| Wansbeck | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Map2: | EnglandNorthumberland |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Abolished: | 2024 |
| Type: | County |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
| Previous: | Morpeth and Blyth[1] |
| Electorate: | 62,395 (December 2010)[2] |
| Region: | England |
| European: | North East England |
| Year2: | 1885 |
| Abolished2: | 1950 |
| Type2: | County |
| Elects Howmany2: | One |
| Towns: | Morpeth, Ashington, Bedlington |
Wansbeck was a constituency in Northumberland in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented from its 1983 re-creation until its abolition for the 2024 general election by members of the Labour Party.
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat's area was split between the two new seats of Blyth and Ashington and North Northumberland.[3]
Wansbeck was first created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of four single-member Divisions of the county of Northumberland.[4] It was abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Blyth.
The seat was re-established for the 1983 general election, largely replacing the abolished Morpeth constituency. The new version of the seat had very little in common with the version abolished in 1950; only Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and some rural areas were in both.
The Sessional Districts of:
NB included non-resident freeholders in the parliamentary borough of Morpeth
Gained Newburn and surrounding areas from the abolished Tyneside Division. Ashington transferred to Morpeth and a small area in north (Amble) transferred to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The contents of the constituency were distributed as follows:
The majority of the constituency, including Morpeth, Ashington, and Newbiggin had comprised the bulk of the abolished constituency of Morpeth. Bedlington was transferred from Blyth.
In the fifth periodic boundary review of parliamentary representation in Northumberland, which came into effect for the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission for England recommended that no changes be made to the Wansbeck constituency.[10]
In 2009, a government reorganisation resulted in the abolition of all local government boroughs and districts in Northumberland and the establishment of the county as a unitary authority. However, this did not affect the constituency boundaries.
Named after the River Wansbeck and former district of the same name, the seat had the visitor attractions of a historic main town with a castle, Morpeth and the traditional seaside town of Newbiggin. Workless claimants as registered jobseekers, with high male unemployment, which is widespread but exacerbated in the area, in November 2012, was higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 6.2% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian. This was marginally higher than the then regional average of 5.9%.[11]
The constituency was held solely by Labour since its recreation, presenting a safe seat. However, in 2019 - in line with the huge swing in their favour in traditional Labour seats in the North and Midlands - the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority to an unprecedentedly low three-figure total.
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Charles Fenwick | Liberal | ||
| 1918 | Robert Mason | Liberal | ||
| 1919 | Coalition Liberal | |||
| 1922 | George Warne | Labour | ||
| 1929 | George Shield | Labour | ||
| 1931 | Bernard Cruddas | Conservative | ||
| 1940 | Donald Scott | Conservative | ||
| 1945 | Alfred Robens | Labour | ||
| 1950 | Constituency abolished | |||
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Jack Thompson | Labour | ||
| 1997 | Denis Murphy | Labour | ||
| 2010 | Ian Lavery | Labour | ||
| 2024 | Constituency abolished | |||
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;