Lewisham West (UK Parliament constituency)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lewisham West Borough constituency |
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|---|---|
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| Lewisham West shown within Greater London | |
| Created: | 1918 |
| MP: | Jim Dowd |
| Party: | Labour |
| Type: | House of Commons |
| County: | Greater London |
| EP constituency: | London |
Lewisham West is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
This constituency is to be abolished for the next general election (due no later than 2010), when it will be largely replaced by the new Lewisham West & Penge constituency.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries
Lewisham West constituency covers the south-western part of the London Borough of Lewisham, being largely based on the communities of Catford, Sydenham, Forest Hill and Bellingham.
[edit] Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South London, the Boundary Commission for England have created a new constituency of Lewisham West and Penge, which creates a cross-border constituency. Electoral wards from Bromley and Lewisham are used in the creation of this new seat.
[edit] History
From 1966 until 1992, Lewisham West a classic bellwether seat, being won by whichever party won the General Election (with the exception of 1979). However, long-term demographic trends have since turned the seat away from being a Labour-Conservative marginal into a safe Labour seat. Partly this has occurred because of a strong increase in the number of ethnic minority residents. At the same time, the communities of Catford, Sydenham and Forest Hill have become much less leafy and suburban over the past 30 years. The large council estate in Bellingham has always been a Labour stronghold, and the other areas of the seat can also now be regarded as quite safe for Labour, wheareas in the past they were not.
[edit] Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Edward Feetham Coates | Coalition Conservative | |
| 1921 | Philip Dawson | Conservative | |
| 1938 | Henry Brooke | Conservative | |
| 1945 | Arthur Skeffington | Labour | |
| 1950 | Henry Price | Labour | |
| 1964 | Patrick McNair-Wilson | Conservative | |
| 1966 | James Dickens | Labour | |
| 1970 | John Gummer | Conservative | |
| 1974 | Christopher Price | Labour | |
| 1983 | John Maples | Conservative | |
| 1992 | Jim Dowd | Labour | |
[edit] Election results
| General Election 2005: Lewisham West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Jim Dowd | 16,611 | 52.0 | −9.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Alex Feakes | 6,679 | 20.9 | +7.4 | |
| Conservative | Evett McAnuff | 6,396 | 20.0 | −2.4 | |
| Green | Nick Long | 1,464 | 4.6 | N/A | |
| UK Independence | Jens Winton | 773 | 2.4 | +0.8 | |
| Majority | 9,932 | 31.1 | |||
| Turnout | 31,923 | 54.7 | +2.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | −8.2 | |||
| General Election 2001: Lewisham West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Jim Dowd | 18,816 | 61.1% | -0.9% | |
| Conservative | Gary Johnson | 6,896 | 22.4% | -1.5% | |
| Liberal Democrats | Richard Thomas | 4,146 | 13.5% | +3.7% | |
| UK Independence | Frederick Pearson | 485 | 1.6% | ||
| Independent | Nick Long | 472 | 1.5% | ||
| Majority | 11,920 | 38.7% | |||
| Turnout | 30,815 | 52.1% | -12.0% | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1997: Lewisham West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Jim Dowd | 23,273 | 61.96% | ||
| Conservative | C. Whelan | 8,956 | 23.84% | ||
| Liberal Democrats | K. McGrath | 3,672 | 9.78% | ||
| Referendum Party | A. Leese | 1,098 | 2.92% | ||
| Socialist Labour | N. Long | 398 | 1.06% | ||
| Liberal | E. Oram | 167 | 0.45% | ||
| Majority | 14,317 | 38.11% | |||
| Turnout | 37,564 | 64.04% | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | +17.00 | |||
| General Election 1992: Lewisham West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Jim Dowd | 20,378 | 46.99% | ||
| Conservative | John Maples | 18,569 | 42.82% | ||
| Liberal Democrats | E. Neale | 4,295 | 9.90% | ||
| Anti-Federalist League | P. Coulham | 125 | 0.29% | ||
| Majority | 1,809 | 4.17% | |||
| Turnout | 43,367 | 73.11% | |||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1987: Lewisham West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | John Maples | 20,995 | 46.18% | ||
| Labour | Jim Dowd | 17,223 | 37.88% | ||
| Liberal | S. C. Titley | 7,247 | 15.94% | ||
| Majority | 3,772 | 8.30% | |||
| Turnout | 45,465 | 72.25% | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1983: Lewisham West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | John Maples | 19,521 | 44.02% | ||
| Labour | C. Price | 17,015 | 38.37% | ||
| Liberal | H. Mooney | 7,470 | 16.85% | ||
| British National | R. F. Hoy | 336 | 0.76% | ||
| Majority | 2,506 | 5.65% | |||
| Turnout | 44,342 | 70.34% | |||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1979: Lewisham West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | C. Price | 20,932 | 46.45% | ||
| Conservative | N. P. Kemp | 19,882 | 44.12% | ||
| Liberal | G. A. Payne | 3,350 | 7.43% | ||
| National Front | P. Williams | 901 | 2.00% | ||
| Majority | 1,050 | 2.33% | |||
| Turnout | 45,065 | 76.01% | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- (2003) in Iain Dale: The Times House of Commons 1929, 1931, 1935. Politico's (reprint). ISBN 1-84275-033-X.
- (1945) The Times House of Commons 1945. The Times.
- (1950) The Times House of Commons 1950. The Times.
- (1955) The Times House of Commons 1955. The Times.
- Craig, F. W. S. [1969] (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, 3rd edition, Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
