Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds Central | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Leeds Central in West Yorkshire. | |
Location of West Yorkshire within England. | |
County | West Yorkshire |
Electorate | 80,912 (December 2010)[1] |
Major settlements | Leeds |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of parliament | Hilary Benn (Labour) |
Number of members | One |
1885–1955 | |
Created from | Leeds |
Overlaps | |
European Parliament constituency | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Leeds Central is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1999 by Hilary Benn of the Labour Party.[n 2]
Boundaries
1885-1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of Mill Hill and West, and parts of Brunswick and Central wards.
1918-1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Central, Mill Hill, South, and West, and parts of Brunswick, Headingley, and North West wards.
1950-1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Armley and New Wortley, Blenheim, Central, Holbeck North, Mill Hill, and South and Westfield.
1983-1997: The City of Leeds wards of Beeston, City and Holbeck, Richmond Hill, and University.
1997-2010: The City of Leeds wards of Beeston, City and Holbeck, Hunslet, Richmond Hill, and University.
2010-present: The City of Leeds wards of Beeston and Holbeck, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, City and Hunslet, Hyde Park and Woodhouse, and Middleton Park.
Constituency profile
The business and retail centre of Leeds is at the heart of the constituency. Despite this relatively affluent hub, the seat suffers from sporadic deprivation, typified by certain densely packed rows of terraced houses, home to many Labour-inclined and often low-income voters. Unemployment in the seat is relatively high compared to the national average.[2] Leeds' two universities produce a significant student electorate.[2][3]
History
The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in the general election of that year *the large Leeds seat had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885)). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North, Leeds South and Leeds West. The constituencies of Morley, Otley and Pudsey were also created in 1885.
The constituency was abolished in 1955. After the 1955 general election Leeds was represented by Leeds East (created 1885, abolished 1918, recreated 1955), Leeds North East (created 1918), Leeds North West (created 1950), Leeds South (created 1885), and Leeds South East (created 1918). There were also constituencies of Batley and Morley (created 1918) and Pudsey (created 1885, replaced by Pudsey and Otley 1918-1950).
The constituency was re-created for the 1983 general election. After that election, Leeds was represented by Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North East, Leeds North West, Leeds South East and Leeds West. There were also constituencies of Batley and Morley, and Pudsey.
In its 1999 by-election, the constituency experienced the lowest voter turnout post-war of 19.6%.[4][5][3]
Members of Parliament
MPs 1885–1955
Election | Member[6] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | Gerald William Balfour | Conservative | |
1906 | Robert Armitage | Liberal | |
1922 | Arthur Wellesley Willey | Conservative | |
1923 by-election | Sir Charles Henry Wilson | Conservative | |
1929 | Richard Denman | Labour | |
1931 | National Labour | ||
1945 | George Porter | Labour | |
1955 | constituency abolished |
MPs since 1983
Election | Member[6] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Derek Fatchett | Labour | |
1999 by-election | Hilary Benn | Labour |
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
General Election 2015: Leeds Central[7][8] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Hilary Benn | 24,758 | 55.0 | +5.7 | |
Conservative | Nicola Wilson | 7,791 | 17.3 | -2.9 | |
UKIP | Luke Senior | 7,082 | 15.7 | +15.7 | |
Green | Michael Hayton | 3,558 | 7.9 | +7.9 | |
Liberal Democrat | Emma Spriggs | 1,529 | 3.4 | -17.4 | |
TUSC | Liz Kitching | 330 | 0.7 | +0.7 | |
Majority | 16,967 | 37.7 | |||
Turnout | 45,048 | 55.1 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 2010: Leeds Central[9][10] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Hilary Benn | 18,434 | 49.3 | −10.2 | |
Liberal Democrat | Michael Taylor | 7,789 | 20.8 | −0.7 | |
Conservative | Alan Lamb | 7,541 | 20.2 | +7.5 | |
