Batley and Spen (UK Parliament constituency)
Batley and Spen | |
---|---|
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() 2010–2024 boundary of Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire | |
![]() Location of West Yorkshire within England | |
County | West Yorkshire |
Population | 107,899 (2011 census)[1] |
Electorate | 80,110 (December 2019)[2] |
Major settlements | Batley, Cleckheaton, Birstall, Birkenshaw |
1983–2024 | |
Seats | One |
Created from | |
Replaced by |
Batley and Spen was a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The most recent MP was Kim Leadbeater, a Labour politician, elected in a 2021 by-election by a 323-vote margin. The seat had returned Labour MPs since the 1997 general election.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to boundary changes which will entail the loss of the town of Batley to the new constituency of Dewsbury and Batley. As a consequence, it was renamed Spen Valley, and first contested in the 2024 general election.[3]
Constituency profile
[edit]The area is in the rolling Pennines of West Yorkshire with considerable commerce, industry, retail and occupational trades. A lower percentage of social housing is present than the regional average, however most of the larger settlements have some social housing.[4] The population in the district is ethnically diverse. Many of the towns in the Spen Valley have few residents from non-white heritage backgrounds (Birstall, Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Liversedge and Gomersal, generally more suburban and Conservative areas, with the exception of Cleckheaton, which has Liberal Democrat councillors[citation needed]). However, the constituency's largest town, Batley, has a sizeable number of residents with South Asian backgrounds, namely Pakistani (9.2%) and Indian (mostly Gujarati) (15.9%). Heckmondwike also has a well-established South Asian community with 16.9% residents having Pakistani heritage.[5]
The results of the last fifty years show marginal majorities for Labour and for the Conservatives, and is considered to be part of the "red wall".[6]
In the 2016 EU referendum, Batley and Spen voted 60% in favour of Brexit.[7]
Boundaries
[edit]- 1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, and Spen.
- 1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, and Spen.
- 2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, and Liversedge and Gomersal.
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seats of Batley and Morley, Brighouse and Spenborough and Dewsbury. This West Yorkshire constituency covers Batley, Birkenshaw, Birstall, Cleckheaton, East Bierley, Gomersal, Hunsworth, and Liversedge.
History
[edit]The constituency did not exist in its present form before 1983 and has seen significant boundary changes since its creation – most notably those that took effect for the 1997 general election.
Heckmondwike was part of the seat from its creation in 1983 until 1997, when it was transferred to Dewsbury. Heckmondwike was returned to Batley and Spen for the 2010 general election.
The seat swung in Labour's favour in the elections of 1997, 2001 and 2005 though the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority in 2010 with a swing below the national average.
The electoral ward of Heckmondwike (which includes part of Liversedge) was considered part of the Spen Valley (although it was not part of the former Spenborough Urban District). Heckmondwike ward was for many years a Labour stronghold, but in the 2000s elected two BNP councillors. The BNP councillors were narrowly defeated by Labour in 2007[8] and 2008.[9]
A by-election in 2016 occurred after the murder of Jo Cox, the sitting MP. Cox was killed on 16 June 2016 after being shot and stabbed multiple times by a man associated with far-right organisations.[10][11][12] The Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party and the Green Party announced they would not contest the by-election as a mark of respect.[13]
Another by-election occurred in 2021 following the resignation of Tracy Brabin MP, who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire on 10 May.[14][15][16][17] The 2021 by-election received considerable media attention because of expectations of a Labour loss following the earlier Hartlepool by-election and a high-profile campaign by George Galloway for the Workers Party of Britain.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][excessive citations] The by-election was despite the expectations won for Labour by Jo Cox's sister, Kim Leadbeater, with a reduced majority.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Batley & Morley, Brighouse & Spenborough, and Dewsbury prior to 1983
Election | Member[25] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Elizabeth Peacock | Conservative | |
1997 | Mike Wood | Labour | |
2015 | Jo Cox | Labour | |
2016 by-election | Tracy Brabin | Labour Co-op | |
2021 by-election | Kim Leadbeater | Labour | |
2024 | Constituency abolished |
Election results 1983–2024
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Batley_and_Spen_vote_share.png/250px-Batley_and_Spen_vote_share.png)
Elections in the 1980s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 21,433 | 39.6 | N/A | |
Labour | Kenneth Woolmer | 20,563 | 38.0 | N/A | |
SDP | Stephen Woollery | 11,678 | 21.5 | N/A | |
Ecology | Clive Lord | 493 | 0.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 870 | 1.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 54,167 | 73.4 | N/A | ||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 25,512 | 43.4 | +3.8 | |
Labour | Kenneth Woolmer | 24,150 | 41.1 | +3.1 | |
SDP | Keith Burke | 8,372 | 14.3 | −7.2 | |
Moderate Labour | Allan Harrison | 689 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,362 | 2.3 | +0.7 | ||
Turnout | 58,723 | 79.0 | +5.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.3 |
Elections in the 1990s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 27,629 | 45.4 | +2.0 | |
Labour | Eunice Durkin | 26,221 | 43.1 | +2.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gordon Beever | 6,380 | 10.5 | −3.8 | |
Green | Clive Lord | 628 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,408 | 2.3 | 0.0 | ||
Turnout | 60,858 | 79.7 | +0.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | 0.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 23,213 | 49.4 | +6.3 | |
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 17,072 | 36.4 | −9.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn Pinnock | 4,133 | 8.8 | −1.7 | |
Referendum | Ed O.C. Wood | 1,691 | 3.6 | N/A | |
BNP | Ron Smith | 472 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Green | Clive Lord | 384 | 0.8 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 6,141 | 13.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 46,965 | 73.2 | −6.5 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.7 |
Elections in the 2000s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 19,224 | 49.9 | +0.5 | |
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 14,160 | 36.7 | +0.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn Pinnock | 3,989 | 10.3 | +1.5 | |
Green | Clive Lord | 595 | 1.5 | +0.7 | |
UKIP | Allen Burton | 574 | 1.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,064 | 13.2 | +0.2 | ||
Turnout | 38,542 | 60.5 | −12.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 17,974 | 45.8 | −4.1 | |
Conservative | Robert Light | 12,186 | 31.1 | −5.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Bentley | 5,731 | 14.6 | +4.3 | |
BNP | Colin Auty | 2,668 | 6.8 | N/A | |
Green | Clive Lord | 649 | 1.7 | +0.2 | |
Majority | 5,788 | 14.7 | +1.5 | ||
Turnout | 39,208 | 62.3 | +1.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.8 |
Elections in the 2010s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 21,565 | 41.5 | −3.7 | |
Conservative | Janice Small | 17,159 | 33.0 | +1.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Bentley | 8,925 | 17.2 | +1.8 | |
BNP | David Exley | 3,685 | 7.1 | +1.1 | |
Green | Matt Blakeley | 605 | 1.2 | −0.5 | |
Majority | 4,406 | 8.5 | −5.0 | ||
Turnout | 51,939 | 67.7 | +6.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jo Cox | 21,826 | 43.2 | +1.7 | |
Conservative | Imtiaz Ameen | 15,769 | 31.2 | −1.8 | |
UKIP | Aleks Lukic | 9,080 | 18.0 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 2,396 | 4.7 | −11.1 | |
Green | Ian Bullock | 1,232 | 2.4 | +1.3 | |
TUSC | Dawn Wheelhouse | 123 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Patriotic Socialist | Karl Varley | 53 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 6,057 | 12.0 | +3.5 | ||
Turnout | 50,479 | 64.4 | −3.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 17,506 | 85.8 | +42.6 | |
English Democrat | Therese Muchewicz | 969 | 4.8 | N/A | |
BNP | David Furness | 548 | 2.7 | N/A | |
Independent | Garry Kitchin | 517 | 2.5 | N/A | |
English Independence | Corbyn Anti | 241 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Liberty GB | Jack Buckby | 220 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Independent | Henry Mayhew | 153 | 0.8 | N/A | |
Independent | Waqas Ali Khan | 118 | 0.6 | N/A | |
National Front | Richard Edmonds | 87 | 0.4 | N/A | |
One Love | Ankit Love | 34 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 16,537 | 81.0 | +68.0 | ||
Turnout | 20,393 | 25.8 | ―38.6 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 29,844 | 55.5 | +12.3 | |
Conservative | Ann Myatt | 20,883 | 38.8 | +7.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 1,224 | 2.3 | ―2.4 | |
Independent | Aleks Lukic | 1,076 | 2.0 | ―16.0 | |
Green | Alan Freeman | 695 | 1.3 | ―1.1 | |
Independent | Mohammed Hanif | 58 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 8,961 | 16.7 | +4.7 | ||
Turnout | 53,780 | 67.1 | +2.7 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +2.3[a] |
a. ^ Swing is calculated from the 2015 election, not the 2016 by-election which was not contested by major parties. Aleks Lukic's vote change is in comparison to the 2015 election, when he stood as a UKIP candidate.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 22,594 | 42.7 | ―12.8 | |
Conservative | Mark Brooks | 19,069 | 36.0 | ―2.8 | |
Heavy Woollen Independents | Paul Halloran | 6,432 | 12.2 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 2,462 | 4.7 | +2.4 | |
Brexit Party | Clive Minihan | 1,678 | 3.2 | N/A | |
Green | Ty Akram | 692 | 1.3 | ±0.0 | |
Majority | 3,525 | 6.7 | ―10.0 | ||
Turnout | 52,927 | 66.5 | ―0.6 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | ―5.0 |
Elections in the 2020s
[edit]A by-election was held on 1 July 2021 following the resignation of MP Tracy Brabin to become Mayor of West Yorkshire.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Leadbeater | 13,296 | 35.3 | ―7.4 | |
Conservative | Ryan Stephenson | 12,973 | 34.4 | ―1.6 | |
Workers Party | George Galloway | 8,264 | 21.9 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Tom Gordon | 1,254 | 3.3 | ―1.3 | |
Yorkshire | Corey Robinson | 816 | 2.2 | N/A | |
English Democrat | Thérèse Hirst | 207 | 0.5 | N/A | |
UKIP | Jack Thomson | 151 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Monster Raving Loony | Howling Laud Hope | 107 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Alliance for Green Socialism | Mike Davies | 104 | 0.3 | N/A | |
CPA | Paul Bickerdike | 102 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Freedom Alliance | Jonathon Tilt | 100 | 0.3 | N/A | |
For Britain | Anne Marie Waters | 97 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Rejoin EU | Andrew Smith | 75 | 0.2 | N/A | |
SDP | Ollie Purser | 66 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Jayda Fransen | 50 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Heritage | Susan Laird | 33 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 323 | 0.9 | ―5.8 | ||
Turnout | 37,695 | 47.5 | ―19.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ―2.9 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Conservatives, UKIP, Greens and Liberal Democrats declined to field a candidate out of respect for the previous holder of the post, Jo Cox, who was murdered in office
References
[edit]- ^ "Batley and Spen: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Constituency data: electorates – House of Commons Library". Parliament UK. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "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 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
- ^ "Kirklees Census 2001". Kirklees Council. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ Steerpike (3 May 2021). "Coming soon: the next red wall by-election". The Spectator. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Lavigueur, Nick (12 February 2017). "Which Kirklees constituency voted against Brexit?". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Kirklees Election Results 2007". Kirklees Council. 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ^ "Kirklees Election Results 2008". Kirklees Council. 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Boyle, Danny (16 June 2016). "Labour MP Jo Cox dies after being shot and stabbed in her constituency near Leeds". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Booth, Robert; Dodd, Vikram; Parveen, Nazia (16 June 2016). "Labour MP Jo Cox has died after being shot and stabbed". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Cobain, Ian; Parveen, Nazia; Taylor, Matthew (23 November 2016). "The slow-burning hatred that led Thomas Mair to murder Jo Cox". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ Stone, Jon (17 June 2016). "Jo Cox death: Parties stand down in killed Labour MP's seat as Corbyn and Cameron call for unity". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Is Batley and Spen Labour's next by-election headache?". The Independent. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "West Yorkshire Mayoral election results". www.leeds.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Halliday, Josh; Mistlin, Alex (9 May 2021). "Labour's Tracy Brabin elected first mayor of West Yorkshire". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "West Yorkshire devolution deal". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Al-Othman, Hannah (6 June 2021). "Batley and Spen by-election: are Muslim voters the next brick to crumble in Labour's red wall?". Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Labour could lose a by-election over the issue of Palestine". The Economist. 26 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Drury, Colin (28 June 2021). "Batley and Spen by-election: Labour's Muslim vote collapsing as Palestine - and potholes - cause anger". The Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Jo Cox's sister, Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater, heckled and chased on campaign trail". The Independent. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ Diver, Tony (25 June 2021). "Labour candidate in Batley and Spen by-election left 'intimidated' by anti-LGBT protester". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Blackall, Molly (26 June 2021). "Kim Leadbeater, sister of Jo Cox, chased and heckled on Batley and Spen by-election campaign trail". i. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Batley and Spen by-election: Labour 'egged and kicked'". BBC News. 28 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". 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.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". 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 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Batley & Spen". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Batley & Spen". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll Archived 12 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine"
- ^ "Election results for Batley and Spen, 20 October 2016". 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ^ "Labour's Tracy Brabin wins Batley and Spen by-election following death of MP Jo Cox". The Independent. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ "Candidates for Batley and Spen". Democracy Club Candidates.
- ^ "Election battle begins in earnest". The Press.
- ^ "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations" (PDF). Kirklees Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Batley & Spen parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "🗳️ UK Parliamentary by-election 🗳️ Batley and Spen constituency". Who Can I Vote For?. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021.
External links
[edit]- Batley and Spen UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK