Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950 onwards
Southend West and Leigh is aconstituency [ n 1] in theHouse of Commons of theUK Parliament . In the2024 general election the seat was won byDavid Burton-Sampson forLabour .[ 2] It was previously held byAnna Firth who won the2022 by-election ,[ 3] followingthe murder of theincumbent MP ,David Amess .[ 4] [ n 2]
Prior to the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , coming into effect at the2024 general election , the constituency was known asSouthend West .[ 5]
The constituency was created for the1950 general election under theRepresentation of the People Act 1948 , when the Parliamentary Borough ofSouthend-on-Sea was split in two.
Because four members of theGuinness family have held the seat (or its predecessor,Southend ) it has been dubbed in political analyses in the media as "Guinness-on-Sea".[ 6]
The seat had historically been seen by pundits as asafe Conservative seat and from its creation until 2019, the seat was held by theConservative Party , with majorities ranging from 5.7% during theLabour Landslide of 1997 to 43.4% in 1955.
The seat was represented byDavid Amess for 24 years, from 1997 to 15 October 2021, whenhe was murdered .[ 4] Amess was previously the MP for Basildon from 1983. Aby-election was held to elect a replacement MP. In a similar vein to the subsequent by-election followingthe murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, all major contender parties stated they would not field candidates in opposition to the successful Conservative candidate,Anna Firth .[ 7]
At the2024 general election it was won byLabour for the first time with a 35.6% share.[ 8] [ 9]
Boundaries and boundary changes [ edit ] The County Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, Milton, Prittlewell, St Clements, Victoria, and Westborough.[ 10] Formed primarily from western parts of the abolished Parliamentary Borough ofSouthend-on-Sea .
The County Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Blenheim, Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, Prittlewell, St Clement's, Southbourne, and Westborough.[ 10] Realignment of boundary withSouthend East .
The Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Belfairs, Blenheim, Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, Prittlewell, and Westborough.[ 11] [ 12] Marginal changes following the redistribution of wards in theBorough of Southend-on-Sea .
Map of boundaries 2010-2024
The Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Belfairs, Blenheim Park, Chalkwell, Eastwood Park, Leigh, Prittlewell, St Laurence, Westborough, and West Leigh.[ 13] Further marginal changes were due to a redistribution of local authority wards.
Current (Southend West and Leigh)[ edit ] Further to the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , which came into effect for the2024 general election , the constituency comprises the whole of the current Southend West seat with the addition of St Luke's ward fromRochford and Southend East .[ 14]
The constituency comprises a small part of the west ofSouthend-on-Sea , and includesLeigh-on-Sea andWestcliff-on-Sea . It is bounded to the north and east byRochford and Southend East , to the north byRayleigh and Wickford , to the west byCastle Point , and to the south by the very end of theThames Estuary .
Members of Parliament [ edit ] Southend prior to 1950
Election results 1950-2024 Elections in the 2020s [ edit ] Elections in the 2010s [ edit ] Jack Monroe had previously been standing[ 24] for theNational Health Action Party , before withdrawing their candidacy on 11 May 2017, citing death threats and concern for their health.[ 25] [ 26]
Elections in the 2000s [ edit ] Elections in the 1990s [ edit ] Elections in the 1980s [ edit ] Elections in the 1970s [ edit ] Elections in the 1960s [ edit ] Elections in the 1950s [ edit ] ^ Aborough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer) ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by thefirst past the post system of election at least every five years. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern" . Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved27 June 2024 .^ "Southend West and Leigh – General election results 2024" . BBC News. Retrieved5 July 2024 .^ "Southend West by-election: Anna Firth wins seat for the Conservative Party" . BBC News. 4 February 2022. Retrieved4 February 2022 .^a b "Sir David Amess MP dead after stabbing in Leigh church" .Echo . 15 October 2021. Retrieved15 October 2021 .^ "Eastern | Boundary Commission for England" .Boundary Commission for England . Retrieved20 June 2023 .^ Roth, Andrew (31 January 2007)."Lord Kelvedon" .The Guardian . London. Retrieved23 May 2010 . ^ "Labour, Lib Dems and Greens won't stand candidates in Southend West by-election" . ITV News. 18 October 2021. Retrieved30 October 2021 .^ "Labour wins Southend East and Southend West seats" .Southend Echo . 5 July 2024. Retrieved6 July 2024 .^ "Southend West and Leigh – General election results 2024" . BBC News. Retrieved5 July 2024 .^a b Craig, Fred W. S. (1972).Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972; . Chichester: Political Reference Publications.ISBN 0900178094 .OCLC 539011 . ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" .Legislation.gov.uk . Retrieved8 September 2019 .^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995" .Legislation.gov.uk . Retrieved8 September 2019 .^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007" .Legislation.gov.uk . Retrieved8 September 2019 .^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023" . Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4) ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations, Southend West and Leigh" .Southend-on-Sea City Council . 7 June 2024. Retrieved8 June 2024 .^ "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation in polling stations" .Southend Council . 11 January 2022. Retrieved11 January 2022 .^ "Southend West by-election live updates: Residents vote to elect MP after Sir David Amess' death" .Essex Live .The turnout for the Southend West by election was 24.03 per cent of an electorate of 66,354 ^ @BritainElects (4 February 2022)."Southend West parliamentary by-election, result" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^ "Election Results Southend West by-election 2022" . 4 February 2022. Retrieved4 February 2022 .^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019" .Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News .UK Parliament . Retrieved11 July 2024 .^ "Southend West Parliamentary constituency" . BBC News. Retrieved19 November 2019 .^ "General Election 2017" .Southend Council . Retrieved18 June 2017 .^ "Jack Monroe announced as snap General Election candidate" . BBC News. 29 April 2017. Retrieved29 April 2017 .^ "Jack Monroe pulls out of general election campaign after death threats" .PinkNews . Retrieved12 May 2017 .^ "Jack Monroe abandons bid to become an MP" .The Guardian . Press Association. 11 May 2017. Retrieved12 May 2017 .^ "Election Data 2015" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved17 October 2015 .^ "Southend West" .UK Polling Report .^ "Paul Collins PPC page" . Liberal Democrats. Archived fromthe original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved21 January 2015 .^ "Green Party announces its candidates for the East of England's seaside towns" .Eastern Region Green Party . 25 November 2014.^ "Election Data 2010" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved17 October 2015 .^ "Rochford and Southend East & Southend West" . Liberal Democrats. Archived fromthe original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved1 February 2010 .^ "Prospective Parliamentary Candidates" . Labour Party. Archived fromthe original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved1 February 2010 .^ "Eastern Counties Region" . UKIP. Archived fromthe original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved8 February 2010 .^ "Green Party Parliamentary Candidate" . Green Party. Archived fromthe original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved7 April 2010 .^ "General Election Candidates" . English Democrats. Archived fromthe original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved1 February 2010 .^ "Election Data 2005" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved18 October 2015 .^ "Election Data 2001" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved18 October 2015 .^ "Election Data 1997" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved18 October 2015 .^ "Election Data 1992" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved18 October 2015 .^ "UK General Election results April 1992" .Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources . Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved6 December 2010 .^ "Election Data 1987" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved18 October 2015 .^ "Election Data 1983" .Electoral Calculus . Archived fromthe original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved18 October 2015 .^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons . 1951.^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons . 1950.
51°33′N 0°40′E / 51.55°N 0.66°E /51.55; 0.66