Crewe and Nantwich (UK Parliament constituency)

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Crewe and Nantwich
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Crewe and Nantwich in Cheshire
Outline map
Location of Cheshire within England
CountyCheshire
Electorate79,088 (December 2021)[1]
Major settlementsCrewe, Nantwich
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentKieran Mullan (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromCrewe, Nantwich

Crewe and Nantwich is a constituency in Cheshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was created in 1983; since 2019 its Member of Parliament (MP) has been Kieran Mullan of the Conservative Party.

Constituency profile[edit]

The constituency was created for the 1983 general election following the major reorganisation of local authorities under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974. It combined parts of the abolished separate constituencies of Crewe and Nantwich and reunited the towns of Crewe and Nantwich in one constituency.

The seat is marginal as Crewe tends to vote Labour, and Nantwich and the surrounding Cheshire villages are more Conservative-inclined. Its residents are slightly poorer than the UK average.[2]

Boundaries[edit]

Map
Map of present boundaries
  • 1983–1997: The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich wards of Acton, Alexandra, Audlem, Barony Weaver, Bunbury, Combermere, Coppenhall, Delamere, Grosvenor, Maw Green, Minshull, Peckforton, Queens Park, Ruskin Park, St Barnabas, St John's, Shavington, Waldron, Wellington, Weston Park, Willaston East, Willaston West, Wistaston, Wrenbury, and Wybunbury[3]

Comprised the former Municipal Borough of Crewe, previously making up about half of the abolished constituency of Crewe, together with Nantwich and remaining parts of the new Borough of Crewe and Nantwich (excluding Haslington), previously in the abolished constituency of Nantwich

  • 1997–2010: The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich wards of Alexandra, Barony Weaver, Coppenhall, Delamere, Grosvenor, Haslington, Maw Green, Queens Park, Ruskin Park, St Barnabas, St John's, Shavington, Waldron, Wellington, Weston Park, Willaston East, Willaston West, Wistaston, and Wybunbury[4]

The rural wards of Acton, Audlem, Bunbury, Combermere, Minshull, Peckforton, and Wrenbury were transferred to Eddisbury. To compensate for this loss, Haslington was transferred from Congleton

  • 2010–present: The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 defined the boundaries as:

The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich wards of Alexandra, Barony Weaver, Birchin, Coppenhall, Delamere, Englesea, Grosvenor, Haslington, Leighton, Maw Green, St Barnabas, St John's, St Mary's, Shavington, Valley, Waldron, Wellington, Wells Green, Willaston, Wistaston Green, and Wybunbury[5]

Minor changes due to revision of ward boundaries

However, before this came into force for the 2010 election, the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich was abolished on 1 April 2009, becoming part of the new unitary authority of Cheshire East. Consequently, the constituency's boundaries are currently:

  • The Cheshire East Borough wards of Crewe Central, Crewe East, Crewe North, Crewe St Barnabas, Crewe South, Crewe West, Haslington, Leighton (part), Nantwich North & West, Nantwich South & Stapeley, Shavington, Willaston & Rope, Wistaston, and Wybunbury

Proposed[edit]

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be reduced to bring the electorate within the permitted range. This will be achieved by including Wybunbury in the new constituency of Chester South and Eddisbury.[6]

Political history[edit]

The seat had been a marginal seat since 2008, as its winner's majority had not exceeded 11.8% of the vote since the 18.9% majority won in that year. A swing seat, it has changed hands twice since 2008. Its 2017 general election result was the eighth-closest result, a winning margin of 48 votes.[7] In 2019, the Conservative candidate secured a 15.7% majority.

On its formation for the 1983 general election, the Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, who had served for the previous constituency of Crewe, came close to losing her second seat in 1983 (she had earlier lost her Exeter seat in 1970), when she scraped in by just 290 votes. Dunwoody increased her majorities at the general elections of 1987, 1992 and 1997. Her majority was slightly reduced at the 2001 and 2005 general elections. She died on 17 April 2008, after 34 years representing the seat and its predecessor, leading to a by-election held on 22 May 2008 which was won by the Conservative candidate Edward Timpson.[8][9][10][11] The Labour candidate, Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin, came a distant second. Having previously enjoyed a considerable lead in support over the Conservatives (as indicated in Gwyneth Dunwoody's over 7,000 majority in 2005), the Labour government had lost support due to the onset of the global recession and Gordon Brown’s relatively weak image as a leader.

The by-election produced the first Conservative MP for the seat and nationally the first gain for a Conservative Party candidate at a parliamentary by-election since the Mitcham and Morden by-election in 1982 during the Falklands War, and the first from Labour since the Ilford North by-election of 1978.

Timpson held the seat until 2017, where Labour's Laura Smith gained it with a narrow majority of just 48 votes, the closest margin in the seat's history and the second-narrowest Labour gain of the election (behind Kensington, at 20 votes). In the 2019 General Election the Conservatives regained the seat with a majority of 8,508 on a swing of 7.9% to the Conservatives, with Kieran Mullan becoming the new MP. Edward Timpson became the Conservatives' 2019 candidate for Eddisbury, replacing Antoinette Sandbach, who lost the whip earlier that year due to her opposition to a no-deal Brexit; Timpson regained the seat for the Conservatives.

Members of Parliament[edit]

Election Member[12] Party
1983 Gwyneth Dunwoody Labour
2008 by-election Edward Timpson Conservative
2017 Laura Smith Labour
2019 Kieran Mullan Conservative

Elections[edit]

Elections in the 2020s[edit]

Next general election: Crewe and Nantwich
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ben Fletcher[13]
Labour Connor Naismith[14]
Liberal Democrats Matt Theobald[15]
Green Te Ata Browne[16]
Reform UK Matthew Wood[17]

Elections in the 2010s[edit]

General election 2019: Crewe and Nantwich[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kieran Mullan 28,704 53.1 +6.1
Labour Laura Smith 20,196 37.4 −9.7
Liberal Democrats Matthew Theobald 2,618 4.8 +2.4
Brexit Party Matt Wood 1,390 2.6 New
Green Te Ata Browne 975 1.8 New
Libertarian Andrew Kinsman 149 0.3 New
Majority 8,508 15.7 N/A
Turnout 54,032 67.3 −2.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +7.9
General election 2017: Crewe and Nantwich[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Laura Smith 25,928 47.1 +9.4
Conservative Edward Timpson 25,880 47.0 +2.0
UKIP Michael Stanley 1,885 3.4 −11.1
Liberal Democrats David Crowther 1,334 2.4 −0.4
Majority 48 0.1 N/A
Turnout 55,027 69.7 +2.3
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +3.7
General election 2015: Crewe and Nantwich[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Timpson 22,445 45.0 −0.8
Labour Adrian Heald 18,825 37.7 +3.7
UKIP Richard Lee 7,252 14.5 +11.7
Liberal Democrats Roy Wood 1,374 2.8 −12.2
Majority 3,620 7.3 −4.5
Turnout 49,896 67.4 +1.5
Conservative hold Swing −2.3
General election 2010: Crewe and Nantwich[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Timpson 23,420 45.8 +12.9
Labour David Williams 17,374 34.0 -14.4
Liberal Democrats Roy Wood 7,656 15.0 -3.7
UKIP James Clutton 1,414 2.8 New
BNP Phil Williams 1,043 2.0 New
Independent Mike Parsons 177 0.3 New
Majority 6,046 11.8 N/A
Turnout 51,084 65.9 -2.0
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +17.6

Elections in the 2000s[edit]

2008 by-election: Crewe and Nantwich[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Timpson 20,539 49.5 +16.9
Labour Tamsin Dunwoody 12,679 30.6 -18.2
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Shenton 6,040 14.6 -4.0
UKIP Mike Nattrass 922 2.2 New
Green Robert Smith 359 0.9 New
English Democrat David Roberts 275 0.7 New
Monster Raving Loony The Flying Brick 236 0.6 New
Independent Mark Walklate 217 0.5 New
Cut Tax on Diesel and Petrol Paul Thorogood 118 0.3 New
Independent Gemma Garrett 113 0.3 New
Majority 7,860 18.9 N/A
Turnout 41,498 58.2 -1.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +17.6
General election 2005: Crewe and Nantwich[24][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gwyneth Dunwoody 21,240 48.8 -5.5
Conservative Eveleigh Moore-Dutton 14,162 32.6 +2.2
Liberal Democrats Paul Roberts 8,083 18.6 +5.1
Majority 7,078 16.2 -6.7
Turnout 43,485 60.0 -0.2
Labour hold Swing -3.7
General election 2001: Crewe and Nantwich[26][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gwyneth Dunwoody 22,556 54.3 −3.9
Conservative Donald Potter 12,650 30.4 +3.4
Liberal Democrats David Cannon 5,595 13.5 +1.8
UKIP Roger Croston 746 1.8 New
Majority 9,906 23.9 -7.3
Turnout 41,547 60.2 -13.7
Labour hold Swing −3.8

