# Dewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Dewsbury was a constituency created in 1868 and abolished in 2024.
After 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished and replaced by the newly created Dewsbury and Batley constituency (with major boundary changes).

## History
### Summary of results

Dewsbury's seat dates back to 1868 and the electorate has usually given the winning MP marginal majorities which means it is a marginal seat. Labour MPs served the seat from 1935 until 1983 and again from 1987. In 2010 it was gained by Simon Reevell, a Conservative.

### Other parties results

One of the five other parties' candidates standing in 2015 kept their deposit, by winning more than 5% of the vote in 2015, UKIP's Thackray, who emulated the national swing of +9.5% by an entry candidature, polling 12.4% of the vote.

### Turnout

Turnout since 1918 has ranged between 87.9% of the vote in 1950, to 58.8% in 2001.

## Boundaries

1868–1885: The townships of Dewsbury, Batley, and Soothill.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Dewsbury.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Dewsbury, the Municipal Borough of Ossett, and the Urban Districts of Heckmondwike and Mirfield.
1955–1983: The County Borough of Dewsbury, the Municipal Borough of Ossett, and the Urban District of Mirfield.
1983–1997: The Borough of Kirklees wards of Denby Dale, Dewsbury East, Dewsbury West, Kirkburton, Mirfield, and Thornhill.
1997–2010: The Borough of Kirklees wards of Dewsbury East, Dewsbury West, Heckmondwike, Mirfield, and Thornhill.
2010–2024: The Borough of Kirklees wards of Denby Dale, Dewsbury East, Dewsbury South, Dewsbury West, Kirkburton, and Mirfield.
The constituency covers the towns of Dewsbury and Mirfield, and the surrounding areas.
In the 2010 redistribution, the constituency lost the Labour-leaning ward of Heckmondwike, but gained the Conservative-leaning wards of Denby Dale and Kirkburton.

## Constituency profile

The seat has a substantial Muslim population in the town of Dewsbury (particularly the Savile Town district), combined a few suburban and rural affluent parts such as Denby Dale, Mirfield, and Kirkburton. The town of Dewsbury itself is strongly Labour, and the remaining wards mostly Conservative. Overall the seat has close to national average income and several developments have desirable views as the upland town cuts into the Pennines. Relatively few people rely upon social housing, however the Dewsbury East ward contains a high proportion of social housing in the Chickenley estate, while Dewsbury South contains the Thornhill area, where the local school was the subject of the acclaimed Educating Yorkshire series. In the light of increasing concern over Muslim extremism, the Labour Party candidate Shahid Malik enjoyed a fairly large public media profile after his victory in 2005, with various TV appearances and interviews, strongly denouncing believers in and adherents of such views; however, this has also been a strong area for the British National Party, who obtained their highest vote in Britain (13.1%) in the 2005 general election, much of it taken at the Labour Party's expense. They have also had a substantial vote at local level, when in 2006 for the first time in the UK the BNP polled more votes than any other party standing. However, at the 2010 general election, the BNP's popularity in Dewsbury fell (despite a substantial nationwide rise in support for the party compared to five years previously) and they gained a mere 6% of the vote.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1868 | Sir John Simon | Liberal |
| 1888 by-election | Mark Oldroyd | Liberal |
| 1902 by-election | Walter Runciman | Liberal |
| 1918 | Emil Pickering | Coalition Conservative |
| 1922 | Benjamin Riley | Labour |
| 1923 | Edmund Harvey | Liberal |
| 1924 | Benjamin Riley | Labour |
| 1931 | Walter Rea | Liberal |
| 1935 | Benjamin Riley | Labour |
| 1945 | Will Paling | Labour |
| 1959 | David Ginsburg | Labour |
| 1981 | David Ginsburg | Social Democrat |
| 1983 | John Whitfield | Conservative |
| 1987 | Ann Taylor | Labour |
| 2005 | Shahid Malik | Labour |
| 2010 | Simon Reevell | Conservative |
| 2015 | Paula Sherriff | Labour |
| 2019 | Mark Eastwood | Conservative |
| 2024 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Election results 1868–2024
### Elections in the 1860s

1868 General Election: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Simon | 3,392 | 53.7 | |
| | Liberal | Handel Cossham | 2,923 | 46.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 469 | 7.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,315 | 89.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,072 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1870s

