Wikipedia

Hemsworth (UK Parliament constituency)

Hemsworth was a constituency[n 1] in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons since 1996 by Jon Trickett of the Labour Party.[n 2]

Hemsworth
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
2010–2024 boundary of Hemsworth in West Yorkshire
Outline map
Location of West Yorkshire within England
CountyWest Yorkshire
Electorate74,001 (December 2019)[1]
Major settlementsSouth Wakefield, Hemsworth and Featherstone
1918–2024
SeatsOne
Created fromBarnsley, Normanton and Osgoldcross
Replaced by

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was subjected to moderate boundary changes and reformed as Normanton and Hemsworth, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.[2]

Constituency profile

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The constituency comprises former coal mining towns and villages that also provided some of the workforce for the manufacturing bases of the town of Barnsley to the south and cities of Wakefield and Leeds to the northwest. Many constituents still commute to these today. Nearby to the east over the border in North Yorkshire is Kellingley Colliery, which closed on 18 December 2015, marking the end of deep-pit coal mining in Britain.[3] It is one of the Labour Party's longest held seats, having elected its first Labour MP in 1918, and been in continuous existence since that date.

History

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From the 1966 to February 1974 general elections (inclusive), Hemsworth was the safest seat for any party in the UK: the Labour vote had peaked in 1966 at 85.39%[4] and consistently exceeded 80% from 1935 until October 1974 when the Liberal Party contested the seat for the first time since 1923. Successive boundary changes removed certain ex-mining communities to the new Barnsley East constituency in 1983: this and the addition of the more Conservative-inclined ward of Wakefield South in 1997 slightly reduced Labour's dominance, but Hemsworth remained a safe seat in the 2017 election. However, in 2019 the majority was cut from over 10,000 to just 1,180 as Labour's vote collapsed in Northern former mining seats, making it marginal for future elections.

Boundaries

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Map of boundaries 2010–2024

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Cudworth and Royston, the Rural District of Hemsworth, and part of the Rural District of Barnsley.

1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Cudworth, Dearne, Hemsworth, and Royston, and the Rural District of Hemsworth.[5]

1955–1983: The Urban Districts of Cudworth, Dearne, and Hemsworth, and the Rural District of Hemsworth.[6]

1983–1997: The City of Wakefield wards of Crofton and Ackworth; Featherstone; Hemsworth; South Elmsall; and South Kirkby.

1997–2010: The City of Wakefield wards of Crofton and Ackworth; Featherstone; Hemsworth; South Elmsall; South Kirkby; and Wakefield South.

2010–2024: The City of Wakefield wards of Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton; Crofton, Ryhill and Walton; Featherstone; Hemsworth; South Elmsall and South Kirkby; and Wakefield South.

This constituency covered the towns of Hemsworth, Featherstone, South Kirkby & Moorthorpe and South Elmsall, plus the southern part of Wakefield (Sandal, Agbrigg, Belle Vue) and the villages of Ackworth, Crofton, Fitzwilliam, Upton, Sharlston, Streethouse, Walton and Notton in the City of Wakefield district.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[7] Party
1918 John Guest Labour
1931 Gabriel Price Labour
1934 by-election George Griffiths Labour
1946 by-election Horace Holmes Labour
1959 Alan Beaney Labour
Feb 1974 Alec Woodall Labour
1987 George Buckley Labour
1991 by-election Derek Enright Labour
1996 by-election Jon Trickett Labour
2024 Constituency abolished

Election results 1918–2024

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Elections in the 1910s

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General election 1918: Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Guest 8,102 55.5
C Unionist Joshua Scholefield (barrister) 6,490 44.5
Majority 1,612 11.0
Turnout 14,592 58.0
Labour win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

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General election 1922: Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Guest 14,295 63.2 7.7
National Liberal Frank William Crossley-Holland 8,317 36.8 New
Majority 5,978 26.4 15.4
Turnout 22.612 76.3 18.3
Labour hold
General election 1923: Hemsworth [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Guest 13,159 70.1 6.9
Liberal Huw Conway-Jones 5,624 29.9 New
Majority 7,535 40.2 13.8
Turnout 18,683 61.3 −15.0
Labour hold
General election 1924: Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Guest 15,593 69.3 −0.8
Unionist H. R. Brown 6,902 30.7 N/A
Majority 8,691 38.6 −1.6
Turnout 22,495 69.7 8.4
Labour hold
General election 1929: Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Guest 26,075 79.9 10.6
Unionist R. A. Broughton 6,578 20.1 −10.6
Majority 19,497 59.8 21.2
Turnout 32,653 75.8 6.1
Labour hold Swing 10.6

Elections in the 1930s

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General election 1931: Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gabriel Price 23,609 70.5 −9.4
Unionist William Garthwaite 9,867 29.5 9.4
Majority 13,742 41.0 −18.8
Turnout 33,476 72.9 −2.9
Labour hold Swing −9.4
1934 Hemsworth by-election[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Griffiths Unopposed
Labour hold
General election 1935: Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Griffiths 28,298 80.1 9.6
Conservative Francis Howard Collier 7,032 19.9 −9.6
Majority 21,266 60.2 19.2
Turnout 35,330 72.3 −0.6
Labour hold Swing 9.6

General Election 1939–40:

Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

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General election 1945: Hemsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Griffiths 33,984 81.4 1.3
Conservative Robert William Palliser Dawson 7,778 18.6 −1.3
Majority 26,206 62.8 2.6
Turnout 41,762 80.8 8.5
Labour hold Swing 1.3
1946 Hemsworth by-election[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Horace Holmes Unopposed
Labour hold

Elections in the 1950s

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General election 1950: Hemsworth[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Horace Holmes 47,934 82.38 1.0
National Liberal Jean Patricia Asquith 10,254 17.62 N/A
Majority 37,680 64.76 2.0
Turnout 58,188 88.21 7.4
Labour hold
General election 1951: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Horace Holmes 47,402 82.71 0.3
Conservative Wilf Proudfoot 9,911 17.29 N/A
Majority 37,491 65.42 0.4
Turnout 57,313 85.07 −3.1
Labour hold
General election 1955: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Horace Holmes 42,603 83.27 0.6
Conservative William Henry Leay 8,561 16.73 −0.6
Majority 34,042 66.54 1.1
Turnout 51,164 79.87 −5.2
Labour hold Swing 0.6
General election 1959: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Beaney 45,153 82.18 −1.1
Conservative William Henry Leay 9,788 17.82 1.1
Majority 35,365 64.36 −2.2
Turnout 54,941 83.62 3.8
Labour hold Swing −1.1

Elections in the 1960s

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General election 1964: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Beaney 42,528 83.07 0.9
Conservative John RM Keatley 8,667 16.93 −0.9
Majority 33,861 66.14 1.8
Turnout 51,195 78.81 −4.8
Labour hold Swing 0.9
General election 1966: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Beaney 41,887 85.39 2.3
Conservative Sir Charles William Richards Pickthorn, 2nd Baronet 7,165 14.61 −2.3
Majority 34,722 70.78 4.6
Turnout 49,052 76.02 −2.8
Labour hold Swing 2.3

Elections in the 1970s

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General election 1970: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Beaney 40,013 80.76 −4.6
Conservative Michael C Tucker 9,534 19.24 4.6
Majority 30,479 61.52 −9.3
Turnout 49,547 71.89 −4.1
Labour hold Swing −4.6
General election February 1974: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alec Woodall 44,093 82.81 2.1
Conservative RF Kerr 9,152 17.19 −2.1
Majority 34,941 65.62 4.1
Turnout 53,245 77.13 5.2
Labour hold Swing 2.1
General election October 1974: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alec Woodall 37,467 76.51 −6.3
Conservative P Carvis 5,895 12.04 −5.2
Liberal R Taylor 5,607 11.45 New
Majority 31,572 64.47 −1.2
Turnout 48,969 70.15 −7.0
Labour hold Swing −0.6
General election 1979: Hemsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alec Woodall 36,509 69.61 −6.9
Conservative John Whitfield 10,466 19.95 7.9
Liberal T Fussey 5,474 10.44 −1.0
Majority 26,043 49.66 −14.8
Turnout 52,449 73.27 3.1
Labour hold Swing −7.4

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1983: Hemsworth[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alec Woodall 22,081 59.3 −10.3
Liberal John Wooffindin 7,891 21.2 10.8
Conservative David Williamson 7,291 19.6 −0.3
Majority 14,190 38.1 −10.6
Turnout 37,263 68.6 −4.7
Labour hold
General election 1987: Hemsworth[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Buckley 27,859 67.0 7.7
Conservative Edward Garnier 7,159 17.2 −2.4
Liberal John Wooffindin 6,568 15.8 −5.4
Majority 20,700 49.8 11.7
Turnout 41,586 75.7 7.1
Labour hold

Elections in the 1990s

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1991 Hemsworth by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Derek Enright 15,895 66.3 −0.7
Liberal Democrats Valerie Megson 4,808 20.1 4.3
Conservative Garnet Harrison 2,512 10.5 −6.7
Independent Labour Paul Ablett 648 2.7 New
Corrective Party Timothy Smith 108 0.5 New
Majority 11,097 46.3 −3.5
Turnout 23,971
Labour hold Swing 3.0
General election 1992: Hemsworth[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Derek Enright 29,942 70.8 3.8
Conservative Garnet Harrison 7,867 18.6 1.4
Liberal Democrats Valerie Megson 4,459 10.5 −5.3
Majority 22,075 52.2 2.4
Turnout 42,268 75.9 0.2
Labour hold Swing 1.2
1996 Hemsworth by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 15,817 71.9 1.1
Conservative Norman Hazell 1,942 8.8 −9.8
Liberal Democrats David Ridgeway 1,516 6.9 −3.6
Socialist Labour Brenda Nixon 1,193 5.4 New
Monster Raving Loony Screaming Lord Sutch 652 3.0 New
UKIP Peter Davies 455 2.1 New
Green Peg Alexander 157 0.7 New
Independent Mark Thomas 122 0.6 New
National Democrats Michael Cooper 111 0.5 New
Natural Law Dianne Leighton 28 0.1 New
Majority 13,875 63.1 10.9
Turnout 21,993 39.5 −36.4
Labour hold Swing 5.45
General election 1997: Hemsworth[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 32,088 70.6 6.8 '"`UNIQ−−ref−00000054−QINU`"'
Conservative Norman Hazell 8,096 17.8 −8.0 '"`UNIQ−−ref−00000055−QINU`"'
Liberal Democrats Jacqueline Kirby 4,033 8.9 −1.5 '"`UNIQ−−ref−00000056−QINU`"'
Referendum Derek Irvine 1,260 2.8 New
Majority 23,992 52.8 14.8 '"`UNIQ−−ref−00000057−QINU`"'
Turnout 45,477 67.9 −8.0
Labour hold Swing 7.4 [14]

Elections in the 2000s

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General election 2001: Hemsworth[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 23,036 65.4 −5.2
Conservative Liz Truss 7,400 21.0 3.2
Liberal Democrats Ed Waller 3,990 11.3 2.4
Socialist Labour Paul Turek 801 2.3 New
Majority 15,636 44.4 −8.4
Turnout 35,227 51.8 −16.1
Labour hold Swing -4.2
General election 2005: Hemsworth[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 21,630 58.8 −6.6
Conservative Jonathan Mortimer 8,149 22.1 1.1
Liberal Democrats David Hall-Matthews 5,766 15.7 4.4
Veritas John Burdon 1,247 3.4 New
Majority 13,481 36.7 −7.7
Turnout 36,792 54.6 2.8
Labour hold Swing −3.85

Elections in the 2010s

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General election 2010: Hemsworth[17][18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 20,506 46.8 −11.9
Conservative Ann Myatt 10,662 24.3 2.2
Liberal Democrats Alan Belmore 5,667 12.9 −2.8
Independent Ian Womersley 3,946 9.0 New
BNP Ian Kitchen 3,059 7.0 New
Majority 9,844 22.5 −14.1
Turnout 43,840 60.4 6.1
Labour hold Swing -7.0
General election 2015: Hemsworth[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 21,772 51.3 4.5
Conservative Christopher Pearson 9,694 22.9 −1.4
UKIP Steve Ashton 8,565 20.2 New
Liberal Democrats Mary MacQueen 1,357 3.2 −9.7
Yorkshire Martin Roberts 1,018 2.4 New
Majority 12,078 28.4 5.9
Turnout 42,406 58.3 −2.1
Labour hold Swing -2.95
General election 2017: Hemsworth[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 25,740 56.0 4.7
Conservative Mike Jordan 15,566 33.9 11.0
UKIP David Dews 2,591 5.6 −14.6
Yorkshire Martin Roberts 1,135 2.5 0.1
Liberal Democrats Mary MacQueen 912 2.0 −1.2
Majority 10,174 22.1 −6.3
Turnout 45,944 63.9 5.6
Labour hold Swing -3.15
General election 2019: Hemsworth [23][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Trickett 16,460 37.5 −18.5
Conservative Louise Calland 15,280 34.8 0.9
Brexit Party Waj Ali 5,930 13.5 New
Independent Ian Womersley 2,458 5.6 New
Liberal Democrats James Monaghan 1,734 3.9 1.9
Yorkshire Martin Roberts 964 2.2 −0.3
Green Lyn Morton 916 2.1 New
Independent Pete Wilks 165 0.4 New
Majority 1,180 2.7 −19.4
Turnout 43,907 59.6 −4.3
Labour hold Swing -9.7

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A county 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. ^ "Constituency data: electorates – House of Commons Library". Parliament UK. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  2. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – Yorkshire and the Humber | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  3. ^ Yorkshire Evening Post, 11 December 2015
  4. ^ "Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources: UK General Election results March 1966". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
  5. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1948: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1948 c. 65 (sch. 1), retrieved 23 July 2023
  6. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Wakefield and Hemsworth) Order 1955. SI 1955/175". Statutory Instruments 1955. Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1956. pp. 2177–2178.
  7. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
  9. ^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1950.
  10. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d e From 1992 notional result
  15. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ^ http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/ElectoralServices/Elections/generalcandidates.htm[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ "UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Hemsworth". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Hemsworth". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  22. ^ "Hemsworth parliamentary constituency – Election 2017" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  23. ^ "Error" (PDF).
  24. ^ "Hemsworth Parliamentary constituency, 2019". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2019.

Sources

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