Before theReform Act 1832, the franchise in Ipswich was in the hands of theIpswich Corporation and the Freemen. Ipswich was seen as a partisan seat with activeBlue (Tory inclined) andYellow (Whig inclined) factions dominating elections for both Parliament and the corporation and comparatively rare split tickets of one Whig and one Tory being returned to Parliament, although the identification of the local parties with national parties could at times be very blurred.[2] In the mid eighteenth century the constituency had an electorate of around 700, which was a middle sized borough by the standards of the time – and a reputation of a borough that was likely to offer stiff opposition to government favoured candidates.[3]
Ipswich is a marginal seat, having changed hands eleven times since its creation as a single-member constituency in 1918. It has generally been favourable to Labour Party candidates, who succeeded at every postwar general election since the end of World War II except1970,February 1974,1987,2010,2015 and2019. It was traditionally won by either party by fairly small margins; however, from 1997 until being gained by the Conservative Party in 2010, Labour won the contests with safer margins, and after the Conservatives increased their majority in 2015, Labour regained the seat in 2017 only to lose it again in 2019 when the Conservative candidate got more than half the votes cast when there were more than two candidates for the first time since 1918. This was turned around in2024 when Labour won the seat once again with a healthy majority of 16.8%
Ipswich was the only seat won by aLabour candidate at the2017 general election from a total of sevenseats in Suffolk, the others being retained byConservatives and more rural in comparison to Ipswich. Martin's 2017 election victory was one of thirty net gains made by the Labour Party.
The constituency includes Ipswich town centre and docks, with its mix of historic buildings and modern developments. Ipswich is a bustling town that serves as a centre for the rest of Suffolk which is predominantly rural and remote, and has the only serious concentration of Labour voters in the county, other than inLowestoft.
Portman Road Football Ground to the West of the centre, and the new university to the East are both in the seat, as is the vastChantry council estate to the South.
Ipswich's Conservative-leaning suburbs, such as Castle Hill, Westerfield and Kesgrave, extend beyond the constituency's boundaries – the northernmost wards are in the Suffolk Central constituency, and several strong Conservative areas are just outside the borough's tightly drawn limits, making Ipswich a target seat for Labour.
1983–2010: TheBorough of Ipswich wards of Bixley, Bridge, Chantry, Gainsborough, Priory Heath, Rushmere, St Clement's, St John's, St Margaret's, Sprites, Stoke Park, and Town.[5][6]
2010–present: The Borough of Ipswich wards of Alexandra, Bixley, Bridge, Gainsborough, Gipping, Holywells, Priory Heath, Rushmere, St John's, St Margaret's, Sprites, Stoke Park, and Westgate.[7]
Following a revision of the Borough of Ipswich wards, the constituency gained a small area from Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.
During the period between 1835 and 1842 there were five elections and all were found to have been corrupt. After the 1835 election, Dundas and Kelly were unseated on the charge of bribery. After the 1837 election, Tufnell was unseated on a scrutiny. Gibson, who was elected in 1838, resigned. Cochrane was elected in 1839, after which a petition was presented complaining of gross bribery – it was not progressed because a general election was expected. After the 1841 election, Wason and Rennie were unseated, being declared guilty of bribery by their agents.[30]
Change of vote share and swing calculated from the December 1910 party ticket vote.
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;
Unusually theYellows supported inEdward Vernon[64] an identifiable Tory[15] and critic of the Whig government. TheBlues meanwhile supportedSamuel Kent andRichard Lloyd, both supporters of the Whig government. Although Lloyd would later withdraw[64] before that point it had proved an expensive contest for Vernon.[65]
By-election called onWilliam Churchill winning a government contract for stationery and resigning his seat as an office of profit to the crown. Instead of seeking re-election he stood in favour of his son in law Francis Negus.[67]
^S., Craig, Fred W. (1972).Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885–1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications.ISBN0900178094.OCLC539011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Hall, Catherine; Draper, Nicholas; McClelland, Keith; Donington, Katie; Lang, Rachel (2014)."Appendix 4: MPs 1832-80 in the compensation records".Legacies of British Slave-ownership: Colonial Slavery and the Formation of Victorian Britain. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 292.ISBN978-1-107-04005-2.
^"IPSWICH ELECTION WRIT".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 8 August 1842. Retrieved17 January 2010.During the last seven years, or little more, there had been five elections for the borough of Ipswich, and those five elections had produced five petitions
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