Leicester East (UK Parliament constituency)

Leicester East is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since December 2019 by Claudia Webbe, who was elected as a Labour MP, but currently sits as an Independent due to her suspension from the party in September 2020 after she was charged with harassment.[2]

Leicester East
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Leicester East in Leicestershire
Location of Leicestershire within England
CountyLeicestershire
Electorate74,377 (December 2010)[1]
Current constituency
Created1974 (1974)
Member of ParliamentClaudia Webbe (Independent)
Number of membersOne
Created fromLeicester South East
Leicester North East
1918–1950
Number of membersOne
Replaced byLeicester South East
Leicester North East
Created fromLeicester

Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Latimer, Spinney Hill, and West Humberstone.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Evington, Humberstone, and Latimer.

1983–2010: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone, Latimer, Rushey Mead, Thurncourt, and West Humberstone.

2010–present: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton, Latimer, Rushey Mead, and Thurncourt.

2015–present: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Rushey Mead, Troon, North Evington, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton and Thurncourt.

The newly-created Troon Ward replaced the old Charnwood Ward covering the Northfields Estate and the adjacent Industrial Estate Area to the north, of which it takes its name.

Constituency profile

This is an urban seat in the commercial and engineering centre of Leicester. The seat excludes the heart of the city centre, skirting its tightly planned ring road. A golf course is situated in the south-east and a large municipal garden in the north-west of the boundaries.

Leicester East has a relatively high Asian population. In the 2011 census, two-thirds of the population were non-white and 48.5% of people described themselves as Asian. Almost a third of the population are Hindu and the majority of others of Asian ethnicity are of Muslim or Sikh faiths. Those of mixed ethnicities are gradually increasing — to 3.1% of the population in 2011.

The bulk of the eastern outskirts are relatively compact and much of the remainder of the county by the 21st century has become transformed economically into a retirement and commuter belt for the city and its railway links. The division's south-west quarter is within normal walking distance of all parts of Leicester City Centre and the seat is served by buses and cycle routes into the city centre.

History

First creation

The seat was created in 1918 and for the next four years was served by Sir Gordon Hewart KC, resigning to become Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. In 1950 the area was divided between Leicester North East and Leicester South East, which also covered part of the present Charnwood seat and Rutland and Melton.

Second creation, current creation

In 1974 the seat was recreated.

Summary of results

Leicester East has been won by the Labour Party's candidate in 10 of 11 elections since its recreation. Its MP, Keith Vaz, had won an absolute majority (plurality) of votes since the 1992 general election. The 2015 result made the seat the 37-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[3] Leicester East was narrowly won by Conservative candidate Bruinvels at the height of the Tory party's popularity in 1983;[n 2] the following election saw Labour's Keith Vaz regain the seat; he has held it at every election thereafter, and since 1992 has always won by margins of over 20% and 11,000 votes. Vaz won his highest majority ever, 22,428 votes (42.8%), in 2017. In 2019 Labour held the seat with a substantially reduced majority of 6,019, down from 22,428 - a swing of 15%.

Opposition parties

The candidate fielded by the Conservative Party has been runner-up in every election save for Bruinvels' win in 1983. The candidate of UKIP for the first time took third place in 2015, her 2010 counterpart having won 1.5% of the vote and the party not having stood before. The pro-UKIP swing between 2010 and 2015 elections, of 7.4%, was less than the national average of 9.5%. Cooper fell 1.8% short of second place in 2005, giving the best result of a Liberal Democrat to date, attracting just under one fifth of the vote.

Turnout

Turnout in the recreated seat has ranged between 78.7% in 1992 to 62.1% in 2001.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1918–1950
YearMember[4]Party
1918Sir Gordon HewartLiberal
1922 by-electionGeorge BantonLabour
1922Arthur EvansNational Liberal
1923George BantonLabour
1924John LoderConservative
1929Frank WiseLabour
1931Abraham LyonsConservative
1945Terence DonovanLabour
1950 constituency abolished

MPs since 1974
YearMember[4]Party
Feb 1974 Tom Bradley Labour
1981Social Democrat
1983Peter BruinvelsConservative
1987 Keith Vaz Labour
2019 Claudia Webbe
Sep 2020 Independent

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Leicester East[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Claudia Webbe 25,090 50.8 -16.2
Conservative Bhupendra Dave 19,071 38.6 +14.4
Liberal Democrats Nitesh Dave 2,800 5.7 +3.1
Brexit Party Tara Baldwin 1,243 2.5 New
Green Melanie Wakley 888 1.8 -0.2
Independent Sanjay Gogia 329 0.7 New
Majority 6,019 12.2 -30.6
Turnout 49,421 63.0 -4.4
Labour hold Swing -15.3
General election 2017: Leicester East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 35,116 67.0 +5.9
Conservative Edward Yi He 12,688 24.2 +1.2
Independent Sujata Barot 1,753 3.3 New
Liberal Democrats Nitesh Dave 1,343 2.6 0.0
Green Melanie Wakley 1,070 2.0 -1.1
Independent Ian Fox 454 0.9 New
Majority 22,428 42.8 +4.6
Turnout 52,424 67.4 +3.7
Labour hold Swing +2.3
General election 2015: Leicester East[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 29,386 61.1 +7.4
Conservative Kishan Devani 11,034 23.0 -1.5
UKIP Susanna Steptoe 4,290 8.9 +7.4
Green Nimit Jethwa 1,468 3.1 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Dave Raval 1,233 2.6 -11.6
TUSC Michael Barker 540 1.1 New
Independent Tom Darwood 117 0.2 New
Majority 18,352 38.2 +8.9
Turnout 48,599 63.7 -2.1
Labour hold Swing +4.5
General election 2010: Leicester East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 25,804 53.8 −5.0
Conservative Jane Hunt 11,722 24.4 +4.6
Liberal Democrats Ali Asghar 6,817 14.2 −2.3
BNP Colin Gilmore[8] 1,700 3.5 New
Green Mo Taylor[9] 733 1.5 New
UKIP Felicity Ransome 725 1.5 New
Unity for Peace and Socialism Avtar Sadiq 494 1.0 New
Majority 14,082 29.3 -9.6
Turnout 47,995 65.8 +3.9
Labour hold Swing −4.8

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: Leicester East[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 24,015 58.1 +0.5
Conservative Suella Fernandes 8,139 19.7 −4.8
Liberal Democrats Susan Cooper 7,052 17.1 +4.8
Veritas Colin Brown 1,666 4.0 New
Socialist Labour Valerie Smalley 434 1.1 −1.0
Majority 15,876 38.4 +5.3
Turnout 41,306 62.2 +0.1
Labour hold Swing +2.6

In 2005 this seat bucked the national trend as there was a swing to Labour whereas the national swing was 2.5% to the Conservatives.

General election 2001: Leicester East[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 23,402 57.6 −7.9
Conservative John Mugglestone 9,960 24.5 +0.5
Liberal Democrats Harpinder Athwal 4,989 12.3 +5.3
Socialist Labour David Roberts 837 2.1 +1.1
BNP Clive Potter 772 1.9 New
Independent Shirley Bennett 701 1.7 +1.5
Majority 13,442 33.1 -8.4
Turnout 40,661 62.1 −7.0
Labour hold Swing -4.2

Elections in the 1990s
General election 1997: Leicester East[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 29,083 65.50 +9.2
Conservative Simon Milton 10,661 24.01 -9.7
Liberal Democrats Jay Matabudul 3,105 6.99 -1.1
Referendum Philip Iwaniw 1,015 2.29 New
Socialist Labour Sohan Singh Sidhu 436 0.98 New
Independent Neil Slack 102 0.23 New
Majority 18,422 41.49 +18.8
Turnout 44,402 69.11
Labour hold Swing +9.4
General election 1992: Leicester East[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 28,123 56.3 +10.1
Conservative Jeffery C. Stevens 16,807 33.7 −8.8
Liberal Democrats Sheila A. Mitchell 4,043 8.1 −3.3
Green Murray R. Frankland 453 0.9 New
Independent Dennis J. Taylor 308 0.6 New
Natural Law ASK Mahaldar 186 0.4 New
Majority 11,316 22.6 +18.9
Turnout 49,920 78.7 +0.1
Labour hold Swing +9.5

Elections in the 1980s
General election 1987: Leicester East[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Vaz 24,074 46.2 +9.2
Conservative Peter Bruinvels 22,150 42.47 +3.6
SDP Aileen Ayres 5,935 11.38 -9.7
Majority 1,924 3.69 N/A
Turnout 52,159 78.59
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General election 1983: Leicester East[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Bruinvels 19,117 38.94 -2.34
Labour Patricia Hewitt 18,184 37.04 -9.86
SDP Tom Bradley 10,362 21.11 +21.11
Independent RV Ganatra 970 1.98 New
BNP RL Sutton 459 0.93 New
Majority 933 1.90 N/A
Turnout 49,092 73.19
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1979: Leicester East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Bradley 23,844 46.90 +2.12
Conservative M Waterhouse 20,988 41.28 +4.75
Liberal B Andrews 4,623 9.09 -3.18
National Front BJ Calver 1,385 2.72 -3.70
Majority 2,856 5.62 -2.63
Turnout 50,840 75.58
Labour hold Swing
General election October 1974: Leicester East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Bradley 20,688 44.78 +0.1
Conservative KG Reeves 16,877 36.53 -8.3
Liberal W Capstick 5,668 12.27 New
National Front A Reed-Herbert 2,967 6.42 -1.1
Majority 3,811 8.25 +6.35
Turnout 46,200 72.30
Labour hold Swing
General election February 1974: Leicester East[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Bradley 23,474 47.7 N/A
Conservative K.G. Reeves 22,061 44.8 N/A
National Front K. Sanders 3,662 7.5 N/A
Majority 1,413 2.9 N/A
Turnout 49,199 77.8 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

Elections in the 1940s
General election 1945: Leicester East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terence Donovan 28,414 56.94
Conservative Abraham Lyons 15,182 30.42
Liberal David Goodwillie Galloway 6,306 12.64
Majority 13,232 26.52 N/A
Turnout 49,902 76.05
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1935: Leicester East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abraham Lyons 20,442 49.28
Labour Frederick Gould 17,532 42.62
Liberal Frederick Lawson 3,509 8.46 New
Majority 2,910 6.66
Turnout 41,483 70.18
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1931: Leicester East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abraham Lyons 30,265 68.67
Labour Frank Wise 13,811 31.33
Majority 16,454 37.34 N/A
Turnout 44,076 79.10
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1929: Leicester East[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Wise 22,533 50.8 +1.5
Unionist John Loder 13,801 31.1 −19.6
Liberal Frederick Lawson 8,054 18.1 New
Majority 8,732 19.7 N/A
Turnout 44,388 81.6 +2.0
Registered electors 54,364
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +1.6
General election 1924: Leicester East[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Loder 16,090 50.7 +22.7
Labour George Banton 15,669 49.3 +4.5
Majority 421 1.4 N/A
Turnout 31,759 79.6 +3.5
Registered electors 39,906
Unionist gain from Labour Swing +9.1
General election 1923: Leicester East[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Banton 13,162 44.8 −2.9
Unionist Arthur Evans 8,247 28.0 New
Liberal James Henderson-Stewart 7,998 27.2 −25.1
Majority 4,915 16.8 N/A
Turnout 29,407 76.1 −0.8
Registered electors 38,658
Labour gain from National Liberal Swing +11.1
General election 1922: Leicester East[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Arthur Evans 15,164 52.3 N/A
Labour George Banton 13,850 47.7 +20.6
Majority 1,314 4.6 N/A
Turnout 29,014 76.9 +11.3
Registered electors 37,749
National Liberal gain from Liberal Swing N/A
1922 Leicester East by-election[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Banton 14,062 52.9 +25.8
Coalition Liberal Albert E. Marlow 8,710 32.7 −40.2
Liberal Ronald Wilberforce Allen 3,825 14.4 N/A
Majority 5,352 20.1 N/A
Turnout 26,597 71.3 +5.7
Registered electors 37,319
Labour gain from Coalition Liberal Swing +33.0

Election in the 1910s
General election 1918: Leicester East[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Liberal Gordon Hewart 18,024 72.9
Labour George Banton 6,697 27.1
Majority 11,327 45.8
Turnout 24,721 65.6
Registered electors 37,687
Liberal win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

See also

Notes
  1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer).
  2. Soon thereafter, a lay canon, Peter Bruinvels served the seat 1983-1987.

References
  1. "2011 Electorate Figures". Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. Walker, Peter; Syal, Rajeev (28 September 2020). "Labour suspends MP Claudia Webbe over harassment charge". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  3. List of Labour MPs elected in 2015 by % majority UK Political.info. Retrieved 2017-01-29
  4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 2)
  5. "Leicester East Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  6. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. "Full slate in Leicestershire as BNP candidate nominated in Leicester East". BNP. March 2010. Archived from the original on 30 March 2010.
  9. "Green Candidate Mo Taylor for Leicester East". Green Party. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  10. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. "General Election 1992". Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  15. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. "UK General Election results: February 1974 [Archive]". Politics Resources. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  18. Craig, F. W. S. (1969). British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications.

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