Loughborough is a
constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
represented in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
of the
UK Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremac ...
since
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
by
Jane Hunt
Jane Clothier Hunt or Jane Clothier Master (26 June 1812 – 28 November 1889) was an American Quaker who hosted the Seneca Falls meeting of Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Life
Hunt was born in Philadelphia in 1812 to William and Ma ...
, a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
. From 2010 until 2019, it was represented by
Nicky Morgan
Nicola Ann Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Cotes, (; born 10 October 1972) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities from 2014 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, ...
, who served in the governments of
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
and
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
. In 2020, she was elevated to the Peerage and became a member of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
. The constituency is a considered a
bellwether
A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.[bellwether]
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
, as it has reflected the national result at every general election since
February 1974
The following events occurred in February 1974:
February 1, 1974 (Friday)
*Joelma fire, A fire killed 177 people and injured 293 others in the 23-story Joelma Building at São Paulo in Brazil. Another 11 later died of their injuries. The bl ...
.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Loughborough (except the parishes of Cossington, Seagrave, and Sileby), and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Leicester.
1918–1950: The Borough of Loughborough, the Urban Districts of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Ashby Woulds, and Shepshed, the Rural Districts of Castle Donington and Loughborough, and the Rural District of Ashby-de-la-Zouch except the parish of Bardon.
1950–1955: The Borough of Loughborough, the Urban Districts of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Ashby Woulds, and Shepshed, and the Rural Districts of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Castle Donington.
1955–1974: The Borough of Loughborough, the Urban Districts of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Ashby Woulds, and Shepshed, the Rural District of Ashby-de-la-Zouch as constituted by the County of Leicester (Coalville Urban District) Confirmation Order 1953, and the Rural District of Castle Donington.
1974–1983: The Borough of Loughborough, the Urban Districts of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Ashby Woulds, and Shepshed, the Rural District of Ashby-de-la-Zouch as altered by the West Midland Counties Order 1965, and the Rural District of Castle Donington as altered by the East Midland Counties Order 1965.
1983–1997: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Ashby, Barrow upon Soar and Quorndon, Birstall Goscote, Birstall Greengate, Birstall Netherhall, Birstall Riverside, Birstall Stonehill, Garendon, Hastings, Hathern, Lemyngton, Nanpantan, Mountsorrel and Rothley, Outwoods, Sileby, Southfields, Storer, The Wolds, Thurcaston, Woodhouse and Swithland, and Woodthorpe.
1997–2010: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Ashby, Barrow upon Soar and Quorndon, Garendon, Hastings, Hathern, Lemyngton, Nanpantan, Outwoods, Shepshed East, Shepshed West, Sileby, Southfields, Storer, The Wolds, and Woodthorpe.
2010–present: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Barrow and Sileby West, Loughborough Ashby, Loughborough Dishley and Hathern, Loughborough Garendon, Loughborough Hastings, Loughborough Lemyngton, Loughborough Nanpantan, Loughborough Outwoods, Loughborough Shelthorpe, Loughborough Southfields, Loughborough Storer, Quorn and Mountsorrel Castle, Shepshed East, Shepshed West, Sileby, and The Wolds.
History
Loughborough was originally part of a larger constituency,
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
, which was split into two districts in the
Reform Act of 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the electo ...
.
In the
Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885 Leicestershire was divided into five parts,
Eastern (Melton), Mid
r(Loughborough),
Western (Bosworth) and
Southern (Harborough), each returning one member, the last part was a
borough constituency
In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons.
Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by ...
for
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
which returned two MPs.
In 1983 the
Leicestershire coalfield, an area loyal to
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
, was removed from the constituency and replaced by much of the
Soar Valley
The Soar Valley in Leicester- and Nottinghamshire, England is the basin of the River Soar, which rises south of Leicester and flows north through Charnwood before meeting the River Trent at Trent Lock.
Soar Valley embraces the large villages ...
, a rural area that tended to vote
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
. Opencast coal mining is still relevant to the west of the seat only at
Measham
Measham is a large village in the North West Leicestershire district in Leicestershire, England, near the Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire boundaries. It lies off the A42, 4½ miles (7.25 km) south of Ashby de la Zouch, in the Natio ...
, one of the few high-profile excavations planned by
Coalfield Resources PLC (formerly UK Coal). In 1995 the Soar Valley was moved to the newly created
Charnwood constituency approximately reinstating the old version of the seat.
The last time that Loughborough was not represented by an MP from a governing political party was prior to the
February 1974 general election, making the constituency a
bellwether
A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.[bellwether]
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
.
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
The
2005 general election saw
Andy Reed returned with a decreased majority after his share of the vote dropped by 8.3%. Loughborough was the 126th target seat of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
and their share of the vote increased slightly but the
Liberal Democrats had the largest increase. The swing of 5.0% from
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
to Conservative was higher than the national swing of 3.0% and turnout was above average.
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
See also
*
List of parliamentary constituencies in Leicestershire and Rutland
Notes
References
Sources
UK Genealogy Archives- History
BBC News: Loughborough constituency- History and Boundaries
- Boundaries
- Elections (1983–1992)
- Elections (1951–1979)
*McCalmont, Frederick Haynes, Stenton Michael, Vincent, John Russell. ''McCalmont's parliamentary poll book: British election results''. ()
*F. W. S. Craig. ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973''. ()
*F. W. S. Craig. ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949''. ()
External links
BBC News: Voters 'concerned' at crime riseLabour in LoughboroughLoughborough ConservativesLoughborough Liberal DemocratsMap showing original Loughborough constituency (1895)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loughborough (Uk Parliament Constituency)
Parliamentary constituencies in Leicestershire
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1885