Wirral West
Encyclopedia
Wirral West is a county 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.
.
From 1945 until 1976, the MP was Selwyn Lloyd
, who served as Foreign Secretary under Anthony Eden
and Chancellor of the Exchequer
under Harold Macmillan
, later becoming Speaker of the Commons
in 1971 before being raised to the peerage in 1976. The ensuing by-election
was won by David Hunt, who became the first MP for the new seat of Wirral West in 1983. Hunt was a member of John Major
's cabinet, serving twice as Secretary of State for Wales
and also as Secretary of State for Employment
.
Hunt held the seat until 1997, when he lost to Stephen Hesford
of the Labour Party
. Labour held on narrowly in 2005, despite a challenge from former TV presenter Esther McVey
, standing for the Conservatives.
Stephen Hesford
announced on the 22 January 2010 that he would be stepping down at the next general election for family reasons.
In the 2010 Election Esther McVey took back the seat for the Conservative Party
with a swing of 2.3% from Labour.
. It contains the towns of Hoylake
and West Kirby
, as well as areas such as Greasby
, Thingwall
, Irby
, Meols
, Prenton
, Upton
and Woodchurch
.
In the 2005 Boundary Commission report, Wirral West lost part of the Prenton
ward to the Birkenhead
constituency, and gain part of Barnston
from Wirral South.
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.
History
The present Wirral West constituency was formed in 1983, from the northern part of the former Wirral constituency. Its predecessor had traditionally been held by the Conservative PartyConservative 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...
.
From 1945 until 1976, the MP was Selwyn Lloyd
Selwyn Lloyd
John Selwyn Brooke Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd CH PC CBE TD , known for most of his career as Selwyn Lloyd, was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Foreign Secretary from 1955 to 1960, then as Chancellor of the Exchequer until 1962...
, who served as Foreign Secretary under Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
and Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
under Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
, later becoming Speaker of the Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
in 1971 before being raised to the peerage in 1976. The ensuing by-election
Wirral by-election, 1976
The Wirral by-election of 11 March 1976 was held after Selwyn Lloyd, who had been elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament but who was serving as Speaker of the British House of Commons, retired. The Conservatives held on to the seat in the by-election.-Results:...
was won by David Hunt, who became the first MP for the new seat of Wirral West in 1983. Hunt was a member of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
's cabinet, serving twice as Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
and also as Secretary of State for Employment
Secretary of State for Employment
The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment...
.
Hunt held the seat until 1997, when he lost to Stephen Hesford
Stephen Hesford
Stephen Hesford is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Wirral West from 1997 to 2010...
of the Labour Party
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...
. Labour held on narrowly in 2005, despite a challenge from former TV presenter Esther McVey
Esther McVey
Esther Louise McVey is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Wirral West since May 2010. She has also been a television presenter and business woman.-Biography:...
, standing for the Conservatives.
Stephen Hesford
Stephen Hesford
Stephen Hesford is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Wirral West from 1997 to 2010...
announced on the 22 January 2010 that he would be stepping down at the next general election for family reasons.
In the 2010 Election Esther McVey took back the seat for the Conservative Party
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...
with a swing of 2.3% from Labour.
Boundaries
The constituency is one of four covering the Metropolitan Borough of WirralMetropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
. It contains the towns of Hoylake
Hoylake
Hoylake is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, on Merseyside, England. It is located at the north western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, near to the town of West Kirby and where the River Dee estuary meets the Irish Sea...
and West Kirby
West Kirby
West Kirby is a town on the north-west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England, at the mouth of the River Dee across from the Point of Ayr in North Wales. To the north-east of the town lies Hoylake, with the suburbs of Grange and Newton to the east, and the village of Caldy to the...
, as well as areas such as Greasby
Greasby
Greasby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is part of the Greasby, Frankby & Irby Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West...
, Thingwall
Thingwall
Thingwall is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The village is situated to the south west of Birkenhead and north east of Heswall. It is part of the Pensby & Thingwall Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated within the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West...
, Irby
Irby, Merseyside
Irby is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The village covers an area of 20 square kilometres. To the north of Irby lies the associated hamlet of Irby Hill...
, Meols
Meols
Meols is a village on the northern coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is contiguous with the larger town of Hoylake, situated immediately to the west. Formerly, Meols was in the county of Cheshire, although since 1 April 1974 it has been a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in the...
, Prenton
Prenton
Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England and a 'post town' in the CH postcode area. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within...
, Upton
Upton, Merseyside
Upton is a village in the parish of Overchurch on the Wirral Peninsula, England, situated close to Birkenhead. At the 2001 Census, the population was 15,731 , although as a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, encompassing a larger area, it was recorded as 16,200.-History:Upton was...
and Woodchurch
Woodchurch
Woodchurch is an area of the Wirral Peninsula, in England, which is sometimes considered a suburb of Birkenhead. Administratively, Woodchurch is within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West...
.
In the 2005 Boundary Commission report, Wirral West lost part of the Prenton
Prenton
Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England and a 'post town' in the CH postcode area. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within...
ward to the Birkenhead
Birkenhead (UK Parliament constituency)
Birkenhead is a parliamentary 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.-History:...
constituency, and gain part of Barnston
Barnston, Merseyside
Barnston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England, situated to the north east of Heswall.Administratively, the village is located in the Pensby & Thingwall Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West...
from Wirral South.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
David Hunt | 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... |
|
| 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... |
Stephen Hesford Stephen Hesford Stephen Hesford is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Wirral West from 1997 to 2010... |
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... |
|
| 2010 | Esther McVey Esther McVey Esther Louise McVey is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Wirral West since May 2010. She has also been a television presenter and business woman.-Biography:... |
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... |
|