Staffordshire Moorlands (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 53°4′N 1°59′W / 53.067°N 1.983°W / 53.067; -1.983
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Staffordshire Moorlands
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Staffordshire Moorlands in Staffordshire
Outline map
Location of Staffordshire within England
CountyStaffordshire
Electorate62,457 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsLeek and Biddulph
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentKaren Bradley (Conservative Party)
SeatsOne
Created fromLeek
Karen Bradley MP

Staffordshire Moorlands is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Karen Bradley, a Conservative who served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport between 2016 and 2018, before she became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2018 to 2019. 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. This seat has seen a swing to the Conservatives at the past four elections.

Karen Bradley was re-elected in the 2019 general election, with an increased majority of 16,428 votes.

Members of Parliament[edit]

Election Member[2] Party Cabinet Positions
1983 David Knox Conservative
1997 Charlotte Atkins Labour
2010 Karen Bradley Conservative Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2016–2018)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (2018–2019)

Constituency profile[edit]

The constituency covers a substantial rural area of north-east Staffordshire, northeast of Stoke-on-Trent, and borders Derbyshire and Cheshire. The largest towns are Leek, with its cobbled square and a high street lined with independent boutiques, the Churnet valley and Biddulph, in which the famous Biddulph Grange Gardens is located. The area also includes the wooded, hillside village of Rudyard with its long man-made lake and miniature railway, and about 30% is in a sparsely populated part of the Peak District of small villages, including Wetton, site of Old Hannah's Cave. Other rural villages such as Longnor and Alton, home to the theme park Alton Towers make up the constituency. The southern part of Dove Dale on the border features rock climbing as well as Jacob's Ladder and Bertram's cave and well.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.1% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[3]

History[edit]

The forerunner seat, Leek, existed for nearly a century until 1983, and in its more recent history alternated between the Labour and Conservative parties three times after a Liberal had held the seat from 1910 until 1918. Despite this alternation, it was far from a bellwether (that is, a reflection of the national result), as Leek leaned more towards one party more than the other in two phases:

In the first, longer part of this period the seat was held mainly by William Bromfield (Lab), secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Textile Workers and Kindred Trades (ASTWKT), whose membership covered Staffordshire and South Cheshire, and then by the future Lord Davies of Leek, who as the main aide to the Prime Minister[who?], was tasked with secret talks with Ho Chi Minh which failed due to a leak.

In the second part of this period David Knox (Con), a pro-European, toward the left of his party, and a supporter of Ted Heath when he faced Margaret Thatcher's leadership challenge, helped to establish the Tory Reform Group. During his long tenure as MP until 1997 he held the seat even during the Wilson-Callaghan government.

Since Charlotte Atkins' win in 1997 the seat has indeed been a bellwether for the national result.

There has been a swing to the Conservatives in the past four consecutive elections (2010, 2015 and 2017, 2019) and now the Conservatives have a majority of over 37% in this seat.

The current MP, Karen Bradley, served in the cabinet of both of Theresa May's governments, but returned to the backbenches after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister.

Boundaries[edit]

Map
Map of current boundaries

1983–1997: The District of Staffordshire Moorlands.

1997–2010: The District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of Alton, Biddulph East, Biddulph Moor, Biddulph North, Biddulph South, Biddulph West, Caverswall, Cheddleton, Horton, Ipstones, Leek North East, Leek North West, Leek South East, Leek South West, Leekfrith, Longnor, Warslow, Waterhouses, Werrington, and Wetley Rocks, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Butt Lane, Kidsgrove, Newchapel, and Talke.

2010–present: The District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of Alton, Bagnall and Stanley, Biddulph East, Biddulph Moor, Biddulph North, Biddulph South, Biddulph West, Brown Edge and Endon, Caverswall, Cellarhead, Cheddleton, Churnet, Dane, Hamps Valley, Horton, Ipstones, Leek East, Leek North, Leek South, Leek West, Manifold, and Werrington, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme ward of Newchapel.

