# Luton (UK Parliament constituency)

Luton was a constituency including the town of Luton in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1885 to 1974, elected by the first past the post system.

## History

The seat was created for the 1885 general election as one of two divisions of the county which succeeded Bedfordshire county constituency and was formally known as the Southern or Luton Division of Bedfordshire. The constituency adjoined the Northern or Biggleswade Division to the north of the county until 1918.
From the 1910s onwards the town of Luton and contiguous suburbs expanded, as recorded at the census in each decade, resulting in expanding electorates. This resulted in territory loss to newly formed seats in 1918 and 1950 and further population growth (coupled with a programme of new housing principally under the New Towns Act 1946) justified abolition and division into East and West seats in 1974.

### Political summary
#### Before 1945

The seat was Liberal-candidate held for 40 of the 46 years before 1931. The remaining six years had been won by Conservative and Unionist Party candidates, running under the emphasis of the party as 'Unionist'. In 1931, the sitting Liberal MP, Leslie Burgin, joined the Liberal Nationals (later the National Liberal Party).

#### After 1945

In the election landslide of 1945, the seat was won by the Labour Party, but recaptured at the next election by Charles Hill who served as a National Liberal, in coalition with the Conservatives, from 1950 until 1963, when he was made a life peer (Baron Hill of Luton). The resulting by-election was won by Labour which held it until 1970 when it was taken by the Conservative Party until the seat was abolished for the February 1974 general election.

### Electorate size

The electorate rose through house-building from a relatively modest 37,051 in 1918 to an over-sized (malapportioned) 95,227 in 1945.
In 1950 the electorate of the curtailed seat was 56,569; this rose to 62,457 in 1970, after which the seat was abolished, as recommended by the Boundary Commission, as set out in its Second Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies.

## Boundaries and boundary changes
### 1885–1918

* The Sessional Divisions of Luton, Leighton Buzzard, and Woburn; and
* Part of the Sessional Division of Ampthill.
The constituency was created as the Southern or Luton Division of Bedfordshire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, when the two-member Parliamentary County of Bedfordshire was divided into the two single-member constituencies of Biggleswade and Luton.

### 1918–1950

* The Boroughs of Luton and Dunstable; and
* The Rural District of Luton.
Northern and western parts of the Division, including Leighton Buzzard and surrounding rural areas, were transferred to the new Mid Bedfordshire Division.

### 1950–1974

* The Borough of Luton wards of Central, Crawley, Dallow, High Town, Icknield, Lewsey, South, Stopsley, Sundon Park, and Wardown.
The Leagrave and Limbury wards, together with the Borough of Dunstable and surrounding rural areas were included in the new constituency of South Bedfordshire. Reclassified as a borough constituency.
For the February 1974 general election the seat was abolished and was split into two new constituencies of Luton East and Luton West.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Cyril Flower | Liberal |
| 1892 by-election | Samuel Whitbread | Liberal |
| 1895 | Thomas Ashton | Liberal |
| 1911 by-election | Cecil Harmsworth | Liberal |
| 1922 | Sir John Hewett | Unionist |
| 1923 | Geoffrey Howard | Liberal |
| 1924 | Terence O'Connor | Unionist |
| 1929 | Leslie Burgin | Liberal |
| 1931 | Leslie Burgin | National Liberal |
| 1945 | Will Warbey | Labour |
| 1950 | Charles Hill | National Liberal and Conservative |
| 1963 by-election | Will Howie | Labour |
| 1970 | Charles Simeons | Conservative |
| Feb 1974 | constituency abolished: see Luton East and Luton West | constituency abolished: see Luton East and Luton West |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Cyril Flower | 6,080 | 61.1 | |
| | Conservative | Sydney Gedge | 3,871 | 38.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,209 | 22.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,951 | 82.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,106 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
Flower was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 13 Feb 1886: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Cyril Flower | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,106 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1886: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Cyril Flower | 4,275 | 54.3 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative | Walter Barttelot | 3,602 | 45.7 | +6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 673 | 8.6 | −13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,877 | 65.1 | −17.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,106 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −6.8 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Cyril Flower | 5,296 | 55.3 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Oliver Thomas Duke | 4,277 | 44.7 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,019 | 10.6 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,573 | 75.7 | +10.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,642 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.0 | |
Flower is elevated to the peerage as Lord Battersea.
1892 Luton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Samuel Whitbread | 4,838 | 51.3 | −4.0 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Oliver Thomas Duke | 4,596 | 48.7 | +4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 242 | 2.6 | −8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,434 | 74.6 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,642 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.0 | |
General election 1895: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Ashton | 5,430 | 50.9 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Oliver Thomas Duke | 5,244 | 49.1 | +4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 186 | 1.8 | −8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,674 | 83.7 | +8.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,760 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.4 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Ashton | 5,474 | 50.5 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative | George Elliott | 5,371 | 49.5 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 103 | 1.0 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,845 | 81.4 | −2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,317 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.4 | |
General election 1906: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Ashton | 7,240 | 57.3 | +6.8 |
| | Conservative | Alfred Peter Hillier | 5,387 | 42.7 | −6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,853 | 14.6 | +13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,627 | 87.3 | +5.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,459 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +6.8 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Ashton | 7,946 | 52.9 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | George Elliott | 7,080 | 47.1 | +4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 866 | 5.8 | −8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,026 | 90.7 | +3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,564 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.4 | |
General election December 1910: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Ashton | 7,601 | 53.4 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | John Owen Hickman | 6,623 | 46.6 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 978 | 6.8 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,224 | 85.9 | −4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,564 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.5 | |
1911 Luton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Cecil Harmsworth | 7,619 | 52.1 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative | John Owen Hickman | 7,006 | 47.9 | +1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 613 | 4.2 | −2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,625 | 85.1 | −0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,177 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.3 | |
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 from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: Cecil Harmsworth
* Unionist: John Owen Hickman
General election 1918: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | Cecil Harmsworth | 13,501 | 69.4 | +16.0 |
| | Labour | Willet Ball | 5,964 | 30.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,537 | 38.8 | +32.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,465 | 62.5 | −23.4 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | John Hewett | 13,301 | 43.5 | New |
| | Liberal | Harry Arnold | 10,137 | 33.2 | −36.2 |
| | Labour | Percy Alden | 7,107 | 23.3 | −7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,164 | 10.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,545 | 81.0 | +18.5 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Howard | 15,569 | 51.4 | +18.2 |
| | Unionist | John Hewett | 11,738 | 38.7 | −4.8 |
| | Labour | Willet Ball | 2,998 | 9.9 | −13.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,831 | 12.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,305 | 78.1 | −2.9 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +11.5 | |
General election 1924: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Terence O'Connor | 15,443 | 47.1 | +8.4 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Howard | 11,495 | 35.1 | −16.3 |
| | Labour | Philip L Millwood | 5,850 | 17.8 | +7.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,948 | 12.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,788 | 82.6 | +4.5 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1929: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Leslie Burgin | 20,248 | 45.5 | +10.4 |
| | Unionist | Terence O'Connor | 16,930 | 38.0 | −9.1 |
| | Labour | Florence Harrison Bell | 7,351 | 16.5 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,318 | 7.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,529 | 81.5 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +9.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Leslie Burgin | 32,015 | 80.2 | +34.7 |
| | Labour | James H MacDonnell | 7,897 | 19.8 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,118 | 60.4 | +52.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,912 | 67.8 | −13.7 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Leslie Burgin | 28,809 | 65.5 | −14.7 |
| | Labour | F. L. Kerran | 15,181 | 34.5 | +14.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,628 | 31.0 | −29.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,990 | 63.2 | −4.6 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal National: Leslie Burgin
* Labour: F. L. Kerran
General election 1945: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Warbey | 39,335 | 55.2 | +20.7 |
| | National Liberal | Bruno Brown | 31,914 | 44.8 | −20.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,421 | 10.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 71,249 | 74.9 | +11.7 |
| | Labour gain from National Liberal | Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Charles Hill | 22,946 | 46.59 | |
| | Labour | William Warbey | 21,860 | 44.38 | |
| | Liberal | Wilfred G Matthews | 4,447 | 9.03 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,086 | 2.21 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,253 | 87.07 | |
| | National Liberal gain from Labour | National Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | National Liberal | Charles Hill | 26,554 | 52.69 |
| | Labour | William Warbey | 23,842 | 47.31 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,712 | 5.38 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,396 | 87.59 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Charles Hill | 24,722 | 51.33 | |
| | Labour | Morris Janis | 20,304 | 42.15 | |
| | Liberal | Jean Henderson | 3,140 | 6.52 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,418 | 9.18 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,166 | 83.14 | |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | National Liberal | Charles Hill | 27,153 | 55.09 |
| | Labour Co-op | Cyril Rawlett Fenton | 22,134 | 44.91 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,019 | 10.18 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,287 | 82.46 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1963 Luton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Howie | 21,108 | 48.02 | +3.11 |
| | Conservative | John Fletcher-Cooke | 17,359 | 39.49 | −15.60 |
| | Liberal | Malvyn A Benjamin | 5,001 | 11.38 | N/A |
| | Communist | Tony Chater | 490 | 1.11 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,749 | 8.53 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,958 | | |
| | Labour gain from National Liberal | Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Howie | 23,751 | 50.16 | +5.25 |
| | Conservative | Charles Simeons | 23,028 | 48.64 | −6.45 |
| | Communist | Tony Chater | 567 | 1.20 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 723 | 1.52 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,346 | 79.84 | |
| | Labour gain from National Liberal | Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Howie | 23,069 | 48.76 | |
| | Conservative | Charles Simeons | 20,605 | 43.55 | |
| | Liberal | Thomas H Daniels | 3,049 | 6.44 | New |
| | Communist | Tony Chater | 586 | 1.24 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,464 | 5.21 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,309 | 79.21 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Luton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Simeons | 23,308 | 50.99 | |
| | Labour | William Howie | 21,959 | 48.04 | |
| | Communist | Tony Chater | 447 | 0.98 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,349 | 2.95 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,714 | 73.17 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |