservatives' 2019 candidate for Eddisbury, replacing Antoinette Sandbach, who lost the whip earlier that year due to her opposition to a no-deal Brexit; Timpson regained the seat for the Conservatives.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member [12]	Party
	1983	Gwyneth Dunwoody	Labour
	2008 by-election	Edward Timpson	Conservative
	2017	Laura Smith	Labour
	2019	Kieran Mullan	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: Crewe and Nantwich

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ben Fletcher [13]
	Workers Party	Phillip Lane [14]
	Labour	Connor Naismith [15]
	Liberal Democrats	Matt Theobald [16]
	Green	Te Ata Browne [17]
	Reform UK	Matthew Wood [18]

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Crewe and Nantwich ^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kieran Mullan	28,704	53.1	+6.1
	Labour	Laura Smith	20,196	37.4	−9.7
	Liberal Democrats	Matthew Theobald	2,618	4.8	+2.4
	Brexit Party	Matt Wood	1,390	2.6	New
	Green	Te Ata Browne	975	1.8	New
	Libertarian	Andrew Kinsman	149	0.3	New
Majority			8,508	15.7	N/A
Turnout			54,032	67.3	−2.4
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+7.9

General election 2017: Crewe and Nantwich ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Laura Smith	25,928	47.1	+9.4
	Conservative	Edward Timpson	25,880	47.0	+2.0
	UKIP	Michael Stanley	1,885	3.4	−11.1
	Liberal Democrats	David Crowther	1,334	2.4	−0.4
Majority			48	0.1	N/A
Turnout			55,027	69.7	+2.3
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+3.7

General election 2015: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[21] [22]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Timpson	22,445	45.0	−0.8
	Labour	Adrian Heald	18,825	37.7	+3.7
	UKIP	Richard Lee	7,252	14.5	+11.7
	Liberal Democrats	Roy Wood	1,374	2.8	−12.2
Majority			3,620	7.3	−4.5
Turnout			49,896	67.4	+1.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.3

General election 2010: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[23] [24]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Timpson	23,420	45.8	+12.9
	Labour	David Williams	17,374	34.0	-14.4
	Liberal Democrats	Roy Wood	7,656	15.0	-3.7
	UKIP	James Clutton	1,414	2.8	New
	BNP	Phil Williams	1,043	2.0	New
	Independent	Mike Parsons	177	0.3	New
Majority			6,046	11.8	N/A
Turnout			51,084	65.9	-2.0
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+17.6

Elections in the 2000s

2008 by-election: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[10] [11]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Timpson	20,539	49.5	+16.9
	Labour	Tamsin Dunwoody	12,679	30.6	-18.2
	Liberal Democrats	Elizabeth Shenton	6,040	14.6	-4.0
	UKIP	Mike Nattrass	922	2.2	New
	Green	Robert Smith	359	0.9	New
	English Democrat	David Roberts	275	0.7	New
	Monster Raving Loony	The Flying Brick	236	0.6	New
	Independent	Mark Walklate	217	0.5	New
	Cut Tax on Diesel and Petrol	Paul Thorogood	118	0.3	New
	Independent	Gemma Garrett	113	0.3	New
Majority			7,860	18.9	N/A
Turnout			41,498	58.2	-1.8
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+17.6

General election 2005: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[25] [26]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwyneth Dunwoody	21,240	48.8	-5.5
	Conservative	Eveleigh Moore-Dutton	14,162	32.6	+2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Roberts	8,083	18.6	+5.1
Majority			7,078	16.2	-6.7
Turnout			43,485	60.0	-0.2
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.7

General election 2001: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[27] [26]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwyneth Dunwoody	22,556	54.3	−3.9
	Conservative	Donald Potter	12,650	30.4	+3.4
	Liberal Democrats	David Cannon	5,595	13.5	+1.8
	UKIP	Roger Croston	746	1.8	New
Majority			9,906	23.9	-7.3
Turnout			41,547	60.2	-13.7
	Labour hold		Swing	−3.8

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[28] [26]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwyneth Dunwoody	29,460	58.2	+10.6
	Conservative	Michael Loveridge	13,662	27.0	−11.5
	Liberal Democrats	David Cannon	5,940	11.7	−0.8
	Referendum	Peter Astbury	1,543	3.0	New
Majority			15,798	31.2	+26.8
Turnout			50,605	73.9	−8.0
	Labour hold		Swing	+13.4

General election 1992: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[29] [26] [30]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwyneth Dunwoody	28,065	45.7	+1.7
	Conservative	Brian Silvester	25,370	41.3	−0.8
	Liberal Democrats	Gwyn Griffiths	7,315	11.9	−2.0
	Green	Natalie Wilkinson	651	1.1	New
Majority			2,695	4.4	+2.5
Turnout			61,401	81.9	+2.6
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.3

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[31] [32]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwyneth Dunwoody	25,457	44.0	+2.9
	Conservative	Angela Browning	24,365	42.1	+1.5
	SDP	Kenneth Roberts	8,022	13.9	−4.4
Majority			1,092	1.9	+1.4
Turnout			57,844	79.3	+4.6
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1983: Crewe and Nantwich ^{[33] [34]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwyneth Dunwoody	22,031	41.1
	Conservative	Patrick Rock	21,741	40.6
	SDP	John Pollard	9,820	18.3
Majority			290	0.5
Turnout			53,592	74.7
	Labour win (new seat)

See also

• Cheshire portal

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Cheshire
• History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Cheshire

References

1. "Electoral statistics for the UK, December 2021 edition". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
2. "Seat Details - Crewe and Nantwich". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk.
3. "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF). 16 March 1983 – via Legislation.gov.uk.
4. "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". 28 June 1995. Retrieved 27 November 2021– via Legislation.gov.uk.
5. "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". 13 June 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2021– via Legislation.gov.uk.
6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
7. "GE2017: Marginal seats and turnout". House of Commons Library. UK Parliament. 23 June 2017.
8. "MP Gwyneth Dunwoody dies aged 77". BBC News. 17 April 2008.
9. "By-election to replace veteran MP". BBC News. 29 April 2008.
10. Watt, Nicholas (23 May 2008). "Conservatives win Crewe and Nantwich byelection with 7,860 majority". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
11. "Tories snatch Crewe from Labour". BBC News. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2008. Tory candidate Edward Timpson won 7,860 more votes than his Labour rival, overturning a 7,000 Labour majority at the general election – a 17.6% swing
12. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
13. "Tory candidate will champion thriving high streets". BBC News. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
14. https://workerspartybritain.org/elections-2024/
15. "Labour select MP candidate for Crewe and Nantwich". BBC News. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
16. "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
17. "Te Ata Browne is Green Party candidate for Crewe & Nantwich". Nantwich News. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
18. "Crewe and Nantwich Constituency". Reform UK . Retrieved 24 January 2024.
19. "Crewe & Nantwich". Election 2019. BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
20. "Crewe & Nantwich". Election 2017. BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
21. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
22. "General Election 2015 – Crewe and Nantwich". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
23. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
24. General Election 2010 – Crewe and Nantwich BBC News
25. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
26. " "Aristotle: Crewe and Nantwich". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
27. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
28. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
29. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
30. "UK General Election results April 1992". Political Science Resources. Richard Kimber. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
31. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
32. "UK General Election results June 1987". Political Science Resources.
33. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
34. "UK General Election results June 1983". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2008.

53°5′N2°29′W / 53.083°N 2.483°W / 53.083; -2.483