Wellingborough | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Northamptonshire |
Electorate | 79,376 (2024) |
Major settlements | Wellingborough, Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Irchester and Finedon |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1918 |
Member of Parliament | Gen Kitchen (Labour) |
Created from | East Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire |
Wellingborough is a constituency in Northamptonshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The seat is currently held by Labour MP Gen Kitchen, after the recall of MP Peter Bone in December 2023 which resulted in a by-election in February 2024.
Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency will be known as Wellingborough and Rushden from the 2024 general election. [1]
This seat was created under the Representation of the People Act 1918.
Wellingborough's earliest years were left-leaning. Between 1964 and 2005, the seat kept on producing examples of bellwether results and rarely showed itself to be safe for more than one government term. Departing from this are two years where the result has defied the most common result nationwide, by leaning towards the Conservative Party, in 1974 (twice). Since 2010 it became a safe seat for the Conservatives until the 2024 by-election.
In the 2016 EU referendum, Wellingborough voted 62.4% leave (25,679 votes) to 37.6% remain (15,462 votes) [2]
Sir Geoffrey Shakespeare was a Lloyd-Georgist National Liberal who served in junior ministerial roles through much of the Second World War, including briefly as the Secretary for Overseas Trade in 1940.
1918–1950: The Borough of Higham Ferrers, the Urban Districts of Finedon, Irthlingborough, Raunds, Rushden, and Wellingborough, the Rural District of Wellingborough, and in the Rural District of Thrapston the parishes of Chelveston cum Caldecott, Hargrave, and Stanwick.
1950–1974: The Borough of Higham Ferrers, the Urban Districts of Irthlingborough, Raunds, Rushden, and Wellingborough, the Rural District of Wellingborough, and in the Rural District of Oundle and Thrapston the civil parishes of Chelveston cum Caldecott and Hargrave.
1974–1983: The Borough of Higham Ferrers, the Urban Districts of Irthlingborough, Oundle, Raunds, Rushden, and Wellingborough, and the Rural Districts of Oundle and Thrapston, and Wellingborough. [3]
1983–2010: The Borough of Wellingborough, and the District of East Northamptonshire wards of Higham Ferrers, Rushden East, Rushden North, Rushden South, and Rushden West.
2010–2021: The Borough of Wellingborough wards of Brickhill, Castle, Croyland, Finedon, Great Doddington and Wilby, Hemmingwell, Irchester, North, Queensway, Redwell East, Redwell West, South, Swanspool, and Wollaston, and the District of East Northamptonshire wards of Higham Ferrers, Rushden East, Rushden North, Rushden South, and Rushden West.
2021–2024: With effect from 1 April 2021, the Borough of Wellingborough and the District of East Northamptonshire were abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of North Northamptonshire. [4] From that date, the constituency comprised the District of North Northamptonshire wards of Brickhill and Queensway, Croyland and Swanspool; Earls Barton (part), Finedon, Hatton Park, Higham Ferrers, Irchester, Irthlingborough, Rushden Pemberton West and Rushden South.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 April 2021):
The parts of the Earls Barton ward were transferred to Daventry. In addition, parts of the Irchester ward were transferred to South Northamptonshire, whilst the parts of the Irthlingborough ward were transferred in from Corby.
The constituency is named after the towns of Wellingborough and Rushden. It also includes the small town of Higham Ferrers, which was itself a borough constituency until its abolition as one of the rotten boroughs in 1832.
Strengths in local industries here or in neighbouring Northampton and Kettering include in printing, logistics and distribution, automotive (assembly and design), construction, food processing and advanced engineering sectors. Despite this, a decline in the traditional local industries such as quarrying, furniture making and textiles pushes workless claimants who were registered jobseekers in November 2012 higher than the national (and regional) average of 3.8%, at 4.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . [6]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SDP | Jeremy Brittin | ||||
Reform UK | Ben Habib | ||||
Labour | Gen Kitchen | ||||
Green | Paul Mannion [9] | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Christopher Townsend [10] | ||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Gen Kitchen | 13,844 | 45.9 | +19.4 | |
Conservative | Helen Harrison | 7,408 | 24.6 | -37.6 | |
Reform UK | Ben Habib | 3,919 | 13.0 | new | |
Liberal Democrats | Ana Savage Gunn | 1,422 | 4.7 | -3.2 | |
Independent | Marion Turner-Hawes | 1,115 | 3.7 | new | |
Green | Will Morris | 1,020 | 3.4 | -0.1 | |
Independent | Kevin Watts | 533 | 1.8 | new | |
Britain First | Alex Merola | 477 | 1.6 | new | |
Monster Raving Loony | Nick the Flying Brick | 217 | 0.7 | new | |
Independent | Andre Pyne-Bailey | 172 | 0.6 | new | |
Independent | Ankit Love Jknpp Jay Mala Post-Mortem | 18 | 0.1 | new | |
Majority | 6,436 | 21.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 30,145 | 38.0 | -26.3 | ||
Registered electors | 79,376 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +28.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bone | 32,277 | 62.2 | +4.8 | |
Labour | Andrea Watts | 13,737 | 26.5 | –7.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Suzanna Austin | 4,078 | 7.9 | +4.6 | |
Green | Marion Turner-Hawes | 1,821 | 3.5 | +1.7 | |
Majority | 18,540 | 35.7 | +12.3 | ||
Turnout | 51,913 | 64.3 | –2.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.15 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bone | 30,579 | 57.4 | +5.3 | |
Labour | Andrea Watts | 18,119 | 34.0 | +14.5 | |
UKIP | Alan Shipham | 1,804 | 3.4 | –16.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Chris Nelson | 1,782 | 3.3 | –1.1 | |
Green | Jonathan Hornett | 956 | 1.8 | –2.6 | |
Majority | 12,460 | 23.4 | –9.1 | ||
Turnout | 53,240 | 67.2 | +1.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | –4.55 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bone | 26,265 | 52.1 | +3.9 | |
UKIP | Jonathan Munday [17] | 9,868 | 19.6 | +16.4 | |
Labour | Richard Garvie 1 | 9,839 | 19.5 | –5.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Chris Nelson | 2,240 | 4.4 | –12.7 | |
Green | Marion-Turner-Hawes | 2,218 | 4.4 | +3.5 | |
Majority | 16,397 | 32.5 | +9.7 | ||
Turnout | 50,430 | 65.4 | –1.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | –6.3 | |||
1: After nominations were closed, Garvie was suspended from the Labour Party after he was convicted of fraud after buying £900 of train tickets with a closed bank account. [18] He still appeared on ballot papers as Labour.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bone | 24,918 | 48.2 | +5.5 | |
Labour | Jayne Buckland | 13,131 | 25.4 | –16.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kevin Barron | 8,848 | 17.1 | +5.6 | |
UKIP | Adrian Haynes | 1,636 | 3.2 | +0.9 | |
BNP | Rob Walker | 1,596 | 3.1 | New | |
English Democrat | Terry Spencer | 530 | 1.0 | New | |
Green | Jonathan Hornett | 480 | 0.9 | New | |
TUSC | Paul Crofts | 249 | 0.5 | New | |
Independent | Gary Donaldson | 240 | 0.5 | New | |
Independent | Marcus Lavin | 33 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 11,787 | 22.8 | +21.5 | ||
Turnout | 51,661 | 67.2 | +1.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +10.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Bone | 22,674 | 42.8 | +0.6 | |
Labour | Paul Stinchcombe | 21,987 | 41.5 | –5.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Richard Church | 6,147 | 11.6 | +2.3 | |
UKIP | James Wrench | 1,214 | 2.3 | +0.6 | |
Veritas | Nicholas Alex | 749 | 1.4 | New | |
Socialist Labour | Andy Dickson | 234 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 687 | 1.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 53,005 | 66.5 | +2.4 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +2.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Paul Stinchcombe | 23,867 | 46.8 | +2.6 | |
Conservative | Peter Bone | 21,512 | 42.2 | –1.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Peter Gaskell | 4,763 | 9.3 | –0.1 | |
UKIP | Tony Ellwood | 864 | 1.7 | -0.4 | |
Majority | 2,355 | 4.6 | +4.2 | ||
Turnout | 51,006 | 64.1 | –10.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +2.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Paul Stinchcombe | 24,854 | 44.2 | +10.3 | |
Conservative | Peter Fry | 24,667 | 43.8 | –9.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Peter Smith | 5,279 | 9.4 | –3.4 | |
UKIP | Tony Ellwood | 1,192 | 2.1 | New | |
Natural Law | Annie Lorys | 297 | 0.5 | New | |
Majority | 187 | 0.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 56,289 | 74.8 | –7.1 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 32,302 | 53.4 | +0.7 | |
Labour | Phil Sawford | 20,486 | 33.9 | +6.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Julie Trevor | 7,714 | 12.8 | –7.3 | |
Majority | 11,816 | 19.5 | –6.0 | ||
Turnout | 60,502 | 81.9 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | –3.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 29,038 | 52.7 | +3.8 | |
Labour | James Currie | 14,968 | 27.2 | +1.2 | |
Liberal | Leslie Stringer | 11,047 | 20.1 | –4.6 | |
Majority | 14,070 | 25.5 | +2.6 | ||
Turnout | 55,053 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 25,715 | 48.9 | –3.4 | |
Labour | John H. Mann | 13,659 | 26.0 | –8.9 | |
Liberal | Leslie Stringer | 12,994 | 24.7 | +12.9 | |
Independent | D.M.P. Garnett | 228 | 0.4 | +0.1 | |
Majority | 12,056 | 22.9 | +5.5 | ||
Turnout | 52,596 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 37,812 | 52.3 | +9.5 | |
Labour | D.A. Forwood | 25,278 | 34.9 | –5.3 | |
Liberal | L.E. Stringer | 8,506 | 11.8 | –5.2 | |
National Front | S.F. Wright | 529 | 0.7 | New | |
Independent | D.M.P. Garnett | 228 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 12,534 | 17.4 | +14.8 | ||
Turnout | 72,353 | 81.25 | +1.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +7.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 29,078 | 42.8 | +2.3 | |
Labour | John H. Mann | 27,320 | 40.2 | +2.9 | |
Liberal | Penelope Jessel | 11,500 | 17.0 | –3.9 | |
Majority | 1,758 | 2.6 | –0.6 | ||
Turnout | 67,898 | 79.61 | –5.39 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | –0.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 29,099 | 40.5 | –11.7 | |
Labour | John H. Mann | 26,829 | 37.3 | –10.5 | |
Liberal | Penelope Jessel | 15,049 | 20.9 | New | |
Ind. Conservative | D.T. James | 897 | 1.2 | New | |
Majority | 2,720 | 3.2 | –1.3 | ||
Turnout | 71,874 | 85.00 | –1.34 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | –0.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 27,459 | 52.2 | +4.6 | |
Labour | John H. Mann | 25,107 | 47.8 | –4.6 | |
Majority | 2,352 | 4.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 52,566 | 81.34 | –5.12 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Fry | 22,548 | 54.4 | +6.8 | |
Labour | John H. Mann | 16,499 | 39.8 | –7.8 | |
Independent | M.P. Coney | 2,421 | 5.8 | New | |
Majority | 6,049 | 14.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 41,468 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +7.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Harry Howarth | 24,705 | 52.4 | +10.1 | |
Conservative | John Lawson Leatham | 22,472 | 47.6 | +5.4 | |
Majority | 2,233 | 4.8 | +4.7 | ||
Turnout | 54,566 | 86.46 | –0.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Harry Howarth | 19,592 | 42.26 | –7.17 | |
Conservative | Michael Hamilton | 19,545 | 42.16 | –8.51 | |
Liberal | Philip Arthur John Pettit | 7,227 | 15.59 | New | |
Majority | 47 | 0.10 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 46,364 | 87.11 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Michael Hamilton | 22,964 | 50.67 | +1.61 | |
Labour | George Lindgren | 22,358 | 49.33 | –1.61 | |
Majority | 606 | 1.34 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 45,322 | 86.72 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +1.61 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Lindgren | 22,745 | 51.04 | –1.35 | |
Conservative | Arthur Jones | 21,819 | 48.96 | +1.35 | |
Majority | 926 | 2.08 | |||
Turnout | 44,564 | 86.01 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | –1.35 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Lindgren | 24,113 | 52.39 | +5.29 | |
Conservative | F Richard Parsons | 21,912 | 47.61 | +19.15 | |
Majority | 2,201 | 4.78 | |||
Turnout | 46,025 | 88.38 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Lindgren | 21,640 | 47.10 | –10.61 | |
Conservative | Jaspar Carlisle Sayer | 13,075 | 28.46 | –13.83 | |
Liberal | Edwin Malindine | 11,227 | 24.44 | New | |
Majority | 8,565 | 18.64 | |||
Turnout | 45,942 | 89.51 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Lindgren | 22,416 | 57.71 | ||
Conservative | Archibald James | 16,426 | 42.29 | ||
Majority | 5,990 | 15.42 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 38,842 | 74.39 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Archibald James | 18,085 | 50.52 | ||
Labour | George Dallas | 17,713 | 49.48 | ||
Majority | 372 | 1.04 | |||
Turnout | 35,798 | 77.26 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Archibald James | 22,127 | 61.02 | ||
Labour | George Dallas | 14,137 | 38.98 | ||
Majority | 7,990 | 22.04 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 36,264 | 81.24 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Dallas | 15,300 | 42.2 | +2.2 | |
Liberal | Richard Pattinson Winfrey | 11,255 | 31.0 | +2.2 | |
Unionist | Archibald James | 9,703 | 26.8 | –4.4 | |
Majority | 4,045 | 11.2 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 36,258 | 83.3 | –0.7 | ||
Registered electors | 43,548 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Cove | 11,381 | 40.0 | −2.1 | |
Unionist | Ralph A Raphael | 8,900 | 31.2 | +5.8 | |
Liberal | Humphrey Mackworth Paul | 8,223 | 28.8 | –3.7 | |
Majority | 2,481 | 8.8 | –0.8 | ||
Turnout | 28,504 | 84.0 | +4.1 | ||
Registered electors | 33,934 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | –4.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Cove | 11,175 | 42.1 | –0.3 | |
Liberal | Geoffrey Shakespeare | 8,638 | 32.5 | –25.1 | |
Unionist | Robert Massy-Dawson Sanders | 6,747 | 25.4 | New | |
Majority | 2,537 | 9.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 26,560 | 79.9 | +0.5 | ||
Registered electors | 33,226 | ||||
Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +12.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Liberal | Geoffrey Shakespeare | 14,995 | 57.6 | +10.1 | |
Labour | Walter Smith | 11,057 | 42.4 | –8.1 | |
Majority | 3,938 | 15.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 26,052 | 79.4 | +17.5 | ||
Registered electors | 32,820 | ||||
National Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Walter Smith | 10,290 | 52.5 | ||
C | Liberal | Milner Gray | 9,313 | 47.5 | |
Majority | 977 | 5.0 | |||
Turnout | 19,603 | 61.9 | |||
Registered electors | 31,669 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Northamptonshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire to the south and Warwickshire to the west. Northampton is the largest settlement and the county town.
Wellingborough is a market town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It is 65 miles (105 km) from London and 11 miles (18 km) from Northampton, and is on the north side of the River Nene.
Raunds is a market town in North Northamptonshire, England. It had a population of 9,379 at the 2021 census.
Rushden is a town and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, around 18 miles (29 km) east of Northampton. The parish is on the border with Bedfordshire, 12 miles (19 km) north of Bedford.
Irthlingborough is a town on the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England. As of 2021, it has a population of 9,325, and was at one point the smallest town in England to have had a Football League team, Rushden & Diamonds F.C., before the promotion of Forest Green Rovers in 2017. The parish church, St Peter, has a lantern tower, unusual for Northamptonshire churches, which was built to guide travellers across the Nene valley in foggy weather. It also has doors at the four cardinal points and has eight misericords in the chancel.
East Northamptonshire was a local government district in Northamptonshire, England, from 1974 to 2021. Its council was based in Thrapston and Rushden. Other towns included Oundle, Raunds, Irthlingborough and Higham Ferrers. The town of Rushden was by far the largest settlement in the district. The population of the district at the 2011 Census was 86,765.
The history of Northamptonshire spans the same period as English history.
Corby and East Northamptonshire is a constituency in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since May 2015 by Tom Pursglove of the Conservative Party.
Daventry is a constituency in Northamptonshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Chris Heaton-Harris of the Conservative Party, who has served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 2022. On 18 May 2024, he announced that he would not seek re-election as an MP at the next general election.
The Northamptonshire Combination Football League is a football competition based in England. It has a total of five divisions with many reserve teams competing in the bottom three. The most senior league is the Premier Division, which sits at step 7 of the National League System.
Irchester is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, two miles (3 km) south-east of Wellingborough and two miles south-west of Rushden. The population of the village at the 2011 Census was 5,706 and estimated in 2019 at 5,767. Little Irchester and Knuston also lie in the parish.
The A605 road is a main road in the English counties of Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.
North Northamptonshire is one of two local government districts in Northamptonshire, England. It is a unitary authority area forming about one half of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire. It was created in 2021. Its council is based in Corby, the district's largest town. Other notable towns are Kettering, Wellingborough, Rushden, Raunds, Desborough, Rothwell, Irthlingborough, Thrapston and Oundle.
The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to run from a junction at Blisworth on the L&BR main line to Northampton and Peterborough, in England. The construction of the line was authorised by Parliament in 1843 and the 47 mile line opened in 1845. The line largely followed the river Nene, and for the economy of construction, it had many level crossings with intersecting roads, rather than bridges. In 1846 the L&BR joined with other companies, together forming the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).
The Northamptonshire Football Association, also simply known as the Northamptonshire FA, is the governing body of football in the English county of Northamptonshire.
East Northamptonshire District Council in Northamptonshire, England was elected every four years. After the last boundary changes in 2007, 40 councillors were elected from 22 wards. The district was abolished in 2021, with the area becoming part of North Northamptonshire.
The Higham Ferrers branch line was a short railway branch built in Northamptonshire, England, by the Midland Railway to serve the industrial towns of Rushden and Higham Ferrers. It was originally intended to continue the line to Raunds, but that was frustrated by the refusal of a landowner to release his land.