Liverpool Wavertree (UK Parliament constituency)

Liverpool Wavertree
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Map of constituency
Boundary of Liverpool Wavertree in North West England
CountyMerseyside
Electorate71,067 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsBroad Green, Edge Hill, Wavertree
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentPaula Barker (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromLiverpool Broadgreen, Liverpool Mossley Hill
1918–1983
SeatsOne
Type of constituencyBorough constituency
Created fromLiverpool East Toxteth and Liverpool Walton
Replaced byLiverpool Broadgreen, Liverpool Mossley Hill and Liverpool Garston[2]

Liverpool Wavertree is a borough constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1997 and every election since has been won by a Labour Party candidate. It has been represented by Paula Barker since 2019.

An earlier constituency of the same name existed between 1918 and 1983, but lay further to the south-east, and was a predominantly Conservative seat.

Boundaries

Map
Map of present boundaries
Liverpool Wavertree in Lancashire, boundaries used 1974–1983

Historic

1918–1950: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Allerton, Childwall and Little Woolton, Garston, Much Woolton, Wavertree, and Wavertree West.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Old Swan, Wavertree, and Wavertree West.[3]

1955–1983: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Broadgreen, Childwall, Church, and Old Swan.[4]

1997–2010: The City of Liverpool wards of Broadgreen, Childwall, Church, Kensington, Old Swan, and Picton.

2010–2024: The City of Liverpool wards of Childwall, Church, Kensington and Fairfield, Old Swan, Picton, and Wavertree.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following wards of the City of Liverpool as they existed on 1 December 2020:

  • Childwall; Greenbank; Kensington and Fairfield; Mossley Hill; Picton; St. Michael’s; Wavertree.[5]

The constituency was subject to significant change, with addition of the (former) wards of Greenbank, Mossley Hill and St Michael's wards from Liverpool Riverside, partly offset by the transfer of the Church ward to Liverpool Garston and the Old Swan ward to Liverpool West Derby.

Liverpool was subject to a comprehensive local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023.[6][7] As a result, the new constituency boundaries do not align with the revised ward boundaries. The constituency now comprises the following wards or part wards of the City of Liverpool from the 2024 general election:

  • Aigburth; Arundel; Canning (small part); Childwall (most); Church (most); Edge Hill (nearly all); Everton East (small part); Festival Gardens (part); Gateacre (very small part); Greenbank Park; Kensington & Fairfield (most); Mossley Hill (most); Old Swan West; Penny Lane (part); Princes Park (small part); Sefton Park; Smithdown; St Michaels; Wavertree Garden Suburbs; Wavertree Village.[8]

The constituency is one of five covering the city of Liverpool, and covers the localities in the eastern parts of the city such as Wavertree, Broadgreen, Childwall, Edge Hill, Kensington, Fairfield, part of Mossley Hill and Old Swan. [needs update]

History

The present Liverpool Wavertree constituency dates from 1997. It contained parts of the former constituencies of Liverpool Broadgreen and Liverpool Mossley Hill. It was held by Jane Kennedy of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2010, who was also the former MP for Liverpool Broadgreen. At the 2005 general election, the Labour lead over the Liberal Democrats was cut from 38 points to 15 points.[9] At the 2010 general election, Jane Kennedy retired, and Luciana Berger was selected as the official Labour candidate, which caused some friction in the local CLP, especially due to her close connection with Kennedy.[10]

An earlier Liverpool Wavertree constituency existed until 1983; this was further to the south-east in the city and was predominantly a Conservative seat, occasionally with large majorities. It had been created in 1918, but a declining population in the 1970s caused it to be split between Liverpool Garston, the newly formed Liverpool Broadgreen and Liverpool Mossley Hill constituencies. While the Conservatives have fared badly in the new Wavertree constituency (polling under 7% at the 2005 general election), a direct comparison must take into account the differing boundaries since the 1997 recreation:[9] with more inner-city areas than its previous incarnation, the seat is home to constituents on a lower income than the average in the North West[11] and who are traditionally less sympathetic to Conservative policies. The 2015 general election result made the seat the seventh-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[12]