Proposed[edit]

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of: Alton; Bagnall and Stanley; Biddulph East; Biddulph Moor; Biddulph North; Biddulph South; Biddulph West; Brown Edge and Endon; Caverswall; Cellarhead; Cheadle North East; Cheadle South East; Cheadle West; Cheddleton; Churnet; Dane; Hamps Valley; Horton; Ipstones; Leek East; Leek North; Leek South; Leek West; Manifold; Werrington.[4]

In order to bring the electorate within the permitted range, the town of Cheadle will be added from the current constituency of Stone (to be abolished). The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme ward of Newchapel will be transferred to Stoke-on-Trent North.

History of boundaries[edit]

The constituency succeeded the former constituency of Leek at the 1983 general election. The boundary changes which took effect at the 1997 general election proved to be among the most controversial of all those proposed by the Boundary Commission.[5] Initially only minor changes were to be made: two rural wards to transfer to Stone (newly created).[5] However, in the same proposed boundary changes, the neighbouring community of Kidsgrove had been split between two constituencies, with two wards remaining in the constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North and two wards transferring to Newcastle-under-Lyme. At the local enquiry into the changes, it was argued that this division of Kidsgrove was unacceptable and the assistant commissioner consequently recommended that all four Kidsgrove wards be transferred instead to Staffordshire Moorlands.[5] To make way for the 19,000 voters in Kidsgrove (to that date shown to be heavily Labour-supporting,[5] two wards, Endon & Stanley and Brown Edge, were transferred to Stoke-on-Trent North, while two more rural wards were transferred to the Stone constituency. It was estimated that if the constituency had been fought on the pre-1997 Charlotte Atkins would have gained the seat by a majority of about 1,500 votes.[6]

The boundary changes, which took effect at the 2010 general election, effectively reversed these changes: four of the five Kidsgrove wards transferred to Stoke-on-Trent North, with only one mainly rural ward, Newchapel, remaining in Staffordshire Moorlands. Brown Edge and Endon & Stanley returned to Staffordshire Moorlands. It was estimated that if the constituency had been fought at the 2005 election under the current boundaries, Labour would have lost the seat by 1,035 votes as opposed to the 2,438 votes that Charlotte Atkins won on that occasion.[7][8]

Elections[edit]

Elections in the 2020s[edit]

Next general election: Staffordshire Moorlands
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
Swing

Elections in the 2010s[edit]

General election 2019: Staffordshire Moorlands[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Karen Bradley 28,192 64.5 +6.4
Labour Darren Price 11,764 26.9 –7.0
Liberal Democrats Andrew Gant 2,469 5.7 +2.4
Green Douglas Rouxel 1,231 2.8 +1.6
Majority 16,428 37.6 +13.4
Turnout 43,656 66.7 –0.9
Conservative hold Swing +6.7
General election 2017: Staffordshire Moorlands
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Karen Bradley 25,963 58.1 +7.0
Labour Dave Jones 15,133 33.9 +6.7
Independent Nicholas Sheldon 1,524 3.4 New
Liberal Democrats Henry Jebb 1,494 3.3 –0.8
Green Mike Shone 541 1.2 –1.7
Majority 10,830 24.2 +0.3
Turnout 42,713 67.6
Conservative hold Swing +0.15
General election 2015: Staffordshire Moorlands[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Karen Bradley 21,770 51.1 +5.9
Labour Trudie McGuinness[11] 11,596 27.2 –2.7
UKIP George Langley-Poole 6,236 14.6 +6.4
Liberal Democrats John Redfern[12] 1,759 4.1 –12.6
Green Brian Smith[13] 1,226 2.9 New
Majority 10,174 23.9 +8.6
Turnout 42,587
Conservative hold Swing +4.3
General election 2010: Staffordshire Moorlands[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Karen Bradley 19,793 45.2 +5.4
Labour Charlotte Atkins 13,104 29.9 –6.0
Liberal Democrats Henry Jebb 7,338 16.7 –0.8
UKIP Steve Povey 3,580 8.2 +1.4
Majority 6,689 15.3 N/A
Turnout 43,815 70.6 +2.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +5.7

The vote share change and hold status in 2010 comes from the notional, not actual, 2005 results because of boundary changes. Calculations of notional results (an estimate of how the seat would have voted in 2005 if it had existed then on the 2010 boundaries) suggested that the Conservatives would have won the seat, so the result in 2010 was classed as a Conservative "hold" by most sources.[16][17]

Elections in the 2000s[edit]

General election 2005: Staffordshire Moorlands[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charlotte Atkins 18,126 41.0 –8.0
Conservative Marcus Hayes 15,688 35.5 +0.2
Liberal Democrats John Fisher 6,927 15.7 +1.8
UKIP Stephen Povey 3,512 7.9 +6.1
Majority 2,438 5.5 –8.2
Turnout 44,253 64.0 +0.1
Labour hold Swing –4.1
General election 2001: Staffordshire Moorlands[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charlotte Atkins 20,904 49.0 –3.2
Conservative Marcus Hayes 15,066 35.3 +2.7
Liberal Democrats John Redfern 5,928 13.9 +1.8
UKIP Paul Gilbert 760 1.8 New
Majority 5,838 13.7 –5.9
Turnout 42,658 63.9 –13.9
Labour hold Swing –3.0

Source:[20]

Elections in the 1990s[edit]

General election 1997: Staffordshire Moorlands[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charlotte Atkins 26,686 52.2 +17.4
Conservative Andrew Ashworth 16,637 32.6 –14.0
Liberal Democrats Christina Jebb 6,191 12.1 –2.8
Referendum David Stanworth 1,603 3.1 New
Majority 10,049 19.6 N/A
Turnout 51,117 77.8 –5.9
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +15.7
General election 1992: Staffordshire Moorlands[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Knox 29,240 46.6 –6.3
Labour JE Siddelley 21,830 34.8 +6.0
Liberal Democrats CR Jebb 9,326 14.9 –3.4
Anti-Federalist League MC Howson 2,121 3.4 New
Natural Law P Davies 261 0.4 New
Majority 7,410 11.8 –12.3
Turnout 62,778 83.7 +3.3
Conservative hold Swing –6.2

Elections in the 1980s[edit]

General election 1987: Staffordshire Moorlands[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Knox 31,613 52.9 –0.9
Labour Vera Ivers 17,186 28.8 +4.6
SDP James Patrick Corbett 10,950 18.3 –3.8
Majority 14,427 24.1 –5.5
Turnout 59,749 80.4 +3.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Staffordshire Moorlands[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Knox 30,079 53.8
Labour Brian Campbell 13,513 24.2
SDP Paul Gubbins 12,370 22.1
Majority 16,566 29.6
Turnout 55,962 77.2
Conservative win (new seat)

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)
  3. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  4. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
  5. ^ a b c d "BBC NEWS | VOTE 2001 | RESULTS & CONSTITUENCIES | Staffordshire Moorlands". news.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
  7. ^ Rallings & M. Thrasher (eds) Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 2007)
  8. ^ "UKPollingReport Election Guide 2010 » Staffordshire Moorlands".
  9. ^ "Staffordshire Moorlands Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Labour's Candidates | the Labour Party". www.labour.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  12. ^ "John Redfern PPC page". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  13. ^ "general-election.html". Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. ^ "BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Staffordshire Moorlands". news.bbc.co.uk.
  16. ^ "BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Staffordshire Moorlands". news.bbc.co.uk.
  17. ^ McCormick, Mark (6 May 2010). "UK election results map". The Guardian.
  18. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. ^ "United Kingdom Election Results". www.election.demon.co.uk.
  21. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  24. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  25. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

53°4′N 1°59′W / 53.067°N 1.983°W / 53.067; -1.983

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