# Charnwood (UK Parliament constituency)

Charnwood was a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament from 1997 to 2024.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with the majority of the electorate being included in the new constituency of Mid Leicestershire. Syston, East Goscote and Thurmaston were included in the newly created constituency of Melton and Syston.

## Constituency profile

The seat emerged from the Boundary Commission report of 1995 reflecting population increases in Leicestershire for the 1997 general election; the largest part of it was previously in Loughborough. During its existence, Charnwood was a Conservative Party stronghold. It mostly comprised affluent commuter villages to the north of Leicester and south of Loughborough; its residents were slightly wealthier than the UK average.

## Boundaries

1997–2010: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Birstall Goscote, Birstall Greengate, Birstall Netherhall, Birstall Riverside, Birstall Stonehill, Bradgate, East Goscote, Mountsorrel and Rothley, Queniborough, Six Hills, Syston, Thurcaston, Thurmaston, Woodhouse and Swithland, the District of Blaby wards of Ellis, Fairestone, Kirby, Leicester Forest East, the Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth wards of Groby and Ratby.
2010–2024: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Anstey, Birstall Wanlip, Birstall Watermead, East Goscote, Forest Bradgate, Mountsorrel, Queniborough, Rothley and Thurcaston, Syston East, Syston West, Thurmaston, Wreake Villages, the District of Blaby wards of Ellis, Fairestone, Forest, Muxloe, the Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth ward of Groby.
The seat was close to Leicester, between the city and Nottingham; it covered slightly more than half of the local government district of Charnwood to the north of Leicester. The town of Loughborough is the largest in the borough, but lies in a separate constituency.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1997 | Stephen Dorrell | Conservative |
| | 2015 | Edward Argar | Conservative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Charnwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Argar | 35,121 | 63.4 | +3.0 |
| | Labour | Gary Godden | 12,724 | 23.0 | −7.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kate Tipton | 4,856 | 8.8 | +5.1 |
| | Green | Laurie Needham | 2,664 | 4.8 | +2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,397 | 40.4 | +10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,365 | 69.6 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.45 | |
General election 2017: Charnwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Argar | 33,318 | 60.4 | +6.1 |
| | Labour | Sean Kelly-Walsh | 16,977 | 30.8 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Sansome | 2,052 | 3.7 | −3.2 |
| | UKIP | Victoria Connor | 1,471 | 2.7 | −13.2 |
| | Green | Nick Cox | 1,036 | 1.9 | New |
| | BNP | Stephen Denham | 322 | 0.6 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,341 | 29.6 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,176 | 70.7 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4 | |
General election 2015: Charnwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Argar | 28,384 | 54.3 | +4.7 |
| | Labour | Sean Kelly-Walsh | 11,453 | 21.9 | +2.2 |
| | UKIP | Lynton Yates | 8,330 | 15.9 | +12.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Sansome | 3,605 | 6.9 | −14.6 |
| | BNP | Cathy Duffy | 489 | 0.9 | −4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,931 | 32.4 | +4.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,261 | 67.6 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.25 | |
General election 2010: Charnwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Dorrell | 26,560 | 49.6 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robin Webber-Jones | 11,531 | 21.5 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | Eric Goodyer | 10,536 | 19.7 | −8.9 |
| | BNP | Cathy Duffy | 3,116 | 5.8 | +2.2 |
| | UKIP | Miles Storier | 1,799 | 3.4 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,029 | 28.1 | +10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,542 | 71.9 | +5.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.1 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Charnwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Dorrell | 23,571 | 46.6 | −1.6 |
| | Labour | Richard Robinson | 14,762 | 29.2 | −3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sue King | 9,057 | 17.9 | +1.7 |
| | BNP | Andrew Holders | 1,737 | 3.4 | New |
| | UKIP | Jamie Bye | 1,489 | 2.9 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,809 | 17.4 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,616 | 66.4 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.7 | |
General election 2001: Charnwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Dorrell | 23,283 | 48.2 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Sean Sheahan | 15,544 | 32.2 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan King | 7,835 | 16.2 | +3.3 |
| | UKIP | Jamie Bye | 1,603 | 3.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,739 | 16.0 | +6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,265 | 64.4 | −12.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.8 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Charnwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Dorrell | 26,110 | 46.5 | |
| | Labour | David Knaggs | 20,210 | 36.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Wilson | 7,224 | 12.9 | |
| | Referendum | Hugh Meechan | 2,104 | 3.7 | |
| | BNP | Matthew Palmer | 525 | 0.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,900 | 10.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,173 | 77.3 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |