Birkenhead (constituency)

Birkenhead (/ˌbɜrkənhɛd/) is a constituency in Merseyside represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Alison McGovern of the Labour Party.^{[n 1]}

Profile

The constituency of Birkenhead covers the town of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, and the Birkenhead suburbs of Bidston, Claughton, Oxton, Prenton, Rock Ferry and Tranmere. It forms the relatively densely populated mid-east of four parliamentary constituencies within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, itself a major contributor to (and the ex-Cheshire part of) the Metropolitan County of Merseyside envisaged in 1958 and created in 1974,^[3] considered as any other county (albeit with very limited powers and no elected councillors) for the enacted purposes of the Boundary Commission in its periodic reports.^[4]

The urban parts of the town unite with Liverpool on the opposite side of the narrows of the estuary in having an early socially reformist movement in local measures, and its choice of many elected representatives since the 1850s. The work was evidenced in the building of large public buildings and institutions and the creation of supported workers' housing, creating Port Sunlight to the south, among other such estates. The southern border of the borough controversially avoids the near-circular suburbs of the cathedral city of Chester, thereby creating a jagged boundary in local and national government; nonetheless, the Wirral has scenic shores and large golf courses including to the west one which regularly hosts The Open. Transcending the dense 20th-century urban-semi-rural divide of Merseyside is the largely Victorian era-built town of Birkenhead, at the centre of which lies the archetype of city parks, Birkenhead Park, a social gift and early publicly subscribed community asset in the area.

The seat is almost square and bounded by its sole motorway to the west. Its homes were (at the 2011 UK Census) 53% owner-occupied compared to 60% in the region. The seat's entirely left-wing victories nationally since 1945 evidence commitment locally to public services and wealth redistribution, rather than laissez-faire economics and low taxation. The 2015 general election result made the seat the fifteenth-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.^[5]

History

Birkenhead was enfranchised in 1861 by the Appropriation of Seats (Sudbury and Saint Albans) Act 1861^[6] as a single-member parliamentary borough. It was first contested at the 1865 general election and continued as a single-seat constituency until it was split between Birkenhead East and Birkenhead West under the terms of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which took effect for the 1918 general election.

Under the Representation of the People Act 1948, coming into effect at the 1950 general election, the constituency was re-established with revised boundaries.

Boundaries

1861–1918: The enfranchising Act provided that the constituency was to consist of the Extra-parochial Chapelry of Birkenhead, the several townships of Claughton, Tranmere, and Oxton, and so much of the township of Higher Bebington as lies to the eastward of the road leading from Higher Tranmere to Lower Bebington.^[6]

The boundaries were not altered by the Boundaries Act 1868 or the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

1950–1974: The County Borough of Birkenhead, except the wards included in the Bebington constituency (i.e. the wards of Bebington, Devonshire, Egerton, Mersey, and Prenton).^[7]

Comprised the majority of the expanded County Borough, incorporating Birkenhead West, parts of Birkenhead East and parts transferred from Wirral.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Birkenhead wards of Argyle, Bebington, Cathcart, Claughton, Cleveland, Clifton, Devonshire, Egerton, Gilbrook, Grange, Holt, Mersey, Oxton, and St James.^[7]

Gained the Bebington, Devonshire, Egerton and Mersey wards from the abolished constituency of Bebington.  Upton ward transferred to Wirral.

From 1 April 1974 until the next boundary review came into effect for the 1983 general election, the constituency comprised parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside but its boundaries were unchanged.

1983–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral wards of Bidston, Birkenhead, Claughton, Egerton, Oxton, and Tranmere.^[8][9]

Boundaries broadly unchanged.

2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral wards of Bidston and St James, Birkenhead and Tranmere, Claughton, Oxton, Prenton, and Rock Ferry.^[10]

Boundaries changed to reflect new ward boundaries. Prenton transferred from Wirral West.

2024–present: As above plus the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral ward of Bebington.

Expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range. Bebington transferred from the abolished Wirral South.^[11]

Political history

1865–1918

The seat's elections were won by Conservatives with one exception, the 1906 landslide victory for the Liberal Party.

1918–1950 (seats split)

The two seats alternated frequently between the three largest parties in the 1920s, before the 1931 and 1935 general elections, which saw a major Conservative and Unionist Party victory (standing as Unionist in this area) in Birkenhead West, the latter election heralding a ten-year Parliament. However, the Liberal Graham White, of the more radical faction, won the eastern seat at both elections, echoing his victory in 1922. Having had predominantly marginal majorities, the seats were firmly won by the Labour Party in their nationwide landslide victory of 1945.

Since 1950 re-creation

Since 1950, Birkenhead has returned Labour MPs with large and generally increasing majorities — apart from a 7% majority in 1955.

Frank Field, who represented the constituency from 1979 to 2019, was appointed as Welfare Reform Minister in the First Blair ministry in 1997 but served for just for one year. He chaired the Work and Pensions Select Committee from 2015 to 2019. In the 2017 general election he received 77% of the vote, achieving a majority of 58%. However, he resigned from the Labour whip in August 2018, citing anti-semitism in the party. In the 2019 general election he stood as a candidate of the Birkenhead Social Justice Party but he lost easily to the Labour Party candidate, Mick Whitley, gaining only 17% of the vote.

Following boundary changes, Whitley was challenged and defeated by Alison McGovern, the MP for Wirral South (to be abolished), for the Labour selection for Birkenhead at the upcoming general election.^[12] He was deselected on 16 June 2023.^[13] McGovern was duly elected as the new Labour MP at the 2024 election.

Minor party candidates

Two Communist candidates, including Barry Williams, stood between 1950 and 1970, obtaining a high point of 1.5% of the votes cast.

More recently, at the 2001, 2005 and 2010 general elections no candidates apart from those selected by the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat parties contested the seat. The 2015 general election result saw the Liberal Democrat candidate fall behind the Green candidate, with both parties narrowly losing their deposits, as they did in 2017 and 2019. The Brexit Party stood at the 2019 general election, also losing its deposit.

In 2024, the Green candidate increased its vote from 3.3% to 20.1% and Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party) from 3% to 14%, coming second and third respectively. This relegated the Conservatives to fourth and the Liberal Democrats to fifth, although both retained their deposits.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1865–1918

MPs since 1950

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Changes are from the notional 2019 results on the 2024 boundaries.^[17]

Elections in the 2010s

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Elections in the 2000s

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Elections in the 1990s

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Elections in the 1980s

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Elections in the 1970s

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Elections in the 1960s

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Elections in the 1950s

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Elections in the 1910s

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Elections in the 1900s

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Elections in the 1890s

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Elections in the 1880s

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Elections in the 1870s

• Caused by Laird's death.

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Elections in the 1860s

While the seat was created in 1861, it is considered a new seat for the purposes of the 1865 general election.

Back to Elections

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Merseyside
• History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Cheshire

Notes

1. ^ 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

1. ^ "Birkenhead: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
2. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
3. ^ Local Government Act 1972, s. 1 enacting Sch.1 Pt. 1
4. ^ The boundary factors for each minimum 10-yearly Boundary Commission review are set in the UK by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
5. ^ "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived 2018-09-29 at the Wayback Machine.
6. ^ Great Britain & Rickards, George K. (George Kettilby) (1807). The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69]. London, His Majesty's statute and law printers.
7. ^ Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885–1972. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011
8. ^ "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". Archived 2021-05-21 at the Wayback Machine.
9. ^ "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". Archived 2015-11-06 at the Wayback Machine.
10. ^ "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". Archived 2011-01-04 at the Wayback Machine.
11. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
12. ^ "Wirral boundary changes prompt Birkenhead Labour candidate fight". BBC News. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
13. ^ Neame, Katie (2023-06-16). "Frontbencher McGovern beats left-winger Whitley in Birkenhead selection". LabourList. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
14. ^
15. ^ "Veteran MP Frank Field quits Labour whip". BBC News. August 30, 2018.
16. ^ Stewart, Heather (30 August 2018). "Frank Field resigns Labour whip over antisemitism crisis". The Guardian
17. ^ "Notional election for the constituency of Birkenhead". UK Parliament.
18. ^ "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.

Sources

• Craig, F. W. S. (1983 [1969]). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949. 3rd ed. Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.

External links

• Birkenhead UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Birkenhead UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Birkenhead UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK