| Coventry South | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency for theHouse of Commons | |
 Interactive map of boundaries from 2024 | |
 Boundary of Coventry South inWest Midlands region | |
| County | West Midlands |
| Electorate | 70,998 (2023)[1] |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1997 |
| Member of Parliament | Zarah Sultana (Your Party) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Coventry South East,Coventry South West |
| 1950–1974 (1974) | |
| Seats | One |
| Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
| Created from | Coventry East andCoventry West |
| Replaced by | Coventry South East, Coventry South West |
Coventry South is aconstituency[n 1] represented in theHouse of Commons of theUK Parliament since 2019 byZarah Sultana, representing theLabour Party until her suspension andwhip withdrawal on 23 July 2024 for voting against the two-child benefit cap.[n 2] She resigned her party membership in June 2025 and joinedYour Party in November 2025.[2]
The Coventry South constituency is located inCoventry, a city in theWest Midlands. The constituency contains the city centre and thesuburbs to its south, including the neighbourhoods ofHillfields,Stoke Aldermoor,Cheylesmore,Stivichall andCanley. Coventry is a historiccathedral city which became an important centre for theBritish motor industry in the mid-20th century, but suffered a decline after the closure of most factories in the 1980s.[3] The constituency is diverse in terms of wealth; Hillfields is densely-populated and falls within the 10% most deprived areas in England,[4] whilstCannon Park and Stivichall are amongst the 10% least-deprived.[5] The constituency containsCoventry University and theUniversity of Warwick and thus has a large student population.[6]
On average, residents of Coventry South are considerably younger and have higher levels of education and professional employment compared to the rest of the country.[7] The constituency is ethnically diverse; at the2021 census,White people made up 61% of the population,Asians (primarilyIndians) were 21% andBlack people were 10%.[8] Atthe city council, the areas close to the city centre are represented byLabour Party councillors whilst the outer, wealthier wards electedConservatives. In the2016 referendum, voters in the constituency were evenly split on the question ofEuropean Union membership with an estimated 50% voting for each option, whilst the rest of the city favoured leaving.[7]
The constituency was created for the1950 general election, abolished for theFebruary 1974 general election and recreated for the1997 general election by the merger of the former seats ofCoventry South East andCoventry South West. Since 1964 the various forms of the seat, excluding the gap period, have elected theLabour candidate. TheConservative candidates, since a win in 1959, have consistently taken second place. In2019, following the retirement ofJim Cunningham, Labour narrowly held onto the seat by 401 votes; the Conservatives made their best performance since the seat's recreation,
In 2015, the local UKIP party originally selected Mark Taylor as candidate, but he stood aside when instructed to by "party bosses."[9] UKIP wanted to replace Taylor with "anti-gay Christian preacher"[10]George Hargreaves.[9] The following week, Taylor was reinstated as candidate.[11]
1950–1974: The County Borough of Coventry wards of Cheylesmore, Earlsdon, Godiva, St Michael's, Westwood, and Whoberley.
From 1974 to 1997, the city centre was part of the now-abolished Coventry South East constituency.
1997–2024: The City of Coventry wards of Binley and Willenhall, Cheylesmore, Earlsdon, St Michael's, Wainbody, and Westwood.
2024–present: The City of Coventry wards of Cheylesmore, Earlsdon, Lower Stoke, St. Michael’s, Wainbody, and Westwood.[12]
| Election | Member[13] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Elaine Burton | Labour | |
| 1959 | Philip Hocking | Conservative | |
| 1964 | Bill Wilson | Labour | |
| Feb 1974 | constituency abolished | ||
| Election | Member[13] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jim Cunningham | Labour | |
| 2019 | Zarah Sultana | ||
| 2025 | Your Party | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Zarah Sultana | 20,361 | 47.6 | +3.3 | |
| Conservative | Mattie Heaven | 10,160 | 23.8 | −18.7 | |
| Reform | Chris Baddon | 5,711 | 13.4 | +10.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Richmond | 2,531 | 5.9 | −0.8 | |
| Green | Anne Patterson | 2,363 | 5.5 | +2.9 | |
| Workers Party | Mohammed Syed | 777 | 1.8 | N/A | |
| SDP | Alastair Mellon | 334 | 0.8 | N/A | |
| Independent | Niko Omilana | 263 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| Independent | Joshua Morland | 231 | 0.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 10,201 | 23.8 | +22.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 76,262 | ||||
| Turnout | 42,731 | 56.0 | −7.5 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +11.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Zarah Sultana | 19,544 | 43.4 | −11.6 | |
| Conservative | Mattie Heaven | 19,143 | 42.5 | +4.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Richmond | 3,398 | 7.5 | +4.6 | |
| Brexit Party | James Crocker | 1,432 | 3.2 | New | |
| Green | Becky Finlayson | 1,092 | 2.4 | +1.1 | |
| Independent | Ed Manning | 435 | 1.0 | New | |
| Majority | 401 | 0.9 | −16.0 | ||
| Turnout | 45,044 | 63.5 | −2.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 70,970 | ||||
| Labourhold | Swing | -8.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jim Cunningham[17] | 25,874 | 55.0 | +12.7 | |
| Conservative | Michelle Lowe[18] | 17,927 | 38.1 | +3.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Greg Judge | 1,343 | 2.9 | −1.2 | |
| UKIP | Ian Rogers | 1,037 | 2.2 | −10.9 | |
| Green | Aimee Challenor[19] | 604 | 1.3 | −2.6 | |
| Independent | Sandra Findlay | 224 | 0.5 | New | |
| Majority | 7,947 | 16.9 | +9.6 | ||
| Turnout | 47,009 | 66.4 | +5.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 70,754 | ||||
| Labourhold | Swing | +4.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jim Cunningham | 18,472 | 42.3 | +0.5 | |
| Conservative | Gary Ridley | 15,284 | 35.0 | +1.6 | |
| UKIP | Mark Taylor[11] | 5,709 | 13.1 | +9.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Greg Judge | 1,779 | 4.1 | −13.9 | |
| Green | Benjamin Gallaher[21] | 1,719 | 3.9 | +2.5 | |
| TUSC | Judy Griffiths | 650 | 1.5 | New | |
| Mainstream | Christopher Rooney | 86 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 3,188 | 7.3 | −1.1 | ||
| Turnout | 43,699 | 61.2 | −1.2 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -0.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jim Cunningham | 19,197 | 41.8 | −4.0 | |
| Conservative | Kevin Foster | 15,352 | 33.4 | +2.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Brian Patton | 8,278 | 18.0 | +0.4 | |
| UKIP | Mark Taylor | 1,767 | 3.8 | +1.8 | |
| Socialist | Judy Griffiths | 691 | 1.5 | −1.3 | |
| Green | Stephen Gray | 639 | 1.4 | New | |
| Majority | 3,845 | 8.4 | −6.9 | ||
| Turnout | 45,924 | 62.4 | +3.3 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -3.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jim Cunningham | 18,649 | 45.8 | −4.4 | |
| Conservative | Heather Wheeler | 12,394 | 30.5 | +1.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Vincent McKee | 7,228 | 17.8 | +3.7 | |
| Socialist | Robert Windsor | 1,097 | 2.7 | New | |
| UKIP | William Brown | 829 | 2.0 | New | |
| Independent | Irene Rogers | 344 | 0.8 | −0.6 | |
| Families First | James Rooney | 144 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 6,255 | 15.3 | −5.4 | ||
| Turnout | 40,685 | 59.1 | +3.8 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -2.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jim Cunningham | 20,125 | 50.2 | −0.7 | |
| Conservative | Heather Wheeler | 11,846 | 29.5 | +0.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Vincent McKee | 5,672 | 14.1 | +4.9 | |
| Socialist Alliance | Robert Windsor | 1,475 | 3.7 | New | |
| Independent | Irene Rogers | 564 | 1.4 | New | |
| Socialist Labour | Timothy Logan | 414 | 1.0 | New | |
| Majority | 8,279 | 20.7 | −1.2 | ||
| Turnout | 40,096 | 55.3 | −13.4 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -0.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jim Cunningham | 25,511 | 50.9 | ||
| Conservative | Paul Ivey | 14,558 | 29.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Gordon MacDonald | 4,617 | 9.2 | ||
| Socialist | Dave Nellist | 3,262 | 6.5 | ||
| Referendum | Paul Garratt | 943 | 1.9 | ||
| Liberal | Roger Jenking | 725 | 1.4 | ||
| BNP | Jeffrey Ashberry | 328 | 0.7 | ||
| Rainbow Dream Ticket | Anne−Marie Bradshaw | 180 | 0.4 | ||
| Majority | 10,953 | 21.9 | |||
| Turnout | 50,124 | 68.7 | |||
| Labourwin (seat recreated) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Wilson | 30,010 | 51.90 | ||
| Conservative | George Gardiner | 27,816 | 48.10 | ||
| Majority | 2,194 | 3.80 | |||
| Turnout | 57,826 | 74.42 | |||
| Labourhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Wilson | 31,237 | 54.87 | ||
| Conservative | Philip Hocking | 25,697 | 45.13 | ||
| Majority | 5,540 | 9.74 | |||
| Turnout | 56,934 | 80.21 | |||
| Labourhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Wilson | 29,240 | 51.62 | ||
| Conservative | Philip Hocking | 27,407 | 48.38 | ||
| Majority | 1,833 | 3.24 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 56,647 | 79.79 | |||
| Labourgain fromConservative | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Philip Hocking | 28,584 | 51.65 | +3.24 | |
| Labour | Elaine Burton | 26,754 | 48.35 | −3.24 | |
| Majority | 1,830 | 3.30 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 55,338 | 82.11 | |||
| Conservativegain fromLabour | Swing | +3.24 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Elaine Burton | 27,449 | 51.59 | −3.56 | |
| Conservative | Muriel Williamson | 25,761 | 48.41 | +3.56 | |
| Majority | 1,688 | 3.18 | −7.12 | ||
| Turnout | 53,210 | 81.36 | −4.81 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -3.56 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Elaine Burton | 29,271 | 55.15 | +2.46 | |
| Conservative | John Biggs-Davison | 23,803 | 44.85 | +3.64 | |
| Majority | 5,468 | 10.30 | −1.18 | ||
| Turnout | 53,074 | 86.17 | −1.08 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Elaine Burton | 27,977 | 52.69 | ||
| Conservative | Leslie Hore-Belisha | 21,885 | 41.21 | ||
| Liberal | Richard Soper | 3,239 | 6.10 | ||
| Majority | 6,092 | 11.48 | |||
| Turnout | 53,101 | 87.25 | |||
| Labourwin (new seat) | |||||
