Wikipedia

St Helens North (UK Parliament constituency)

St. Helens North is a constituency[n 1] created in 1983 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by the Labour Party's David Baines since 2024.[n 2]

St. Helens North
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map of constituency
Boundary of St Helens North in North West England
CountyMerseyside
Electorate76,082 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsSt Helens, Billinge, Earlestown, Haydock, Newton-le-Willows and Rainford
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentDavid Baines (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromSt Helens, Newton, Ince, Ormskirk and Huyton[2]

Boundaries

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Map of 2010-2024 boundaries

1983–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of St Helens wards of Billinge and Seneley Green, Blackbrook, Broad Oak, Haydock, Moss Bank, Newton East, Newton West, Rainford, and Windle.

2010–2022: As above, subject to changes in the local authority ward structure, with Parr replacing Broad Oak, Newton East renamed Newton, and Newton West becoming Earlestown.

2022–present: Following a further local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2022,[3][4] the Newton and Earlestown wards reverted back to Newton-le-Willows East and Newton-le-Willows West respectively. The constituency now comprises the following wards of the Borough of St Helens:

  • Billinge & Seneley Green; Blackbrook; Haydock; Moss Bank; Newton-le-Willows East; Newton-le-Willows West; Parr; Rainford; Windle; and a very small part of Sutton South East.[5]

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.[6]

The constituency is one of two covering the Metropolitan Borough, the other being St Helens South and Whiston. It includes the north of the town of St Helens, and Billinge, Seneley Green, Earlestown, Blackbrook, Haydock, Newton-le-Willows and Rainford.

History

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Results of the winning party

The constituency was created in 1983, primarily replacing parts of the St Helens and Newton constituencies, both of which had been held by the Labour Party since 1935. Candidates fielded by Labour have won this seat at every general election – except for 1983, by an absolute majority. Their vote share ranged from 47.9% (1983) to 64.9% (1997).

The constituency was first won by the former Newton MP John Evans and from 1997 to 2015 by David Watts, a former council leader. His successor was Connor McGinn. In December 2022, McGinn was suspended by the Labour Party but continued to sit as an independent MP until he stood down at the 2024 general election, when the seat was won by Labour's David Baines.

Opposition parties

The Conservative Party have fielded the runner-up candidate in every election except 2005 (Liberal Democrats) and 2024 (Reform UK). Neither the Liberal Democrats nor the Green candidate won 5% of the vote in 2015 to retain their deposits. The third place in 2015 was taken by the UKIP candidate, Smith, who narrowly gained more than the national average swing through a swing of 10.4%.[n 3] In 2017, all three of these parties lost their deposit. In 2019, the Brexit Party won 11.3% of the vote, which it doubled to 22.5% in 2024, standing under its new name of Reform UK.

Turnout

Turnout has ranged from 77.4% in 1992 to 52.7% in 2001.

Constituency profile

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The seat includes the large town of St Helens, noted by visitors for its successful rugby league side and the nearby horseracing racecourse at Haydock Park. Despite these prominent sports venues, workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 4.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, which was close to the Greater Manchester and Merseyside average but higher than the regional average of 4.4%.[7] With the exception of the Conservative area of Rainford, virtually every other ward in the seat is safely Labour.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[8] Party
1983 John Evans Labour
1997 Dave Watts Labour
2015 Conor McGinn Labour
2022 Independent
2024 David Baines Labour

Elections

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Elections in the 2020s

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General election 2024: St Helens North [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Baines[10] 21,284 52.6 +0.3
Reform UK Malcolm Webster [11] 9,115 22.5 +11.2
Conservative Jayne Rear 4,507 11.1 –15.5
Green Daniel Thomas [12] 3,495 8.6 +4.5
Liberal Democrats Pat Moloney [13] 1,799 4.4 –1.2
English Constitution Joe Greenhalgh 274 0.7 N/A
Majority 12,169 30.1 +4.4
Turnout 40,474 53.6 −8.9
Labour hold Swing

[14]

Elections in the 2010s

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General election 2019: St Helens North[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Conor McGinn 24,870 52.3 ―11.4
Conservative Joel Charles 12,661 26.6 ―0.5
Brexit Party Malcolm Webster 5,396 11.3 New
Liberal Democrats Pat Moloney 2,668 5.6 +3.0
Green David Van Der Burg 1,966 4.1 +1.7
Majority 12,209 25.7 ―10.9
Turnout 47,561 62.9 ―3.1
Labour hold Swing ―5.4
General election 2017: St Helens North[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Conor McGinn 32,012 63.7 +6.7
Conservative Jackson Ng 13,606 27.1 +7.5
UKIP Peter Peers 2,097 4.2 ―10.9
Liberal Democrats Tom Morrison 1,287 2.6 ―1.8
Green Rachel Parkinson 1,220 2.4 ―1.4
Majority 18,406 36.6 ―0.8
Turnout 50,222 66.0 +4.5
Labour hold Swing ―0.4
General election 2015: St Helens North[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Conor McGinn 26,378 57.0 +5.3
Conservative Paul Richardson 9,087 19.6 ―2.7
UKIP Ian Smith 6,983 15.1 +10.4
Liberal Democrats Denise Aspinall 2,046 4.4 ―15.8
Green Elizabeth Ward 1,762 3.8 New
Majority 17,291 37.4 +8.0
Turnout 46,256 61.5 +1.7
Labour hold Swing +4.0
General election 2010: St Helens North[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Watts 23,041 51.7 ―8.2
Conservative Paul Greenall 9,940 22.3 +3.4
Liberal Democrats John Beirne 8,992 20.2 ―1.1
UKIP Gary Robinson 2,100 4.7 +1.7
Socialist Labour Stephen Whatham 483 1.0 New
Majority 13,101 29.4 ―6.2
Turnout 44,556 59.8 +2.0
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 2000s

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General election 2005: St Helens North[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Watts 22,329 56.9 ―4.2
Liberal Democrats John Beirne 8,367 21.3 +3.7
Conservative Paul Oakley 7,410 18.9 +0.1
UKIP Sylvia Hall 1,165 3.0 New
Majority 13,962 35.6 ―6.7
Turnout 39,271 57.8 +5.1
Labour hold Swing ―4.0
General election 2001: St Helens North[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Watts 22,977 61.1 ―3.8
Conservative Simon Pearce 7,076 18.8 +1.5
Liberal Democrats John Beirne 6,609 17.6 +4.9
Socialist Labour Stephen Whatham 939 2.5 +0.8
Majority 15,901 42.3 ―5.3
Turnout 37,601 52.7 ―16.2
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

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General election 1997: St Helens North[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Watts 31,953 64.9 +7.0
Conservative Pelham Walker 8,536 17.3 ―11.2
Liberal Democrats John Beirne 6,270 12.7 ―0.4
Referendum David Johnson 1,276 2.6 New
Socialist Labour Ron Waugh 833 1.7 New
UKIP Richard Rubin 363 0.7 New
Majority 23,417 47.6 +18.2
Turnout 49,231 68.9 ―8.5
Labour hold Swing
General election 1992: St. Helens North[23][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Evans 31,930 57.9 +4.2
Conservative Brendan Anderson 15,686 28.5 +1.2
Liberal Democrats John Beirne 7,224 13.1 ―6.0
Natural Law Anne Lynch 287 0.5 New
Majority 16,244 29.4 +3.0
Turnout 55,127 77.4 +1.1
Labour hold Swing +1.5

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1987: St Helens North[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Evans 28,989 53.7 +5.8
Conservative Melinda Libby 14,729 27.3 ―3.1
Liberal Neil Derbyshire 10,300 19.1 ―2.6
Majority 14,260 26.4 +8.9
Turnout 54,018 76.3 +1.8
Labour hold Swing +4.4
General election 1983: St Helens North[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Evans 25,334 47.9
Conservative Anthony Rhodes 16,075 30.4
Liberal Neil Derbyshire 11,525 21.7
Majority 9,259 17.5
Turnout 52,934 74.5
Labour win (new seat)

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.
  3. ^ UKIP's swing nationally was +9.5% in 2015

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 21 July 2024.
  2. ^ "'St Helens North', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  3. ^ LGBCE. "St Helens | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  4. ^ "The St Helens (Electoral Changes) Order 2021".
  5. ^ "New Seat Details - St Helens North". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  6. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  7. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  8. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 1)
  9. ^ St Helens North
  10. ^ "David Baines 'honoured' to be Labour's St Helens North candidate". St Helens Star. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  11. ^ "St Helens North Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Election Announcement". tiktok.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  14. ^ "GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS DECLARED IN ST HELENS BOROUGH". St. Helens Council. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Statement of persons nominated" (PDF).
  16. ^ "St Helens North parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ^ "St Helens North". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  19. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  25. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  26. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
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53°29′10″N 2°42′50″W / 53.486°N 2.714°W / 53.486; -2.714

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