St Helens North (UK Parliament constituency)

St. Helens North is a constituency created in 1983 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by the Labour Party's Conor McGinn, Shadow Minister without Portfolio from 4 December 2021. Between 1997 and 2015 the MP was Labour's David Watts.

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 local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2022, the Newton and Earlestown wards reverted back to Newton-le-Willows East and Newton-le-Willows West respectively.

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.

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency (based on the ward structure which existed on 1 December 2020) will be unchanged from the next general election (due by January 2025).

Following the 2022 local government boundary review, the constituency will now comprise the following wards of the Borough of St Helens from the next general election:

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

History

Results of the winning party

The 2015 result made the seat the 42nd-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority. The constituency was created in 1983, primarily replacing parts of the St Helens and Newton constituencies. It has been won to date by candidates fielded by the Labour Party — by the former Newton MP John Evans and from 1997 by David Watts, a former council leader. As to the predominantly-contributing two seats to the present division, St Helens has been won by the party since 1935 and so too Newton. The party's two successive candidates for MP have won an absolute majority (plurality) of the votes since 1987 (inclusive).

Opposition parties

The Conservative Party fielded the runner-up candidate in 2010 and 2015. 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%.

Turnout

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

Constituency profile

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%. With the exception of the Conservative area of Rainford, virtually every other ward in the seat is safely Labour.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Merseyside

Notes

References

1. St Helens (UK Parliament constituency)
2. St Helens South (UK Parliament constituency)
3. St Helens South and Whiston (UK Parliament constituency)
4. Witney (UK Parliament constituency)
5. North Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)
6. Barnsley North (UK Parliament constituency)
7. Kensington (UK Parliament constituency)
8. Portsmouth North (UK Parliament constituency)
9. Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)
10. Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)
11. Saffron Walden (UK Parliament constituency)
12. Aberdeen North (UK Parliament constituency)
13. Knowsley (UK Parliament constituency)
14. Wells (UK Parliament constituency)
15. Isle of Wight East (UK Parliament constituency)
16. Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)
17. Barnsley Central (UK Parliament constituency)
18. Chesterfield (UK Parliament constituency)
19. Workington (UK Parliament constituency)
20. Bury St Edmunds (UK Parliament constituency)