1874 General Election: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Simon | 3,706 | 52.9 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal | John Charles Cox | 3,272 | 46.7 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | William Henry Colbeck | 26 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 434 | 6.2 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,004 | 79.6 | −9.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,803 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.6 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

1880 general election: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Simon | 3,599 | 42.6 | −10.3 |
| | Liberal | William Hoyle | 3,254 | 38.6 | −8.1 |
| | Conservative | Alfred Austin | 1,586 | 18.8 | +18.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 345 | 4.0 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,439 | 84.7 | +5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,960 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.1 | |
1885 general election: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Simon | 6,124 | 62.6 | +20.0 |
| | Conservative | Joseph Fox | 3,664 | 37.4 | +18.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,460 | 25.2 | +21.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,788 | 85.6 | +0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,439 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.7 | |
1886 general election: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Simon | 5,118 | 65.0 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative | Joseph Samuel Colefax | 2,759 | 35.0 | −2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,359 | 30.0 | +4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,877 | 68.9 | −16.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,439 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.4 | |
1888 Dewsbury by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Mark Oldroyd | 6,071 | 60.5 | −4.5 |
| | Liberal Unionist | H. O. Arnold-Forster | 3,969 | 39.5 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,102 | 21.0 | −9.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,040 | 85.3 | +16.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,767 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.5 | |
* Caused by Simon's resignation.

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Mark Oldroyd | 5,759 | 61.1 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative | Henry Cautley | 3,670 | 38.9 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,089 | 22.2 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,429 | 80.1 | +11.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,768 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.9 | |
General election 1895: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Mark Oldroyd | 5,379 | 52.0 | −9.1 |
| | Conservative | Henry Cautley | 3,875 | 37.5 | −1.4 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Edward Hartley | 1,080 | 10.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,504 | 14.5 | −7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,334 | 84.9 | +4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,167 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Mark Oldroyd | 6,045 | 60.8 | +8.8 |
| | Conservative | Forbes St John Morrow | 3,897 | 39.2 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,148 | 21.6 | +7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,942 | 74.8 | −10.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,296 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.6 | |
1902 Dewsbury by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Runciman | 5,660 | 48.1 | −12.7 |
| | Conservative | Joe Haley | 4,512 | 38.3 | −0.9 |
| | Social Democratic Federation | Harry Quelch | 1,597 | 13.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,148 | 9.8 | −11.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,769 | 87.3 | +12.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,476 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −5.9 | |
General election 1906: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Runciman | 6,764 | 54.7 | −6.1 |
| | Conservative | W. B. Boyd-Carpenter | 2,959 | 24.0 | −15.2 |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. | Ben Turner | 2,629 | 21.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,805 | 30.7 | +9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,352 | 88.5 | +13.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,951 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +4.6 | |
1908 Dewsbury by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Runciman | 5,594 | 46.1 | −8.6 |
| | Conservative | W. B. Boyd-Carpenter | 4,078 | 33.7 | +9.7 |
| | Labour | Ben Turner | 2,446 | 20.2 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,516 | 12.4 | −18.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,118 | 86.2 | −2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,056 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −9.2 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Runciman | 7,882 | 62.4 | +7.7 |
| | Conservative | B. Dent | 4,747 | 37.6 | +13.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,315 | 24.8 | −5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,629 | 87.8 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.1 | |
General election December 1910: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Runciman | 7,061 | 63.6 | +1.2 |
| | Conservative | Edward Overend Simpson | 4,033 | 36.4 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,028 | 27.2 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,094 | 77.1 | −10.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,389 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.2 | |
General election 1918: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Emil Pickering | 7,853 | 42.3 | +5.9 |
| | Labour | Benjamin Riley | 5,596 | 30.1 | New |
| | Liberal | Walter Runciman | 5,130 | 27.6 | −36.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,257 | 12.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,579 | 67.3 | −9.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 27,592 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +21.0 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Benjamin Riley | 8,821 | 37.3 | +7.2 |
| | Liberal | Edmund Harvey | 8,065 | 34.1 | +5.5 |
| | Unionist | Osbert Peake | 6,744 | 28.5 | −13.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 756 | 3.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,630 | 83.9 | +16.6 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edmund Harvey | 11,179 | 55.6 | +21.5 |
| | Labour | Benjamin Riley | 8,923 | 44.4 | +13.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,256 | 11.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,102 | 70.7 | −13.2 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Benjamin Riley | 9,941 | 41.1 | −3.3 |
| | Unionist | Frederick Walter Skelsey | 7,516 | 31.1 | New |
| | Liberal | Edmund Harvey | 6,723 | 27.8 | −27.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,425 | 10.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,677 | 84.3 | +13.6 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1929: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Benjamin Riley | 14,420 | 46.2 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Walker | 10,607 | 34.0 | +6.2 |
| | Unionist | JWW Shuttleworth | 6,175 | 19.8 | −11.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,813 | 12.2 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,250 | 86.1 | +1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Rea | 19,463 | 63.68 | +29.68 |
| | Labour | Benjamin Riley | 11,101 | 36.32 | −9.88 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,362 | 27.36 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,564 | 84.23 | −1.88 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Benjamin Riley | 14,066 | 47.21 | +10.89 |
| | National Labour | John Fennell | 8,798 | 29.53 | New |
| | Liberal | Walter Rea | 6,933 | 23.27 | −40.41 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,268 | 17.68 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,797 | 80.81 | −3.42 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General Election 1939–40:
Another General Election was due 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:
* Labour: Benjamin Riley
* Liberal: Ronald Walker
* Liberal National:Richard Soper

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Paling | 16,330 | 56.3 | +9.1 |
| | National Liberal | Ernest Eric Ritchie Kilner | 8,674 | 29.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Thomas Mercer Banks | 4,023 | 13.9 | −9.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,656 | 26.4 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,027 | 80.3 | −0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Paling | 29,341 | 53.6 | −2.7 |
| | Conservative | James Ramsden | 18,076 | 33.0 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal | Granville Slack | 7,323 | 13.4 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,265 | 20.6 | −5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,740 | 87.9 | +7.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -2.9 | |
General election 1951: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Paling | 28,650 | 53.3 | −0.3 |
| | National Liberal | James Ramsden | 19,562 | 36.4 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Snowden | 5,584 | 10.4 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,088 | 16.9 | −3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,796 | 85.8 | −2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Paling | 23,286 | 52.1 | −1.2 |
| | Conservative | Michael Shaw | 15,869 | 35.5 | −0.9 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Snowden | 5,516 | 12.4 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,417 | 16.6 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,671 | 80.8 | −5.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Ginsburg | 20,870 | 46.0 | −6.1 |
| | Conservative | Marcus Fox | 17,201 | 37.9 | +2.4 |
| | Liberal | John M McLusky | 7,321 | 16.1 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,669 | 7.1 | −8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,392 | 82.7 | +1.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -4.3 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Ginsburg | 21,284 | 48.4 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative | Barbara M Garden | 15,046 | 34.2 | −3.7 |
| | Liberal | Alan Allsop | 7,679 | 17.5 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,238 | 14.2 | +6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,009 | 79.5 | −3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.1 | |
General election 1966: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Ginsburg | 23,027 | 53.6 | +5.2 |
| | Conservative | Donald H Haynes | 12,361 | 28.8 | −5.4 |
| | Liberal | Alan Allsop | 7,593 | 17.7 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,666 | 24.8 | +10.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,981 | 77.9 | −1.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.3 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Ginsburg | 22,015 | 48.7 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative | John M. Stanfield | 17,468 | 38.7 | +9.9 |
| | Liberal | Alan Allsop | 5,688 | 12.6 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,547 | 10.0 | −14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,171 | 74.5 | −3.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.4 | |
General election February 1974: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Ginsburg | 21,186 | 42.5 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | Ivor James Humphrey | 15,774 | 31.6 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal | Alan Allsop | 12,889 | 25.9 | +13.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,412 | 10.9 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,859 | 81.8 | +7.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
General election October 1974: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Ginsburg | 20,378 | 45.4 | +2.9 |
| | Conservative | Marguerite Elizabeth Liversidge Wood | 13,477 | 30.1 | −1.5 |
| | Liberal | Alan Allsop | 10,991 | 24.5 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,901 | 15.3 | +4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,846 | 72.9 | −8.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 | |
General election 1979: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Ginsburg | 22,829 | 46.7 | +1.3 |
| | Conservative | Roy Galley | 18,448 | 37.8 | +7.7 |
| | Liberal | Neil Philip Derbyshire | 7,580 | 15.5 | −9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,381 | 8.9 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,857 | 77.1 | +4.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.2 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Whitfield | 20,297 | 39.4 | +1.6 |
| | Labour | Denis Ripley | 18,211 | 35.3 | −11.4 |
| | SDP | David Ginsburg | 13,065 | 25.3 | +9.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,086 | 4.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,573 | 70.8 | −6.3 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +6.5 | |
General election 1987: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ann Taylor | 23,668 | 42.4 | +7.1 |
| | Conservative | John Whitfield | 23,223 | 41.6 | +2.2 |
| | SDP | Alan Mills | 8,907 | 16.0 | −9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 445 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,798 | 78.8 | +8.0 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.4 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ann Taylor | 25,596 | 43.8 | +1.4 |
| | Conservative | John Whitfield | 24,962 | 42.7 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Meadowcroft | 6,570 | 11.3 | −4.7 |
| | BNP | Jane Birdwood | 660 | 1.1 | New |
| | Green | Neil Denby | 471 | 0.8 | New |
| | Natural Law | Janet Marsden | 146 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 634 | 1.1 | +0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,405 | 80.2 | +2.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.2 | |
General election 1997: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ann Taylor | 21,286 | 49.4 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | Paul McCormick | 12,963 | 30.1 | −9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kingsley Hill | 4,422 | 10.3 | +0.4 |
| | BNP | Frances Taylor | 2,232 | 5.2 | +4.1 |
| | Referendum | Wendy Golf | 1,019 | 2.4 | New |
| | Independent Labour | David Daniel | 770 | 1.8 | New |
| | Green | Ian McCourtie | 383 | 0.9 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,323 | 19.3 | +18.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,905 | 70.0 | −10.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.2 | |
* Swing in 1997 is based on notional figures as the seat had been redrawn prior to the election.

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ann Taylor | 18,524 | 50.5 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | Robert Cole | 11,075 | 30.2 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Cuthbertson | 4,382 | 12.0 | +1.7 |
| | BNP | Russell Smith | 1,632 | 4.5 | −0.7 |
| | Green | Brenda Smithson | 560 | 1.5 | +0.6 |
| | UKIP | David Peace | 478 | 1.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,449 | 20.3 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,651 | 58.8 | −11.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.5 | |
General election 2005: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Shahid Malik | 15,807 | 41.0 | −9.5 |
| | Conservative | Sayeeda Warsi | 11,192 | 29.0 | −1.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kingsley Hill | 5,624 | 14.6 | +2.6 |
| | BNP | David Exley | 5,066 | 13.1 | +8.6 |
| | Green | Brenda Smithson | 593 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| | Independent | Alan Girvan | 313 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,615 | 12.0 | −8.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,595 | 62.0 | +3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.2 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Simon Reevell | 18,898 | 35.0 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | Shahid Malik | 17,372 | 32.2 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Hutchinson | 9,150 | 16.9 | +3.2 |
| | Independent | Khizar Iqbal | 3,813 | 7.1 | New |
| | BNP | Roger Roberts | 3,265 | 6.0 | −7.1 |
| | Green | Adrian Cruden | 849 | 1.6 | +0.1 |
| | English Democrat | Michael Felse | 661 | 1.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,526 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,008 | 68.5 | +6.5 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | -4.6 | |
General election 2015: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paula Sherriff | 22,406 | 41.8 | +9.6 |
| | Conservative | Simon Reevell | 20,955 | 39.1 | +4.1 |
| | UKIP | Mark Thackray | 6,649 | 12.4 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ednan Hussain | 1,924 | 3.6 | −13.3 |
| | Green | Adrian Cruden | 1,366 | 2.5 | +0.9 |
| | Yorkshire First | Richard Carter | 236 | 0.4 | New |
| | CPA | Steve Hakes | 94 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,451 | 2.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,630 | 67.2 | −1.3 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.8 | |
General election 2017: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paula Sherriff | 28,814 | 51.0 | +9.2 |
| | Conservative | Beth Prescott | 25,493 | 45.1 | +6.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ednan Hussain | 1,214 | 2.1 | −1.5 |
| | Green | Simon Cope | 1,024 | 1.8 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,321 | 5.9 | +3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,545 | 69.5 | +2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election 2019: Dewsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mark Eastwood | 26,179 | 46.4 | +1.3 |
| | Labour | Paula Sherriff | 24,618 | 43.7 | −7.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Rossington | 2,406 | 4.3 | +2.2 |
| | Brexit Party | Philip James | 1,874 | 3.3 | New |
| | Green | Simon Cope | 1,060 | 1.9 | +0.1 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Sir Archibald Earl Eaton Stanton | 252 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,561 | 2.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,389 | 69.4 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.3 | |