Southampton Test (UK Parliament constituency)
Southampton Test | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundary of Southampton Test in Hampshire | |
![]() Location of Hampshire within England | |
County | Hampshire |
Electorate | 71,263 (December 2010)[1] |
Major settlements | Southampton |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1950 |
Member of Parliament | Alan Whitehead (Labour) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Southampton |
Southampton Test is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Alan Whitehead, a member of the Labour Party.[n 2]
History
The constituency was created for the 1950 general election, when the previous two-member Southampton constituency was abolished. Although the name of the seat has been retained since 1950, the precise boundaries of the seat have changed during that time.
Horace King, after being the member in the first half of the 1950s, would later become the first Speaker of the House of Commons from the Labour Party.
Southampton Test proved to be a bellwether (mirroring the national result) from 1966 until 2010, with the exception of the minority government of Harold Wilson from February to October 1974 (see Second Wilson Ministry).
Whitehead for Labour performed better here than John Denham in Southampton Itchen, the other Southampton seat, which the party also held in the 2010 general election. The area is, from 2010, one of only four Labour seats left in South East England.[2]
Constituency profile
The seat covers the western part of the City of Southampton and is named after the River Test, one of the city's two rivers. It covers some of the leafy northern suburbs (though the northernmost Bassett Ward ceased to form part of the constituency in 1997) and the western port areas as well as the social housing estates of the western fringes. It is traditionally the marginally more affluent of the two constituencies in the city, before 2010 having a higher number of Tory representatives than its neighbour Southampton Itchen — named after the other major river. The area includes the University of Southampton, though its halls of residence fall almost entirely within Romsey and Southampton North or Southampton Itchen. Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 close to but slightly below than the national average of 3.8%, at 3.4% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, above the average for the South East seats of 2.5% but below, for example, five seats in East Kent.[3]
The seat is home to Southampton FC's football ground at St Mary's.
Boundaries
1950-1955: The County Borough of Southampton wards of All Saints, Banister, Freemantle, Millbrook, St Nicholas, Shirley, and Town.
1955-1983: The County Borough of Southampton wards of Banister, Bargate, Bassett, Coxford, Freemantle, Millbrook, Portswood, Redbridge, and Shirley.
1983-1997: The City of Southampton wards of Bassett, Coxford, Freemantle, Millbrook, Portswood, Redbridge, and Shirley.
1997-2010: The City of Southampton wards of Coxford, Freemantle, Millbrook, Portswood, Redbridge, St Deny's, and Shirley.
2010-present: The City of Southampton wards of Bevois, Coxford, Freemantle, Millbrook, Portswood, Redbridge, and Shirley.
The constituency is bounded to the east by Southampton Itchen, to the north by Romsey and Southampton North and to the west by New Forest East.
Members of Parliament
Election | Member[4] | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1950 | Horace King | Labour | Speaker of the House of Commons from 1965 to 1971 |
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1955 | John Howard | Conservative | |
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1964 | John Fletcher-Cooke | Conservative | |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1966 | Bob Mitchell | Labour | |
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1970 | James Hill | Conservative | |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Oct 1974 | Bryan Gould | Labour | Member of the Shadow Cabinet from 1986 to 1994 |
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1979 | James Hill | Conservative | |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1997 | Alan Whitehead | Labour |
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 18,017 | 41.3 | +2.8 | |
Conservative | Jeremy Moulton | 14,207 | 32.5 | −0.5 | |
UKIP | Pearline Hingston[7] | 5,566 | 12.8 | +8.8 | |
Green | Angela Mawle | 2,568 | 5.9 | +3.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Adrian Ford | 2,121 | 4.9 | −17.5 | |
Independent | Chris Davis[8] | 770 | 1.8 | N/A | |
TUSC | Nick Chaffey | 403 | 0.9 | +0.9 | |
Majority | 3,810 | 8.7 | +3.2 | ||
Turnout | 43,652 | 62.1 | +0.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 17,001 | 38.5 | −5.7 | |
Conservative | Jeremy Moulton | 14,588 | 33.0 | +8.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Dave Callaghan | 9,865 | 22.3 | −1.8 | |
UKIP | Pearline Hingston | 1,726 | 3.9 | +0.9 | |
Green | Chris Bluemel | 881 | 2.0 | −1.6 | |
Majority | 2,413 | 5.5 | −11.3 | ||
Turnout | 44,187 | 61.4 | +5.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −6.9 |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 17,845 | 42.7 | −9.8 | |
Conservative | Stephen MacLoughlin | 10,827 | 25.9 | +0.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Steve Sollitt | 10,368 | 24.8 | +6.7 | |
Green | John Spottiswoode | 1,482 | 3.5 | N/A | |
UKIP | Peter Day | 1,261 | 3.0 | +1.1 | |
Majority | 7,018 | 16.8 | |||
Turnout | 41,783 | 53.7 | −2.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −5.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 21,824 | 52.5 | −1.7 | |
Conservative | Richard Gueterbock | 10,617 | 25.5 | −2.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Shaw | 7,522 | 18.1 | +4.4 | |
UKIP | Garry Rankin-Moore | 792 | 1.9 | +1.5 | |
Socialist Alliance | Mark Abel | 442 | 1.1 | N/A | |
Socialist Labour | Paramjit Bahia | 378 | 0.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 11,207 | 27.0 | |||
Turnout | 41,575 | 56.3 | −15.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 28,396 | 54.1 | +11.7 | |
Conservative | James Hill | 14,712 | 28.1 | −15.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Alan Dowden | 7,171 | 13.7 | +0.6 | |
Referendum | Peter Day | 1,397 | 2.7 | ||
Legalise Cannabis | Howard Marks | 388 | 0.7 | ||
UKIP | A.M. McCabe | 219 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Independent | P Taylor | 81 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Natural Law | J Sinel | 77 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 13,684 | 26.0 | |||
Turnout | 71.9 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Hill | 24,504 | 43.4 | −2.2 | |
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 23,919 | 42.4 | +9.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Diana Maddock | 7,391 | 13.1 | −8.1 | |
Green | Jonathan M. Michaelis | 535 | 0.9 | +0.9 | |
Natural Law | David Plummer | 101 | 0.2 | +0.2 | |
Majority | 585 | 1.0 | −11.3 | ||
Turnout | 56,450 | 77.4 | +1.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −5.6 |
Elections in the 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Hill | 25,722 | 45.6 | +0.4 | |
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 18,768 | 33.3 | +5.2 | |
Liberal | V. Rayner | 11,950 | 21.2 | −5.5 | |
Majority | 6,954 | 12.3 | −4.8 | ||
Turnout | 76.4 | +3.3 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | -2.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Hill | 24,657 | 45.19 | ||
Labour | Alan Whitehead | 15,311 | 28.06 | ||
SDP | A. Vinson | 14,592 | 26.74 | ||
Majority | 9,346 | 17.13 | |||
Turnout | 73.07 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Hill | 27,198 | 46.36 | ||
Labour | Bryan Gould | 25,075 | 42.74 | ||
Liberal | D. Hughes | 6,393 | 10.90 | ||
Majority | 2,123 | 3.62 | |||
Turnout | 76.30 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bryan Gould | 22,780 | 42.17 | ||
Conservative | James Hill | 22,250 | 41.109 | ||
Liberal | J.R. Wallis | 8,994 | 16.65 | ||
Majority | 530 | 0.98 | |||
Turnout | 73.11 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Hill | 23,742 | 40.88 | ||
Labour | Bryan Gould | 22,339 | 38.46 | ||
Liberal | J.R. Wallis | 12,000 | 20.66 | ||
Majority | 1,403 | 2.42 | |||
Turnout | 79.21 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Hill | 24,660 | 47.54 | ||
Labour | Bob Mitchell | 22,858 | 44.07 | ||
Liberal | J.R. Wallis | 4,349 | 8.38 | ||
Majority | 1,802 | 3.47 | |||
Turnout | 73.33 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bob Mitchell | 24,628 | 48.37 | ||
Conservative | John Fletcher-Cooke | 22,188 | 43.58 | ||
Liberal | G.A.W. Cleverley | 4,102 | 8.06 | ||
Majority | 2,440 | 4.79 | |||
Turnout | 78.13 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Fletcher-Cooke | 25,700 | 50.34 | ||
Labour | Bob Mitchell | 25,352 | 49.66 | ||
Majority | 348 | 0.68 | |||
Turnout | 76.69 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Melbourne Howard | 30,176 | 56.31 | ||
Labour | Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams | 23,410 | 43.69 | ||
Majority | 6,766 | 12.63 | |||
Turnout | 79.88 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Melbourne Howard | 26,707 | 51.21 | ||
Labour | C. Antony R. Crosland | 22,865 | 43.84 | ||
Liberal | Stanley Little | 2,583 | 4.95 | ||
Majority | 3,842 | 7.37 | |||
Turnout | 78.72 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Horace Maybray King | 26,430 | 50.44 | ||
National Liberal | J.A. Paul | 25,965 | 49.56 | ||
Majority | 465 | 0.89 | |||
Turnout | 83.52 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Horace Maybray King | 25,052 | 47.08 | ||
National Liberal | P. Brembridge | 23,663 | 45.15 | ||
Liberal | Stephen Fry | 3,697 | 7.05 | ||
Majority | 1,389 | 2.65 | |||
Turnout | 84.39 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
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.
- ^ BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/region/8.stm.
{{cite news}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 1)
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – Election 2015 – Southampton Test". BBC News.
- ^ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/southamptontest/
- ^ "Southampton anti poverty campaigner stands for Parliament". Southern Daily Echo. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Southampton Test". BBC News.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ This was an unusual election, where an incumbent was challenged by two people who later became MPs.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.