# North Warwickshire and Bedworth (UK Parliament constituency)

North Warwickshire and Bedworth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Before the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was known as North Warwickshire with new name taking effect on the 2024 general election, with unchanged boundaries.

## Constituency profile

Warwickshire North contained wards which are the most "working-class" (lowest average income) and industrial of the six constituencies in the county, politically frequently with the best returns locally for Labour candidates. In the 2010 election, all six Warwickshire constituencies were won by the Conservative party, though this constituency was the most marginal, falling on a substantial swing of 8.1% from Labour to the Conservatives (compared to a national swing of 5%).
Like much of the county, the area includes many rural villages which can today be classified as 'commuter' and 'retirement', south of the National Forest, south east of Tamworth and the small cathedral city of Lichfield and centred less than 10 miles (16 km) east of Birmingham, which provides some work locally in the creative and international export sectors. Many towns and villages have a history of coal mining and heavy industry, linked to a strong Labour vote.
Settlements include Bedworth, just north of Coventry, and the historic market town of Atherstone.

## Boundaries

1832–1885: The Hundred of Hemlingford, the County of the City of Coventry, and the Rugby and Kirby Divisions of the Hundred of Knightlow.
1983–2010: The Borough of North Warwickshire, and the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth wards of Exhall, Heath, Mount Pleasant, and Poplar.
2010–present:
* The Borough of North Warwickshire wards of: Atherstone Central; Atherstone North; Atherstone South and Mancetter; Baddesley and Grendon; Coleshill North; Coleshill South; Curdworth; Dordon; Fillongley; Hurley and Wood End; Kingsbury; Newton Regis and Warton; Polesworth East; Polesworth West; Water Orton; and
* The Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth wards of: Bede; Exhall; Heath; Poplar; and Slough.
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.
The constituency since 2010 has all but two wards of North Warwickshire.

## History
### 1832–1885

The North Warwickshire constituency was created for the 1832 general election, when the Great Reform Act divided the former Warwickshire constituency into two new divisions: North Warwickshire and South Warwickshire.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, North Warwickshire was abolished for the 1885 general election, when Warwickshire was divided into four new single-member constituencies: Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Nuneaton and Tamworth.

### 1983–present

The second iteration of the North Warwickshire county constituency was created for the 1983 general election, replacing outlying parts of the Meriden and Nuneaton constituencies. The seat was won by Francis Maude of the Conservative Party at the 1983 general election, who held it until 1992, when it was taken by Mike O'Brien of Labour. Labour held the seat comfortably until 2010.
On 8 March 2007, former Army Officer and polar explorer Dan Byles was selected at an open primary to contest North Warwickshire for the Conservative Party. At the 2010 general election, Byles won the seat off Mike O'Brien by just 54 votes, making him the Conservative Member of Parliament with the smallest majority in the country. However, a strong Conservative performance during the latter part of the decade saw the seat become safer for the Conservatives – the result in 2019 being akin to a safe Conservative seat. This trend was reversed when the newly named seat was won by Labour's Rachel Taylor at the 2024 general election.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1832–1885

| Election | First member | First member | First party | Second member | Second member | Second party |
| 1832 | | William Stratford Dugdale | Tory | | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | Tory |
| 1834 | | William Stratford Dugdale | Conservative | | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | Conservative |
| 1843 by-election | | William Stratford Dugdale | Conservative | | Charles Newdegate | Conservative |
| 1847 | | Richard Spooner | Conservative | | Charles Newdegate | Conservative |
| 1864 by-election | | William Bromley-Davenport | Conservative | | Charles Newdegate | Conservative |
| 1884 by-election | | Philip Muntz | Conservative | | Charles Newdegate | Conservative |
| 1885 | Constituency abolished: see Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth | Constituency abolished: see Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth | Constituency abolished: see Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth | Constituency abolished: see Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth | Constituency abolished: see Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth | Constituency abolished: see Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth |

### MPs 1983–2024

Meriden and Nuneaton prior to 1983
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Francis Maude | Conservative |
| 1992 | Mike O'Brien | Labour |
| 2010 | Dan Byles | Conservative |
| 2015 | Craig Tracey | Conservative |
| 2024 | Rachel Taylor | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: North Warwickshire and Bedworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rachel Taylor | 14,727 | 36.0 | +9.2 |
| | Conservative | Craig Tracey | 12,529 | 30.6 | −35.3 |
| | Reform UK | Paul Hopkins | 10,701 | 26.1 | N/A |
| | Green | Alison Wilson | 1,755 | 4.3 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Guy Burchett | 1,228 | 3.0 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,198 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,940 | 58.9 | −6.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.2 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Craig Tracey | 30,249 | 65.9 | 9.0 |
| | Labour Co-op | Claire Breeze | 12,293 | 26.8 | 12.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Whelan | 2,069 | 4.5 | 2.3 |
| | Green | James Platt | 1,303 | 2.8 | 0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,956 | 39.1 | 21.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,914 | 65.3 | 1.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 10.5 | |
General election 2017: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Craig Tracey | 26,860 | 56.9 | 14.6 |
| | Labour | Julie Jackson | 18,350 | 38.9 | 2.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Cox | 1,028 | 2.2 | 0.1 |
| | Green | Keith Kondakor | 940 | 2.0 | 0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,510 | 18.0 | 11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,178 | 63.5 | 3.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 5.9 | |
General election 2015: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Craig Tracey | 20,042 | 42.3 | 2.1 |
| | Labour | Mike O'Brien | 17,069 | 36.0 | 4.1 |
| | UKIP | William Cash | 8,256 | 17.4 | 14.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Beddow | 978 | 2.1 | 9.5 |
| | Green | Ian Bonner | 894 | 1.9 | New |
| | TUSC | Eileen Hunter | 138 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,973 | 6.3 | 6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,377 | 67.2 | 0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 3.05 | |
General election 2010: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Daniel Byles | 18,993 | 40.2 | 8.2 |
| | Labour | Mike O'Brien | 18,939 | 40.1 | 8.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Martin | 5,481 | 11.6 | 1.9 |
| | BNP | Jason Holmes | 2,106 | 4.5 | 0.4 |
| | UKIP | Stephen Fowler | 1,335 | 2.8 | 0.1 |
| | English Democrat | David Lane | 411 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 54 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,265 | 67.4 | 5.2 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 8.1 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mike O'Brien | 22,561 | 48.1 | 6.0 |
| | Conservative | Ian Gibb | 15,008 | 32.0 | 0.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jerry Roodhouse | 6,212 | 13.2 | 1.8 |
| | BNP | Michaela Mackenzie | 1,910 | 4.1 | New |
| | UKIP | Ian Campbell | 1,248 | 2.7 | 0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,553 | 16.1 | 5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,939 | 62.2 | 2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 2.8 | |
General election 2001: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mike O'Brien | 24,023 | 54.1 | 4.3 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Parsons | 14,384 | 32.4 | 1.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Powell | 5,052 | 11.4 | 4.0 |
| | UKIP | John Flynn | 950 | 2.1 | 1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,639 | 21.7 | 5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,409 | 60.2 | 14.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 2.75 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mike O'Brien | 31,669 | 58.4 | 12.3 |
| | Conservative | Stephen Hammond | 16,902 | 31.2 | 13.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Powell | 4,040 | 7.4 | 2.9 |
| | Referendum | Roland Mole | 917 | 1.7 | New |
| | UKIP | Christopher Cooke | 533 | 1.0 | New |
| | Berties Party | Ian Moorecroft | 178 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,767 | 27.2 | 24.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,239 | 74.7 | 8.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 12.9 | |
General election 1992: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mike O'Brien | 27,599 | 46.1 | 6.0 |
| | Conservative | Francis Maude | 26,145 | 43.6 | 1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Noel R Mitchell | 6,167 | 10.3 | 4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,454 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,862 | 82.8 | 2.9 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 3.7 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Maude | 25,453 | 45.1 | 3.1 |
| | Labour | Mike O'Brien | 22,624 | 40.1 | 3.0 |
| | SDP | Suzan Neale | 8,382 | 14.9 | 6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,829 | 5.0 | 0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,459 | 79.9 | 1.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 0.1 | |
General election 1983: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Francis Maude | 22,452 | 42.0 |
| | Labour Co-op | John Tomlinson | 19,867 | 37.1 |
| | SDP | Howard Kerry | 11,207 | 20.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,585 | 4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,526 | 78.0 |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

## Election results 1832–1885
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,237 | 40.9 |
| | Tory | William Stratford Dugdale | 1,666 | 30.4 |
| | Whig | Dempster Heming | 1,573 | 28.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 93 | 1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,109 | 83.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,730 | |
| | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) |
| | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) |
General election 1835: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,600 | 37.3 | −3.6 |
| | Conservative | William Stratford Dugdale | 2,513 | 36.1 | +5.7 |
| | Whig | Arthur Francis Gregory | 1,854 | 26.6 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 659 | 9.5 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | c. 3,484 | c. 72.9 | c. −10.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,779 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.3 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.4 | |
General election 1837: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Stratford Dugdale | 3,326 | 32.7 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,768 | 27.2 | −10.1 |
| | Whig | Grey Skipwith | 2,292 | 22.5 | +9.2 |
| | Whig | Charles Holte Bracebridge | 1,787 | 17.6 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 476 | 4.7 | −4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,099 | 76.9 | c. +4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,632 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.1 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −8.4 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Stratford Dugdale | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,785 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
By-election, 10 March 1843: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Eardley-Wilmot's resignation after being appointed Governor of Tasmania
General election 1847: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 2,915 | 38.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | 2,451 | 32.1 | N/A |
| | Whig | William Henry Leigh | 2,278 | 29.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 173 | 2.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,961 (est) | 77.9 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,371 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 2,950 | 30.0 | −8.1 |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | 2,822 | 28.7 | −3.4 |
| | Whig | Frederick Craven | 2,038 | 20.7 | |
| | Whig | Sir Thomas George Skipwith, 9th Baronet | 2,021 | 20.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 784 | 8.0 | +5.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,916 (est) | 70.2 (est) | −7.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,002 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1857: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,832 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,871 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

By-election, 13 December 1864: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Bromley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Spooner's death.
General election 1865: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 3,159 | 37.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | William Bromley | 2,873 | 34.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | George Frederick Muntz | 2,408 | 28.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 465 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,424 (est) | 80.8 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,710 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 4,547 | 29.0 | −8.4 |
| | Conservative | William Bromley-Davenport | 4,377 | 28.0 | −6.0 |
| | Liberal | George Frederick Muntz | 3,411 | 21.8 | +7.5 |
| | Liberal | Edward Fordham Flower | 3,322 | 21.2 | +6.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 966 | 6.2 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,829 (est) | 76.3 (est) | −4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,266 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −7.8 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −6.6 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 4,672 | 38.3 | +9.3 |
| | Conservative | William Bromley-Davenport | 4,322 | 35.5 | +7.5 |
| | Liberal | George Frederick Muntz | 3,189 | 26.2 | −16.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,133 | 9.3 | +3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,686 (est) | 75.4 (est) | −0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,200 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.0 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: North Warwickshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Bromley-Davenport | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,789 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
By-election, 3 July 1884: North Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Philip Muntz | 5,282 | 59.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Archibald Corbett | 3,538 | 40.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,744 | 19.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,820 | 73.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,993 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Bromley-Davenport's death.