# Hemsworth (UK Parliament constituency)

Hemsworth was a constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons since 1996 by Jon Trickett of the Labour Party.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was subjected to moderate boundary changes and reformed as Normanton and Hemsworth, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.

## Constituency profile

The constituency comprises former coal mining towns and villages that also provided some of the workforce for the manufacturing bases of the town of Barnsley to the south and cities of Wakefield and Leeds to the northwest. Many constituents still commute to these today. Nearby to the east over the border in North Yorkshire is Kellingley Colliery, which closed on 18 December 2015, marking the end of deep-pit coal mining in Britain. It is one of the Labour Party's longest held seats, having elected its first Labour MP in 1918, and been in continuous existence since that date.

## History

From the 1966 to February 1974 general elections (inclusive), Hemsworth was the safest seat for any party in the UK: the Labour vote had peaked in 1966 at 85.39% and consistently exceeded 80% from 1935 until October 1974 when the Liberal Party contested the seat for the first time since 1923. Successive boundary changes removed certain ex-mining communities to the new Barnsley East constituency in 1983: this and the addition of the more Conservative-inclined ward of Wakefield South in 1997 slightly reduced Labour's dominance, but Hemsworth remained a safe seat in the 2017 election. However, in 2019 the majority was cut from over 10,000 to just 1,180 as Labour's vote collapsed in Northern former mining seats, making it marginal for future elections.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Cudworth and Royston, the Rural District of Hemsworth, and part of the Rural District of Barnsley.
1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Cudworth, Dearne, Hemsworth, and Royston, and the Rural District of Hemsworth.
1955–1983: The Urban Districts of Cudworth, Dearne, and Hemsworth, and the Rural District of Hemsworth.
1983–1997: The City of Wakefield wards of Crofton and Ackworth; Featherstone; Hemsworth; South Elmsall; and South Kirkby.
1997–2010: The City of Wakefield wards of Crofton and Ackworth; Featherstone; Hemsworth; South Elmsall; South Kirkby; and Wakefield South.
2010–2024: The City of Wakefield wards of Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton; Crofton, Ryhill and Walton; Featherstone; Hemsworth; South Elmsall and South Kirkby; and Wakefield South.
This constituency covered the towns of Hemsworth, Featherstone, South Kirkby & Moorthorpe and South Elmsall, plus the southern part of Wakefield (Sandal, Agbrigg, Belle Vue) and the villages of Ackworth, Crofton, Fitzwilliam, Upton, Sharlston, Streethouse, Walton and Notton in the City of Wakefield district.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | John Guest | Labour |
| 1931 | Gabriel Price | Labour |
| 1934 by-election | George Griffiths | Labour |
| 1946 by-election | Horace Holmes | Labour |
| 1959 | Alan Beaney | Labour |
| Feb 1974 | Alec Woodall | Labour |
| 1987 | George Buckley | Labour |
| 1991 by-election | Derek Enright | Labour |
| 1996 by-election | Jon Trickett | Labour |
| 2024 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Election results 1918–2024
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Guest | 8,102 | 55.5 | |
| C | Unionist | Joshua Scholefield (barrister) | 6,490 | 44.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,612 | 11.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,592 | 58.0 | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Guest | 14,295 | 63.2 | +7.7 |
| | National Liberal | Frank William Crossley-Holland | 8,317 | 36.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,978 | 26.4 | +15.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22.612 | 76.3 | +18.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Guest | 13,159 | 70.1 | +6.9 |
| | Liberal | Huw Conway-Jones | 5,624 | 29.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,535 | 40.2 | +13.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,683 | 61.3 | −15.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Guest | 15,593 | 69.3 | −0.8 |
| | Unionist | H. R. Brown | 6,902 | 30.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,691 | 38.6 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,495 | 69.7 | +8.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1929: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Guest | 26,075 | 79.9 | +10.6 |
| | Unionist | R. A. Broughton | 6,578 | 20.1 | −10.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,497 | 59.8 | +21.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,653 | 75.8 | +6.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +10.6 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Gabriel Price | 23,609 | 70.5 | −9.4 |
| | Unionist | William Garthwaite | 9,867 | 29.5 | +9.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,742 | 41.0 | −18.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,476 | 72.9 | −2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −9.4 | |
1934 Hemsworth by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Griffiths | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
General election 1935: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Griffiths | 28,298 | 80.1 | +9.6 |
| | Conservative | Francis Howard Collier | 7,032 | 19.9 | −9.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,266 | 60.2 | +19.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,330 | 72.3 | −0.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.6 | |
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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: George Griffiths
* Conservative:

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Griffiths | 33,984 | 81.4 | +1.3 |
| | Conservative | Robert William Palliser Dawson | 7,778 | 18.6 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 26,206 | 62.8 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,762 | 80.8 | +8.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
1946 Hemsworth by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Horace Holmes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Horace Holmes | 47,934 | 82.38 | +1.0 |
| | National Liberal | Jean Patricia Asquith | 10,254 | 17.62 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37,680 | 64.76 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,188 | 88.21 | +7.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Horace Holmes | 47,402 | 82.71 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative | Wilf Proudfoot | 9,911 | 17.29 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37,491 | 65.42 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,313 | 85.07 | −3.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Horace Holmes | 42,603 | 83.27 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | William Henry Leay | 8,561 | 16.73 | −0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34,042 | 66.54 | +1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,164 | 79.87 | −5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.6 | |
General election 1959: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Beaney | 45,153 | 82.18 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative | William Henry Leay | 9,788 | 17.82 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35,365 | 64.36 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,941 | 83.62 | +3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.1 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Beaney | 42,528 | 83.07 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | John RM Keatley | 8,667 | 16.93 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 33,861 | 66.14 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,195 | 78.81 | −4.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
General election 1966: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Beaney | 41,887 | 85.39 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | Sir Charles William Richards Pickthorn, 2nd Baronet | 7,165 | 14.61 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34,722 | 70.78 | +4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,052 | 76.02 | −2.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Beaney | 40,013 | 80.76 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | Michael C Tucker | 9,534 | 19.24 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 30,479 | 61.52 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,547 | 71.89 | −4.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.6 | |
General election February 1974: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alec Woodall | 44,093 | 82.81 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | RF Kerr | 9,152 | 17.19 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34,941 | 65.62 | +4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,245 | 77.13 | +5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.1 | |
General election October 1974: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alec Woodall | 37,467 | 76.51 | −6.3 |
| | Conservative | P Carvis | 5,895 | 12.04 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal | R Taylor | 5,607 | 11.45 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 31,572 | 64.47 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,969 | 70.15 | −7.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.6 | |
General election 1979: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alec Woodall | 36,509 | 69.61 | −6.9 |
| | Conservative | John Whitfield | 10,466 | 19.95 | +7.9 |
| | Liberal | T Fussey | 5,474 | 10.44 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 26,043 | 49.66 | −14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,449 | 73.27 | +3.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.4 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alec Woodall | 22,081 | 59.3 | −10.3 |
| | Liberal | John Wooffindin | 7,891 | 21.2 | +10.8 |
| | Conservative | David Williamson | 7,291 | 19.6 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,190 | 38.1 | −10.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,263 | 68.6 | −4.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1987: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Buckley | 27,859 | 67.0 | +7.7 |
| | Conservative | Edward Garnier | 7,159 | 17.2 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal | John Wooffindin | 6,568 | 15.8 | −5.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,700 | 49.8 | +11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,586 | 75.7 | +7.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

1991 Hemsworth by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derek Enright | 15,895 | 66.3 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Valerie Megson | 4,808 | 20.1 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative | Garnet Harrison | 2,512 | 10.5 | −6.7 |
| | Independent Labour | Paul Ablett | 648 | 2.7 | New |
| | Corrective Party | Timothy Smith | 108 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,097 | 46.3 | −3.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,971 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
General election 1992: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derek Enright | 29,942 | 70.8 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Garnet Harrison | 7,867 | 18.6 | +1.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Valerie Megson | 4,459 | 10.5 | −5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,075 | 52.2 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,268 | 75.9 | +0.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.2 | |
1996 Hemsworth by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 15,817 | 71.9 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | Norman Hazell | 1,942 | 8.8 | −9.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Ridgeway | 1,516 | 6.9 | −3.6 |
| | Socialist Labour | Brenda Nixon | 1,193 | 5.4 | New |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Screaming Lord Sutch | 652 | 3.0 | New |
| | UKIP | Peter Davies | 455 | 2.1 | New |
| | Green | Peg Alexander | 157 | 0.7 | New |
| | Independent | Mark Thomas | 122 | 0.6 | New |
| | National Democrats | Michael Cooper | 111 | 0.5 | New |
| | Natural Law | Dianne Leighton | 28 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,875 | 63.1 | +10.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,993 | 39.5 | −36.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.45 | |
General election 1997: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 32,088 | 70.6 | +6.8 |
| | Conservative | Norman Hazell | 8,096 | 17.8 | −8.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jacqueline Kirby | 4,033 | 8.9 | −1.5 |
| | Referendum | Derek Irvine | 1,260 | 2.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,992 | 52.8 | +14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,477 | 67.9 | −8.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.4 | |
The constituency underwent boundary changes prior to the 1997 election and the changes are not based on the 1992 result.

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 23,036 | 65.4 | −5.2 |
| | Conservative | Liz Truss | 7,400 | 21.0 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ed Waller | 3,990 | 11.3 | +2.4 |
| | Socialist Labour | Paul Turek | 801 | 2.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,636 | 44.4 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,227 | 51.8 | −16.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.2 | |
General election 2005: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 21,630 | 58.8 | −6.6 |
| | Conservative | Jonathan Mortimer | 8,149 | 22.1 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Hall-Matthews | 5,766 | 15.7 | +4.4 |
| | Veritas | John Burdon | 1,247 | 3.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,481 | 36.7 | −7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,792 | 54.6 | +2.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.85 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 20,506 | 46.8 | −11.9 |
| | Conservative | Ann Myatt | 10,662 | 24.3 | +2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Belmore | 5,667 | 12.9 | −2.8 |
| | Independent | Ian Womersley | 3,946 | 9.0 | New |
| | BNP | Ian Kitchen | 3,059 | 7.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,844 | 22.5 | −14.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,840 | 60.4 | +6.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.0 | |
General election 2015: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 21,772 | 51.3 | +4.5 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Pearson | 9,694 | 22.9 | −1.4 |
| | UKIP | Steve Ashton | 8,565 | 20.2 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mary MacQueen | 1,357 | 3.2 | −9.7 |
| | Yorkshire | Martin Roberts | 1,018 | 2.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,078 | 28.4 | +5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,406 | 58.3 | −2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.95 | |
General election 2017: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 25,740 | 56.0 | +4.7 |
| | Conservative | Mike Jordan | 15,566 | 33.9 | +11.0 |
| | UKIP | David Dews | 2,591 | 5.6 | −14.6 |
| | Yorkshire | Martin Roberts | 1,135 | 2.5 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mary MacQueen | 912 | 2.0 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,174 | 22.1 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,944 | 63.9 | +5.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.15 | |
General election 2019: Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jon Trickett | 16,460 | 37.5 | −18.5 |
| | Conservative | Louise Calland | 15,280 | 34.8 | +0.9 |
| | Brexit Party | Waj Ali | 5,930 | 13.5 | New |
| | Independent | Ian Womersley | 2,458 | 5.6 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Monaghan | 1,734 | 3.9 | +1.9 |
| | Yorkshire | Martin Roberts | 964 | 2.2 | −0.3 |
| | Green | Lyn Morton | 916 | 2.1 | New |
| | Independent | Pete Wilks | 165 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,180 | 2.7 | −19.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,907 | 59.6 | −4.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −9.7 | |