At the 2010 general election, the Liberal Democrats' targeting of the seat led to a high turnout;[13] however, it was comfortably retained by Labour with a 2.1% swing away from the Liberal Democrats. The unexpected turnout led, unusually, to one polling station running out of ballot papers.[13]

Members of Parliament

Election Member[14] Party
1918 Nathan Raw Coalition Conservative
1922 Sir Harold Smith Unionist
1923 Hugh Rathbone Liberal
1924 John Tinné Unionist
1931 by-election Ronald Nall-Cain Conservative
1935 by-election Joseph Cleary Labour
1935 Peter Stapleton Shaw Conservative
1945 Victor Raikes
1950 John Tilney
Feb 1974 Anthony Steen
1983 Constituency abolished
1997 Jane Kennedy Labour
2010 Luciana Berger Labour Co-op
Feb 2019 Change UK
Jun 2019 Independent
Jul 2019 The Independents
Sep 2019 Liberal Democrats
2019 Paula Barker Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Liverpool Wavertree[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paula Barker 23,077 58.0 −13.6
Green Tom Crone 6,773 17.0 +10.8
Reform UK Adam Heatherington 3,454 8.7 +5.0
Liberal Democrats Rob McAlister-Bell 2,759 6.9 −1.1
Conservative Charlotte Eagar 1,887 4.7 −4.9
Independent Ann San 1,191 3.0 N/A
Independent Mohamed El Ghady 566 1.4 N/A
Independent Joe Owens 108 0.3 N/A
Majority 16,304 41.0 −21.5
Turnout 39,815 56.0 −22.4
Registered electors 70,581
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Liverpool Wavertree[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paula Barker 31,310 72.2 −7.3
Conservative Catherine Mulhern 4,225 9.7 −2.3
Liberal Democrats Richard Kemp 4,055 9.3 +2.8
Brexit Party Adam Heatherington 1,921 4.4 New
Green Kay Inckle 1,365 3.1 +1.7
Liberal Mick Coyne 501 1.2 New
Majority 27,085 62.5 −5.0
Turnout 43,377 68.4 −1.7
Labour hold Swing −2.2
General election 2017: Liverpool Wavertree[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Luciana Berger 34,717 79.5 +10.2
Conservative Denise Haddad 5,251 12.0 +2.0
Liberal Democrats Richard Kemp 2,858 6.5 +0.5
Green Ted Grant 598 1.4 −3.8
Independent Adam Heatherington 216 0.5 New
Majority 29,466 67.5 +8.2
Turnout 43,640 70.1 +3.7
Labour Co-op hold Swing +4.1
General election 2015: Liverpool Wavertree[18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Luciana Berger 28,401 69.3 +16.2
Conservative James Pearson 4,098 10.0 +2.5
UKIP Adam Heatherington 3,375 8.2 +5.9
Liberal Democrats Leo Evans 2,454 6.0 −28.2
Green Peter Cranie 2,140 5.2 +3.6
TUSC David Walsh 362 0.9 New
Independent Niamh McCarthy 144 0.4 New
Majority 24,303 59.3 +40.4
Turnout 40,974 66.4 +5.8
Labour Co-op hold Swing +6.9
General election 2010: Liverpool Wavertree[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Luciana Berger 20,132 53.1 +0.7
Liberal Democrats Colin Eldridge 12,965 34.2 −3.5
Conservative Andrew Garnett 2,830 7.5 +1.0
UKIP Neil Miney 890 2.3 +0.4
Green Rebecca Lawson 598 1.6 New
Socialist Labour Kim Singleton 200 0.5 −0.2
BNP Steven McEllenborough 150 0.4 New
Independent Franke Dunne 149 0.4 New
Majority 7,167 18.9 +4.2
Turnout 37,914 60.6 +12.8
Labour Co-op hold Swing +2.1

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Liverpool Wavertree[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jane Kennedy 18,441 52.4 −10.3
Liberal Democrats Colin Eldridge 13,268 37.7 +13.3
Conservative Jason Steen 2,331 6.6 −3.0
UKIP Mark Bill 660 1.9 +0.8
Socialist Labour Gary Theys 244 0.7 −0.4
Democratic Socialist Alliance Paul Filby 227 0.6 −0.5
Majority 5,173 14.7 −23.6
Turnout 35,171 50.8 +6.5
Labour hold Swing −11.8
General election 2001: Liverpool Wavertree[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jane Kennedy 20,155 62.7 −1.7
Liberal Democrats Christopher Newby 7,836 24.4 +2.9
Conservative Geoffrey Allen 3,091 9.6 −1.2
Socialist Labour Michael Lane 359 1.1 New
Socialist Alliance Mark O'Brien 349 1.1 New
UKIP Neil Miney 348 1.1 New
Majority 12,319 38.3 −4.6
Turnout 32,138 44.3 −18.4
Labour hold Swing −2.3

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Liverpool Wavertree[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jane Kennedy 29,592 64.4 +23.1
Liberal Democrats Richard Kemp 9,891 21.5 −13.2
Conservative Kit Malthouse 4,944 10.8 −1.7
Referendum Peter A. Worthington 576 1.3 New
Liberal Keith McCullough 391 0.9 New
ProLife Alliance Racheal A. Kingsley 346 0.8 New
Workers Revolutionary Carole Corkhill 178 0.4 New
Majority 19,701 42.9 N/A
Turnout 45,918 62.7 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Steen 21,770 50.3 +4.5
Labour Co-op Roy Morris 14,828 34.2 −5.0
Liberal C. W. Roberts 6,705 15.5 +0.5
Majority 6,942 15.9 +9.2
Turnout 43,303 73.4 +4.1
Conservative hold Swing +4.8
General election October 1974: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Steen 18,971 45.9 +2.8
Labour Co-op Roy Morris 16,216 39.2 +8.1
Liberal Anthony Limont 6,193 15.0 −10.9
Majority 2,755 6.7
Turnout 41,380 69.3 −5.5
Conservative hold Swing −5.5
General election February 1974: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Steen 19,027 43.0
Labour Ian Levin 13,752 31.1
Liberal Cyril Carr 11,450 25.9
Majority 5,275 11.9
Turnout 44,229 74.8
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1970: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tilney 19,127 46.6 −2.0
Liberal Cyril Carr 11,650 28.4 +11.3
Labour Gordon Woodburn 10,253 25.0 −9.3
Majority 7,477 18.2 +3.9
Turnout 41,030 69.2 −0.9
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tilney 19,179 48.58
Labour Robert Ashcroft 13,529 34.27
Liberal Cyril Carr 6,771 17.15
Majority 5,650 14.31
Turnout 39,479 70.97
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1964: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tilney 20,598 49.45
Labour Stanley Thorne 12,338 29.62
Liberal Cyril Carr 8,719 20.93
Majority 8,260 19.83
Turnout 41,655 73.74
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tilney 26,624 63.12
Labour Milicent Aspin 10,392 24.64
Liberal Tom Stuttard Rothwell 5,161 12.24 New
Majority 16,232 38.48
Turnout 42,177 75.75
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tilney 28,172 69.18
Labour Milicent Aspin 12,552 30.82
Majority 15,620 38.36
Turnout 40,724 70.84
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tilney 28,179 58.85
Labour William Hamling 19,702 41.15
Majority 8,477 17.70
Turnout 47,881 78.32
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1950: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tilney 26,164 52.08
Labour William Hamling 18,559 36.94
Liberal Thomas John Vernon Parry 5,512 10.97
Majority 7,605 15.14
Turnout 50,235 82.42
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Victor Raikes 25,470 48.2 −10.3
Labour Derek Maurice Van Abbé 20,249 38.4 −3.1
Liberal Leslie Hall Storey 7,063 13.4 New
Majority 5,221 9.8 −7.2
Turnout 52,782 73.1 −0.1
Conservative hold Swing −3.6

A general election was planned for 1939–1940 but was postponed because of war. By the end of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Stapleton Shaw 26,915 58.5 −19.4
Labour Joseph Cleary 19,068 41.5 +19.4
Majority 7,847 17.0 N/A
Turnout 45,983 73.2 −2.0
Conservative hold Swing −10.6
1935 Liverpool Wavertree by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Cleary 15,611 35.3 +13.2
Conservative James Platt 13,711 31.2 −46.7
Ind. Conservative Randolph Churchill 10,575 23.9 New
Liberal Tudor Artro Morris 4,208 9.5 New
Majority 1,840 4.1 N/A
Turnout 44,165 72.3 −2.9
Labour gain from Conservative Swing −30.0
General election 1931: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Nall-Cain 33,476 77.9 +12.9
Labour Colin Clark 9,504 22.1 −12.9
Majority 23,972 55.8 +25.8
Turnout 42,980 75.2 −3.9
Conservative hold Swing +12.9
1931 Liverpool Wavertree by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Nall-Cain 18,687 65.0 +25.0
Labour Samuel Lewis Treleaven 10,042 35.0 +2.8
Majority 8,645 30.0 +22.2
Turnout 28,729 51.7 −26.4
Conservative hold Swing +11.2

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Tinné 16,880 40.0 −7.4
Labour Samuel Lewis Treleaven 13,585 32.2 −2.8
Liberal Hugh Rathbone 11,723 27.8 +10.2
Majority 3,295 7.8 −4.6
Turnout 42,188 78.1 −2.2
Registered electors 53,989
Unionist hold Swing −2.3
General election 1924: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Tinné 14,063 47.4 +12.7
Labour William Robinson 10,383 35.0 +7.0
Liberal Hugh Rathbone 5,206 17.6 −19.7
Majority 3,680 12.4 N/A
Turnout 29,652 80.3 +8.4
Registered electors 36,936
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +16.2
General election 1923: Liverpool Wavertree[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hugh Rathbone 9,349 37.3 New
Unionist Harold Smith 8,700 34.7 −26.9
Labour James Vint Laughland 7,025 28.0 −10.4
Majority 649 2.6 N/A
Turnout 25,074 71.9 +2.4
Registered electors 34,869
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing N/A
General election 1922: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Harold Smith 14,372 61.6 +1.7
Labour James Vint Laughland 8,941 38.4 +11.4
Majority 5,431 23.2 −9.7
Turnout 23,313 69.5 +9.0
Registered electors 33,558
Unionist hold Swing −4.9

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Liverpool Wavertree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Nathan Raw 11,326 59.9
Labour Charles Wilson 5,103 27.0
Liberal Alfred Allen Booth 2,484 13.1
Majority 6,223 32.9
Turnout 18,913 60.5
Registered electors 31,262
Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  2. ^ "'Liverpool Wavertree', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1948: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1948 c. 65 (sch. 1), retrieved 23 July 2023
  4. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Liverpool and South-West Lancashire) Order 1955. SI 1955/15". Statutory Instruments 1955. Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1956. pp. 2144–2147.
  5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  6. ^ LGBCE. "Liverpool | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  7. ^ "The Liverpool (Electoral Changes) Order 2022".
  8. ^ "New Seat Details - Liverpool Wavertree". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Electoral Commission - Previous UK general elections". www.electoralcommission.org.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  10. ^ Brown, Jonathan (23 April 2010). "Crash landing for Labour candidate parachuted into Liverpool". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 February 2003. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Liverpool polling station runs out of ballots". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  14. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 2)
  15. ^ "Liverpool Wavertree results". BBC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Statement of persons nominated". Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  17. ^ http://liverpool.gov.uk/media/1356176/sopn-nop-liverpool-wavertree.docx [dead link‍]
  18. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Liverpool Wavertree". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ^ "BBC News - Election 2010 - Constituency - Liverpool Wavertree". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  22. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  25. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig