Northampton South
Borough constituency for theHouse of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Northampton South in the East Midlands
County	Northamptonshire
Electorate	71,512 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Northampton (part)
Current constituency
Created	1974 (1974)
Member of Parliament	Mike Reader (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Northampton

Northampton South is aconstituency^{[n 1]} represented in theHouse of Commons of theUK Parliament since2024 byMike Reader, representing theLabour Party.^{[n 2]}

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This constituency was created for the election ofFebruary 1974 when theold constituency of Northampton was split into Northampton South andNorthampton North.

Since creation it is generally amarginal and in elections since 1979 but one, in 2005, has been abellwether, electing an MP from the winning (or largest governing) party.

The one-time Deputy Speaker of the House, Michael Morris, aConservative, held this seat from its creation in 1974 until 1997, when Tony Clarke defeated Morris in a surprise result (one of many in the Labour landslide of that year) to gain the seat for Labour with a majority of just 744. TheAlmanac of British Politics described Labour's gain of the seat as "one of the most unexpected results of the 1997 election", despite the fact that Labour had come close to winning the seat in both 1974 elections.^[2] Clarke only just increased his majority in 2001, but Brian Binley defeated Clarke to regain the seat for the Conservatives in 2005 with a comfortable majority, and held it until 2015 when he retired and fellow Conservative David Mackintosh held the seat. Mackintosh retired at the 2017 snap election after just one Parliament, after facing the prospect of being deselected by his local constituency party, and Andrew Lewer took over with a decreased majority from 2015 of over 1,000.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Northampton wards of Castle, Delapre, Duston, St Crispin, South, and Weston.^[3]

1983–1997: The Borough of Northampton wards of Billing, Castle, Delapre, Nene Valley, New Duston, Old Duston, St Crispin, South, and Weston, and the District of South Northamptonshire wards of Blisworth, Brafield, Bugbrooke, Cogenhoe, Gayton, Hackleton, Harpole, Heyford, Kislingbury, Milton, Roade, Salcey, and Yardley.

1997–2010: The Borough of Northampton wards of Billing, Castle, Delapre, Nene Valley, New Duston, Old Duston, St Crispin, South, and Weston, and the District of South Northamptonshire wards of Brafield, Cogenhoe, Hackleton, Harpole, Kislingbury, Milton, Roade, Salcey, and Yardley. From 1999, ward boundary changes created two extra wards from Nene Valley, West Hunsbury and East Hunsbury.

2010–2024: The Borough of Northampton wards of Billing, Castle, Delapre, Ecton Brook, New Duston, Old Duston, St Crispin, St James, Spencer, and Weston.

Following the 2010 redistribution which createdSouth Northamptonshire, the constituency was once again entirely within the Borough of Northampton as opposed to 1983 to 2010 when it also took in outlying rural parts outside the town.

NB: with effect from 1 April 2021, the Borough of Northampton was abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of West Northamptonshire.^[4]

Further to the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 April 2021):

• The District of West Northamptonshire wards of: Billing and Rectory Farm; Delapre and Rushmere; Duston East; Duston West and St. Crispin; East Hunsbury and Shelfleys; Nene Valley; Riverside Park; Sixfields.^[5]

The constituency has undergone major changes, with those parts of the former Borough of Northampton previously in theSouth Northamptonshire constituency being added, partly offset by the transfer of the town centre ofNorthampton toNorthampton North.

The constituency has income,social housing and unemployment statistics^[6] close to the national average and a varied and dynamic service and engineering-centred economy typical of theEast Midlands with significant foodstuffs, clothing and consumables manufacturing and processing operations.^[7] Health inequality is high, with the life expectancy gap between the least deprived and most deprived men in northampton reaching over 10.2 years.^[8] Additionally, the constituency is "considerably worse than [the] England average" in violent crime, self harm, under 18 conception and GCSE achievement.^[9]

Northampton prior to 1974

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Northamptonshire

• Northampton South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) atMapIt UK
• Northampton South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) atMapIt UK
• Northampton South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) atMapIt UK

52°13′N0°53′W / 52.22°N 0.89°W /52.22; -0.89

• Parliamentary constituencies in Northamptonshire
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1974
• Politics of Northampton

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