North West Durham (UK Parliament constituency)

1885–1918

A first incarnation of the seat occurred under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 however this was abolished in 1918 to create Consett and to enlarge, using its Weardale part, Barnard Castle. During the first creation, Liberals represented the area and the first member until 1914 was the son of a prominent Chartist, Ernest Jones, and helped to promote New Liberalism, encouraging the Liberal Party to take on instead the politics of "mass working-class" appeal. This politics was epitomised by David Lloyd George whose People's Budget in 1909 led to the supremacy of the House of Commons over the House of Lords in 1911, national pensions under a basic welfare state (but without a National Health Service).

1950–present

On its recreation in 1950, North-West Durham became the successor to Barnard Castle save for the town of that name and its immediate vicinity which instead joined the Bishop Auckland seat. Consett was abolished in 1983 having seen a gradual decline in population in the latter half of its years, and its area was added to North West Durham that year. Until December 2019, this seat has been represented in Westminster by members of the Labour Party, it is now represented by Richard Holden of the Conservative Party.

Both the future Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, Theresa May, and the future Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, were candidates for their respective parties at this seat for the 1992 general election, which both of them lost to incumbent Labour MP Hilary Armstrong.

North West Durham constituency within northern Durham, showing boundaries used from 1885–1918

1950–1974: The Urban Districts of Brandon and Byshottles, Crook and Willington, and Tow Law, and the Rural Districts of Lanchester and Weardale.

1974–1983: The Urban Districts of Brandon and Byshottles, Crook and Willington, Spennymoor, and Tow Law, the Rural Districts of Lanchester and Weardale, and the parish of Brancepeth in the Rural District of Durham.

1983–1997: The District of Derwentside wards of Benfieldside, Blackhill, Burnhope, Burnopfield, Castleside, Consett North, Consett South, Cornsay, Crookhall, Delves Lane, Ebchester and Medomsley, Esh, Lanchester, and Leadgate, and the District of Wear Valley wards of Crook North, Crook South, Howden, Hunwick, St John's Chapel, Stanhope, Stanley, Tow Law, Wheatbottom and Helmington Row, Willington East, Willington West, and Wolsingham.

1997–2010: The District of Derwentside wards of Benfieldside, Blackhill, Burnhope, Burnopfield, Castleside, Consett North, Consett South, Cornsay, Crookhall, Delves Lane, Dipton, Ebchester and Medomsley, Esh, Lanchester, and Leadgate, and the District of Wear Valley wards of Crook North, Crook South, Howden, Hunwick, St John's Chapel, Stanhope, Stanley, Tow Law, Wheatbottom and Helmington Row, Willington East, Willington West, and Wolsingham.

2010–present: The District of Derwentside wards of Benfieldside, Blackhill, Burnhope, Burnopfield, Castleside, Consett East, Consett North, Consett South, Cornsay, Delves Lane, Dipton, Ebchester and Medomsley, Esh, Lanchester, and Leadgate, and the District of Wear Valley wards of Crook North, Crook South, Howden, Hunwick, St John's Chapel, Stanhope, Tow Law and Stanley, Wheatbottom and Helmington Row, Willington Central, Willington West End, Wolsingham, and Witton-le-Wear.[2]

The constituency is in the north west of County Durham, in the North East England region. When it was created in 1885 it centred on two main communities, Consett and Lanchester.

It currently consists of the western part of the former Derwentside district (including Consett and Lanchester) and the northern part of the former Wear Valley district (including Weardale, Crook and Willington).

For many years the area gave large majorities suggesting a safe seat for the Labour Party; the majority of the electorate live in former mining or steel towns, where Labour traditionally have polled higher than other parties with the remainder in rural farms and villages throughout valleys cleft from the eastern, rocky part of the Pennines. The previous MP was Laura Pidcock, who was elected at the 2017 general election. Prior to that, the constituency was served by Pat Glass who announced her intention to step down at the 2017 general election in the wake of the Brexit referendum. Her successor, Laura Pidcock a close supporter of party leader Jeremy Corbyn lost the seat in 2019 general election to the current MP, Richard Holden, as part of the Conservative Party's strategy to target seats in the so-called red wall.

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in County Durham

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References