Its 2017 general election result was the fifth-closest result, a winning margin of 30 votes.[2] In 2019, it was subsequently won by the Conservatives for the first time since its creation, by over 7,000 votes.
From its creation in 1354, Newcastle-under-Lyme returned two MPs to the House of Commons. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the constituency's representation was cut to one member.
Prominent frontbenchers or membersedit
Josiah Wedgwood of the pottery family was repeatedly elected to the seat from 1906 until he was ennobled to join the Lords in 1942, as 1st Baron Wedgwood and campaigned in the United States for that country to join World War II and for Indian Independence; he was among many Liberals and their supporters deserting the party in or around 1918 due to the steering of David Lloyd George to the right and inviting Conservatives into government with him. Before the 20th century the constituency was often influenced and represented by members of the Leveson, Leveson-Gower[n 3] and related Egerton family who owned in this constituency the Trentham estate[n 4] - their most important MP was the Viscount Trentham who obtained a Dukedom.
Summary of resultsedit
This constituency had been a loyal Labour Party seat having returned a Labour MP in all 29 elections since 1918 and specifically since 1922 when MP Wedgwood defected from the Liberal Party to the Labour Party — his was among a great series of defections at this time see for example ex-Prime Minister H. H. Asquith's strong criticism of the Coalition Liberals particularly David Lloyd George. The 2015 result gave the seat the 9th-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority and 3rd-lowest in 2017.[3] The Conservatives took six seats from Labour in 2017, and this seat was the second closest to being taken that was held, behind Dudley North, where the result was a Labour majority of 22 votes.
Results of candidates of other partiesedit
In 2015 one of four other parties' candidates standing, UKIP's Wood, won more than 5% of the vote in 2015 therefore keeping his deposit, the party which campaigned consistently for the public vote for leaving the European Union in 2016. In 2017 the three largest British parties fielded candidates only — Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates in order of votes won.
Turnout since 1945edit
Turnout has ranged from 87.6% in 1950 to 58.8% in 2001.
2017 election issuesedit
In the 2017 election, 1,500 eligible voters were turned away while 2 ineligible voters were able to vote.[4] An independent report by Andrew Scallan found a "complex picture of administrative mistakes around registration and postal voting processes", and because of the small margin of victory (30 votes) concluded that "it is impossible to have absolute
confidence that the result... reflects the will of the electorate."[5]
From 1983-2010 the constituency comprised the following wards of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, namely, Audley and Bignall End, Bradwell, Chesterton, Clayton, Cross Heath, Halmerend, Holditch, Keele, May Bank, Porthill, Seabridge, Silverdale, Thistleberry, Town, Westlands and Wolstanton.
1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, so much of the municipal borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme as was not already included in the parliamentary borough, the local government district of Tunstall, and so much of the parish of Wolstanton as lay south of a line drawn along the centre of the road leading west from Chatterley railway station to the boundary of Audley parish.[7]
The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of: Audley; Bradwell; Clayton; Crackley & Red Street; Cross Heath; Holditch & Chesterton; Keele; Knutton; Madeley & Betley; May Bank; Silverdale; Thistleberry; Town; Westbury Park & Northwood; Westlands; Wolstanton.[8]
Boundaries unchanged, except for the addition of the village of Madeley from the (to be abolished) constituency of Stone, in order to bring the electorate within the permitted range.
Members of Parliamentedit
MPs 1353–1509edit
Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.
1497 County or a borough - ?Richard Wrottesley, ?Humphrey Peshale,?Thomas Welles
1504 unknown
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)
Burgesses in the English Parliament 1510-1707edit
As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given.
The Roman numerals after some names are those used in The House of Commons 1509-1558 and The House of Commons 1558-1603 to distinguish a member from another politician of the same name.
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Wedgwood was issued with a Coalition Coupon but did not accept it. He was also adopted by the local Liberal association, but considered himself an independent candidate.
Christy resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds due to holding a government contract,[44] causing a by-election in which he stood.
By-election, 15 December 1847: Newcastle-under-Lyme[33]
^Date when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament by force.
^Date when the members of the nominated or Barebones Parliament were selected at a "Convention". The parliamentary borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme was not represented in this body.
^Date when the members of the First Protectorate Parliament were elected. The parliamentary borough was represented in this body.
^Date when the members of the Second Protectorate Parliament were elected. The parliamentary borough was entitled to be represented in this body.
^The Rump Parliament was recalled and subsequently Pride's Purge was reversed, allowing the full Long Parliament to meet until it agreed to dissolve itself.
^The MPs of the last Parliament of England and 45 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Scotland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain which assembled on 23 October 1707 (see below for the members in that Parliament).
Referencesedit
^"Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
^McInnes, Roderick (23 June 2017). "GE2017: Marginal seats and turnout".
^"Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
^"Council boss leaves after Newcastle-under-Lyme election 'shambles'". BBC News. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
^Scallan, Andrew. "Independent report into issues faced by voters in Newcastleunder-Lyme at the 8 June 2017 general election" (PDF). Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
^"2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
^"Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
^"Tamworth Parliamentary Borough 1275-1832". The Staffordshire Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
^ abcLeigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 1)
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxStooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 43–45. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via Google Books.
^"Country Elections". Bell's Weekly Messenger. 5 July 1841. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"District News". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 3 July 1841. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Morton, Edward, ed. (1854). The Parliamentary Handbook: Comprising a Pocket Peerage and Parliamentary Companion (Third ed.). London: Henry Adams. p. 220. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
^"Staffordshire Advertiser". 17 July 1847. p. 5. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
^"STANDING UP FOR NEWCASTLE". Aaron Bell. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
^"Labour selections: parliamentary candidates selected so far for the general election". LabourList. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
^"Newcastle-under-Lyme Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
^"Newcastle-under-Lyme Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"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.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS SINCE 1966, accessed 27 October 2008
^UK Election Statistics: 1918-2004 RESEARCH PAPER 04/61 28 JULY 2004 Archived 14 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 27 October 2008
^ abcdefghijklmnoCraig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
^"Imperial Parliament". Northampton Mercury. 14 May 1842. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"New Case of Disqualification of Members". Morning Chronicle. 26 July 1842. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Borough of Newcastle". Staffordshire Advertiser. 17 July 1847. p. 4. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Newcastle-under-Lyme". Worcestershire Chronicle. 22 December 1847. p. 7. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Elections". Monmouthshire Beacon. 18 December 1847. p. 3. Retrieved 7 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme". Staffordshire Advertiser. 10 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 7 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Newcastle". Staffordshire Advertiser. 28 March 1857. p. 8. Retrieved 7 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Local Election Intelligence". Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser. 25 March 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 7 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.