Rushcliffe (UK Parliament constituency)

Rushcliffe is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1970 by Ken Clarke, a Conservative and the current Father of the House.^{[n 2]}

History

The constituency was formed by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (for first use during the election that year).

Since 1950 it has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party whose members have held it without marginal majorities except for a four-year period when it was held by Labour from 1966 coinciding with the First Wilson Ministry. Unlike other constituencies nearby, such as Broxtowe and Gedling, which were previously held by the Conservatives, they retained Rushcliffe in the 1997 New Labour landslide. This was at the time attributed in part to its more rural nature, but also to the personal popularity of the incumbent MP, Conservative Kenneth Clarke. Surprisingly, however, the 2017 election saw an unexpectedly large swing to Labour, cutting Clarke's majority to its lowest since 2001 in the face of the highest Labour vote since 1970. Notably, Rushcliffe voted to remain in the European Union in 2016; while this is in keeping with Clarke's generally pro-European stance, the large increase in Labour's vote also indicates that after his departure, Rushcliffe could become less safe Conservative territory than it has been during Clarke's tenure.

Boundaries

1885-1918: Part of the Sessional Division of Nottingham.

1918-1950: The Urban Districts of Beeston, Carlton, and West Bridgford, the Rural Districts of Leake and Stapleford, the Rural District which consisted of the civil parishes of Kingston-on-Soar and Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and in the Rural District of Basford the civil parishes of Awsworth, Barton-in-Fabis, Bilborough, Bradmore, Bunny, Burton Joyce, Clifton-with-Glapton, Colwick, Cossall, Gamston, Gedling, Gotham, Nuthall, Ruddington, South Wilford, Stoke Bardolph, Strelley, Thrumpton, Trowell, and Wollaton.

1950-1955: The Urban Districts of Beeston and Stapleford, and West Bridgford, and in the Rural District of Basford the civil parishes of Barton-in-Fabis, Bilborough, Bradmore, Bunny, Clifton with Glapton, Colwick, Costock, East Leake, Gedling, Gotham, Kingston-on-Soar, Normanton-on-Soar, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Rempstone, Ruddington, Stanford-on-Soar, Sutton Bonington, Thorpe-in-the-Glebe, Thrumpton, West Leake, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, and Wysall.

1955-1974: The Urban District of Beeston and Stapleford, and in the Rural District of Basford the civil parishes of Barton-in-Fabis, Bilborough, Bradmore, Bunny, Colwick, Costock, East Leake, Gedling, Gotham, Kingston-on-Soar, Normanton-on-Soar, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Rempstone, Ruddington, Stanford-on-Soar, Sutton Bonington, Thorpe-in-the-Glebe, Thrumpton, West Leake, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, and Wysall.

1974-1983: The Urban District of West Bridgford, the Rural District of Bingham (the civil parishes of Aslockton, Bingham, Car Colston, Clipston-on-the-Wolds, Colston Bassett, Cotgrave, Cropwell Bishop, Cropwell Butler, East Bridgford, Edwalton, Elton, Flawborough, Flintham, Gamston, Granby, Hawksworth, Hickling, Holme Pierrepont, Keyworth, Kinoulton, Kneeton, Langar-cum-Barnstone, Normanton-on-the-Wolds, Orston, Owthorpe, Plumtree, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Saxondale, Scarrington, Screveton, Shelford, Shelton, Sibthorpe, Stanton-on-the-Wolds, Thoroton, Tithby, Tollerton, Upper Broughton, Whatton, Widmerpool, and Wiverton Hall), and in the Rural District of Basford the civil parishes of Barton-in-Fabis, Bradmore, Bunny, Costock, East Leake, Gotham, Kingston on Soar, Normanton on Soar, Ratcliffe on Soar, Rempstone, Ruddington, Stanford on Soar, Sutton Bonington, Thorpe in the Glebe, Thrumpton, West Leake, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, and Wysall.

1983-2010: The Borough of Rushcliffe.

2010–present: The Borough of Rushcliffe wards of Abbey, Compton Acres, Cotgrave, Edwalton Village, Gamston, Gotham, Keyworth North, Keyworth South, Lady Bay, Leake, Lutterell, Manvers, Melton, Musters, Nevile, Ruddington, Soar Valley, Stanford, Tollerton, Trent, Trent Bridge, Wiverton, and Wolds.

The constituency covers the south of Nottinghamshire.

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Nottinghamshire, the Boundary Commission's report approved by Parliament led to minor modifications to the existing constituency^{[n 3]} for the 2010 general election onwards.

Constituency profile

The main town in the constituency is West Bridgford, which is part of the Greater Nottingham urban area, and includes the Trent Bridge cricket ground and Nottingham Forest F.C.. The remainder of the constituency is predominantly rural, including the villages of Cotgrave, East Leake, Sutton Bonington, Keyworth, Radcliffe on Trent and Ruddington.

The constituency consists of Census Output Areas of one local government district with a working population whose income is close to the national average and has lower than average reliance upon social housing.^[2] At the end of 2012 the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 1.9% of the population claiming jobseekers allowance, compared to the regional average of 3.5%.^[3] The borough contributing to the bulk of the seat has a low 15.1% of its population without a car, 16.4% of the population without qualifications and a very high 39.0% with level 4 qualifications or above. In terms of tenure a high 76.7% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage as at the 2011 census across the district.^[4]

Members of Parliament

Kenneth Clarke

Since 1970, Rushcliffe's Member of Parliament has been one of Britain's prominent political figures, Kenneth Clarke of the Conservative Party.

Clarke was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997, ran to be party leader during opposition under the Blair Ministry, then became Shadow Secretary of State for Business from 2009 to 2010 and then took de facto joint role of Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor from 2010 as the Lord Chancellor lost in the previous administration the requirement to be a leading judge and sit in the judiciary's highest court as well as a conventionally apolitical role in the House of Lords, in which the holder no longer sits.^{[n 4]}

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2017: Rushcliffe

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Kenneth Clarke[6]	30,223	51.8	0.4
	Labour	David Mellen[7]	22,213	38.1	11.8
	Liberal Democrat	Jayne Phoenix[8]	2,759	4.7	0.3
	Green	Richard Mallender	1,626	2.8	3.7
	UKIP	Matthew Faithfull	1,490	2.6	8.2
Majority			8,010	13.7	5.9
Turnout			58,311	78.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 2015: Rushcliffe^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Kenneth Clarke	28,354	51.4	0.2
	Labour	David Mellen	14,525	26.3	5.6
	UKIP	Matthew Faithfull[10]	5,943	10.8	6.7
	Green	Richard Mallender	3,559	6.5	4.2
	Liberal Democrat	Robert Johnston	2,783	5.0	16.7
Majority			13,829	25.1	4.4
Turnout			55,164	75.3	1.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	2.7

General Election 2010: Rushcliffe^[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Kenneth Clarke	27,470	51.2	3.1
	Liberal Democrat	Karrar Khan	11,659	21.7	4.4
	Labour	Andrew Clayworth	11,128	20.7	6.7
	UKIP	Matthew Faithfull	2,179	4.1	1.6
	Green	Richard Mallender	1,251	2.3	1.2
Majority			15,811	29.5
Turnout			53,687	73.6	3.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.6

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Election in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Nottinghamshire

Notes and references

Notes

References

Coordinates: 52°52′N 1°05′W / 52.87°N 1.09°W / 52.87; -1.09