BNP | Kevin Meeson | 3,066 | 8.2 | +4.1 | |
Independent | Dave Procter | 409 | 1.1 | N/A | |
Independent | We Beat The Scum One-Nil | 155 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 10,645 | 28.5 | −9.5 | ||
Turnout | 37,394 | 57.8 | +13.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −4.8 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
General Election 2005: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Hilary Benn | 17,526 | 60.0 | -6.9 | |
Liberal Democrat | Ruth Coleman | 5,660 | 19.4 | +6.2 | |
Conservative | Brian Cattell | 3,865 | 13.2 | -1.1 | |
BNP | Mark Collett | 1,201 | 4.1 | N/A | |
UKIP | Peter Sewards | 494 | 1.7 | -1.1 | |
Independent | Mick Dear | 189 | 0.6 | N/A | |
Independent | Oluwole Taiwo | 126 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Alliance for Change | Julian Fitzgerald | 125 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 11,866 | 40.7 | |||
Turnout | 29,186 | 46.4 | +4.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 2001: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Hilary Benn | 18,277 | 66.9 | -2.7 | |
Conservative | Victoria Richmond | 3,896 | 14.3 | +0.5 | |
Liberal Democrat | Stewart Arnold | 3,607 | 13.2 | +2.0 | |
UKIP | David Burgess | 775 | 2.8 | N/A | |
Socialist Alliance | Stephen Johnston | 751 | 2.8 | N/A | |
Majority | 14,381 | 52.6 | |||
Turnout | 27,306 | 41.7 | -12.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1990s
Leeds Central by-election, 1999 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Hilary Benn | 6,361 | 48.2 | -21.4 | |
Liberal Democrat | Peter Wild | 4,068 | 30.8 | +19.6 | |
Conservative | Edward Wild | 1,618 | 12.3 | -1.4 | |
Green | David Blackburn | 478 | 3.6 | N/A | |
UKIP | Raymond Northgreaves | 353 | 2.7 | N/A | |
Leeds Left Alliance | Chris Hill | 258 | 2.0 | N/A | |
Independent | Julian Fitzgerald | 51 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,293 | ||||
Turnout | 19.6 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1997: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Derek Fatchett | 25,766 | 69.6 | ||
Conservative | Edward Wild | 5,077 | 13.7 | ||
Liberal Democrat | David Freeman | 4,164 | 11.3 | ||
Referendum | Philip Myers | 1,042 | 2.8 | N/A | |
Socialist Labour | Michael Rix | 656 | 1.8 | N/A | |
Socialist Alternative | Chris Hill | 304 | 0.8 | N/A | |
Independent | Julian Fitzgerald | 51 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 20,689 | ||||
Turnout | 54.7 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1992: Leeds Central[11] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Derek Fatchett | 23,673 | 62.2 | +6.6 | |
Conservative | Mrs TC Holdroyd | 8,653 | 22.7 | −2.8 | |
Liberal Democrat | David Pratt | 5,713 | 15.0 | −2.9 | |
Majority | 15,020 | 39.5 | +9.4 | ||
Turnout | 38,039 | 61.3 | −3.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +4.7 | |||
Elections in the 1980s
General Election 1987: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Derek Fatchett | 21,270 | 55.62 | ||
Conservative | D. Schofield | 9,765 | 25.53 | ||
Social Democratic | Miss K.E. Lee | 6,853 | 17.92 | ||
Communist | W. Innis | 355 | 0.93 | ||
Majority | 11,505 | 30.08 | |||
Turnout | 59,019 | 64.80 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1983: Leeds Central[12] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Derek Fatchett | 18,706 | 47.93 | ||
Liberal | P. Wrigley | 10,484 | 26.86 | ||
Conservative | M.A. Ashley-Brown | 9,181 | 23.55 | ||
BNP | G. Cummins | 331 | 0.85 | ||
Communist | J.M. Rogers | 314 | 0.8 | ||
Majority | 8,222 | 21.07 | |||
Turnout | 39,030 | 61.66 | |||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Elections in the 1950s
General Election 1951: Leeds Central[13] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | George Porter | 23,967 | 62.35 | ||
Conservative | W. Barford | 14,475 | 37.65 | ||
Majority | 9,492 | 24.69 | |||
Turnout | 77.10 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1950: Leeds Central[14] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | George Porter | 24,030 | 60.75 | ||
Conservative | W. Barford | 13,351 | 33.75 | ||
Liberal | Victor L R Delepine | 2,176 | 5.50 | ||
Majority | 10,679 | 27.00 | |||
Turnout | 78.26 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1940s
General Election 1945: Leeds Central[15] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | George Porter | 13,370 | 57.14 | ||
Conservative | Charles Spencer Denman | 8,011 | 34.24 | ||
Liberal | Basil Mayer Sandelson | 2,017 | 8.62 | ||
Majority | 5,359 | 22.90 | |||
Turnout | 63.43 | ||||
Labour gain from National Labour | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1930s
General Election 1935: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
National Labour | Richard Denman | 17,747 | 56.43 | ||
Labour | FW Lindley | 13,701 | 43.57 | ||
Majority | 4,046 | 12.87 | |||
Turnout | 61.44 | ||||
National Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1931: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
National Labour | Richard Denman | 26,496 | 71.36 | ||
Labour | M Turner-Samuels | 10,633 | 28.64 | ||
Majority | 15,863 | 42.72 | |||
Turnout | 66.20 | ||||
National Labour gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1920s
General Election 1929: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | Richard Douglas Denman | 17,322 | 44.6 | ||
Unionist | Sir Charles Henry Wilson | 15,958 | 41.0 | ||
Liberal | Myer Jack Landa | 5,607 | 14.4 | n/a | |
Majority | 1,364 | 3.6 | |||
Turnout | 38,887 | ||||
Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | ||||
General Election 1924: Leeds Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Labour | |||||
Conservative | |||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | |||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1923: Leeds Central [16] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Unionist | Sir Charles Henry Wilson | 14,853 | 56.2 | +6.2 | |
Labour | Henry Herman Slesser | 11,574 | 43.8 | +16.0 | |
Majority | 3,279 | 12.4 | -9.8 | ||
Turnout | 60.1 | -6.1 | |||
Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1922 : Leeds Central[17] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Unionist | Arthur Wellesley Willey | 14,137 | 50.0 | n/a | |
Labour | Henry Herman Slesser | 7,844 | 27.8 | n/a | |
Liberal | Robert Armitage | 6,260 | 22.2 | -48.4 | |
Majority | 6,293 | 22.2 | |||
Turnout | 66.1 | +28.7 | |||
Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1918 Leeds Central[18] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Liberal | 11,474 | 70.6 | |||
Independent | Capt. Ernest Terry | 2,634 | 16.2 | ||
Co-operative Party | Joseph Smith | 2,146 | 13.2 | ||
Majority | 8,840 | 54.4 | |||
Turnout | 37.4 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
- denotes candidate who was endorsed by the Coalition Government.
General Election 1914/15: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- Liberal: Robert Armitage
General Election December 1910 : Leeds Central[19] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Liberal | Robert Armitage | 3,519 | 52.6 | -2.6 | |
Conservative | John Gordon | 3,169 | 47.4 | +2.6 | |
Majority | 350 | 5.2 | -5.2 | ||
Turnout | 79.9 | -8.0 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | -2.6 | |||
General Election January 1910 : Leeds Central[20] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Liberal | Robert Armitage | 3,987 | 54.2 | ||
Conservative | John Gordon | 3,366 | 45.8 | ||
Majority | 621 | 8.4 | |||
Turnout | 87.9 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1900s
General Election 1906 : Leeds Central[21]
Electorate 8,893 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Liberal | Robert Armitage | 4,188 | 57.3 | +15.0 | |
Conservative | Rt Hon. Gerald William Balfour | 3,119 | 42.7 | -15.0 | |
Majority | 1,069 | 14.6 | 30.0 | ||
Turnout | 82.2 | +9.0 | |||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.0 | |||
See also
Notes and references
- Notes
- ↑ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- 1 2 2001 Census
- 1 2 The Guardian constituency profile
- ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/M16.pdf
- ↑ BBC (2008-07-11). "Election Records". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- 1 2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
- ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Leeds Central". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Leeds Central". Election 2010 (BBC). 7 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ↑ http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge83/i12.htm
- ↑ http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge51/i12.htm
- ↑ http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge50/i12.htm
- ↑ http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge45/i12.htm
- ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
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