Westminster North (UK Parliament constituency)

Westminster North is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Karen Buck, a member of the Labour Party.[n 2] It was created in 1983 and abolished in 1997, before being created again in 2010.

Westminster North
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Westminster North in Greater London
CountyGreater London
Electorate65,936 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsMaida Vale
St John's Wood
Queen's Park
Bayswater
Current constituency
Created2010
Member of ParliamentKaren Buck (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromRegent's Park & Kensington North
Cities of London & Westminster (one ward and parts of two others)
1983–1997
SeatsOne
Created fromPaddington and St Marylebone
Replaced byRegent's Park & Kensington North
Cities of London & Westminster

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be abolished, with the majority being included in the new constituency of Queen's Park and Maida Vale. The Abbey Road and Regent's Park wards will be transferred to Cities of London and Westminster, and the Bayswater and Lancaster Gate wards to Kensington (to be renamed Kensington and Bayswater).[2]

Constituency profile

Comprising the northwestern part of the City of Westminster, the constituency contains some affluent residential areas that have historically voted Conservative in large numbers, such as Bayswater and the area on the western and northwestern sides of Regent's Park.

Lord's Cricket Ground and the Abbey Road Studios are in the seat, as are the Queen's Park, Church Street, Westbourne Park, and Harrow Road areas, further from central London. However, the seat has mostly been represented at local level by Conservative councillors, via the wards of Little Venice, Regent's Park, Abbey Road and Lancaster Gate, while Maida Vale and Bayswater have had split representation.

Reflective of the transport links to the selective professional industries of the City of London and long-standing desirable housing in this area, workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.9% of the population, based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[3]

History

1983–1997

The seat was created under the Third Periodic Review of constituencies in 1983, which followed the first Boundary Commission Review in 1945, which in turn directly followed the Representation of the People Act 1918 review. It was based largely on Paddington but also took in the abolished St Marylebone constituency.

Political history

The seat was held with modest majorities for the first creation, made up of three terms, by John Wheeler, a Conservative. Paddington constituency, its main predecessor was often marginal: by length of a single party's representation and by majorities achieved. The far less contributory precursor, St Marylebone, was a Conservative safe seat.

The 1997 boundary changes expanded the constituency to the west, taking in Labour-voting areas of north Kensington and tilting the seat towards Labour. Wheeler decided that he did not wish to contest such unfavourable territory and sought selection elsewhere. However he was unsuccessful in finding a new safe seat and thus retired at the 1997 general election.

2010 to date
Political history

The seat was tipped in mainstream newspapers to be likely to achieve the necessary notional swing based on the same area's votes in the previous election, in 2005, to fall to the Conservative candidate; however the seat fell short of the national average swing and was accordingly won by Karen Buck. The 2015 result gave the seat the 21st most marginal majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[4] In the 2017 general election, Karen Buck increased her majority over Lindsey Hall, the Conservative Party candidate, from 1,977 to 11,512.[5]

Boundaries

The seat has electoral wards:

History of boundaries

From 1983 to 1997 the constituency had the wards:

  • Bayswater; Church Street; Hamilton Terrace; Harrow Road; Lancaster Gate; Little Venice; Lords;[n 3] Maida Vale; Queen's Park; Regent's Park; and Westbourne.

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which called for the recreation of this constituency for the 2010 general election. This was achieved from parts of two seats: the eastern three quarters of Regent's Park and Kensington North and northern parts of Cities of London and Westminster:

  • Lancaster Gate ward (that part of Bayswater closest to Hyde Park)
  • A major part of a shared ward next to this, Bayswater
  • Loss of a minor part of a shared ward, Bryanston and Dorset Square, centred on Baker Street.

Population expansion across the former main seat was a factor, including Maida Vale, West Kilburn and to a lesser degree in St John's Wood, which were retained, as well as in Notting Hill and North Kensington, which were therefore removed.[7]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[8] PartyNotes
1983 John Wheeler Conservative Knighted in 1993[n 4]
constituency abolished in 1997
2010 Karen Buck Labour Member for main predecessor seat (1997–2010)

Election results

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Westminster North[9] [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Karen Buck 23,240 54.2 -5.7
Conservative Jamie Macfarlane 12,481 29.1 -4.2
Liberal Democrats George Lee 5,593 13.0 +7.8
Green Holly Robinson 1,064 2.5 +1.1
Brexit Party Cyrus Parvin 418 1.0 New
CPA Gabriela Fajardo Palacios 115 0.3 New
Majority 10,759 25.1 -1.5
Turnout 42,911 65.5 -2.3
Registered electors 65,519
Labour hold Swing -0.7
General election 2017: Westminster North[11] [12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Karen Buck[14] 25,934 59.9 +13.1
Conservative Lindsey Hall[15] 14,422 33.3 −8.5
Liberal Democrats Alex Harding[16] 2,253 5.2 +1.5
Green Emmanuelle Tandy[17] 595 1.4 -1.9
Independent Abby Dharamsey[18] 91 0.2 New
Majority 11,512 26.6 +14.6
Turnout 43,295 67.8 +8.4
Registered electors 63,846
Labour hold Swing +10.8
General election 2015: Westminster North[19][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Karen Buck 18,504 46.8 +2.9
Conservative Lindsey Hall 16,527 41.8 +3.3
UKIP Nigel Sussman 1,489 3.8 +3.0
Liberal Democrats Kirsty Allen 1,457 3.7 −10.2
Green Jennifer Nadel 1,322 3.3 +2.1
Christian Gabriela Fajardo 152 0.4 +0.2
Independent Nicholas Ward 63 0.2 New
Majority 1,977 5.0 −0.4
Turnout 39,514 63.4 +4.1
Registered electors 62,346
Labour hold Swing −0.2
General election 2010: Westminster North [21][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Karen Buck 17,377 43.9
Conservative Joanne Cash 15,251 38.5
Liberal Democrats Mark Blackburn 5,513 13.9
Green Tristan Smith 478 1.2
BNP Stephen Curry 334 0.8
UKIP Jasna Badzak 315 0.8
Independent Ali Bahaijoub 101 0.3
English Democrat Edward Roseman 99 0.3
Christian Gabriela Fajardo 98 0.2
Independent Abdulla Dharamsey 32 0.1
Majority 2,126 5.4
Turnout 39,616 59.3
Registered electors 66,739
Labour win (new seat)

Elections 1983–1992
General election 1992: Westminster North[23][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Wheeler 21,828 49.0 +1.7
Labour Jennifer Edwards 18,095 40.6 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Lewis Wigoder 3,349 7.5 −4.6
Green Amelia Burke 1,017 2.3 +1.2
Natural Law Jonathan Hinde 159 0.4 New
Anti-Federalist League Michael Kelly 137 0.4 New
Majority 3,733 8.4 +0.6
Turnout 44,585 75.1 +4.0
Registered electors 59,405
Conservative hold Swing +0.3
General election 1987: Westminster North[25][26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Wheeler 19,941 47.3 +4.1
Labour Jennifer Edwards 16,631 39.5 +0.1
SDP Richard De Ste Croix 5,116 12.1 −3.6
Green David Stutchfield 450 1.1 −0.1
Majority 3,310 7.8 +4.0
Turnout 42,138 71.1 +6.9
Registered electors 59,363
Conservative hold Swing +2.0
General election 1983: Westminster North[27][28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Wheeler 19,134 43.2 −3.8
Labour Arthur Latham 17,424 39.4 −2.8
SDP Thomas Halliwell 6,956 15.7 +7.1
Ecology Timothy Cooper 527 1.2 New
Independent Thomas Keen [n 5] 148 0.3 New
Independent Brian Fisher 73 0.2 New
Majority 1,710 3.8 -1.0
Turnout 44,262 64.2
Registered electors 68,988
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes
  1. A borough 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.
  3. This was one of several small wards, not shown in the 2010 post-revision (and pre-revision) map of the area, which was thus abolished before the Fifth review – the actual area around "Lords" remained squarely within the seat on the re-appearance of the constituency in 2010.
  4. Since January 1993 John Wheeler only has the title: Sir
  5. Used the description "Tactically Vote Conservative Annihilates Bennites Livingstonites"

References
  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. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – London | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  3. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  4. "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
  5. "BBC Election 2017 Westminster North Results". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  6. "Boundary Commission for England Fifth Periodical Report Cm 7032" (PDF). Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  7. "2011 Census". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  8. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 3)
  9. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
  10. "BBC News". BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  11. "Election Title" (PDF). Westminster City Council. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  12. "Election Data 2017". Electoral Calculus. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  13. "General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF). researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  14. Ford, Matthew (20 April 2017). "Launching the General Election 2017 campaign". Karen Buck MP. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  15. Wallace, Mark (24 April 2017). "Lee Scott back for Ilford North. Vicky Ford in final Chelmsford three. Tatton finalists named. The latest candidate selections and shortlists". Conservative Home. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  16. Gari, Aparna (26 April 2017). "Alex Harding: PPC, Westminster North". Westminsterandcityoflondonlibdems.org.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  17. "General Election 2017 Candidate - Green Party". My.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  18. "UK GENERAL ELECTION 2017". Abbydharamsey.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  19. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  20. "7 May 2015 - UK general election". Westminster City Council. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  21. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  22. Election 2010: The Official Results, compiled by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, Biteback Publishing, London, 2010, p. 176.
  23. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. Britain Votes 5, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, Dartmouth Publishing, Aldershot, 1993, p. 152; Return of Election Expenses, HC Paper 603 of session 1992-93, p. 79.
  25. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  26. Britain Votes 4, ed. F. W. S. Craig, Parliamentary Research Services, Chichester, 1987, p. 24; Return of Election Expenses, HC Paper 426 of session 1987-88, p. 62.
  27. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  28. Britain Votes 4, ed. F. W. S. Craig, Parliamentary Research Services, Chichester, 1987, p. 24; Return of Election Expenses, HC Paper 130 of session 1983-84, p. 71.

51.525°N 0.180°W / 51.525; -0.180

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