North West Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
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North West Norfolk 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, ...
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 by James Wild, 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 ...
.


History

Under the
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...
, the three two-member county divisions of Norfolk were replaced with six single-member divisions, including the newly created North-Western Division of Norfolk, largely formed from parts of the abolished Western Division. It was abolished at the next redistribution of seats under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1918, when it was largely absorbed by the expanded county constituency of King's Lynn. It was re-established for the February 1974 general election, replacing the abolished King's Lynn constituency. The first MP in the re-established constituency was
Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler (13 January 1934 – 29 May 2020) was a British politician. In 1981, he defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the only Conservative Member of Parliament to do so. He then joined the Liberal Democrats, fol ...
, who had gained King's Lynn, largely a
bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
seat, from one of
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
's government colleagues in the Labour Party. He therefore effectively held the seat in the two 1974 elections, and in 1979; however, by March 1981, he became distanced from the
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 ...
s and defected to the newly formed
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...
shortly before the 1983 Conservative landslide, in which Brocklebank-Fowler lost his seat to the replacement Conservative candidate
Henry Bellingham Henry Campbell Bellingham, Baron Bellingham, (born 29 March 1955) is a British Conservative politician who sits in the House of Lords and former barrister. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Norfolk in 1983. ...
. Bellingham increased his precarious lead over Brocklebank-Fowler at the 1987 general election. Therefore, at the following election, Brocklebank-Fowler chose to contest another area and
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 ...
's candidate regained second place in this constituency, almost doubling their share of the vote. Labour gained the seat at the 1997 general election; however, Bellingham regained the seat at the 2001 general election and subsequently increased his majority in both 2005 and
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
. His majority fell slightly in
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, but he retained the seat in the 2017 general election with 60% of the vote, having been knighted in the New Year's honours list of 2016. The
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
election saw
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
infighting when the Labour candidate for North West Norfolk, Manish Sood stated in an interview with the local newspaper ''
Lynn News The ''Lynn News'' is published by Iliffe Media and appears each Tuesday and Friday in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. It was previously owned by Johnston Press, but in January 2017 it was bought by Iliffe Media, along with 12 other titles for £17 ...
'' that
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
was This gained national attention and resulted in Labour disowning their candidate. Sood did not attend the count and stated he would watch it from his home in Leicester. He ended up finishing third, behind Bellingham and the
Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...
candidate William Summers, whose party received their best ever result in the constituency, with an 18.3% swing from Labour to the others.


Constituency profile

Norfolk North West constituency covers an extensive hinterland in the far corner of East Anglia - remote from
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, but close to Lincolnshire and the East Midlands, with which the area shares more economic links. A minority of
King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
contain severe poverty marked by unemployment,
social housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
dependency and social problems - within relatively affluent
East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
, only
Jaywick Jaywick is a coastal village in the Tendring district of Essex, England, west of Clacton-on-Sea. It lies on the North Sea coast of England, from London and from Colchester. It was constructed in the 1930s as a holiday resort for Londoners, ...
and
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
from 2001 to 2004 scored higher in deprivation indices. Contrasted with this is the bulk of the area: the tourist resort Hunstanton, retail, military, public sector and commercial activity of
Kings Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
and the royal estate at
Sandringham Sandringham can refer to: Places * Sandringham, New South Wales, Australia * Sandringham, Queensland, Australia * Sandringham, Victoria, Australia **Sandringham railway line **Sandringham railway station **Electoral district of Sandringham * Sand ...
, along with many small villages and more than 50% undulating cultivated farmland — incomes and types of dwelling are close to the national average. The most frequent result has been of a fairly
marginal Marginal may refer to: * ''Marginal'' (album), the third album of the Belgian rock band Dead Man Ray, released in 2001 * ''Marginal'' (manga) * '' El Marginal'', Argentine TV series * Marginal seat or marginal constituency or marginal, in polit ...
but not negligible majority for 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 ...
, who have won it 8 out of the last 9 general elections. Labour's share of the vote fell from a winning 43.8% in the 1997 election to just 13.3% in 2010, marking the steepest decline from the start to end of the thirteen years of
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 ...
government.


Boundaries and boundary changes

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of King's Lynn, and the Sessional Divisions of Brothercross, Freebridge Lynn, Freebridge Marshall, and Gallow and Smithdon. As
King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
formed a separate Parliamentary Borough, only non-resident freeholders of the Borough were entitled to vote in this constituency. On abolition, the bulk of the Division was amalgamated with the abolished Parliamentary Borough of King's Lynn to form the new King's Lynn Division of Norfolk. Eastern areas, including
Fakenham Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north west of Norwich. The town is the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to Norw ...
, were transferred to the Northern Division. 1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of King's Lynn, the Urban Districts of Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea, and the Rural Districts of Docking, Freebridge Lynn, Marshland, and Walsingham. The re-established constituency was formed from the abolished county constituency of King's Lynn with the addition of
Wells-next-the-Sea Wells-next-the-Sea is a port town on the north coast of Norfolk, England. The civil parish has an area of and in 2001 had a population of 2,451,Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household c ...
and the Rural District of Walsingham, which included Fakenham, transferred from
North Norfolk North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer. The population at the 2011 Census was 101,149. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It was a ...
. This area is currently in the constituencies of North Norfolk and
Broadland Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. The population of the local authority district taken at the 2011 Census was 124,646. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew. In 2013, Broadland w ...
. 1983–2010: The Borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk wards of Burnham, Chase, Clenchwarton, Creake, Dersingham, Docking, Gayton, Gaywood Central, Gaywood North, Gaywood South, Grimston, Heacham, Hunstanton, Lynn Central, Lynn North, Lynn South West, Mershe Lande, Middleton, North Coast, Priory, Rudham, St Lawrence, St Margaret's, Snettisham, Spellowfields, The Walpoles, The Woottons, Valley Hill, West Walton, West Winch, and Wiggenhall. Wells-next-the-Sea and areas comprising the former Rural District of Walsingham, including Fakenham, were transferred back to North Norfolk. Minor realignment of the boundary with
South West Norfolk South West Norfolk is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Liz Truss, a Conservative, who was prime minister of the United Kingdom from September to October 2022. Constituency profile This is ...
. 2010–present: The Borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk wards of Brancaster, Burnham, Clenchwarton, Dersingham, Docking, Fairstead, Gayton, Gaywood Chase, Gaywood North Bank, Grimston, Heacham, Hunstanton, North Lynn, North Wootton, Old Gaywood, Priory, Rudham, St Margaret's with St Nicholas, Snettisham, South and West Lynn, South Wootton, Spellowfields, Springwood, Valley Hill, Walpole, and West Winch. Small area transferred to South West Norfolk. The present constituency includes two former
Parliamentary Boroughs In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons. Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called "constituenc ...
, those of
Castle Rising Castle Rising is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some north-east of the town of King's Lynn and west of the city of Norwich. The River Babingley skirts the north of the village separating C ...
, which was abolished as a '
rotten borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorate ...
' in 1832, and
King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
, abolished in 1918.


Members of Parliament


MPs 1885–1918


MPs since 1974


Elections


Elections in the 2010s


Elections in the 2000s


Elections in the 1990s


Elections in the 1980s


Elections in the 1970s


Elections in the 1910s


Elections in the 1900s


Elections in the 1890s


Elections in the 1880s


See also

* List of parliamentary constituencies in Norfolk


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norfolk North West Parliamentary constituencies in Norfolk Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1885 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1918 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1974