Wikipedia

Knowsley (UK Parliament constituency)

Knowsley is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Anneliese Midgley of the Labour Party.[n 2] .

Knowsley
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Map of constituency
Boundary of Knowsley in North West England
CountyMerseyside
Electorate71,228 (2023) [1]
Major settlementsHuyton, Kirkby, Knowsley, Roby
Current constituency
Created2010
Member of ParliamentAnneliese Midgley (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromKnowsley South,
Knowsley North and Sefton East

Constituency profile

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The constituency mainly consists of low-income social housing and former social housing built to decant the residents displaced by post-war slum clearance in Liverpool. It includes Huyton to the south (once represented by Prime Minister Harold Wilson) and Kirkby to the north. Between them is the green space of Knowsley Hall and Park, the ancestral home of the Earls of Derby and the site of Knowsley Safari Park. In 2010, The Guardian summarised the area as "One of the most deprived areas in the country. The new parliamentary constituency folds in Knowsley North and Knowsley South."[2]

The constituency voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

History

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Created for the 2010 general election (during the Boundary Commission for England's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies[3]), it was believed to present the safest seat in the country, with an estimated Labour majority of 24,333 votes.[4]. The area returned the second highest share of the vote seen by a candidate for the Labour Party, of 70.9%, behind the 72.0% achieved in Liverpool Walton. The same ranking of results nationally by percentage majority occurred in 2015,[5] when it became the safest seat in the country in absolute terms, beating East Ham by 403 votes.[6]

It ranked foremost by party majority in 2017, where it was followed directly by East Ham and 28 other seats won by Labour candidates, after which followed North East Hampshire.[6] It achieved the highest majority for any British Member of Parliament since the advent of universal suffrage, with Labour winning with a majority of 42,214 votes, surpassing the 36,230-vote majority held by then-Conservative Prime Minister John Major in his Huntingdon constituency in 1992.

On its creation, the seat was won by George Howarth, who had served as MP for the predecessor seats of Knowsley North (1986–1997) and Knowsley North and Sefton East (1997–2010). On his retirement for the 2024 general election, he was succeeded by Anneliese Midgley on a reduced majority over Reform UK of 50.9%.

Boundaries

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Map of boundaries 2010-2024

2010–2024

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The new constituency covered a large part of the metropolitan borough, main settlements being Huyton and Kirkby. It replaced most of the previous Knowsley South constituency, as well as the parts of Knowsley North and Sefton East in the Knowsley borough. Distant parts from the centre of the metropolitan borough were covered by the new St Helens South and Whiston and Garston and Halewood constituencies.

The seat contained the following electoral wards:

  • Cherryfield; Kirkby Central; Longview; Northwood; Page Moss; Park; Prescot West; Roby; St Bartholomews; St Gabriels; St Michaels; Shevington; Stockbridge; Swanside; Whitefield in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley

Current

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Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency is composed of the following wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • Cherryfield; Northwood; Prescot North; Roby; St. Gabriels; St. Michaels; Shevington; Stockbridge; Whitefield.[7]

After allowing for changes to ward names and boundaries, the constituency was reduced in size to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the Page Moss and Swanside wards to Liverpool West Derby.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[8] Party
2010 George Howarth Labour
2024 Anneliese Midgley Labour

Elections

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Elections in the 2020s

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General election 2024: Knowsley[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Anneliese Midgley[10] 24,243 67.3 −12.3
Reform UK Alexander Hitchmough 5,924 16.4 +10.1
Green Graham Wickens 2,772 7.7 +5.7
Conservative Sherrie McDaid 1,496 4.2 −4.5
Liberal Democrats Kate Tipton[11] 1,232 3.4 +0.9
Workers Party Graham Padden 245 0.7 N/A
SDP Patricia Jameson[12] 135 0.4 N/A
Majority 18,319 50.9 −21.8
Registered electors 71,964
Turnout 36,135 50.2 −15.2
Rejected ballots 88
Labour hold Swing −13.5

[13]

Elections in the 2010s

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General election 2019: Knowsley [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Howarth 44,374 80.8 –4.5
Conservative Rushi Millns 4,432 8.1 –1.2
Brexit Party Tim McCullough 3,348 6.1 New
Green Paul Woodruff 1,262 2.3 +1.4
Liberal Democrats Joe Slupsky 1,117 2.0 –0.1
Liberal Ray Catesby 405 0.7 New
Majority 39,942 72.7 –3.3
Turnout 54,938 65.4 –2.4
Labour hold Swing –4.6

This was the largest numerical Labour majority at the 2019 general election.[15]

General election 2017: Knowsley[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Howarth 47,351 85.3 +7.2
Conservative James Spencer 5,137 9.3 +2.7
UKIP Neil Miney 1,285 2.3 –7.5
Liberal Democrats Carl Cashman 1,189 2.1 –0.8
Green Steve Baines 521 0.9 –1.6
Majority 42,214 76.0 +7.7
Turnout 55,483 67.8 +3.7
Labour hold Swing +2.3
General election 2015: Knowsley[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Howarth 39,628 78.1 +7.2
UKIP Louise Bours 4,973 9.8 +7.2
Conservative Alice Bramall 3,367 6.6 −2.4
Liberal Democrats Carl Cashman 1,490 2.9 −10.5
Green Vikki Gregorich 1,270 2.5 New
Majority 34,655 68.3 +10.8
Turnout 50,728 64.1 +8.0
Labour hold Swing 0.0
General election 2010: Knowsley[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Howarth* 31,650 70.9 −0.9
Liberal Democrats Flo Clucas 5,964 13.4 −0.4
Conservative David Dunne 4,004 9.0 −2.3
BNP Steven Greenhalgh 1,895 4.2 +2.2
UKIP Anthony Rundle 1,145 2.6 New
Majority 25,686 57.5 −0.5
Turnout 44,654 56.1 +2.3
Labour hold Swing -0.2
* Served as an MP in the 2005–2010 Parliament

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

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  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Knowsley". guardian.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Knowsley Boundary Commission for England". Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  4. ^ "Altered Constituencies Data". The Guardian. 22 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b Baker, Carl; Hawkins, Oliver; Audickas, Lukas; Bate, Alex; Cracknell, Richard; Apostolova, Vyara; Dempsey, Noel; McInnes, Roderick; Rutherford, Tom; Uberoi, Elise (29 January 2019). "General Election 2017: full results and analysis". parliament.uk. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  8. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 2)
  9. ^ Knowsley
  10. ^ "It's the honour of my life to be Labour's candidate for Knowsley. Thank you to members. Thanks @LouHarbour & @ryan_wain for a comradely contest. Thanks to George Howarth MP for his service. Unions, I will fight for us in Parliament. Knowsley, I wont let you down". Anneliese Midgley. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  12. ^ "General Election Candidates". Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Knowsley Constituency declaration of result of poll" (PDF). Knowsley Council. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Statement of persons nominated 2019" (PDF).
  15. ^ http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  16. ^ "General Election 2017: who is standing for election". Liverpool Echo. 11 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Knowsley". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  19. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
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53°27′40″N 2°49′41″W / 53.461°N 2.828°W / 53.461; -2.828

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