Leeds South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds South | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundaries since 2024 | |
![]() Boundary of Leeds South in Yorkshire and the Humber | |
County |
|
Current constituency | |
Created | 2024 |
Member of Parliament | Hilary Benn (Labour) |
Seats | One |
Created from |
|
1885–1983 | |
Seats | One |
Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
Created from | Leeds |
Replaced by | Leeds Central and Morley & Leeds South[1] |
Leeds South is a parliamentary constituency[n 1] in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency existed from 1885 to 1983 and was recreated in 2024 following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.[2]
In the 2024 general election, the seat was won by Hilary Benn of the Labour Party, who serves as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the government of Keir Starmer.[3][4] Benn had represented Leeds Central, the main predecessor of Leeds South, since 1999.
Leeds South was the seat of the former Leader of the Labour Party, the late Hugh Gaitskell, and the former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of East Hunslet, South, and West Hunslet, and part of Bramley ward.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Holbeck and West Hunslet, and part of New Wortley ward.
1950–1951: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck South, Hunslet Carr and Middleton, and West Hunslet.
1951–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.[5]
1955–1974: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, East Hunslet, Holbeck, Middleton, and West Hunslet.
1983: Constituency was abolished.
2024: Constituency was re-established after 41 years.
2024–present: The City of Leeds wards of: Beeston & Holbeck; Burmantofts & Richmond Hill; Hunslet & Riverside; Middleton Park; Temple Newsam (polling districts TNA, TND, TNE, TNH, TNI, TNJ, TNK and TNL).[6]
2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies described the re-established constituency as following: The part ward of Temple Newsam will be transferred from Leeds East, with remaining areas currently part of the Leeds Central constituency (to be abolished).
History
The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in the general election of that year. Leeds had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North, Leeds South and Leeds West. The constituencies of Morley, Otley and Pudsey were also created in 1885.
The constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Morley and Leeds South constituency. After the 1983 general election Leeds was represented by the constituencies of Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North East, Leeds North West, Leeds West and Morley and Leeds South. There were also constituencies of Elmet (created 1983) and Pudsey.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election, formed primarily from the (to be abolished) constituency of Leeds Central, but excluding the city centre, and including a small part of Leeds East and a very small part of Morley and Outwood.[7][8] The notional 2019 result for the new seat was Labour.[9]
Members of Parliament
MPs 1885–1983
Leeds prior to 1885
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | Sir Lyon Playfair | Liberal | |
1892 | John Lawson Walton | Liberal | |
1908 | William Middlebrook | Liberal | |
1922 | Henry Charleton | Labour | |
1931 | Noel Whiteside | Conservative | |
1935 | Henry Charleton | Labour | |
1945 | Hugh Gaitskell | Labour | |
1963 | Merlyn Rees | Labour | |
1983 | Constituency abolished |
MPs since 2024
Leeds Central prior to 2024
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Hilary Benn | Labour |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Hilary Benn | 17,117 | 54.0 | −4.4 | |
Green | Ed Carlisle | 5,838 | 18.4 | +14.6 | |
Conservative | Karen Cooksley | 4,172 | 13.2 | −13.1 | |
SDP | Daniel Whetstone | 1,874 | 5.9 | +5.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | George Sykes | 1,340 | 4.2 | −0.2 | |
Workers Party | Muhammad Azeem | 719 | 2.3 | N/A | |
CPA | Janet Bickerdike | 341 | 1.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Niko Omilana | 277 | 0.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 11,279 | 35.6 | +3.5 | ||
Turnout | 31,651 | 41.7 | −16.2 | ||
Registered electors | 75,953 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −9.5 |
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional result[12] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Vote | % | |
Labour | 25,263 | 58.4 | |
Conservative | 11,377 | 26.3 | |
Brexit Party | 2,771 | 6.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | 1,922 | 4.4 | |
Green | 1,635 | 3.8 | |
Others | 281 | 0.6 | |
Turnout | 43,249 | 57.9 | |
Electorate | 74,726 |
Election results 1885–1983
Elections in the 1880s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Lyon_Playfair.jpg/120px-Lyon_Playfair.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 5,208 | 64.5 | ||
Conservative | Stuart Cunningham Macaskie | 2,869 | 35.5 | ||
Majority | 2,339 | 29.0 | |||
Turnout | 8,077 | 73.9 | |||
Registered electors | 10,931 | ||||
Liberal win (new seat) |
Playfair was appointed Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education, requiring a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Lyon Playfair | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 4,665 | 61.5 | −3.0 | |
Conservative | Thomas Hirst Bracken[15] | 2,924 | 38.5 | +3.0 | |
Majority | 1,741 | 23.0 | −6.0 | ||
Turnout | 7,589 | 69.4 | −4.5 | ||
Registered electors | 10,931 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −3.0 |
Elections in the 1890s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2e/1895_John_Lawson_Walton.jpg/120px-1895_John_Lawson_Walton.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 4,829 | 59.4 | −2.1 | |
Conservative | Reginald Neville | 3,294 | 40.6 | +2.1 | |
Majority | 1,535 | 18.8 | −4.2 | ||
Turnout | 8,123 | 71.9 | +2.5 | ||
Registered electors | 11,290 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −2.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Walton | 4,414 | 56.0 | −3.4 | |
Conservative | Reginald Neville | 3,466 | 44.0 | +3.4 | |
Majority | 948 | 12.0 | −6.8 | ||
Turnout | 7,880 | 69.8 | −2.1 | ||
Registered electors | 11,290 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −3.4 |
- Caused by Playfair's elevation to the peerage.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Walton | 4,608 | 47.6 | −11.8 | |
Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,447 | 46.0 | +5.4 | |
Ind. Labour Party | Alfred Shaw | 622 | 6.4 | New | |
Majority | 161 | 1.6 | −17.2 | ||
Turnout | 9,677 | 81.2 | +9.3 | ||
Registered electors | 11,921 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −8.6 |
Elections in the 1900s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Walton | 4,952 | 51.2 | +3.6 | |
Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,718 | 48.8 | +2.8 | |
Majority | 234 | 2.4 | +0.8 | ||
Turnout | 9,670 | 71.9 | −9.3 | ||
Registered electors | 13,442 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +0.4 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2c/John_Lawson_Walton.jpg/120px-John_Lawson_Walton.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Walton | 6,200 | 50.2 | −1.0 | |
Labour Repr. Cmte. | Albert E. Fox | 4,030 | 32.6 | New | |
Conservative | Henry Cameron-Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy | 2,126 | 17.2 | −31.6 | |
Majority | 2,170 | 17.6 | +15.2 | ||
Turnout | 12,356 | 81.7 | +9.8 | ||
Registered electors | 15,119 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +15.3 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2a/51_William_Middlebrook.jpg/120px-51_William_Middlebrook.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Middlebrook | 5,274 | 41.7 | −8.5 | |
Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,915 | 38.9 | +21.7 | |
Labour | Albert E. Fox | 2,451 | 19.4 | −13.2 | |
Majority | 359 | 2.8 | −14.8 | ||
Turnout | 12,640 | 82.5 | +0.8 | ||
Registered electors | 15,321 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +2.4 |
Elections in the 1910s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Middlebrook | 8,969 | 67.3 | +17.1 | |
Conservative | William Nicholson | 4,366 | 32.7 | +15.5 | |
Majority | 4,603 | 34.6 | +17.0 | ||
Turnout | 13,335 | 84.8 | +3.1 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | +15.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Middlebrook | 6,064 | 48.2 | −19.1 | |
Conservative | William Nicholson | 3,804 | 30.3 | −2.4 | |
Labour | John Badlay | 2,706 | 21.5 | New | |
Majority | 2,260 | 17.9 | −16.7 | ||
Turnout | 12,574 | 80.0 | −4.8 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- Liberal: William Middlebrook
- Unionist:
- Labour:
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2b/William_Middlebrook.jpg/120px-William_Middlebrook.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Liberal | William Middlebrook | 10,609 | 60.6 | +12.4 |
Labour | Frank Fountain | 5,510 | 31.5 | +10.0 | |
Independent | James A Brook* | 1,377 | 7.9 | New | |
Majority | 5,099 | 29.1 | +11.2 | ||
Turnout | 17,496 | 48.8 | −31.2 | ||
Registered electors | 35,843 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +1.2 | |||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
* Brook was supported by the three local branches of National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers and Comrades of the Great War.
Elections in the 1920s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Henry Charleton | 13,210 | 53.7 | +22.2 | |
Liberal | William Middlebrook | 11,380 | 46.3 | −14.3 | |
Majority | 1,830 | 7.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 24,590 | 69.8 | +21.0 | ||
Registered electors | 35,252 | ||||
Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +18.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Henry Charleton | 11,705 | 44.2 | −9.5 | |
Unionist | Reginald Neville | 7,679 | 29.0 | New | |
Liberal | Granville Gibson | 7,083 | 26.8 | −19.5 | |
Majority | 4,026 | 15.2 | +7.8 | ||
Turnout | 26,467 | 74.1 | +4.3 | ||
Registered electors | 35,719 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Henry Charleton | 12,799 | 46.3 | +2.1 | |
Unionist | B.T. Graham Ford | 11,008 | 39.9 | +10.9 | |
Liberal | Frank Geary | 3,801 | 13.8 | −13.0 | |
Majority | 1,791 | 6.4 | −8.8 | ||
Turnout | 27,608 | 76.5 | +2.4 | ||
Registered electors | 36,085 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −4.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Henry Charleton | 18,043 | 52.5 | +6.2 | |
Unionist | B.T. Graham Ford | 9,433 | 27.5 | −12.4 | |
Liberal | Ernest Kilburn Scott | 6,884 | 20.0 | +6.2 | |
Majority | 8,610 | 25.0 | +18.6 | ||
Turnout | 34,360 | 76.2 | −0.3 | ||
Registered electors | 45,084 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +9.3 |
Elections in the 1930s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Noel Whiteside | 14,881 | 42.12 | ||
Labour | Henry Charleton | 14,156 | 40.07 | ||
Liberal | Frederick L. Boult | 6,291 | 17.81 | ||
Majority | 725 | 2.05 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 35,328 | 77.56 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Henry Charleton | 15,223 | 46.03 | ||
Conservative | Noel Whiteside | 14,207 | 42.96 | ||
Social Credit | Wilfred Townend | 3,642 | 11.01 | New | |
Majority | 1,016 | 3.07 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 33,072 | 73.68 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
General Election 1939–40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
- Labour: Hugh Gaitskell[19]
- Conservative: Donald Kaberry[19]
- Liberal: J. Alun Williams[20]
- British Union: John Angus Macnab
Election in the 1940s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 17,899 | 61.03 | ||
Conservative | Arthur Maxwell Ramsden | 7,497 | 25.56 | ||
Liberal | William Barford | 3,933 | 13.41 | New | |
Majority | 10,402 | 35.47 | |||
Turnout | 29,329 | 75.95 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 29,795 | 61.11 | ||
Conservative | B.H. Wood | 14,436 | 29.61 | ||
Liberal | Edgar Meeks | 4,525 | 9.28 | ||
Majority | 15,359 | 31.50 | |||
Turnout | 48,756 | 84.61 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 30,712 | 65.06 | ||
Conservative | Winifred D. Brown | 16,493 | 34.94 | ||
Majority | 14,219 | 30.12 | |||
Turnout | 47,205 | 82.19 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 25,833 | 65.15 | ||
Conservative | Winifred D. Brown | 13,817 | 34.85 | ||
Majority | 12,016 | 30.30 | |||
Turnout | 39,650 | 72.85 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Hugh_Gaitskell_1958.jpg/120px-Hugh_Gaitskell_1958.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 24,442 | 58.6 | −6.5 | |
Conservative | John Francis William Addey | 12,956 | 31.0 | −3.8 | |
Liberal | John Brian Meeks | 4,340 | 10.4 | New | |
Majority | 11,486 | 27.6 | −2.7 | ||
Turnout | 41,738 | 79.0 | +6.2 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Merlyn Rees | 18,785 | 62.93 | +4.37 | |
Conservative | John Udal | 5,996 | 20.09 | −10.95 | |
Liberal | Brian Walsh | 4,399 | 14.74 | +4.34 | |
Communist | Bert Ramelson | 670 | 2.24 | New | |
Majority | 12,789 | 42.84 | +15.32 | ||
Turnout | 29,850 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Merlyn Rees | 22,339 | 63.12 | ||
Conservative | Percival Arthur Woodward | 12,123 | 34.26 | ||
Communist | Bert Ramelson | 928 | 2.62 | N/A | |
Majority | 10,997 | 28.86 | |||
Turnout | 35,390 | 72.00 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Merlyn Rees | 23,171 | 68.76 | ||
Conservative | Percival Arthur Woodward | 9,813 | 29.12 | ||
Communist | Bert Ramelson | 714 | 2.12 | ||
Majority | 13,358 | 39.64 | |||
Turnout | 33,698 | 68.11 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Election in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Merlyn Rees | 19,536 | 59.82 | ||
Conservative | Gavin K. Macpherson | 9,311 | 28.51 | ||
Liberal | Stephen Cooksey | 3,810 | 11.67 | New | |
Majority | 10,225 | 31.31 | |||
Turnout | 32,657 | 65.95 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Merlyn Rees | 21,365 | 55.24 | ||
Liberal | Denis Pedder | 9,505 | 24.57 | ||
Conservative | Peter David Harmer | 7,810 | 20.19 | ||
Majority | 11,860 | 30.67 | |||
Turnout | 38,680 | 73.95 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Merlyn Rees | 21,653 | 64.44 | ||
Conservative | Thomas Neil Metcalfe Stow | 6,388 | 19.01 | ||
Liberal | John Adams | 5,563 | 16.55 | ||
Majority | 15,265 | 45.43 | |||
Turnout | 33,604 | 63.76 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Merlyn Rees | 22,388 | 65.02 | ||
Conservative | R. Ratcliffe | 8,058 | 23.40 | ||
Liberal | F. Hurst | 3,568 | 10.36 | ||
National Front | B. Spink | 416 | 1.21 | New | |
Majority | 14,330 | 41.62 | |||
Turnout | 35,430 | 68.70 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
See also
- List of parliamentary constituencies in West Yorkshire
- List of parliamentary constituencies in the Yorkshire and the Humber (region)
Notes
- ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
References
- ^ "'Leeds South', Feb 1974 – May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Yorkshire and the Humber | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "Leeds South – General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "Hilary Benn: Who is the new Northern Ireland secretary?". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Order 1951. SI 1951/320". Statutory Instruments 1951. Vol. II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1952. pp. 410–412.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 9 Yorkshire and the Humber region.
- ^ "Yorkshire and the Humber | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "UK Parliament election results: Leeds South (31 May 2024 - ) - overlaps". UK Parliament election results. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "UK Parliament election results: Notional election for the constituency of Leeds South on 12 December 2019". UK Parliament election results. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "Leeds South results". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Leeds South". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
- ^ a b c d e f g The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ "Biography of Candidates: Yorkshire". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 3 July 1886. p. 9. Retrieved 3 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
- ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
- ^ a b c d British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
- ^ a b Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 31 March 1939
- ^ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 6 June 1939
External links
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
- Leeds South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK