Dudley North (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Dudley North is a parliamentary 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.
, covering the northern part of the borough. The constituency includes Dudley
town centre, and also Gornal
, Upper Gornal and Sedgley
.
, Dudley was divided into East
and West
constituencies, rather than the current North and Dudley South. Dudley North covers a lot of the area previously covered by Dudley East
, which included Netherton but excluded the western part of Sedgley, which were part of the Dudley West constituency.
The earlier Dudley constituency
, consisting of Dudley, Netherton and Stourbridge, was more prominent before 1974. Colonel George Wigg
(later Lord Wigg), Prime Minister Harold Wilson
's adviser on security matters and later a Minister of State, held the seat for many years until elevated to the peerage in 1968. At a famous by-election
in March of that year, Don Williams (Conservative
) won the seat with a swing of 20%. In 1970
, however, the seat reverted to Labour
with the election of Dr John Gilbert, who subsequently represented Dudley East from February 1974
until its abolition 1997. Gilbert served as a Minister of State under both James Callaghan
and (as a peer) Tony Blair
. Dudley West meanwhile was represented up until his death in 1994 by Conservative MP Dr John Blackburn. At the subsequent By election it was won for Labour by Ian Pearson who went on to become the MP for the newly created Dudley South seat at the 1997 election
Ross Cranston was the first MP of the new Dudley North seat after winning it at the 1997 election, remaining at the helm until the 2005 general election, when it was retained by his successor Ian Austin.
In 2010, Austin held onto his seat with 38.7% of the vote, a narrow 1.7% ahead of Conservative candidate Graeme Brown, at the first general election in 36 years which resulted in a hung parliament
. Holding onto the seat at all was something of an achievement for Austin and Labour, as it was widely tipped to be a Tory gain and the Tories gained all of the other three constituencies in the Dudley borough from Labour.
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
represented in the House of Commons 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.
Boundaries
Dudley North is one of four constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of DudleyMetropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
, covering the northern part of the borough. The constituency includes Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
town centre, and also Gornal
Gornal
-India:*Gornal, Bidar, a settlement in the Bidar district of Karnataka*Gornal, Bijapur, a settlement in Bijapur district, Karnataka-Spain:*Gornal , near Barcelona**Gornal , station serving Gornal-United Kingdom:...
, Upper Gornal and Sedgley
Sedgley
Sedgley is an urban village within the West Midlands county of England. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Sedgley was formerly an ancient manor composed of several smaller villages, including Gornal, Gospel End, Woodsetton, Ettingshall, Coseley and Brierley...
.
History
Before the 1997 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Dudley was divided into East
Dudley East (UK Parliament constituency)
Dudley East was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system....
and West
Dudley West (UK Parliament constituency)
Dudley West was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It existed from 1974 to 1997, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency was created...
constituencies, rather than the current North and Dudley South. Dudley North covers a lot of the area previously covered by Dudley East
Dudley East (UK Parliament constituency)
Dudley East was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system....
, which included Netherton but excluded the western part of Sedgley, which were part of the Dudley West constituency.
The earlier Dudley constituency
Dudley (UK Parliament constituency)
Dudley was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Dudley, which was historically in Worcestershire, before being transferred into Staffordshire in 1966 and since 1974 has been in the West Midlands....
, consisting of Dudley, Netherton and Stourbridge, was more prominent before 1974. Colonel George Wigg
George Wigg
George Edward Cecil Wigg, Baron Wigg PC was a British politician who only served in relatively junior offices but had a great deal of influence behind the scenes, especially with Harold Wilson. Wigg served in the British Army for almost all his career up to his election as Member of Parliament...
(later Lord Wigg), Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
's adviser on security matters and later a Minister of State, held the seat for many years until elevated to the peerage in 1968. At a famous by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in March of that year, Don Williams (Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) won the seat with a swing of 20%. In 1970
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, however, the seat reverted to 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...
with the election of Dr John Gilbert, who subsequently represented Dudley East from February 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,...
until its abolition 1997. Gilbert served as a Minister of State under both James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
and (as a peer) Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. Dudley West meanwhile was represented up until his death in 1994 by Conservative MP Dr John Blackburn. At the subsequent By election it was won for Labour by Ian Pearson who went on to become the MP for the newly created Dudley South seat at the 1997 election
Ross Cranston was the first MP of the new Dudley North seat after winning it at the 1997 election, remaining at the helm until the 2005 general election, when it was retained by his successor Ian Austin.
In 2010, Austin held onto his seat with 38.7% of the vote, a narrow 1.7% ahead of Conservative candidate Graeme Brown, at the first general election in 36 years which resulted in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
. Holding onto the seat at all was something of an achievement for Austin and Labour, as it was widely tipped to be a Tory gain and the Tories gained all of the other three constituencies in the Dudley borough from Labour.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Ross Cranston Ross Cranston Sir Ross Frederick Cranston , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Cranston, is a High Court judge, formerly an academic lawyer and Labour Party politician, in the United Kingdom.-Early life:... |
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... |
|
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... |
Ian Austin | 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... |
|
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
See also
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in Dudley