Southampton Itchen (UK Parliament constituency)
Southampton, Itchen | |
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Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundaries since 1997 | |
![]() Boundary of Southampton Itchen in South East England | |
County | Hampshire |
Electorate | 72,150 (2023) [1] |
Major settlements | Southampton |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1950 |
Member of Parliament | Darren Paffey (Labour) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Southampton |
Southampton, Itchen is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Darren Paffey from the Labour Party (UK). Before then, it had been held since 2015 by Royston Smith GM of the Conservative Party, who had announced his retirement from frontline politics in 2023 and did not seek re-election in 2024.[2]
Discounting the Speaker (of the House of Commons) returned in the early 1970s in two elections, local voters have elected the MP from only two parties alternately for various periods, with one party reaffiliation (defection) between elections when the Labour Party split in the 1980s.
Since 1987, campaigns in the seat have resulted in a minimum of 26.8% of votes at each election consistently for the same two parties' choice for candidate, and the next highest-placed share having fluctuated between 3% and 23% of the vote. In those recent elections, save for 2015 when UKIP surged nationally, the third-placed candidate has been a Liberal Democrat, whose candidate lost their deposit in the result perhaps uniquely for an English university city seat in 2017, but which takes in far fewer of the university areas than Southampton Test. The seat attracted nine candidates in 1997; three in 1992. Oldest elections in the seat were sometimes a two-candidate contest, as in comparator mid-twentieth century English elections.
History
The constituency was created in 1950, when the two-member Southampton constituency was abolished.
The constituency is named after the River Itchen, which flows through it and is the lesser of the two major rivers that reach the tidal estuary of Southampton Water at the city. Although until the 1970s it was a safe Labour seat, it elected a Conservative MP, Christopher Chope in 1983 and 1987 after the sitting MP Bob Mitchell left Labour in 1981 for the SDP. The combination of Mitchell as a strong SDP-Liberal Alliance candidate in both 1983 and 1987, together with Conservative landslides, made Southampton Itchen highly competitive.
Labour candidate John Denham, defeated Chope by 551 votes in 1992 and held the seat with low-to-average majorities until 2010 when he won by 192 votes. From 2010 to 2017, the three general election results in the seat presented themselves as two-party ultra-marginal (finely-balanced) contests.
Royston Smith GM gained the seat as a Conservative Party candidate in 2015. He had led his party's group on the city council and first contested the seat in 2010. He retained the seat in the 2017 general election with a majority of 31 votes, and subsequently at the 2019 general election with a majority of over 4000 votes.
Boundaries
1950–1955: The County Borough of Southampton wards of Bevois, Bitterne and Peartree, Bitterne and Sholing, Newtown, Northam, Portswood, St Denys, St Mary's, Trinity, and Woolston.[3]
1955–1983: The County Borough of Southampton wards of Bitterne, Harefield, Peartree and Bitterne Manor, St Denys and Bitterne Park, St Luke's, St Mary's, Sholing, Swaythling, and Woolston.[4]
1983–1997: The City of Southampton wards of Bargate, Bitterne, Bitterne Park, Harefield, Peartree, St Luke's, and Sholing.
1997–2024: The City of Southampton wards of Bargate, Bitterne, Bitterne Park, Harefield, Peartree, Sholing, and Woolston.
2024-present: The City of Southampton wards of: Bargate, Bitterne Park, Harefield, Peartree, Sholing, Thornhill, and Woolston; and two polling districts from the Banister & Polygon ward.[5]
Note that the 2024 boundary review did not change the boundaries of Southampton Itchen but following a review of local authority ward boundaries, which became effective in May 2023, the definition of the boundaries changed.[6][7]
The seat covers the eastern part of the City of Southampton, in southern England, specifically the city centre, the eastern port areas (the Port of Southampton is one of the principal ports of the UK), the exclusive Ocean Village quarter, the inner city council estates and the economically deprived Thornhill estate on its eastern boundary. It is seen as the more working class of the two constituencies in the city.[citation needed] The other is Southampton Test – named after the River Test.
The constituency is bounded to the west by Southampton Test (Labour), to the north by Romsey and Southampton North (Conservative), to the north east by Eastleigh (Lib Dem) and to the south east by Hamble Valley (Conservative).
Constituency profile
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 close to but slightly below than the national average of 3.8%, at 3.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, above the average for the South East seats of 2.5% but below, for example, five seats in East Kent.[8]
Members of Parliament
Southampton prior to 1950
Election | Member[9] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1950 | Ralph Morley | Labour | |
1955 | Horace King | Labour | |
1965 | Speaker | ||
1971 by-election | Bob Mitchell | Labour | |
1981 | SDP | ||
1983 | Christopher Chope | Conservative | |
1992 | John Denham | Labour | |
2015 | Royston Smith | Conservative | |
2024 | Darren Paffey | Labour |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Darren Paffey | 15,782 | 41.5 | +0.5 | |
Conservative | Sidney Yankson | 9,677 | 25.4 | –25.1 | |
Reform UK | Alex Culley | 6,853 | 18.0 | N/A | |
Green | Neil McKinnon Lyon Kelly | 2,793 | 7.3 | +5.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | James Edward Batho | 2,684 | 7.1 | +1.8 | |
TUSC | Declan Peter Clune | 264 | 0.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 6,105 | 16.1 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 38,053 | 55.7 | –10.0 | ||
Registered electors | 68,379 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ![]() |
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Royston Smith | 23,952 | 50.5 | +4.0 | |
Labour | Simon Letts | 19,454 | 41.0 | −5.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Liz Jarvis | 2,503 | 5.3 | +2.3 | |
Green | Osman Sen-Chadun | 1,040 | 2.2 | +0.6 | |
UKIP | Kim Rose | 472 | 1.0 | −1.4 | |
Majority | 4,498 | 9.5 | +9.4 | ||
Turnout | 47,421 | 65.6 | +0.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Royston Smith | 21,773 | 46.54 | +4.8 | |
Labour | Simon Letts | 21,742 | 46.47 | +10.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Eleanor Bell | 1,421 | 3.0 | −0.6 | |
UKIP | Kim Rose | 1,122 | 2.4 | −11.0 | |
Green | Rosie Pearce | 725 | 1.6 | −2.6 | |
Majority | 31 | 0.07 | −5.1 | ||
Turnout | 46,783 | 65.2 | +3.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -2.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Royston Smith | 18,656 | 41.7 | +5.4 | |
Labour | Rowenna Davis | 16,340 | 36.5 | −0.3 | |
UKIP | Kim Rose | 6,010 | 13.4 | +9.1 | |
Green | John Spottiswoode | 1,876 | 4.2 | +2.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Eleanor Bell | 1,595 | 3.6 | −17.2 | |
TUSC | Sue Atkins | 233 | 0.5 | +0.1 | |
Majority | 2,316 | 5.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 44,710 | 61.8 | +2.2 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Denham | 16,326 | 36.8 | −11.5 | |
Conservative | Royston Smith | 16,134 | 36.3 | +8.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Goodall | 9,256 | 20.8 | −0.3 | |
UKIP | Alan Kebbell | 1,928 | 4.3 | +0.5 | |
Green | John Spottiswoode | 600 | 1.4 | New | |
TUSC | Tim Cutter | 168 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 192 | 0.5 | −21.0 | ||
Turnout | 44,412 | 59.6 | +4.1 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −10.3 |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Denham | 20,871 | 48.3 | −6.2 | |
Conservative | Flick Drummond | 11,569 | 26.8 | −0.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Goodall | 9,162 | 21.2 | +6.2 | |
UKIP | Kim Rose | 1,623 | 3.8 | +1.8 | |
Majority | 9,302 | 21.5 | −5.6 | ||
Turnout | 43,225 | 55.5 | +1.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Denham | 22,553 | 54.5 | −0.3 | |
Conservative | Caroline Nokes | 11,330 | 27.4 | −1.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mark Cooper | 6,195 | 15.0 | +3.3 | |
UKIP | Kim Rose | 829 | 2.0 | +1.7 | |
Socialist Alliance | Gavin Marsh | 241 | 0.6 | New | |
Socialist Labour | Michael Holmes | 225 | 0.5 | ||
Majority | 11,223 | 27.1 | +0.7 | ||
Turnout | 41,373 | 54.0 | −16.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.4 |
Electorate: 76,603
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Denham | 29,498 | 54.8 | +10.8 | |
Conservative | Peter Fleet | 15,269 | 28.4 | −13.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Harrison | 6,289 | 11.7 | −2.2 | |
Referendum | John Clegg | 1,660 | 3.1 | New | |
Socialist Labour | Kim Rose | 628 | 1.2 | New | |
UKIP | Clive Hoar | 172 | 0.3 | New | |
Socialist Alternative | Gavin Marsh | 113 | 0.2 | New | |
Natural Law | Rosemary Barry | 110 | 0.2 | New | |
ProLife Alliance | Ferdi McDermott | 99 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 14,220 | 26.4 | +21.4 | ||
Turnout | 53,838 | 70.0 | −5.1 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +12.3 |
Electorate: 76,869
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Denham | 24,402 | 44.0 | +11.9 | |
Conservative | Christopher Chope | 23,851 | 43.0 | −1.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | James R.T. Hodgson | 7,221 | 13.0 | −10.6 | |
Majority | 551 | 1.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 55,474 | 76.9 | +1.0 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.6 |
Elections in the 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Christopher Chope | 24,419 | 44.3 | +2.8 | |
Labour | John Denham | 17,703 | 32.1 | +5.0 | |
SDP | Bob Mitchell | 13,006 | 23.6 | −7.9 | |
Majority | 6,716 | 12.2 | +2.2 | ||
