| Harborough, Oadby and Wigston | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1885 |
| Type: | County |
| Electorate: | 74,810 (2023)[1] |
| Region: | England |
| European: | East Midlands |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
Harborough, Oadby and Wigston is a constituency covering the south east of Leicestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Neil O'Brien of the Conservative Party.
It is considered a safe seat for the Conservative Party, as there has been a Conservative MP here since 1950.
Prior to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was known as Harborough up until the 2024 general election.[2]
1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Leicester, the Sessional Divisions of Lutterworth and Market Harborough, and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Leicester and East Norton.
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Market Harborough, Oadby, and Wigston, and the Rural Districts of Blaby, Hallaton, Lutterworth, and Market Harborough.
1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Market Harborough, Oadby, and Wigston, and the Rural Districts of Blaby, Lutterworth, and Market Harborough.
1955–1974: The Urban Districts of Market Harborough and Wigston, and the Rural Districts of Blaby, Lutterworth, and Market Harborough.
1974–1983: The Urban Districts of Market Harborough, Oadby, and Wigston, and the Rural Districts of Billesdon and Market Harborough.[3]
1983–1997: The District of Harborough wards of Billesdon, Bosworth, Easton, Fleckney, Glen, Houghton, Kibworth, Langton, Lubenham, Market Harborough Bowden, Market Harborough North, Market Harborough South, Market Harborough West, Scraptoft, Thurnby, and Tilton, and the Borough of Oadby and Wigston.
1997–2010: The District of Harborough wards of Bosworth, Fleckney, Glen, Kibworth, Langton, Lubenham, Market Harborough Bowden, Market Harborough North, Market Harborough South, and Market Harborough West, and the Borough of Oadby and Wigston wards of All Saints, Bassett, Brocks Hill, Brookside, Central, Fairfield, Grange, St Peter's, St Wolstan's, and Westfield.
2010–2024: The District of Harborough wards of Bosworth, Fleckney, Glen, Kibworth, Lubenham, Market Harborough Great Bowden and Arden, Market Harborough Little Bowden, Market Harborough Logan, and Market Harborough Welland, and the Borough of Oadby and Wigston wards of Oadby Brocks Hill, Oadby Grange, Oadby St Peter's, Oadby Uplands, Oadby Woodlands, South Wigston, Wigston All Saints, Wigston Fields, Wigston Meadowcourt, and Wigston St Wolstan's.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
Minor adjustments to take account of ward boundary changes.
The constituency takes its name from the town of Market Harborough, seat of the Harborough local government district, combined with the Borough of Oadby and Wigston which adjoins Leicester.
Harborough is one of the wealthier constituencies in the East Midlands.[5] It is a safe seat for the Conservatives, who have held the seat for 70 years.
The seat was created in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and in boundary changes in 1974 reflecting the growth in population and electorate of Leicestershire lost a large amount of its territory to the new seat of Blaby.
South Leicestershire prior to 1885
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Thomas Paget | Liberal | ||
| 1886 | Thomas Tapling | Conservative | ||
| 1891 by-election | Paddy Logan | Liberal | ||
| 1904 by-election | Philip Stanhope | Liberal | ||
| 1906 | Liberal | |||
| December 1910 | Liberal | |||
| 1916 by-election | Liberal | |||
| 1918 | Coalition Conservative | |||
| 1923 | Liberal | |||
| 1924 | Lewis Winby | Conservative | ||
| 1929 | Conservative | |||
| 1933 by-election | Conservative | |||
| Humphrey Attewell | Labour | |||
| 1950 | John Baldock | Conservative | ||
| 1959 | Sir John Farr | Conservative | ||
| 1992 | Edward Garnier | Conservative | ||
| 2017 | Neil O'Brien | Conservative | ||
UKIP originally selected Clive Langley, who was replaced by Mark Hunt in March 2015.[6]
General Election 1939–40:
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940, however this did not happen due to the Second World War. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected:
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915, however this was not held due to the First World War. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected: