Luton South (UK Parliament constituency)

Luton South
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Luton South in Bedfordshire.

Outline map

Location of Bedfordshire within England.
County Bedfordshire
Electorate 65,889 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Luton
Current constituency
Created 1983
Member of parliament Gavin Shuker (Labour Co-op)
Number of members One
Created from Luton East
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency East of England

Luton South is a constituency[n 1] in Bedfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Gavin Shuker of the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party.[n 2]

History

This seat was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of Luton East.

The constituency and its predecessors the Luton East and Luton constituencies had been called a bellwether (they had elected an MP from the winning party in each election since the 1951 general election). Margaret Moran, who was the Labour MP from 1997, announced that she would stand down at the 2010 general election due to controversy over her expenses claims. Bellwether status ended in 2010 general election, when the constituency elected a Labour MP while the Conservatives were the largest party in the House of Commons.

Boundaries

1983-1997: The Borough of Luton wards of Biscot, Crawley, Dallow, Farley, High Town, Putteridge, Saints, South, and Stopsley; and the District of South Bedfordshire wards of Caddington and Slip End.

1997-2010: The Borough of Luton wards of Biscott, Crawley, Dallow, Farley, High Town, Putteridge, South, and Stopsley; and the District of South Bedfordshire wards of Caddington and Slip End.

2010-present: The Borough of Luton wards of Biscot, Crawley, Dallow, Farley, High Town, Round Green, South, Stopsley, and Wigmore; and the District of South Bedfordshire ward of Caddington, Hyde and Slip End.

NB: the latter ward now forms the bulk of the South East Bedfordshire ward of the Central Bedfordshire unitary authority, the former wards having been abolished at the conversion to unitary councils in Bedfordshire in 2009.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[2]Party
1983 Graham Bright Conservative
1997 Margaret Moran Labour
2010 Gavin Shuker Labour Co-op

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Luton South[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Ashuk Ahmed[4]
Green Simon Hall[4]
Independent Attiq Ahmed Malik[4]
Conservative Katie Redmond[4]
UKIP Yasin Rehman[4]
Labour Gavin Shuker[5]
Liberty Paul Weston[6]
General Election 2010: Luton South[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Gavin Shuker 14,725 34.9 −7.9
Conservative Nigel Huddleston 12,396 29.4 +1.3
Liberal Democrat Qurban Hussain 9,567 22.7 +0.1
Independent Esther Rantzen 1,872 4.4 N/A
BNP Tony Blakey 1,299 3.1 N/A
UKIP Charles Samuel Lawman 975 2.3 −0.1
Independent Stephen Rhodes 463 1.1 N/A
Green Marc Scheimann 366 0.9 −1.2
Independent Joe Hall 264 0.6 N/A
Independent Faruk Choudhury 130 0.3 N/A
Independent Stephen Lathwell 84 0.2 N/A
Workers Revolutionary Frank Sweeney 75 0.2 −0.1
Majority 2,329 5.5
Turnout 42,216 64.8 +11.0
Labour hold Swing −4.6

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Luton South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret Moran 16,610 42.7 −12.5
Conservative Richard Stay 10,960 28.2 −1.2
Liberal Democrat Qurban Hussain 8,778 22.6 +11.7
UKIP Charles Samuel Lawman 957 2.5 +1.0
Green Marc Scheimann 790 2.0 0.0
Respect Mohammed Ilyas 725 1.9 N/A
Workers Revolutionary Arthur Lynn 98 0.3 0.0
Majority 5,650 14.5
Turnout 38,918 54.1 −1.0
Labour hold Swing −5.6
General Election 2001: Luton South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret Moran 21,719 55.2 +0.3
Conservative Gordon Henderson 11,586 29.4 −1.9
Liberal Democrat Rabi Filomeno Martins 4,292 10.9 +1.3
Green Marc Scheimann 798 2.0 +1.3
UKIP Charles Samuel Lawman 578 1.5 +0.7
Socialist Alliance Joseph Humphrey James Hearne 271 0.7 N/A
Workers Revolutionary Robert Ian Bolton 107 0.3 N/A
Majority 10,133 25.8
Turnout 39,351 55.1 −15.4
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Luton South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret Moran 26,428 54.8 +11.6
Conservative Graham Bright 15,109 31.4 −12.9
Liberal Democrat Keith Fitchett 4,610 9.6 −1.6
Referendum Party Clive Jacobs 1,205 2.5 N/A
UKIP Charlie Lawman 390 0.8 N/A
Green Marc Scheimann 356 0.7 −0.3
Natural Law Claire Perrin 86 0.2 −0.1
Majority 11,319 23.5
Turnout 48,184 70.4
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1992: Luton South[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Graham Bright 25,900 44.8 −1.4
Labour William David McKenzie 25,101 43.5 +6.8
Liberal Democrat David W. Rogers 6,020 10.4 −6.7
Green Miss Lyn Bliss 550 1.0 +1.0
Natural Law David R.H. Cooke 191 0.3 +0.3
Majority 799 1.4 −8.2
Turnout 57,762 79.1 +3.5
Conservative hold Swing −4.1

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Luton South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Graham Bright 24,762 46.2 +4.3
Labour William David McKenzie 19,647 36.7 +3.4
Liberal Peter Chapman 9,146 17.1 −7.8
Majority 5,115 9.6
Turnout 53,555 75.2
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Luton South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Graham Bright 22,531 41.9 N/A
Labour Ivor Clemitson 17,910 33.3 N/A
Liberal D.G. Franks 13,395 24.9 N/A
Majority 4,621 8.6 N/A
Turnout 53,836 75.8 N/A
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

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. ↑ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)
  3. ↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/lutonsouth/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 https://yournextmp.com/constituency/66080/
  5. ↑ http://electionresults.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/luton-south-2015.html
  6. ↑ http://libertygb.org.uk/v1/index.php/home/root/news-libertygb/6640-paul-weston-announces-2015-general-election-candidacy
  7. ↑ Statement of Persons Nominated Luton Borough Council
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Vote 2001: Luton South, BBC News
  9. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.