Gateshead 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 it was re-established in 2010 by

Ian Mearns James Ian Mearns (born 21 April 1957) is a British Labour Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gateshead since the 2010 general election. He is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus. Early ...

of the Labour Party.

History

First creation

The seat was first created by the Reform Act 1832 as a single-member parliamentary borough. It was abolished under the

Representation of the People Act 1948 The Representation of the People Act 1948 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the law relating to parliamentary and local elections. It is noteworthy for abolishing plural voting for parliamentary elections, including ...

for the 1950 general election and split into Gateshead East and Gateshead West.

Revival

As a result of the Boundary Commission's

Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies The Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies was undertaken between 2000 and 2007 by the four boundary commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the UK Parliament. The changes for England, Wales and Northern Ir ...

, the seat was re-established for the 2010 general election, combining over half of the electorates of both of the abolished constituencies of Gateshead East and Washington West, and

Tyne Bridge The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, ...

Boundaries

1832-1918

Under the

Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 The Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which defined the parliamentary divisions (constituencies) in England and Wales required by the Reform Act 1832. The boundaries were largely those recommen ...

, the contents of the borough were defined as the Parish of Gateshead and part of the Chapelry of Heworth in the Parish of Jarrow. ''See map on Vision of Britain website.''

1918-1950

* The County Borough of Gateshead. ''No change to boundaries.''

2010–present

* The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead wards of Bridges, Chowdene, Deckham, Dunston and Teams, Felling, High Fell, Lobley Hill and Bensham, Low Fell, Saltwell, and Windy Nook and Whitehills.

Constituency profile

Under the current boundaries, the constituency is overwhelmingly White, and

working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

; with 95% of its electorate identifying as

White British White British is an ethnicity classification used for the native white population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population wa ...

and being in the top decile of constituencies for routine work. The area's politics are influenced by these demographics; with the exception of Low Fell, all of the wards that make up the constituency are safely

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 ...

areas, and the constituency voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union, like the borough as a whole.

Members of Parliament

Among famous representatives are James Melville KC who was

Solicitor General for England and Wales His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General for England and Wales ...

before he died, while holding the seat, and international statesman

Konni Zilliacus Konni Zilliacus (13 September 1894 – 6 July 1967) was the Member of Parliament for Gateshead from 1945 until 1950, and for Manchester Gorton from 1955 until his death. He was a left-wing Labour Party politician. Zilliacus spoke nine l ...

who assisted in creating peaceful bilateral relations during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, including though work at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

MPs 1832–1950

MPs since 2010

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Conservative candidate Charles White withdrew on 15 October 1931. Barr and Fennell also withdrew, but their names remained on the ballot paper. Sir James Melville passed away on 1 May 1931, leading to a by-election on 8 June. The winner of the by-election, Herbert Evans, himself died on 7 October, the day parliament was dissolved for the 1931 general election.

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1890s

* Caused by James' succession to the peerage as Lord Northbourne.

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1870s

* Arbuthnot retired from the race the day before polling.

Elections in the 1860s

* Caused by Hutt's appointment as

Vice-President of the Board of Trade The office of Vice-President of the Board of Trade is a junior ministerial position in the government of the United Kingdom at the Board of Trade. The office was created in 1786 but fell into abeyance in 1867. From 1848 onwards, the office was he ...

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1830s

Notes

References

;Specific ;General Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. .

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gateshead (Uk Parliament Constituency) Politics of Gateshead Parliamentary constituencies in County Durham (historic) Parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1832 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1950 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 2010