Bethnal Green and Stepney (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983–1997 and 2024 onwards

Bethnal Green and Stepney
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bethnal Green and Stepney in Greater London for the 2024 general election
County	Greater London
Electorate	77,000 (2023)^[1]
Current constituency
Created	2024
Member of Parliament	Rushanara Ali (Labour)
Created from	Bethnal Green and Bow (the most part) & Poplar and Limehouse (smaller part)
1983–1997
Seats	One
Created from	Bethnal Green & Bow and Stepney & Poplar
Replaced by	Bethnal Green and Bow (the most part) Poplar and Canning Town (small parts)

Bethnal Green and Stepney is a parliamentary constituency in Greater London, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election, largely based on the existing seat of Bethnal Green and Bow.

The MP for the constituency is Rushanara Ali.

History

In its first incarnation, from its creation in 1983 to its abolition in 1997, the constituency was only ever represented by the former cabinet minister Peter Shore, who held the seat for the Labour Party. Shore was noted for his opposition to the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community.^[2]

Boundaries

1983–1997

The constituency was made up of nine electoral wards of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets: Holy Trinity, Redcoat, St Dunstan's, St James', St Katharine's, St Mary's, St Peter's, Spitalfields, and Weavers. It was abolished in 1997, and largely replaced by the larger Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, in line with the Boundary Commission's recommendation that one seat should be lost in the paired boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham. 297 electors moved to the new Cities of London and Westminster constituency.

Current

Map of boundaries from 2024

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets wards of: Bethnal Green; St. Dunstan’s; St. Peter’s; Shadwell; Spitalfields & Banglatown; Stepney Green; Weavers; Whitechapel.

Apart from Shadwell and a small part of Whitechapel ward, previously part of Poplar and Limehouse, the constituency replaced Bethnal Green and Bow - excluding Bow, which was included in the newly created seat of Stratford and Bow.

Members of Parliament

	Member^[3]	Party
1983	Peter Shore	Labour
1997	constituency abolished: see Bethnal Green and Bow
2024	Rushanara Ali	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Bethnal Green and Stepney^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rushanara Ali	15,896	34.1	39.4
	Independent	Ajmal Masroor	14,207	30.5	N/A
	Green	Phoebe Gill	6,391	13.7	9.5
	Liberal Democrats	Rabina Khan	4,777	10.2	0.9
	Reform UK	Peter Sceats	1,964	4.2	2.2
	Conservative	Oscar Reaney	1,920	4.1	6.0
	Animal Welfare	Vanessa Hudson	348	0.7	0.2
	Independent	Sham Uddin	325	0.7	N/A
	Independent	Md Somon Ahmed	315	0.7	N/A
	Independent	Reggie Adams	271	0.6	N/A
	SDP	Jon Mabbutt	233	0.5	N/A
Majority			1,689	3.6	59.8
Turnout			46,647	56.9	8.0
Registered electors			81,922
	Labour hold

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result^[5]
Party		Vote	%
	Labour	36,720	73.5
	Conservative	5,065	10.1
	Liberal Democrats	4,634	9.3
	Green	2,101	4.2
	Brexit Party	992	2.0
	Others	439	0.9

Turnout		49,951	64.9
Electorate		77,000

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Bethnal Green and Stepney^[6]^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Shore	20,350	55.8	+7.5
	Liberal Democrats	Jeremy Shaw	8,120	22.3	−9.5
	Conservative	Jane Emmerson	6,507	17.9	−1.3
	BNP	Richard Edmonds	1,310	3.6	New
	Communist (PCC)	Stanley Kelsey	156	0.4	−0.3
Majority			12,230	33.5	+17.0
Turnout			36,443	65.5	+7.9
	Labour hold		Swing	+8.6

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Bethnal Green and Stepney^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Shore	15,490	48.3	−2.7
	Liberal	Jeremy Shaw	10,206	31.8	+1.4
	Conservative	Olga Maitland	6,176	19.2	+5.2
	Communist	Sarah Gasquoine	232	0.7	−0.1
Majority			5,284	16.5	−4.1
Turnout			32,104	57.6	+1.9
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1983: Bethnal Green and Stepney^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Peter Shore	15,740	51.0
	Liberal	Stephen Charters	9,382	30.4
	Conservative	Demitri Argyropulo	4,323	14.0
	National Front	Victor Clark	800	2.6
	Communist	J. Rees	243	0.8
	Independent	B. N. Chaudhuri	214	0.7
	Independent	P. J. Mahoney	136	0.4
Majority			6,358	20.6
Turnout			30,838	55.7
	Labour win (new seat)

Notes

References

^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – London". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
^ "Shore, Peter David, 1924–2001, Baron Shore of Stepney, politician", Archives in London and the M25 area
^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)
^ "Statement of Person Nominated and Notice of Poll: Bethnal Green and Stepney Constituency". Tower Hamlets Council. 7 June 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.
^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

External links

Bethnal Green and Stepney UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

Constituencies in London (75)

Labour (59)

Barking
Battersea
Beckenham and Penge
Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Bethnal Green and Stepney
Bexleyheath and Crayford
Brent East
Brent West
Brentford and Isleworth
Chelsea and Fulham
Chipping Barnet
Cities of London and Westminster
Clapham and Brixton Hill
Croydon East
Croydon West
Dagenham and Rainham
Dulwich and West Norwood
Ealing Central and Acton
Ealing North
Ealing Southall
East Ham
Edmonton and Winchmore Hill
Eltham and Chislehurst
Enfield North
Erith and Thamesmead
Feltham and Heston
Finchley and Golders Green
Greenwich and Woolwich
Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Hackney South and Shoreditch
Hammersmith and Chiswick
Hampstead and Highgate
Harrow West
Hayes and Harlington
Hendon
Holborn and St. Pancras
Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Ilford North
Ilford South
Islington South and Finsbury
Kensington and Bayswater
Lewisham East
Lewisham North
Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Leyton and Wanstead
Mitcham and Morden
Peckham
Poplar and Limehouse
Putney
Queen's Park and Maida Vale
Southgate and Wood Green
Stratford and Bow
Streatham and Croydon North
Tooting
Tottenham
Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Walthamstow
West Ham and Beckton

Conservative (9)

Bromley and Biggin Hill
Chingford and Woodford Green
Croydon South
Harrow East
Hornchurch and Upminster
Old Bexley and Sidcup
Orpington
Romford
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner

Liberal Democrats (6)

Carshalton and Wallington
Kingston and Surbiton
Richmond Park
Sutton and Cheam
Twickenham
Wimbledon

Independent (1)

Islington North

v t e Historic constituencies in London
1983	Barking Battersea Beckenham Bethnal Green and Stepney Bexleyheath Bow and Poplar Brent East Brent North Brent South Brentford and Isleworth Carshalton and Wallington Chelsea Chingford Chipping Barnet Chislehurst City of London and Westminster South Croydon Central Croydon North East Croydon North West Croydon South Dagenham Dulwich Ealing Acton Ealing North Ealing Southall Edmonton Eltham Enfield North Enfield Southgate Erith and Crayford Feltham and Heston Finchley Fulham Greenwich Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith Hampstead and Highgate Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon North Hendon South Holborn and St Pancras Hornchurch Hornsey and Wood Green Ilford North Ilford South Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Kensington Kingston-upon-Thames Lewisham Deptford Lewisham East Lewisham West Leyton Mitcham and Morden Newham North East Newham North West Newham South Norwood Old Bexley and Sidcup Orpington Peckham Putney Ravensbourne Richmond and Barnes Romford Ruislip-Northwood Southwark and Bermondsey Streatham Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Tooting Tottenham Twickenham Upminster Uxbridge Vauxhall Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford Westminster North Wimbledon Woolwich

Historic constituencies in London

1983