Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = Blackburn
Map1 = Blackburn
Map2 = Lancashire
Entity = Lancashire
Type = Borough
County = Lancashire
Year = 1832, 1955
MP = Jack Straw
Party = Labour
EP = North West England

Blackburn is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The town currently elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its re-creation in 1955.

Boundaries

The constituency encompasses the town of Blackburn in the North West of England. It borders four other constituencies: Ribble Valley to the north, Hyndburn to the east, Rossendale and Darwen to the south and Chorley to the west.

Following the review of parliamentary representation in Lancashire, including the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen, the Boundary Commission for England made minor boundary changes to the existing constituency. No name change was proposed or made.

The electoral wards in the Blackburn seat to be fought at the next UK general election in either 2009 or 2010 are entirely within the district of Blackburn with Darwen.
*Audley, Bastwell, Beardwood and Lammack, Corporation Park, Ewood, Higher Croft, Little Harwood, Livesey with Pleasington, Meadowhead, Mill Hill, Queen's Park, Roe Lee, Shadsworth with Whitebirk, Shear Brow and Wensley Fold.

History

"For more details, see the Politics section of the Blackburn article."

Blackburn was first enfranchised by the Reform Act 1832, as a two-member constituency, and was first used at the 1832 general election. It was abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was then replaced by two new single-member constituencies, Blackburn East and Blackburn West.

Blackburn was re-established as a single-member constituency for the 1955 general election, partially replacing the Blackburn East and Blackburn West constituencies which had been created only five years earlier. After its re-establishment in 1955, The constituency was initially a marginal, but Blackburn is now considered to be a Labour Party stronghold.

2005 General election

Blackburn's MP, Jack Straw, was challenged in the 2005 general election by a former Foreign Office subordinate, the ex-British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray. Murray stood for election in Blackburn on a platform of opposition to the war in Iraq and electoral corruption. Murray described the constituency as a "Labour rotten borough" and said of the build up to the election, "I've been approached by several people in the Asian community who are under huge pressure from Labour activists to apply for a postal vote rather than a ballot vote and then hand their postal vote over to the Labour party." Over 50% more people used postal votes in the 2005 general election in Blackburn than in 2001. [Could the election be won by fraud?, Robert Winnett and Abul Taher, "The Sunday Times", 10 April 2005] The anti-Straw vote was split, however, and the incumbent was returned with a comfortable majority of over 8,000. Although Murray's campaign piqued the interest of the national media, he was forced into fifth place by the British National Party, a result reflective of somewhat poor race relations in the town going back decades.

Members of Parliament

Two-member constituency (1832-1950)

ingle member constituency (1955-present)

Election results

1997

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = J Straw
votes = 26,141
percentage = 55.03
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = S Sidhu
votes = 11,696
percentage = 24.62
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = S Fenn
votes = 4,990
percentage = 10.51
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Referendum Party
candidate = D Bradshaw
votes = 1,892
percentage = 3.98
change = Election box candidate
party = National Democrats
candidate = T Wingfield
votes = 671
percentage = 1.41
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Labour Party (UK)
candidate = H Drummond
votes = 635
percentage = 1.34
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = R Field
votes = 608
percentage = 1.28
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = M Carmichael-Grimshaw
votes = 506
percentage = 1.07
change = Election box candidate
party = Independent Democrat
candidate = W Batchelor
votes = 362
percentage = 0.76
change = Election box majority
votes = 14,445
percentage = 30.41
change = Election box turnout
votes = 73,132
percentage = 64.95
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = +9.70

2001

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: BlackburnElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Jack Straw
votes = 21,808
percentage = 54.1
change = -0.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Cotton
votes = 12,559
percentage = 31.2
change = +6.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Imtiaz Patel
votes = 3,264
percentage = 8.1
change = -2.4Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Dorothy Baxter
votes = 1,185
percentage = 2.9
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Terry Cullen
votes = 559
percentage = 1.4
change = +0.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Alliance (England)
candidate = Jim Nichol
votes = 532
percentage = 1.3
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Paul Morris
votes = 377
percentage = 0.9
change = -0.1Election box majority
votes = 9,249
percentage = 22.9
change = Election box turnout
votes = 40,284
percentage = 55.5
change = -9.5Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

2005

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Jack Straw
votes = 17,562
percentage = 42.0
change = -12.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Imtiaz Ameen
votes = 9,553
percentage = 22.9
change = -8.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Tony Melia
votes = 8,608
percentage = 20.6
change = +12.5Election box candidate with party link
party = British National Party
candidate = Nicholas Holt
votes = 2,263
percentage = 5.4
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Craig Murray
votes = 2,082
percentage = 5.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Dorothy Baxter
votes = 954
percentage = 2.3
change = -0.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = Graham Carter
votes = 783
percentage = 1.9
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 8,009
percentage = 19.2
change = Election box turnout
votes = 41,805
percentage = 56.9
change = +1.4Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = -1.9

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire
*Blackburn East (UK Parliament constituency) "1950–1955"
*Blackburn West (UK Parliament constituency) "1950–1955"

References

*Rayment
*F. W. S. Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832 - 1885"