Milford Tower, Catford, located in the constituency
The constituency stretches from affluent Blackheath[3] to the wards to the south of the constituency which contain more social housing and less architectural grandeur. Incidence of social deprivation is highest towards central Lewisham and the Rushey Green area of Catford,[4] a low-to-middle income area which was home to one of the first indoor shopping malls in England.
At the southern end of the constituency is Grove Park, one of the quieter and more prosperous parts of Lewisham, and more marginal between Labour and the Conservatives than the rest of the borough. Some wards in the constituency are steadily increasing in average income and median age, and thus have become Conservative targets in local elections. Nonetheless, Labour MP Heidi Alexander increased her majority in 2015 and then again in 2017. In the by-election of 2018, the Labour vote fell from 68% to 50%.
History
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Lewisham East was created for the 1918 general election. From 1945 to 1950 the seat was represented by cabinet minister Herbert Morrison of the Labour Party, who took the seat from its first MP, Conservative Assheton Pownall, a former army officer.
The seat was abolished in 1950 but recreated in 1974. From 1979 to 1997 the constituency was a marginal seat. The MP from 1983 to 1992 was Minister for Sport Colin Moynihan (Conservative). Since the 1997 general election the seat has swung towards Labour; in 2014 Labour won a landslide victory at the local council elections, with the Liberal Democrats losing ten seats and the Conservatives losing their only remaining councillor, while Steve Bullock was re-elected as the directly elected mayor of Lewisham, having held the office since its creation in 2002. Lewisham East had the 51st largest Labour vote share in the country at the 2015 election, out of 650 constituencies.[5]
Boundaries
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Lewisham East in London 1918–50Borough wards' map, 1916 (which includes the 1918-created seat and that to the west)
Map of boundaries 2010–2024
1918–1950: The Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham wards of Blackheath, Church, Lewisham Park, Manor, and South, and parts of the wards of Catford and Lewisham Village.
1974–1983: The London Borough of Lewisham wards of Blackheath and Lewisham Village, Grove Park, Lewisham Park, Manor Lee, St Andrew, St Mildred Lee, South Lee, Southend, and Whitefoot.
1983–2010: The London Borough of Lewisham wards of Blackheath, Churchdown, Downham, Grove Park, Hither Green, Manor Lee, St Margaret, St Mildred, and Whitefoot.
2010–2024: The London Borough of Lewisham wards of Blackheath, Catford South, Downham, Grove Park, Lee Green, Rushey Green, and Whitefoot.
The 2010 redrawing of boundaries replaced Lewisham West with a cross-borough constituency, Lewisham West and Penge, requiring changes to the other seats in the borough.
Lewisham East received:
Catford South, and parts of Rushey Green and Whitefoot wards from the former constituency of Lewisham West.
2010–2024: The London Borough of Lewisham wards of Bellingham, Catford South, Downham, Grove Park, Hither Green, Lee Green, and Rushey Green.[6]
Contents reflect new ward structure which became effective in May 2022. Blackheath ward was transferred to the re-established constituency of Lewisham North, offset by the gain of Bellingham ward from the abolished constituency of Lewisham West and Penge.
^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – London". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
^"Labour hold Lewisham East in by-election". BBC News. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
^"Detailed Map of Blackheath". getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Ordnance survey.
^"2001 Census including the 2000-compiled Index of Multiple Deprivation and more recent indicators". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Gov.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^"Previous UK general elections". Electoral Commission. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 3 London region.
^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 2)
^"Lewisham East Results". BBC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
^"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.
^"Lewisham East parliamentary constituency – Election 2019 – BBC News".
^"Lewisham East constituency by-election on 14 June 2018". Lewisham London Borough Council. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
^"Lewisham East parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
^Apostolova, Vyara; et al. (2017). General Election 2017: results and analysis (CBP 7979)(PDF) (2nd ed.). House of Commons Library.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Election results for Lewisham East, 7 May 2015". councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk. 7 May 2015.
^"Lewisham East parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"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.
^"UK General Election results: May 1997". Politicsresources.net. 2 May 1997. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results: April 1992". Politicsresources.net. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results: June 1987". Politicsresources.net. 11 June 1987. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results: June 1983". Politicsresources.net. 9 June 1983. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
^"BBC/ITN NOTIONAL ELECTION 1979". election.demon.co.uk. BBC/ITN. Archived from the original on 28 May 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
^"UK General Election results: May 1979". Politicsresources.net. 28 May 1979. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
^"UK General Election results: October 1974". Politicsresources.net. 10 October 1974. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
^"UK General Election results: February 1974". Politicsresources.net. 28 February 1974. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
^Michael Stead. "1970 notional general election & February 1974 general election". BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
^"UK General Election results: July 1945". Politicsresources.net. 5 July 1945. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2010.