Birkenhead (UK Parliament constituency)

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Birkenhead
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
120px
Boundary of Birkenhead in Merseyside.
Outline map
Location of Merseyside within England.
County 1861–1918 Cheshire1950–1974 Cheshire1974– Merseyside
Population 88,818 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate 62,432 (December 2010)[2]
Major settlements Birkenhead
Current constituency
Created 1950
Member of parliament Frank Field (Labour)
Number of members One
Created from Birkenhead East, Birkenhead West
1861–1918
Type of constituency Borough constituency
Replaced by Birkenhead East, Birkenhead West
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency North West England

Birkenhead /ˈbɜːrkənˌhɛd/ is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1979 by Frank Field of the Labour Party.[n 1]

History

Birkenhead was enfranchised in 1861 and was a single constituency for 57 years until it was split as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which took effect from the 1918 general election. Birkenhead East and West constituencies then covered its area and certain smaller neighbouring communities of The Wirral until the single Birkenhead constituency was re-established at the 1950 general election. Since then it has returned only Labour MPs, being a safe Labour seat with large majorities apart from a 7% majority in 1955.

Trivia

For the 2001, 2005 and 2010 general elections Birkenhead had the fewest candidates of any British constituency[citation needed]: only candidates for the Labour Party, Conservative Party and Liberal Democrat contested the seat.

Boundaries

The constituency covers the town of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, and the Birkenhead suburbs of Bidston, Claughton, Oxton, Prenton, Rock Ferry and Tranmere. It is one of four parliamentary constituencies within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.

The Boundary Commission recommended that Birkenhead gain the entire Prenton ward from Wirral West (the ward was shared between the two constituencies) at the general election of 2010.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1861–1918

Election Member[3] Party
1861 John Laird Conservative
1874 David MacIver Conservative
1885 Edward Bruce Hamley Conservative
1892 Arnold Keppel, Viscount Bury Conservative
1894 Elliott Lees Conservative
1906 Henry Harvey Vivian Lib-Lab
1910 Alfred Bigland Conservative
1918 constituency abolished: see Birkenhead East and Birkenhead West

MPs since 1950

Election Member Party
1950 Percy Collick Labour
1964 Edmund Dell Labour
1979 Frank Field Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Birkenhead[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 26,468 67.6 +5.1
Conservative Clark Vasey 5,816 14.9 -4.1
UKIP Wayne Harling 3,838 9.8 +9.8
Green Kenny Peers 1,626 4.2 +4.2
Liberal Democrat Allan Brame 1,396 3.6 -15.0
Majority 20,652 52.8 +9.2
Turnout 39,144 62.7 +5.1
Labour hold Swing

[5]

General Election 2010: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 22,082 62.5 −2.5
Conservative Andrew Gilbert 6,687 18.9 +2.4
Liberal Democrat Stuart Edward Kelly 6,554 18.6 +0.1
Majority 15,395 43.6 −2.9
Turnout 35,523 56.6 +6.7
Labour hold Swing −2.7

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 18,059 65.0 −5.5
Liberal Democrat Stuart Edward Kelly 5,125 18.4 +5.6
Conservative Howard Leonard Morton 4,602 16.6 −0.1
Majority 12,934 46.5 −7.3
Turnout 27,786 48.7 +0.4
Labour hold Swing −5.6
General Election 2001: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 20,418 70.5 −0.3
Conservative Brian Stewart 4,827 16.7 +1.5
Liberal Democrat Roy Wood 3,722 12.8 +3.8
Majority 15,591 53.8 −1.8
Turnout 28,967 48.3 −17.7
Labour hold Swing −0.9

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Birkenhead[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 27,825 70.8 +7.2
Conservative John Crosby 5,982 15.2 −9.9
Liberal Democrat Roy Wood 3,548 9.0 −0.7
Socialist Labour Mark Cullen 1,168 3.0 N/A
Referendum Richard Evans 800 2.0 N/A
Majority 21,843 55.6 +17.1
Turnout 39,323 65.8 −7.2
Labour hold Swing +8.6
General Election 1992: Birkenhead[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 29,098 63.6 +4.9
Conservative Robert Glyn M. Hughes 11,485 25.1 −1.3
Liberal Democrat Pat M. Williams 4,417 9.7 −5.2
Green Tina R. Fox 543 1.2 N/A
Natural Law Bridget Griffiths 190 0.4 N/A
Majority 17,613 38.5 +6.2
Turnout 45,733 73.0 +0.7
Labour hold Swing +3.1

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 27,883 58.7 +9.1
Conservative Kenneth Johann Costa 12,511 26.4 −2.5
Liberal Richard Kemp 7,095 14.9 −5.9
Majority 15,372 32.3 +11.6
Turnout 47,489 72.3 +2.6
Labour hold Swing +5.8
General Election 1983: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 23,249 49.6 −0.3
Conservative Tom Peet 13,535 28.9 −6.8
Liberal Gordon C. Lindsay 9,782 20.8 +7.1
Majority 9,714 20.7 +6.5
Turnout 46,566 69.7 -4.2
Labour hold Swing +3.6

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Field 20,803 49.9 −1.4
Conservative P. Gill 14,894 35.7 +6.8
Liberal R Perkins 5,708 13.7 −6.1
Workers Revolutionary M. Fletcher 306 0.7 n/a
Majority 5,909 14.2 −8.2
Turnout 41,711 73.9 +3.7
Labour hold Swing −4.1
General Election October 1974: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edmund Dell 21,748 51.3 +6.1
Conservative E. Gearing 12,264 28.9 −1.0
Liberal G.C. Lindsay 8,380 19.8 −5.1
Majority 9,484 22.4 +7.1
Turnout 42,392 70.2 −6.3
Labour hold Swing +3.6
General Election February 1974: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edmund Dell 20,696 45.2 −5.5
Conservative J.S. Pyke 13,702 29.9 −6.7
Liberal G.C. Lindsay 11,410 24.9 +13.0
Majority 6,994 15.3 +1.2
Turnout 45,808 76.5 +5.7
Labour hold Swing +6.1
General Election 1970: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edmund Dell 20,980 50.7 −9.4
Conservative R. Kris 15,151 36.6 −1.8
Liberal D.T.G. Evans 4,926 11.9 N/A
Communist B. Williams 351 0.9 −0.6
Majority 5,829 14.1 −7.6
Turnout 41,408 70.8 −2.1
Labour hold Swing −5.6

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edmund Dell 24,188 60.1 +3.1
Conservative Robert Adley 15,438 38.4 −4.6
Communist B Williams 604 1.5 N/A
Majority 8,750 21.7 +7.7
Turnout 40,230 72.9 −1.9
Labour hold Swing +3.9
General Election 1964: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edmund Dell 23,994 57.0 +8.1
Conservative R.K. Morland 18,133 43.0 +1.8
Majority 5,861 14.0 +6.3
Turnout 42,127 74.4 −4.4
Labour hold Swing +5.0

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Percy Collick 22,990 48.9 −4.6
Conservative K.G. Routledge 19,361 41.2 −5.3
Liberal G.F. Bilson 4,658 9.9 N/A
Majority 3,629 7.7 +0.7
Turnout 47,009 78.8 +3.1
Labour hold Swing +5.0
General Election 1955: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Percy Collick 24,526 53.5 −1.5
Conservative H.S. Oddie 21,345 46.5 +1.5
Majority 3,181 7.0 −3.0
Turnout 45,871 75.7 −7.1
Labour hold Swing −1.5
General Election 1951: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Percy Collick 29,014 55.0 +5.1
Conservative M. Reney-Smith 23,765 45.0 +6.6
Majority 5,249 10.0 −1.5
Turnout 52,779 82.8 −2.1
Labour hold Swing −5.9
General Election 1950: Birkenhead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Percy Collick 26,472 49.9 N/A
Conservative H.B. Trevor-Cox 20,343 38.4 N/A
Liberal D.R. Green 5,234 9.9 N/A
Communist S. Coulthard 971 1.8 N/A
Majority 6,129 11.5 N/A
Turnout 53,020 84.9 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ↑ 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
  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)[self-published source][better source needed]
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Parliamentary General Election Candidates, Wirral Metropolitan Borough CouncilLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.31 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Sources

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