Elections in the 1990s[edit]

General election 1997: Crewe and Nantwich[27][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gwyneth Dunwoody 29,460 58.2 +10.6
Conservative Michael Loveridge 13,662 27.0 −11.5
Liberal Democrats David Cannon 5,940 11.7 −0.8
Referendum Peter Astbury 1,543 3.0 New
Majority 15,798 31.2 +26.8
Turnout 50,605 73.9 −8.0
Labour hold Swing +13.4
General election 1992: Crewe and Nantwich[28][25][29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gwyneth Dunwoody 28,065 45.7 +1.7
Conservative Brian Silvester 25,370 41.3 −0.8
Liberal Democrats Gwyn Griffiths 7,315 11.9 −2.0
Green Natalie Wilkinson 651 1.1 New
Majority 2,695 4.4 +2.5
Turnout 61,401 81.9 +2.6
Labour hold Swing +1.3

Elections in the 1980s[edit]

General election 1987: Crewe and Nantwich[30][31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gwyneth Dunwoody 25,457 44.0 +2.9
Conservative Angela Browning 24,365 42.1 +1.5
SDP Kenneth Roberts 8,022 13.9 −4.4
Majority 1,092 1.9 +1.4
Turnout 57,844 79.3 +4.6
Labour hold Swing
General election 1983: Crewe and Nantwich[32][33]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gwyneth Dunwoody 22,031 41.1
Conservative Patrick Rock 21,741 40.6
SDP John Pollard 9,820 18.3
Majority 290 0.5
Turnout 53,592 74.7
Labour win (new seat)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Electoral statistics for the UK, December 2021 edition". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Seat Details - Crewe and Nantwich". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF). 16 March 1983 – via Legislation.gov.uk.
  4. ^ "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". 28 June 1995. Retrieved 27 November 2021 – via Legislation.gov.uk.
  5. ^ "Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". 13 June 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2021 – via Legislation.gov.uk.
  6. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  7. ^ "GE2017: Marginal seats and turnout". House of Commons Library. UK Parliament. 23 June 2017.
  8. ^ "MP Gwyneth Dunwoody dies aged 77". BBC News. 17 April 2008.
  9. ^ "By-election to replace veteran MP". BBC News. 29 April 2008.
  10. ^ a b Watt, Nicholas (23 May 2008). "Conservatives win Crewe and Nantwich byelection with 7,860 majority". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
  11. ^ a b "Tories snatch Crewe from Labour". BBC News. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2008. Tory candidate Edward Timpson won 7,860 more votes than his Labour rival, overturning a 7,000 Labour majority at the general election – a 17.6% swing
  12. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
  13. ^ "Tory candidate will champion thriving high streets". BBC News. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Labour select MP candidate for Crewe and Nantwich". BBC News. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Te Ata Browne is Green Party candidate for Crewe & Nantwich". Nantwich News. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Crewe and Nantwich Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Crewe & Nantwich". Election 2019. BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Crewe & Nantwich". Election 2017. BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ^ "General Election 2015 – Crewe and Nantwich". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  23. ^ General Election 2010 – Crewe and Nantwich BBC News
  24. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  25. ^ a b c d ""Aristotle: Crewe and Nantwich". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
  26. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  27. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  28. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  29. ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Political Science Resources. Richard Kimber. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  30. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  31. ^ "UK General Election results June 1987". Political Science Resources.
  32. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  33. ^ "UK General Election results June 1983". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2008.

53°5′N 2°29′W / 53.083°N 2.483°W / 53.083; -2.483

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