Stafford is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Jeremy Lefroy, a Conservative.[n 2]
History
Stafford, as a parliamentary borough, first existed between the Model Parliament in 1295 and 1950.
The current constituency was created for the 1983 general election.
- Prominent members
The town was represented in Parliament by leading playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan at the end of the 18th century.
- Political history
Taken together with the Stafford and Stone seat which existed during the 33-year gap mentioned above, since 1910 when the last Liberal served the seat, the Conservative party has had five members and the Labour party two (this total includes the present member). In summary:
- Labour saw a bellwether result in their 1945 landslide victory, but a Conservative regained the seat at the next election in 1950 in the successor seat which he held until his death in 1984.
- Effects from the creation of the Stone constituency in 1997 made Stafford somewhat more marginal: sitting Stafford MP Bill Cash followed some of his electors into the Stone constituency, which he won, and after a 47-year lack of a member, Labour's David Kidney gained the constituency in his party's landslide victory in 1997.[n 3]
Boundaries
1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Stafford, the Rural District of Gnosall, the Rural District consisting of the civil parishes of Blymhill and Weston-under-Lizard, the Rural District of Stafford except the detached part of the civil parish of Colwich, and part of the Rural District of Cannock.
1983-1997: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castle, Church Eaton, Common, Coton, Eccleshall, Forebridge, Gnosall, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Penkside, Rowley, Seighford, Swynnerton, Tillington, Weeping Cross, and Woodseaves, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Loggerheads, Madeley, and Whitmore.
1997-2010: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castle, Common, Coton, Forebridge, Haywood, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Penkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Acton Trussell, Bishopswood and Lapley, Penkridge North East, Penkridge South East, and Penkridge West.
2010-present: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Common, Coton, Forebridge, Haywood and Hixon, Highfields and Western Downs, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Penkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Penkridge North East and Acton Trussell, Penkridge South East, Penkridge West, and Wheaton Aston, Bishopswood and Lapley.
The constituency forms the southerly part of the borough of Stafford, including the eponymous town itself plus the Penkridge area.
Constituency profile
The town has historical significance, featuring the Elizabethan Ancient High House, a museum with changing exhibitions and Stafford Castle. In terms of industry and commerce, the physics and engineering niche of large power station transformers are produced in the seat whereas the area to the north is famous for fine china, the Staffordshire Potteries from the companies Aynsley, Burleigh, Doulton, Dudson, Heron Cross, Minton, Moorcroft, Twyford, and Wedgwood. The area is also well known for the Staffordshire Hoard, Alton Towers and has a Building Society based in the town.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[3]
Members of Parliament
Stafford parliamentary borough
MPs 1295–1640
- Constituency created (1295)[4]
MPs 1640–1885
MPs 1885–1918
Stafford division of Staffordshire
MPs 1918–1950
Stafford county constituency
MPs since 1983
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
- Death of Sir Hugh Fraser 6 March 1984
Election in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1900s
Charles Shaw
See also
Notes and references
- Notes
- ↑ A county 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.
- ↑ The defeated Conservative candidate in 1997 was David Cameron, who in the next election was elected as the MP for the safe seat of Witney, and became the Conservative Party leader in 2005, and Prime Minister in 2010.
- References
- ↑ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ "'Stafford', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ↑ "Tamworth Parliamentary Borough 1275–1832". The Staffordshire Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Wedgwood, Josiah C. (1917). Parliamentary History of Staffordshire, Volume I. William Salt Archaeological Society. p. 74.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "History of Parliament". Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ↑ Cavill. The English Parliaments of Henry VII 1485-1504.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "History of Parliament". Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "History of Parliament". Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London|| Thomas Hansard, 1808)
- 1 2 Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia|| American Philosophical Society, 1988)
- 1 2 3 4 5 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)
- ↑ Chetwynd was initially declared re-elected in 1710, but on petition (in a dispute over the franchise), he was adjudged not have been duly elected and his opponent, Vernon, was seated in his place. (Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (1807), Volume 1, p 177)
- 1 2 Elde's opponent, Chetwynd, petitioned against the 1724 result. Elde was "unanimously expelled the House for having offered to compromise the petition against his return", and Chetwynd was seated in his place. (Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847, Volume 2 (London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co, 1845), p 45)
- ↑ After Goodricke resigned to contest another constituency in May 1835, the House of Commons refused to issue a writ for a new election until February 1837, when the motion to issue a writ was passed by a single vote. (F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885, 2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989, p 283)
- ↑ The 1868 election was declared void on petition and a new election was held – F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885. (F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885, 2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989, p 283)
- ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ BBC 2010 General Election Site
- ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ BBC 2005 General Election Site
- ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ BBC 2001 General Election Site
- ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ BBC 1997 General Election Site
- ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
- ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
- 1 2 3 4 British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
Sources
- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- Britain Votes/Europe Votes By-Election Supplement 1983–, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1985)
- Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807)
- D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
- Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808)
- Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847, Volume 2 (London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co, 1845)