Barking (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Barking is a 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 system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1945, usually with strong majorities.
seat. It covers the areas of Barking
and Becontree
in east London
.
It comprises the Barking and Dagenham
electoral wards of:
constituency to Barking, and that following a review of ward boundaries a small part of River ward be transferred from Barking to help form the new Dagenham and Rainham
constituency. These boundaries were first contested in 2010.
since the turn of the 21st century saw the party attain 17% of the vote at the 2005 general election. Party members and supporters were optimistic that the party would soon make the breakthrough into UK parliament, and party leader Nick Griffin
stood in Barking for the 2010 general election. However, his performance in Barking was disappointing as he polled at 14.6%, less than on the previous occasion, and Margaret Hodge retained the seat with more than half of the vote. During the run-up to the 2010 election, filmmaker Laura Fairrie had access to the British National Party and Labour Party campaigns and later produced a documentary "The Battle for Barking" which was premiered on More 4 on 30 November 2010.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elects one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1945, usually with strong majorities.
Boundaries
The constituency was created in 1945 from the RomfordRomford (UK Parliament constituency)
Romford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
seat. It covers the areas of Barking
Barking
Barking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
and Becontree
Becontree
Becontree is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, east north-east of Charing Cross.-Becontree estate:The area was developed between 1921 and 1932 by the London County Council as a large council estate of 27,000 homes, intended as "homes for heroes" after World War I. With a...
in east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
It comprises the Barking and Dagenham
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by...
electoral wards of:
- Abbey, Alibon, Becontree, Eastbury, Gascoigne, Goresbrook, Longbridge, Mayesbrook, Parsloes, Thames, and Valence.
Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation the Boundary Commission for England recommended that the wards of Alibon, Parsloes and Valence be transferred from the old DagenhamDagenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Dagenham was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency to Barking, and that following a review of ward boundaries a small part of River ward be transferred from Barking to help form the new Dagenham and Rainham
Dagenham and Rainham (UK Parliament constituency)
Dagenham and Rainham is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency. These boundaries were first contested in 2010.
British National Party challenge
The rise in support for the British National PartyBritish National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
since the turn of the 21st century saw the party attain 17% of the vote at the 2005 general election. Party members and supporters were optimistic that the party would soon make the breakthrough into UK parliament, and party leader Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
stood in Barking for the 2010 general election. However, his performance in Barking was disappointing as he polled at 14.6%, less than on the previous occasion, and Margaret Hodge retained the seat with more than half of the vote. During the run-up to the 2010 election, filmmaker Laura Fairrie had access to the British National Party and Labour Party campaigns and later produced a documentary "The Battle for Barking" which was premiered on More 4 on 30 November 2010.
Members of Parliament
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1945 United Kingdom general election, 1945 The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to... |
Somerville Hastings Somerville Hastings Somerville Hastings FRCS MP was a British surgeon and Labour Party politician.The son of the Reverend H G Hastings, he was born in Warminster, Wiltshire. He was educated at Wycliffe College , University College and the Middlesex Hospital, London... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
1959 United Kingdom general election, 1959 This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan... |
Tom Driberg | Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
Feb 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
Jo Richardson Jo Richardson Josephine Richardson was a British Labour Party politician. At the time of her death she was Member of Parliament for Barking, a post she had held since 1974.-Early life:She was born in Newcastle upon Tyne... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
1994 by-election Barking by-election, 1994 The Barking by-election was held on 9 June 1994, following the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament for Barking Jo Richardson. Richardson had represented the seat since the February 1974 general election, following Tom Driberg.... |
Margaret Hodge Margaret Hodge Margaret Hodge MBE MP, also known as Lady Hodge by virtue of her husband's knighthood, is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Barking since 1994. She was the first Minister for Children in 2003 and was Minister of State for Culture and Tourism at the Department... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |