Leicester South (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = Leicester South
Map1 = LeicesterSouth
Map2 = Leicestershire
Type = Borough
Year = 1918, 1974
Entity = Leicester
County = Leicestershire
EP = East Midlands
MP = Peter Soulsby
Party = Labour

Leicester South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP), by the first past the post voting system.

Boundaries

The seat is centred on the southern part of Leicester covering leafy suburbs such as Stoneygate and Knighton, as well as inner city areas with a strong Asian community and deprived outer estates such as Saffron and Eyres Monsell. The constituency encompasses the council wards of Spinney Hills, Stoneygate, Knighton, Freemen, Aylestone, Eyres Monsell and virtually all of Castle.

History

The constituency was first created in 1918, abolished in 1950, and reconstituted in 1974.

Leicester South has over the past few decades seen demographic changes which have altered the balance of the constituency. The seat saw close contests between the Conservatives and Labour in the 1980s, with Labour MP Jim Marshall losing the seat by just 7 votes to the Conservatives in the 1983 general election but regaining it in 1987. In subsequent elections the majority grew to the point where it was considered substantially safe.

Marshall died in 2004 and the resulting by-election was fiercely contested. Along with a by-election in Birmingham Hodge Hill held on the same day, the seat saw a fierce challenge by the Liberal Democrats, hoping to build on their previous by-election gain at Brent East, as well as competition for the anti-war vote from RESPECT The Unity Coalition. The seat was won by the Liberal Democrats' Parmjit Singh Gill with a majority of 1,654.

Sir Peter Soulsby, who had contested the seat for Labour at the byelection, won the seat at the 2005 election.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1918-1950

MPs 1974-present

Election results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Peter Soulsby
votes = 16,688
percentage = 39.3
change = -15.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Parmjit Singh Gill
votes = 12,971
percentage = 30.6
change = +13.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Martin McElwee
votes = 7,549
percentage = 17.8
change = −5.3Election box candidate with party link
party = RESPECT The Unity Coalition
candidate = Yvonne Ridley
votes = 2,720
percentage = 6.4
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = Matthew Follett
votes = 1,379
percentage = 3.3
change = +0.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Veritas (political party)
candidate = Ken Roseblade
votes = 573
percentage = 1.4
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Dave Roberts
votes = 315
percentage = 0.7
change = −0.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Paul Lord
votes = 216
percentage = 0.5
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 3,717
percentage = 8.8
change =Election box turnout
votes = 42,411
percentage = 58.7
change = +0.7Election box gain with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
loser = Liberal Democrats (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Parmjit Singh Gill
votes = 10274
percentage = 34.9
change = +17.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Peter Soulsby
votes = 8620
percentage = 29.3
change = -25.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Chris Heaton-Harris
votes = 5796
percentage = 19.7
change = -3.4Election box candidate with party link
party = RESPECT The Unity Coalition
candidate = Yvonne Ridley
votes = 3724
percentage = 12.7
change = +12.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Dave Roberts
votes = 263
percentage = 0.9
change = -0.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
candidate = R. U. Seerius
votes = 225
percentage = 0.8
change = +0.8Election box candidate
party = Independent - Save Our Schools
candidate = Pat Kennedy
votes = 204
percentage = 0.7
change = +0.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Paul Lord
votes = 186
percentage = 0.6
change = +0.6Election box candidate
party = Independent (anti-EU)
candidate = Mark Edwin Benson
votes = 55
percentage = 0.2
change = +0.2Election box candidate
party = Independent (yoga and meditation)
candidate = Jitendra Bardwaj
votes = 36
percentage = 0.1
change = +0.1Election box candidate
party = Independent Conservative
candidate = Alan Gordon Barrett
votes = 25
percentage = 0.1
change = +0.1Election box majority
votes = 1654
percentage = 5.6
change =Election box turnout
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box gain with party link
winner = Liberal Democrats (UK)
loser = Labour Party (UK)
swing = 21.5

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Jim Marshall
votes = 22,958
percentage = 54.5
change = -3.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Richard Hoile
votes = 9,715
percentage = 23.1
change = -0.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Parmjit Singh Gill
votes = 7,243
percentage = 17.2
change = +3.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = Margaret Layton
votes = 1,217
percentage = 2.9
change =Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Arnie Gardner
votes = 676
percentage = 1.6
change =Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Kirti Ladwa
votes = 330
percentage = 0.8
change =Election box majority
votes = 13,243
percentage = 31.4
change =Election box turnout
votes = 42,139
percentage = 58.0
change =

See also

* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Leicestershire and Rutland

References

*