# Newcastle upon Tyne Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Newcastle upon Tyne Central was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2010 until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Chi Onwurah of the Labour Party. As with all constituencies since 1950, the constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
Under the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the majority of the seat was included in the new constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West.

## History

Parliament created this seat under the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the general election later that year. It was one of four divisions of the parliamentary borough of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which had previously been represented by one two-member seat.
The constituency covered the central part of Newcastle upon Tyne, being one of three constituencies in the city. Between 1983 and 2010, the seat did not actually include the city's commercial centre, being instead part of the now-abolished Tyne Bridge constituency.
From its creation, the constituency was represented by only members of the Labour and Conservative parties. The seat was represented by Labour from 1987 until its abolition.
At the 2017 and 2019 general elections, the constituency was the first in the UK to officially declare its result. It narrowly beat Houghton and Sunderland South, which had declared first in 2010 and 2015 (as did its predecessor Sunderland South in the four preceding general elections), and would do so again in 2024.

## Boundaries
### 1918–1950

* The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of All Saints, St John's, St Nicholas, Stephenson, and Westgate.

### 1950–1955

* The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Armstrong, Byker, St Anthony's, St Nicholas, and Stephenson; and
* The Rural District of Newcastle upon Tyne.
NB: the Rural District of Newcastle upon Tyne contained just a single building ('the Moot Hall and Precincts') in the centre of Newcastle.
Boundaries redrawn to take account of expansion of the County Borough and redistribution of wards. Expanded eastwards, gaining Byker and St Anthony's from Newcastle upon Tyne East, westwards, gaining Armstrong from Newcastle upon Tyne West. St John's and Westgate were transferred to Newcastle upon Tyne North. The constituency now comprised a narrow strip along the north bank of the River Tyne.

### 1955–1983

* The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Armstrong, Benwell, Byker, St Anthony's, St Nicholas, and Stephenson; and
* The Rural District of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Benwell ward transferred from Newcastle upon Tyne West.
1983–1997
* The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Blakelaw, Fenham, Jesmond, Kenton, Moorside, South Gosforth, and Wingrove.
Following the reorganisation of local authorities as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the constituencies within the City of Newcastle upon Tyne were completely redrawn. The contents of the newly constituted seat comprised only a small area common to the previous version. The central and western areas of the old seat, including Benwell and the city centre, were incorporated into the new constituency of Tyne Bridge, which included parts of Gateshead Borough on the south side of the River Tyne. Byker and St Anthony's were returned to Newcastle upon Tyne East, along with the Battle Field area.
The new version of the constituency absorbed the whole of the existing Newcastle upon Tyne North seat, apart from Sandyford. It also included parts of the now abolished Newcastle upon Tyne West constituency (Fenham and Kenton) and a small area transferred from Wallsend (South Gosforth).

### 1997–2010

* The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Blakelaw, Fenham, Jesmond, Kenton, Moorside, Sandyford, South Gosforth, and Wingrove.
Sandyford ward transferred from Newcastle upon Tyne East, which was now abolished.

### 2010–2024

* The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Benwell and Scotswood, Blakelaw, Elswick, Fenham, Kenton, Westgate, West Gosforth, and Wingrove.
Following its review of parliamentary representation in Tyne and Wear in 2007, which took effect at the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission for England moved the Sandyford area back to the re-created constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne East, together with the suburb of Jesmond. Those areas north of the River Tyne in the now abolished Tyne Bridge constituency (Benwell, Scotswood, Elswick and the city centre) were transferred in.

## Constituency profile

The constituency contained the city centre and surrounding suburbs. Previously based around heavy industry, such as shipbuilding, its adult population had mostly lower or middle incomes. The economy is now mainly focused on services and tourism. In November 2012 total unemployment (based on the more up-to-date claimant statistics) placed the constituency in joint 17th place of 29 constituencies in the region, above, for example the City of Durham at the bottom of the list, with just 3.4% claimants whereas Newcastle had 6.0% claimants, identical to Sunderland Central.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | George Renwick | Conservative |
| 1922 | Charles Trevelyan | Labour |
| 1931 | Arthur Denville | Conservative |
| 1945 | Lyall Wilkes | Labour |
| 1951 | Ted Short | Labour |
| 1976 by-election | Harry Cowans | Labour |
| 1983 | Piers Merchant | Conservative |
| 1987 | Jim Cousins | Labour |
| 2010 | Chi Onwurah | Labour |
| 2024 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Election results 1918-2024
### Election in the 1910s

General election 1918: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | George Renwick | 9,414 | 65.4 | |
| | Labour | James Smith | 4,976 | 34.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,438 | 30.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,390 | 43.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,796 | | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Trevelyan | 13,709 | 54.2 | +17.6 |
| | Unionist | George Renwick | 8,639 | 34.2 | −31.2 |
| | Liberal | John Dodd | 2,923 | 11.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,070 | 20.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,271 | 72.5 | +28.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,844 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +24.4 | |
General election 1923: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Trevelyan | 12,447 | 52.5 | −1.7 |
| | Unionist | Francis Fisher | 11,260 | 47.5 | +13.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,187 | 5.0 | −15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,707 | 67.4 | −5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,193 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.5 | |
General election 1924: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Trevelyan | 14,542 | 51.6 | −0.9 |
| | Unionist | F.M.B. Fisher | 13,646 | 48.4 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 896 | 3.2 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,188 | 79.8 | +12.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,307 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.9 | |
General election 1929: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Trevelyan | 17,580 | 57.2 | +5.6 |
| | Unionist | Richard Wyndham-Quin | 13,161 | 42.8 | −5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,419 | 14.4 | +11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,740 | 73.7 | −6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 41,683 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.6 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Denville | 20,309 | 62.4 | +19.6 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Charles Trevelyan | 12,136 | 37.3 | −19.9 |
| | National Labour | W.H.D. Caple | 94 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,173 | 25.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,539 | 80.5 | +6.8 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Denville | 15,826 | 59.3 | −3.1 |
| | Labour | Walter Monslow | 10,871 | 40.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,955 | 18.6 | −6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,697 | 75.5 | −5.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lyall Wilkes | 10,627 | 61.9 | +21.2 |
| | Conservative | Arthur Denville | 6,536 | 38.1 | −21.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,091 | 23.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,163 | 71.8 | −3.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lyall Wilkes | 25,190 | 63.7 | +1.8 |
| | Conservative | George Campbell White | 13,567 | 34.3 | +25.2 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Fred Barton | 812 | 2.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,623 | 29.4 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,569 | 79.8 | +8.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 25,637 | 64.1 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | Frederick Talbot Webster | 13,325 | 33.3 | −1.0 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Fred Barton | 1,006 | 2.5 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,312 | 30.8 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,968 | 80.7 | +0.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 26,102 | 66.6 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | George Peters | 13,099 | 33.4 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,003 | 33.2 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,201 | 70.88 | −8.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 24,051 | 65.8 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | William D Rutter | 12,485 | 34.2 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,566 | 31.6 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,536 | 73.2 | +2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 20,547 | 70.9 | +5.1 |
| | Conservative | William D Rutter | 7,896 | 27.3 | −6.9 |
| | Communist | Thomas G Welch | 532 | 1.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,651 | 43.6 | +12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,975 | 69.13 | −4.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 19,291 | 76.7 | +5.8 |
| | Conservative | John J. Walker-Smith | 5,474 | 21.6 | −5.7 |
| | Communist | Thomas G. Welch | 404 | 1.6 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,817 | 54.9 | +11.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,169 | 65.8 | −3.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 13,671 | 70.6 | −6.1 |
| | Conservative | Michael St John Way | 4,256 | 22.0 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal | David Lesser | 1,433 | 7.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,415 | 48.6 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,360 | 61.6 | −4.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 12,182 | 74.5 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative | Michael Jack | 4,180 | 25.5 | +3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,002 | 49.0 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,362 | 65.4 | +3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.2 | |
General election October 1974: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ted Short | 10,540 | 71.8 | −2.7 |
| | Conservative | Sheila Faith | 2,432 | 16.6 | −9.0 |
| | Liberal | Andrew Stephen Ellis | 1,716 | 11.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,108 | 55.2 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,694 | 58.4 | −7.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.1 | |
1976 Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Cowans | 4,692 | 47.6 | −24.2 |
| | Liberal | Andrew Stephen Ellis | 2,854 | 29.0 | +17.3 |
| | Conservative | Richard Sowler | 1,945 | 19.7 | +3.2 |
| | Socialist Workers | David Hayes | 184 | 1.9 | New |
| | National Front | Bruce Anderson-Lynes | 181 | 1.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,838 | 18.65 | −36.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,856 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Cowans | 10,395 | 67.3 | −4.5 |
| | Conservative | Piers Merchant | 2,982 | 19.3 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal | Andrew Steven Ellis | 2,073 | 13.4 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,413 | 48.0 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,450 | 65.25 | +6.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.6 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Piers Merchant | 18,161 | 40.8 | |
| | Labour | Nigel Todd | 15,933 | 35.8 | |
| | SDP | John Horam | 9,923 | 22.3 | New |
| | Ecology | Douglas Jacques | 478 | 1.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,228 | 5.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,495 | 71.0 | |
| | Conservative win (new boundaries) | Conservative win (new boundaries) | Conservative win (new boundaries) | Conservative win (new boundaries) | Conservative win (new boundaries) |
General election 1987: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Cousins | 20,416 | 44.2 | +8.4 |
| | Conservative | Piers Merchant | 17,933 | 38.8 | −2.0 |
| | SDP | Nigel Martin | 7,304 | 15.8 | −6.5 |
| | Green | Richard Bird | 418 | 0.9 | −0.2 |
| | Red Front | Kirk Williams | 111 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,483 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,182 | 75.5 | +4.5 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.2 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Cousins | 21,123 | 49.4 | +5.2 |
| | Conservative | Mike Summersby | 15,835 | 37.0 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lembit Öpik | 5,816 | 13.6 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,288 | 12.4 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,774 | 71.3 | −4.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.5 | |
General election 1997: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Cousins | 27,272 | 59.2 | +7.5 |
| | Conservative | Brooks Newmark | 10,792 | 23.4 | −12.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruth Berry | 6,911 | 15.0 | +2.3 |
| | Referendum | Charles A. Coxon | 1,113 | 2.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,480 | 35.8 | +19.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,088 | 65.9 | −5.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.9 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Cousins | 19,169 | 55.0 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Psallidas | 7,564 | 21.7 | +6.7 |
| | Conservative | Aidan Ruff | 7,414 | 21.3 | −2.1 |
| | Socialist Labour | Gordon Potts | 723 | 2.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,605 | 33.3 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,870 | 51.3 | −14.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −5.5 | |
General election 2005: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Cousins | 16,211 | 45.1 | −9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Greg Stone | 12,229 | 34.0 | +12.3 |
| | Conservative | Wendy Morton | 5,749 | 16.0 | −5.3 |
| | Green | Joe Hulm | 1,254 | 3.5 | New |
| | Newcastle Academy with Christian Values Party | Clive Harding | 477 | 1.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,982 | 11.1 | −22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,920 | 52.5 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -11.1 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Chi Onwurah | 15,692 | 45.9 | −4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gareth Kane | 8,228 | 24.1 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | Nick Holder | 6,611 | 19.4 | +2.8 |
| | BNP | Ken Booth | 2,302 | 6.7 | New |
| | UKIP | Martin Davies | 754 | 2.2 | New |
| | Green | John Pearson | 568 | 1.7 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,464 | 21.8 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,155 | 56.5 | +4.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.6 | |
General election 2015: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Chi Onwurah | 19,301 | 55.0 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | Simon Kitchen | 6,628 | 18.9 | −0.5 |
| | UKIP | Daniel Thompson | 5,214 | 14.9 | +12.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nick Cott | 2,218 | 6.3 | −17.8 |
| | Green | Alex Johnson | 1,724 | 4.9 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,673 | 36.1 | +14.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,085 | 60.3 | +3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.8 | |
General election 2017: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Chi Onwurah | 24,071 | 64.9 | +9.9 |
| | Conservative | Steve Kyte | 9,134 | 24.6 | +5.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nick Cott | 1,812 | 4.9 | −1.4 |
| | UKIP | David Muat | 1,482 | 4.0 | −10.9 |
| | Green | Peter Thomson | 595 | 1.6 | −3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,937 | 40.3 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,094 | 67.0 | +6.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.1 | |
General election 2019: Newcastle upon Tyne Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Chi Onwurah | 21,568 | 57.6 | −7.3 |
| | Conservative | Emily Payne | 9,290 | 24.8 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ali Avaei | 2,709 | 7.2 | +2.3 |
| | Brexit Party | Mark Frederick Griffin | 2,542 | 6.8 | New |
| | Green | Taymar Pitman | 1,365 | 3.6 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,278 | 32.8 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,474 | 64.8 | −2.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.8 | |