# Leek (UK Parliament constituency)

Leek was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Centred on the market town of Leek, it was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished nearly 100 years later for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Staffordshire Moorlands constituency.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Charles Crompton | Liberal |
| 1886 | Harry Davenport | Conservative |
| 1892 | Charles Bill | Conservative |
| 1906 | Robert Pearce | Liberal |
| 1910, Jan | Arthur Heath | Conservative |
| 1910, Dec | Sir Robert Pearce | Liberal |
| 1918 | William Bromfield | Labour |
| 1931 | Arthur Ratcliffe | Conservative |
| 1935 | William Bromfield | Labour |
| 1945 | Harold Davies | Labour |
| 1970 | David Knox | Conservative |
| 1983 | constituency abolished. see Staffordshire Moorlands | constituency abolished. see Staffordshire Moorlands |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Crompton | 4,225 | 51.0 | |
| | Conservative | Harry Davenport | 4,063 | 49.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 162 | 2.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,288 | 81.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,234 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Davenport | 4,324 | 54.1 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal | Charles Crompton | 3,669 | 45.9 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 655 | 8.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,993 | 78.1 | −2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,234 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.1 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Bill | 4,576 | 52.1 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal | Joshua Oldfield Nicholson | 4,213 | 47.9 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 363 | 4.2 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,789 | 80.2 | +2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,961 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.0 | |
General election 1895: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Bill | 4,705 | 53.5 | +1.4 |
| | Liberal | Robert Pearce | 4,091 | 46.5 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 614 | 7.0 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,796 | 78.7 | −1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,182 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Bill | 4,800 | 54.3 | +0.8 |
| | Liberal | Robert Pearce | 4,041 | 45.7 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 759 | 8.6 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,841 | 80.3 | +1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,006 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.8 | |
General election 1906: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Pearce | 5,749 | 57.4 | +11.7 |
| | Conservative | Charles Bill | 4,275 | 42.6 | −11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,474 | 14.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,024 | 86.8 | +6.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,545 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +11.7 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Heath | 5,463 | 50.0 | +7.4 |
| | Liberal | Robert Pearce | 5,453 | 50.0 | −7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10 | 0.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,916 | 90.4 | +3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,079 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.4 | |
General election December 1910: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Pearce | 5,742 | 52.7 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | William Bromley-Davenport | 5,152 | 47.3 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 590 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,894 | 90.2 | −0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,079 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.7 | |
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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: Robert Pearce
* Unionist:
* Labour:
General election 1918: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Bromfield | 10,510 | 51.7 | New |
| C | Liberal | Guy Gaunt | 9,832 | 48.3 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 678 | 3.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,342 | 67.7 | −22.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,055 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Bromfield | 12,857 | 50.8 | −0.9 |
| | Unionist | Enoch Hill | 12,473 | 49.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 384 | 1.6 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,330 | 78.7 | +11.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,175 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Bromfield | 13,913 | 53.6 | +2.8 |
| | Unionist | Enoch Hill | 12,066 | 46.4 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,847 | 7.2 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,979 | 77.3 | −1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 33,596 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.8 | |
General election 1924: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Bromfield | 14,256 | 51.7 | −1.9 |
| | Unionist | Thomas Cholmondeley | 13,305 | 48.3 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 951 | 3.4 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,561 | 79.5 | +2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,686 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.9 | |
General election 1929: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Bromfield | 22,458 | 58.5 | +6.8 |
| | Unionist | Edward Hulton | 15,953 | 41.5 | −6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,505 | 17.0 | +13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,411 | 82.4 | +2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 46,588 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Ratcliffe | 20,067 | 51.39 | |
| | Labour | William Bromfield | 18,979 | 48.61 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,088 | 2.78 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,046 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Bromfield | 23,432 | 57.36 | |
| | National Labour | Leslie Thomas | 17,419 | 42.64 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,013 | 14.72 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,851 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | 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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: Harold Davies
* Conservative: John H Wain
General election 1945: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 32,567 | 67.19 |
| | Conservative | T.W. Gimson | 15,904 | 32.81 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,663 | 34.38 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,471 | 76.74 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950:Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 30,444 | 53.78 |
| | Conservative | Rupert Speir | 25,820 | 46.22 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,224 | 7.56 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,264 | 86.05 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 29,502 | 51.67 |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 27,592 | 48.33 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,910 | 3.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,094 | 86.18 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 28,273 | 50.95 |
| | Conservative | Mervyn Pike | 27,214 | 49.05 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,059 | 1.90 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,487 | 81.52 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 31,096 | 50.94 |
| | Conservative | John Wedgwood | 29,947 | 49.06 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,149 | 1.88 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,043 | 83.88 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 33,558 | 53.29 |
| | Conservative | Harry Goodwin | 29,409 | 46.71 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,419 | 6.58 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,967 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1966: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 35,334 | 56.17 |
| | Conservative | Frank Swinnerton | 27,573 | 43.83 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,761 | 12.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,907 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Knox | 27,899 | 46.13 | |
| | Labour | Harold Davies | 26,359 | 43.59 | |
| | Liberal | Richard Malcolm Burman | 6,219 | 10.28 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,540 | 2.54 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,477 | 67.44 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | David Knox | 31,526 | 45.57 |
| | Labour | Roy Delville Roebuck | 25,794 | 37.29 |
| | Liberal | Richard Malcolm Burman | 11,860 | 17.14 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,732 | 8.28 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 69,180 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | David Knox | 30,796 | 46.74 |
| | Labour | B Whittam | 26,472 | 40.18 |
| | Liberal | M Holden | 8,615 | 13.08 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,324 | 6.56 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,883 | 78.50 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1979: Leek :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Knox | 36,508 | 51.88 | |
| | Labour | Mark Fisher | 25,937 | 36.86 | |
| | Liberal | M Conway | 6,474 | 9.20 | |
| | Ratepayer | CI Bailey | 1,451 | 2.06 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,571 | 15.02 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70,370 | 80.42 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |