Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency)
| Ipswich | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency | |
| for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Ipswich in Suffolk. |
|
 Location of Suffolk within England. |
|
| County | Suffolk |
| Electorate | 75,195 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Ipswich |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1295 |
| Member of Parliament | Ben Gummer (Conservative) |
| Number of members | One |
| Overlaps | |
| European Parliament constituency | East of England |
Ipswich 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.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries
The present-day constituency consists of most of the Borough of Ipswich, although the north-western part was transferred to the Central Suffolk constituency at the 1983 General Election. Previous to this, the Parliamentary and Municipal Boroughs were always the same. Before the Reform Act 1832, the franchise in Ipswich was in the hands of the Ipswich Corporation and the Freemen. It has generally been favourable to Labour since World War II, although they have lost the seat on three occasions, and have sometimes won with very sparse majorities. From 1997 until a Conservative gain in 2010, Labour won the contests with safer margins.
[edit] Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in Suffolk the Boundary Commission for England has recommended minor alterations to the existing constituency arrangement. The electoral wards used in the creation of this seat are:
- Alexandra, Bixley, Bridge, Gainsborough, Gipping, Holywells, Priory Heath, Rushmere, St John’s, St Margaret’s, Sprites, Stoke Park, and Westgate from the town of Ipswich.
[edit] Constituency Profile
The seat includes the town centre and docks of Ipswich, with its mix of historic buildings and new developments. Ipswich is a bustling town that serves as a centre for the rest of Suffolk which is predominantly rural and remote, and is the only serious concentration of Labour voters in the county, other than in Lowestoft.
Portman Road Football Ground to the West of the centre, and the new University to the East are both in the seat, as is the vast Chantry council estate to the South.
Ipswich's Tory-inclining suburbs extend beyond the seat's boundaries - the northernmost wards are in the Suffolk Central division, and several strong Conservative areas are just outside the borough's tightly-drawn limits, making Ipswich a favourable seat for Labour.
For many years a small red island in a sea of blue, Ipswich was lost by Labour in the 2010 election. However, Labour could well regain the seat at the next general election.
[edit] Members of Parliament
[edit] MPs 1295-1660
[edit] MPs 1660-1832
[edit] MPs 1832-1918
During the period between 1835 and 1842 there were five elections and all were found to have been corrupt. After the 1835 election Dundas and Kelly were unseated on the charge of bribery. After the 1837 election Tufnell was unseated on a scrutiny. Gibson who was elected in 1838 resigned. Cochrane was elected in 1839 after which a petition was presented complaining of gross bribery - it was not progressed because a general election was expected. After the 1841 election Wason and Rennie were unseated, being declared guilty of bribery by their agents.[6]
[edit] MPs 1918-present
[edit] Elections
[edit] Elections in the 2010s
| General Election 2010: Ipswich[7] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Ben Gummer | 18,371 | 39.1 | +8.0 | |
| Labour | Chris Mole | 16,292 | 34.7 | -8.2 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Mark Dyson | 8,556 | 18.2 | -2.9 | |
| UKIP | Chris Streatfield | 1,365 | 2.9 | +0.2 | |
| BNP | Dennis Boater | 1,270 | 2.7 | N/A | |
| Green | Tim Glover | 775 | 1.7 | N/A | |
| Christian | Kim Christofi | 149 | 0.3 | N/A | |
| Independent | Peter Turtill | 93 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Independent | Sally Wainman | 70 | 0.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 2,079 | 4.4 | {{{change}}} | ||
| Turnout | 46,941 | 59.9 | -0.2 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | N/A | |||
[edit] Elections in the 2000s
| General Election 2005: Ipswich | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Chris Mole | 18,336 | 43.8 | -7.5 | |
| Conservative | Paul West | 13,004 | 31.1 | +0.6 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Richard Atkins | 8,464 | 20.2 | +5.0 | |
| UKIP | Alison West | 1,134 | 2.7 | +1.1 | |
| English Democrats | Jervis Kay | 641 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Independent | Sally Wainman | 299 | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 5,332 | 12.7 | -2.2 | ||
| Turnout | 41,878 | 60.8 | +3.8 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -4.0 | |||
Following the death of Jamie Cann on 21 October 2001 a by-election was held on 22 November 2001.
| Ipswich by-election, 2001 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Chris Mole | 11,881 | 43.4 | -8.0 | |
| Conservative | Paul West | 7,794 | 28.4 | -2.1 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Tessa Munt | 6,146 | 22.4 | +7.2 | |
| Christian Peoples | David Coope | 581 | 2.1 | N/A | |
| UKIP | Jonathan Wright | 276 | 1.0 | N/A | |
| Green | Tony Slade | 255 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Legalise Cannabis | John Ramirez | 236 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Socialist Alliance | Peter Leach | 152 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| English Independence Party | Nicolas Winskill | 84 | 0.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 4,087 | 14.9 | -5.9 | ||
| Turnout | 27,405 | 40.2 | -16.8 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -5.9 | |||
| General Election 2001: Ipswich | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Jamie Cann | 19,952 | 51.3 | -1.4 | |
| Conservative | Edward Wild | 11,871 | 30.5 | -0.6 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Terence Gilbert | 5,904 | 15.2 | +3.0 | |
| UKIP | William Vinyard | 624 | 1.6 | +1.2 | |
| Socialist Alliance | Peter Leach | 305 | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Socialist Labour | Shaun Gratton | 217 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| Majority | 8,081 | 20.8 | -0.8 | ||
| Turnout | 38,873 | 57.0 | -15.2 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -0.8 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 1990s
| General Election 1997: Ipswich | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Jamie Cann | 25,484 | 52.7 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Stephen Castle | 15,048 | 31.1 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrat | Nigel Roberts | 5,881 | 12.2 | N/A | |
| Referendum Party | T Agnew | 1,637 | 3.4 | N/A | |
| UKIP | W Vinyard | 208 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Natural Law | E Kaplan | 107 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 10,436 | 21.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 48,365 | 72.2 | N/A | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| General Election 1992: Ipswich[8] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Jamie Cann | 23,680 | 43.8 | +0.7 | |
| Conservative | Michael Irvine | 23,415 | 43.4 | −1.0 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Joseph White | 6159 | 11.4 | −1.2 | |
| Green | J Scott | 591 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Natural Law | E Kaplan | 181 | 0.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 265 | 0.5 | −1.2 | ||
| Turnout | 54,026 | 80.3 | +2.7 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.1 | |||
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. http://www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/electoral-figures/electoral-figures.htm. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/ipswich. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/ipswich. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/constituencies/ipswich. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
- ^ a b c d e Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "I"
- ^ "IPSWICH ELECTION WRIT.". Hansard. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1842/aug/08/ipswich-election-writ. Retrieved 2010-01-17. "During the last seven years, or little more, there had been five elections for the borough of Ipswich, and those five elections had produced five petitions"
- ^ Ipswich, UKPollingReport
- ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/i12.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