Turnout | 55,128 | 75.9 | +2.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Christopher Chope | 21,937 | 41.5 | ||
SDP | Bob Mitchell | 16,647 | 31.5 | ||
Labour | John Denham | 14,324 | 27.1 | ||
Majority | 5,290 | 10.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 52,908 | 73.3 | |||
Conservative gain from SDP | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bob Mitchell | 28,036 | 46.3 | −2.6 | |
Conservative | Andrew Hunter | 26,434 | 43.6 | +8.2 | |
Liberal | John Pindar | 6,132 | 10.1 | −5.6 | |
Majority | 1,602 | 2.7 | −10.8 | ||
Turnout | 60,602 | 74.7 | +4.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bob Mitchell | 28,168 | 48.9 | +4.9 | |
Conservative | P. T. James | 20,373 | 35.4 | +0.4 | |
Liberal | Joseph Cherryson | 9,071 | 15.7 | −5.3 | |
Majority | 7,795 | 13.5 | +4.5 | ||
Turnout | 57,612 | 70.3 | −6.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bob Mitchell | 27,557 | 44.0 | N/A | |
Conservative | P. T. James | 21,967 | 35.0 | N/A | |
Liberal | Joseph Cherryson | 13,173 | 21.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,590 | 9.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 62,697 | 77.2 | +23.1 | ||
Labour gain from Speaker | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bob Mitchell | 22,575 | 55.36 | New | |
Conservative | James Spicer | 12,900 | 31.63 | New | |
National Democratic | Edwin Bray | 3,090 | 7.58 | ||
Liberal | Joseph Cherryson | 2,214 | 5.43 | New | |
Majority | 9,675 | 23.73 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 40,779 | ||||
Labour gain from Speaker | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Speaker | Horace King | 29,417 | 67.2 | −18.2 | |
National Democratic | Edwin Bray | 9,581 | 21.9 | New | |
Independent | Brian Henry Phillips | 4,794 | 11.0 | New | |
Majority | 19,836 | 45.3 | −25.5 | ||
Turnout | 43,792 | 54.1 | +5.1 | ||
Speaker hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Speaker | Horace King | 30,463 | 85.4 | +32.7 | |
Democratic Non-party Nationalist | Kenneth Douglas Hunt | 5,217 | 14.6 | New | |
Majority | 25,246 | 70.8 | +52.6 | ||
Turnout | 35,680 | 49.0 | −27.1 | ||
Speaker gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Horace King | 28,949 | 52.7 | −0.7 | |
Conservative | Godfrey Olson | 18,974 | 34.5 | −12.1 | |
Liberal | Joseph Cherryson | 7,007 | 12.8 | New | |
Majority | 9,975 | 18.2 | +9.4 | ||
Turnout | 54,930 | 76.1 | −1.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Horace King | 29,123 | 53.42 | ||
Conservative | Evelyn King | 25,390 | 46.58 | ||
Majority | 3,733 | 6.84 | |||
Turnout | 54,513 | 78.00 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Horace King | 29,149 | 55.49 | ||
Conservative | Leslie Loader | 23,378 | 44.51 | ||
Majority | 5,771 | 10.98 | |||
Turnout | 52,527 | 78.28 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Ralph Morley | 30,330 | 54.12 | ||
National Liberal | Reginald Stranger | 25,708 | 45.88 | ||
Majority | 4,622 | 8.24 | |||
Turnout | 56,038 | 83.59 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Ralph Morley | 29,749 | 53.44 | ||
National Liberal | Robert Hobart | 24,536 | 44.08 | ||
Ind. Conservative | William Craven-Ellis | 1,380 | 2.48 | ||
Majority | 5,213 | 9.36 | |||
Turnout | 55,665 | 84.0 | |||
Labour win (new seat) |
See also
- List of parliamentary constituencies in Hampshire
- List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)
Notes
- ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
References
- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Royston Smith: MP for Southampton Itchen set to step down". Daily Echo. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Representation of the People Act 1948, Sch 1
- ^ Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1985-1972. Chichester, Sussex: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0-900178-09-4.
- ^ "New Seat Details – Southampton Itchen". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ LGBCE. "Southampton | LGBCE". lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "The Southampton (Electoral Changes) Order 2023".
- ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "I"
- ^ https://www.southampton.gov.uk/media/m55dzuke/ukpge-2024_itchen_sopn_nop_sops.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Southampton Itchen - General election results 2024". BBC News.
- ^ "Southampton Itchen Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ [1] Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "BBC NEWS – Election 2015 – Southampton Itchen". BBC News.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.150 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
- ^ The 1997 election result is calculated relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1966.
- ^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1964.
- ^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1955.
- ^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1951.
- ^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1950.
External links
- Southampton, Itchen UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- Southampton Itchen UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Cities of London and Westminster | Constituency represented by the speaker 1965–1971 | Succeeded by Wirral |
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