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Swindon North (UK Parliament constituency)

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Swindon North
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map of constituency
Boundary of Swindon North in South West England
CountyWiltshire
Electorate72,163 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsSwindon (part), Highworth
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentWill Stone (Labour Party)
SeatsOne
Created fromSwindon

Swindon North is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Will Stone, a Labour politician.[n 2]

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was formally renamed from North Swindon to Swindon North, and first contested at the 2024 general election.[2]

History

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North Swindon was created in 1997 and has been a bellwether since then. However, during the 2010s, the Conservatives won the constituency by much higher numbers than their national popular vote margin.

Boundaries

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Map
Map of boundaries 2010-2024
Map
Map of boundaries from 2024

1997–2010: The Borough of Thamesdown wards of Blunsdon, Covingham, Gorse Hill, Haydon Wick, Highworth, Moredon, St Margaret, St Philip, Western, and Whitworth, and the District of North Wiltshire ward of Cricklade.

The seat's boundaries encompassed an area that before its creation made up parts of the former Swindon constituency and pre-1997 versions of North Wiltshire and Devizes.

2010–2024: The Borough of Swindon wards of Abbey Meads, Blunsdon and Highworth, Covingham and Nythe, Gorse Hill and Pinehurst, Haydon Wick, Moredon, Penhill, St Margaret, St Philip, and Western.

In the 2010 boundary changes, the town of Cricklade became part of the North Wiltshire constituency while this seat acquired parts of the South Swindon constituency.

2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

In order to bring the electorate within the permitted range and align with revised ward boundaries, the districts of Covingham and Nythe were transferred to Swindon South.

Constituency profile

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The constituency covers a northern part of central Swindon and its northern suburbs (the civil parish of Central Swindon North), and extends northward to take in Blunsdon, the market town of Highworth and the rural parishes surrounding that town.

North Swindon has an electorate of 79,488 (as of 2010), the majority of whom live in the suburbs or close to Swindon's town centre. In 2001, 52.9% of homes were into the categories of semi-detached or detached in the Swindon Local Authority area; after a 5.0% increase in flats/apartments in 2011, this figure had fallen slightly to 50.3%. In the same period, those registered unemployed rose from 2.5% to 4.2% and those self-employed rose from 6.2% to 7.8%.[4] In 2010, the unemployment rate for Swindon South was 2.6%, compared to 3.5% in Swindon North. This is one indicator of social deprivation and compares to a rate of 11.0% in 2010 in Birmingham Ladywood, the constituency with the highest rate nationally.[5]

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[6] Party
1997 Michael Wills Labour
2010 Justin Tomlinson Conservative
2024 Will Stone Labour Party

Elections

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Elections in the 2020s

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General election 2024: Swindon North[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Will Stone[8] 17,930 40.6 +10.1
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 13,827 31.3 –27.2
Reform UK Les Willis[9] 7,557 17.1 N/A
Green Andy Bentley[10] 2,366 5.4 +2.3
Liberal Democrats Flo Clucas 2,086 4.7 –3.2
Independent Debbie Hicks[11] 260 0.6 N/A
TUSC Scott Hunter 139 0.3 N/A
Majority 4,103 9.3 N/A
Turnout 44,165 60.3 –5.4
Registered electors 73,238
Labour gain from Conservative Swing Increase19.3

Elections in the 2010s

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2019 notional result[12]
Party Vote %
Conservative 27,719 58.5
Labour 14,469 30.5
Liberal Democrats 3,744 7.9
Green 1,449 3.1
Turnout 47,381 65.7
Electorate 72,163
General election 2019: North Swindon[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 32,584 59.1 +5.5
Labour Kate Linnegar 16,413 29.8 –8.6
Liberal Democrats Katie Critchlow 4,408 8.0 +4.4
Green Andy Bentley 1,710 3.1 +1.5
Majority 16,171 29.3 +14.1
Turnout 55,115 66.9 –1.6
Conservative hold Swing +7.1
General election 2017: North Swindon[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 29,431 53.6 +3.3
Labour Mark Dempsey 21,096 38.4 +10.6
Liberal Democrats Liz Webster 1,962 3.6 +0.3
UKIP Steve Halden 1,564 2.8 –12.5
Green Andy Bentley 858 1.6 –1.7
Majority 8,335 15.2 –7.3
Turnout 54,911 68.5 +4.0
Conservative hold Swing –3.65
General election 2015: North Swindon[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 26,295 50.3 +5.7
Labour Mark Dempsey [17] 14,509 27.8 –2.7
UKIP James Faulkner[18] 8,011 15.3 +11.6
Green Poppy Hebden-Leeder 1,723 3.3 +2.3
Liberal Democrats Janet Ellard[19] 1,704 3.3 –13.9
Majority 11,786 22.5 +8.4
Turnout 52,242 64.5 +0.3
Conservative hold Swing +4.3
General election 2010: North Swindon[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 22,408 44.6 +5.7
Labour Victor Agarwal 15,348 30.5 –14.6
Liberal Democrats Jane Lock 8,668 17.2 +4.4
UKIP Stephen Halden 1,842 3.7 +1.4
BNP Reg Bates 1,542 3.1 N/A
Green Bill Hughes 487 1.0 N/A
Majority 7,060 14.1 N/A
Turnout 50,295 64.2 +3.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +10.1

Elections in the 2000s

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General election 2005: North Swindon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Wills 19,612 43.7 –9.2
Conservative Justin Tomlinson 17,041 38.0 +4.3
Liberal Democrats Mike Evemy 6,831 15.2 +3.6
UKIP Robert Tingey 998 2.2 +0.3
Socialist Unity Andy Newman 208 0.5 N/A
Independent Ernest Reynolds 195 0.4 N/A
Majority 2,571 5.7 –13.5
Turnout 44,885 61.0 Steady0.0
Labour hold Swing –6.7
General election 2001: North Swindon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Wills 22,371 52.9 +3.1
Conservative Nick Martin 14,266 33.7 –0.1
Liberal Democrats David Nation 4,891 11.6 –1.3
UKIP Brian Lloyd 800 1.9 N/A
Majority 8,105 19.2 +3.2
Turnout 42,328 61.0 –12.7
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

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General election 1997: North Swindon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Wills 24,029 49.8
Conservative Guy Opperman 16,341 33.8
Liberal Democrats Mike Evemy 6,237 12.9
Referendum Gillian Goldsmith 1,533 3.2
Natural Law Alexander Fisken 130 0.3
Majority 7,688 16.0
Turnout 48,270 73.66
Labour win (new seat)

Neighbouring constituencies

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A county 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

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  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  2. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  3. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
  4. ^ "2011 census interactive maps". Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Unemployment claimants by constituency", The Guardian, 17 November 2010
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
  7. ^ Swindon North
  8. ^ "Labour selections: parliamentary candidates selected so far for the general election". LabourList. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  9. ^ . Reform UK Swindon North. 25 May 2023 https://www.facebook.com/groups/reformuk.swindonnorth/permalink/433934202686952/. Retrieved 29 May 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ "Stand at the next general election". South West Green Party. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Lockdown protester who filmed inside hospital to stand for election in Swindon". Swindon Advertiser. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  13. ^ Council, Swindon Borough. "Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations North Swindon | Swindon Borough Council". www.swindon.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  14. ^ "ELECTION 2017: Labour choose North Swindon candidate". Swindon Advertiser.
  15. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Swindon North parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News.
  17. ^ "CLLR Mark Dempsey – PPC for North Swindon | North Swindon Labour". Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  18. ^ "Swindon UKIP Branch".
  19. ^ "General Election 2015 Candidates - Liberal Democrats". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Election 2010 - Constituency - Swindon North". BBC News.
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