| Bolton North East | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Type: | Borough |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
| Previous: | Bolton West Bolton East Darwen[1] |
| Population: | 95,288 (2011 census)[2] |
| Electorate: | 77,020 (2023)[3] |
| Mp: | Kirith Entwistle |
| Party: | Labour |
| Towns: | Bromley Cross |
| Region: | England |
| County: | Greater Manchester |
| European: | North West England |
Bolton North East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Kirith Entwistle, a Labour Party MP.
The seat covers the north part of Bolton town and extends into the West Pennine Moors.
Bolton North East has more often than not to date been a marginal seat between Labour and Conservative candidates. In 1992, Labour's David Crausby came tantalisingly close to gaining the seat, but did not, as his party were expecting to. It would not be until 1997 that Labour gained the seat, with a huge 12,000 majority, holding it for the next 22 years. Altogether, the national statistics collected reflect a socially diverse seat in terms of income; this has been a highly marginal seat when national polls are close, with lower than average social housing, and less deprivation than the average for the metropolitan county.[4]
Bolton North East was created for the 1983 general election from parts of the constituencies of Bolton West and the former Bolton East. It covers Bolton's town centre, and the districts in close proximity (Breightmet, Crompton, Halliwell, Tonge with the Haulgh) are Labour-voting areas, whereas the outer suburbs (Astley Bridge, Bradshaw, Bromley Cross) are much more Conservative inclined. Labour comfortably held the seat in 2010, with very little swing from the previous election.
1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton wards of Astley Bridge, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Bromley Cross, Central, and Tonge.
1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton wards of Astley Bridge, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Bromley Cross, Central, Halliwell, and Tonge.
2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton wards of Astley Bridge, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Bromley Cross, Crompton, Halliwell, and Tonge with the Haulgh.
2024–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton wards of Astley Bridge; Bradshaw; Breightmet; Bromley Cross; Halliwell; Little Lever & Darcy Lever; Queens Park & Central (majority); and Tonge with the Haulgh.[5]
Expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the ward of Little Lever & Darcy Lever from Bolton South East.[6]
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Thurnham | |||
| Feb 1996 | |||
| Oct 1996 | |||
| 1997 | Sir David Crausby | ||
| 2019 | Mark Logan | ||
| 2024 | Kirith Entwistle | ||
| 2019 notional result[7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| 22,436 | 45.0 | ||
| 21,158 | 42.4 | ||
| 3,259 | 6.5 | ||
| 2,188 | 4.4 | ||
| 803 | 1.6 | ||
| Turnout | 49,844 | 64.7 | |
| Electorate | 77,020 | ||
For the 1997 general election the boundaries of the seat were significantly redrawn. The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1997 estimated that had the new boundaries been used for the previous general election rather than being narrowly held by the Conservatives, the seat would have been won by the Labour candidate with a majority of 3,017 over the Conservatives. Thus technically the seat was notionally a Labour hold at this election rather than a gain for the party. The swing above is based on this notional result.