Stoke-on-Trent_South_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Stoke-on-Trent South is a constituency[n 1] created in 1950, and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Jack Brereton, a Conservative.[n 2] The local electorate returned a Labour MP in every election until 2017, when Brereton became its first Conservative MP.[2] The seat is non-rural and in the upper valley of the Trent covering half of the main city of the Potteries, a major ceramics centre since the 17th century.
| Stoke-on-Trent South | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Stoke-on-Trent South in Staffordshire | |
Location of Staffordshire within England | |
| County | Staffordshire |
| Electorate | 68,624 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1950 |
| Member of Parliament | Jack Brereton (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Stoke-on-Trent/"Stoke" |
Previously a safe Labour seat, it is now held by the Conservatives by a majority of over 11,000, having gained the seat in the 2017 election and hugely increased their vote in the 2019 election.
| Election | Member[3] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Ellis Smith | Labour | |
| 1966 | Jack Ashley | Labour | |
| 1992 | George Stevenson | Labour | |
| 2005 | Rob Flello | Labour | |
| 2017 | Jack Brereton | Conservative | |
2010–present: The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of Blurton, Fenton, Longton North, Longton South, Meir Park and Sandon, Trentham and Hanford, and Weston and Meir North.
1983–2010: The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of Blurton, Fenton Green, Great Fenton, Longton South, Meir Park, Trentham Park, and Weston.
1955–1983: The County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent wards numbers 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent wards numbers 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26.
Proposed
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The Borough of Stafford wards of: Barlaston; Fulford; Swynnerton & Oulton.
- The District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of: Checkley; Forsbrook.
- The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of: Blurton East; Blurton West and Newstead; Broadway and Longton East; Dresden and Florence; Hanford and Trentham; Hollybush and Longton West; Lightwood North and Normacot; Meir North; Meir Park; Meir South; Weston Coyney.[4]
Significant changes, with northern parts, including the town of Fenton to be transferred to Stoke-on-Trent Central. To compensate and bring the electorate within the permitted range, the parts in the Stafford and Staffordshire Moorlands local authorities will be added from the current constituency of Stone (to be abolished).
Following a further local government boundary review in the City of Stoke-on-Trent which came into effect in May 2023,[5][6] the constituency will now comprise the following from the next general election:
- The Borough of Stafford wards of: Barlaston; Fulford; Swynnerton & Oulton.
- The District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of: Checkley; Forsbrook.
- The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of: Blurton; Dresden & Florence; Hanford, Newstead & Trentham; Hollybush; Lightwood North & Normacot; Longton & Meir Hay South (nearly all); Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coney (majority); Meir North; Meir Park; Meir South.[7]
A former safe Labour seat, like the other Stoke-on-Trent constituencies, it includes the city's most middle-class electoral wards of Meir that contrast with much of the neighbouring, predominantly lower income, population of the other wards.[8]
The seat is home to Stoke City F.C. whose Bet365 Stadium is at the northern edge of the constituency.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 equal to the regional average of 4.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[9]
Political history
The constituency and its predecessor was a safe Labour seat from 1935 until the 2010s when it became marginal. It was won by the Conservative Party for the first time in 2017. At the 2019 general election, the Conservatives increased their majority to over 11,000 votes; with a vote share of 62%.
Prominent members
Jack Ashley (later Lord Ashley) became deaf as a result of an operation, but his disability campaigns led to major enactments and public sector changes to improve ordinary life for deaf people, including the inclusion of sign language in television programmes and campaigns to help other disabled people.
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | Michael Bailey[10] | ||||
| Conservative | Jack Brereton[11] | ||||
| Labour | Allison Gardner[12] | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Alec Sandiford[13] | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
| Swing | |||||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Jack Brereton | 24,632 | 62.2 | +13.1 | |
| Labour | Mark McDonald | 13,361 | 33.7 | –13.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Rosalyn Gordon | 1,611 | 4.1 | +2.2 | |
| Majority | 11,271 | 28.5 | +26.9 | ||
| Turnout | 39,604 | 61.4 | –1.7 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +13.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Jack Brereton | 20,451 | 49.1 | +16.4 | |
| Labour | Rob Flello | 19,788 | 47.5 | +8.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Ian Wilkes | 808 | 1.9 | –1.4 | |
| Green | Jan Zablocki | 643 | 1.5 | –1.1 | |
| Majority | 663 | 1.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 41,690 | 63.1 | +5.8 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Rob Flello | 15,319 | 39.2 | +0.4 | |
| Conservative | Joe Rich | 12,780 | 32.7 | +4.3 | |
| UKIP | Tariq Mahmood | 8,298 | 21.2 | +17.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Andras | 1,309 | 3.3 | –12.6 | |
| Green | Luke Bellamy | 1,029 | 2.6 | New | |
| TUSC | Matthew Wright | 372 | 1.0 | New | |
| Majority | 2,539 | 6.5 | –3.9 | ||
| Turnout | 39,107 | 57.3 | –1.5 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | –2.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Rob Flello | 15,446 | 38.8 | –8.1 | |
| Conservative | James Rushton | 11,316 | 28.4 | +4.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Zulfiqar Ali | 6,323 | 15.9 | +0.8 | |
| BNP | Michael Coleman | 3,762 | 9.4 | +0.4 | |
| UKIP | Mark Barlow | 1,363 | 3.4 | +0.7 | |
| Staffordshire Independent Group | Terry Follows | 1,208 | 3.0 | New | |
| Independent | Mark Breeze | 434 | 1.1 | New | |
| Majority | 4,130 | 10.4 | –12.6 | ||
| Turnout | 39,852 | 58.8 | +4.4 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | –6.2 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Rob Flello | 17,727 | 46.9 | –6.9 | |
| Conservative | Mark Deaville | 9,046 | 23.9 | –0.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Andrew Martin | 5,894 | 15.6 | +2.5 | |
| BNP | Mark Leat | 3,305 | 8.7 | +4.9 | |
| UKIP | Neville Benson | 1,043 | 2.8 | New | |
| Veritas | Grant Allen | 805 | 2.1 | New | |
| Majority | 8,618 | 23.0 | –6.2 | ||
| Turnout | 37,820 | 53.6 | +2.2 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | –3.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | George Stevenson | 19,366 | 53.8 | –8.2 | |
| Conservative | Philip Bastiman | 8,877 | 24.6 | +2.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Coleman | 4,724 | 13.1 | +2.9 | |
| Independent | Adrian Knapper | 1,703 | 4.7 | New | |
| BNP | Steven Batkin | 1,358 | 3.8 | +2.6 | |
| Majority | 10,489 | 29.2 | –10.4 | ||
| Turnout | 36,028 | 51.4 | –14.7 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | –5.2 | |||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | George Stevenson | 28,645 | 62.0 | +12.2 | |
| Conservative | Sheila Scott | 10,342 | 22.4 | –14.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Barnett | 4,710 | 10.2 | +2.8 | |
| Referendum | Richard Adams | 1,103 | 2.4 | New | |
| Liberal | Alison Micklem | 580 | 1.3 | New | |
| BNP | Steven Batkin | 568 | 1.2 | New | |
| National Democrats | Brian Lawrence | 288 | 0.6 | New | |
| Majority | 18,303 | 39.6 | +26.5 | ||
| Turnout | 46,236 | 66.1 | –8.2 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +13.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | George Stevenson | 26,380 | 49.8 | +2.3 | |
| Conservative | Roger M. Ibbs | 19,471 | 36.7 | –1.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Fred A. Jones | 6,870 | 13.0 | –1.7 | |
| Natural Law | Elizabeth A. Lines | 291 | 0.5 | New | |
| Majority | 6,909 | 13.1 | +3.4 | ||
| Turnout | 53,012 | 74.3 | +0.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 | |||
Elections of the 1980s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Ashley | 24,794 | 47.5 | ||
| Conservative | Dennis Hartshorne | 19,741 | 37.8 | ||
| Liberal | Peter Wild | 7,669 | 14.69 | ||
| Majority | 5,053 | 9.68 | |||
| Turnout | 52,204 | 73.73 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Ashley | 23,611 | 48.0 | -10.8 | |
| Conservative | Peter Maxwell | 16,506 | 33.6 | +1.3 | |
| Liberal | William Walley | 9,050 | 18.4 | +9.4 | |
| Majority | 7,105 | 14.4 | -12.1 | ||
| Turnout | 49,167 | 69.6 | -2.9 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -6.0 | |||
Elections of the 1970s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Ashley | 31,610 | 58.75 | ||
| Conservative | R Rayner | 17,364 | 32.27 | ||
| Liberal | D Chantrey | 4,829 | 8.98 | ||
| Majority | 14,246 | 26.48 | |||
| Turnout | 53,803 | 72.52 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Ashley | 30,699 | 61.18 | ||
| Conservative | S Heath | 14,204 | 28.31 | ||
| Liberal | E Johnson | 5,278 | 10.52 | ||
| Majority | 16,495 | 32.87 | |||
| Turnout | 50,181 | 69.09 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Ashley | 31,650 | 56.83 | ||
| Conservative | S Newall | 15,981 | 28.70 | ||
| Liberal | M Smith | 7,578 | 13.61 | New | |
| Communist | S Lomas | 481 | 0.86 | ||
| Majority | 15,669 | 28.13 | |||
| Turnout | 55,690 | 77.38 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Ashley | 20,770 | 60.24 | ||
| Conservative | RJ Apps | 13,344 | 38.70 | ||
| Communist | SJ Lomas | 364 | 1.06 | ||
| Majority | 7,426 | 21.54 | |||
| Turnout | 34,478 | 50.66 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections of the 1960s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jack Ashley | 27,380 | 61.65 | ||
| Conservative | FW Thornton | 14,769 | 33.26 | ||
| Communist | SJ Lomas | 2,262 | 5.09 | New | |
| Majority | 12,611 | 28.39 | |||
| Turnout | 44,411 | 71.02 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ellis Smith | 28,928 | 60.56 | ||
| Conservative | Clive Howson | 18,839 | 39.44 | ||
| Majority | 10,089 | 21.12 | |||
| Turnout | 47,767 | 75.65 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections of the 1950s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ellis Smith | 29,578 | 59.28 | ||
| Conservative | Geoffrey S Tucker | 20,318 | 40.72 | ||
| Majority | 9,260 | 18.56 | |||
| Turnout | 49,896 | 78.24 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ellis Smith | 31,003 | 63.61 | ||
| Conservative | Basil GC Webb | 17,739 | 36.39 | ||
| Majority | 13,264 | 27.22 | |||
| Turnout | 48,742 | 73.62 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ellis Smith | 35,261 | 65.77 | ||
| Conservative | Basil Webb | 18,355 | 34.23 | ||
| Majority | 16,906 | 31.54 | |||
| Turnout | 53,616 | 84.21 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ellis Smith | 34,339 | 64.45 | ||
| Conservative | L Orridge | 14,637 | 27.47 | ||
| Liberal | William Herbert Kemp | 4,307 | 8.08 | ||
| Majority | 19,702 | 36.98 | |||
| Turnout | 53,283 | 85.27 | |||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
- A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
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