# Derby North (UK Parliament constituency)

Derby North (/ˈdɑːrbi/) is a constituency formed of part of the city of Derby, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Catherine Atkinson from the Labour Party. It was previously held by Amanda Solloway, a Conservative.
Between 1983 and 2005, the seat was a bellwether; in 2010 and 2017, the seat leaned more to the political left than the overall result. The seat was, relative to others, a marginal seat from 2001, as well as a swing seat, as its winner's majority had not exceeded 8.6% of the vote since the 15.9% majority won at that year's general election. The seat had changed hands twice since then. In the 2024 general election, that changed, with Atkinson winning with a majority of 21.4%.

## Boundaries
### Historic

1950–1955: The County Borough of Derby wards of Abbey, Babington, Becket, Bridge, Derwent, Friar Gate, King's Mead, and Rowditch.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Derby wards of Abbey, Babington, Becket, Bridge, Derwent, Friar Gate, King's Mead, and Rowditch, and the parish of Chaddesden in the Rural District of Shardlow.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Derby wards of Abbey, Allestree, Breadsall, Chaddesden, Darley, Derwent, Friar Gate, Mickleover, and Spondon.
1983–2010: The City of Derby wards of Abbey, Allestree, Breadsall, Chaddesden, Darley, Derwent, Mackworth, and Spondon.
2010–2023: The City of Derby wards of Abbey, Chaddesden, Darley, Derwent, Littleover, Mackworth, and Mickleover.
Boundary changes before the 2010 general election resulted in significant changes – removing three wards (Allestree, Spondon and Oakwood) to the newly created Mid Derbyshire seat. In their place, Littleover and Mickleover wards moved in from Derby South.

### Current

Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following wards of the City of Derby:
* Arboretum (very small part); Abbey (most), Chaddesden East, Chaddesden North (most), Chaddesden West, Darley (most), Littleover, Mackworth & New Zealand; Mickleover; Normanton (small part); Oakwood (small part).
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.

## Members of Parliament

Derby prior to 1950
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1950 | Clifford Wilcock | Labour |
| 1962 by-election | Niall MacDermot | Labour |
| 1970 | Phillip Whitehead | Labour |
| 1983 | Greg Knight | Conservative |
| 1997 | Bob Laxton | Labour |
| 2010 | Chris Williamson | Labour |
| 2015 | Amanda Solloway | Conservative |
| 2017 | Chris Williamson | Labour |
| 2019 | Chris Williamson | Independent |
| 2019 | Chris Williamson | Labour |
| 2019 | Chris Williamson | Independent |
| 2019 | Amanda Solloway | Conservative |
| 2024 | Catherine Atkinson | Labour |

## Constituency profile

The constituency covers a largely residential area immediately north of Derby city centre, including some of the city's most affluent suburbs, as well as some of its council housing, though much of this is now in private ownership because of Right to Buy. Unemployment is below the national average. Average incomes are above the national average.

## History

A seat contested relatively closely between the two largest parties since 1950, Derby North was held consecutively by the Labour Party's Clifford Wilcock, Niall MacDermot, and Phillip Whitehead. At the 1979 general election, it was covered by the BBC as the bellwether seat as the 41st of 41 seats that the Conservative Party needed to win; that year it stayed under control of Labour, but the Conservatives won the election regardless. Its exit poll was a central point of discussion of the BBC's election night coverage.
The Conservative Greg Knight gained the seat in 1983, and held it until 1997.
Labour's Bob Laxton defeated Knight in 1997 and held the seat until retiring in 2010, when the seat was retained for Labour by Chris Williamson. In 2015, Amanda Solloway, a Conservative; gained the seat with a swing of 0.8%. The 2015 result gave the seat the second-most marginal majority (measured by percentage) of the Conservative Party's 331 seats. Williamson regained the seat in 2017. He was subsequently suspended from the Labour Party, and was blocked in November 2019 from running as a Labour candidate at the following election; he resigned from the party and stated his intention to run as an independent, but came sixth out of the six candidates as Solloway was returned.

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Catherine Atkinson | 18,619 | 45.5 | +5.7 |
| | Conservative | Amanda Solloway | 9,704 | 23.7 | −21.5 |
| | Reform UK | Tim Prosser | 7,488 | 18.3 | +14.2 |
| | Green | Helen Hitchcock | 3,286 | 8.0 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Sweeney | 1,822 | 4.5 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,915 | 21.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,919 | 57.2 | −7.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 71,900 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.6 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Amanda Solloway | 21,259 | 45.2 | +0.8 |
| | Labour | Tony Tinley | 18,719 | 39.8 | −8.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Greg Webb | 3,450 | 7.3 | +2.7 |
| | Brexit Party | Alan Graves | 1,908 | 4.1 | New |
| | Green | Helen Hitchcock | 1,046 | 2.2 | New |
| | Independent | Chris Williamson | 635 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,540 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,017 | 64.2 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.8 | |
General election 2017: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Chris Williamson | 23,622 | 48.5 | +11.9 |
| | Conservative | Amanda Solloway | 21,607 | 44.4 | +7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lucy Care | 2,262 | 4.6 | −4.0 |
| | UKIP | Bill Piper | 1,181 | 2.4 | −12.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,015 | 4.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,672 | 69.1 | 0.0 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.1 | |
General election 2015: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Amanda Solloway | 16,402 | 36.66 | +5.0 |
| | Labour | Chris Williamson | 16,361 | 36.57 | +3.6 |
| | UKIP | Tilly Ward | 6,532 | 14.6 | +12.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lucy Care | 3,832 | 8.6 | −19.4 |
| | Green | Alice Mason-Power | 1,618 | 3.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 41 | 0.09 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,745 | 69.1 | +6.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +0.8 | |
General election 2010: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Chris Williamson | 14,896 | 33.0 | −9.0 |
| | Conservative | Stephen Mold | 14,283 | 31.7 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lucy Care | 12,638 | 28.0 | +0.5 |
| | BNP | Pete Cheeseman | 2,000 | 4.4 | New |
| | UKIP | Elizabeth Ransome | 829 | 1.8 | −0.2 |
| | Independent | David Gale | 264 | 0.6 | New |
| | Pirate | David Geraghty | 170 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 613 | 1.4 | −13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,080 | 63.1 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.4 | |
Boundary changes occurred in 2010, so percentage changes are based on notional results

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bob Laxton | 19,272 | 44.0 | −6.9 |
| | Conservative | Richard Aitken-Davies | 15,515 | 35.4 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeremy Beckett | 7,209 | 16.5 | +2.4 |
| | Veritas | Martin Bardoe | 958 | 2.2 | New |
| | UKIP | Michelle Medgyesy | 864 | 2.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,757 | 8.6 | −7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,818 | 64.3 | +6.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.8 | |
General election 2001: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bob Laxton | 22,415 | 50.9 | −2.3 |
| | Conservative | Barry Holden | 15,433 | 35.0 | +0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Charlesworth | 6,206 | 14.1 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,982 | 15.9 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,054 | 57.8 | −16.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.5 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bob Laxton | 29,844 | 53.2 | +12.3 |
| | Conservative | Gregory Knight | 19,229 | 34.3 | −14.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Charlesworth | 5,059 | 9.0 | −0.6 |
| | Referendum | Paul Reynolds | 1,816 | 3.2 | New |
| | ProLife Alliance | Jane H.M. Waters | 195 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,615 | 18.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,143 | 73.8 | −6.9 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.2 | |
General election 1992: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gregory Knight | 28,574 | 48.4 | −0.5 |
| | Labour | Bob Laxton | 24,121 | 40.9 | +3.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Charlesworth | 5,638 | 9.6 | −3.8 |
| | Green | Eric Wall | 383 | 0.7 | +0.2 |
| | National Front | Peter Hart | 245 | 0.4 | New |
| | Natural Law | N. Onley | 58 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,453 | 7.5 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,019 | 80.7 | +4.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.0 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gregory Knight | 26,561 | 48.9 | +5.2 |
| | Labour | Phillip Whitehead | 20,236 | 37.2 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Connolly | 7,268 | 13.4 | −6.1 |
| | Green | Eric Wall | 291 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,325 | 11.7 | +4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,356 | 75.8 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.4 | |
General election 1983: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gregory Knight | 22,303 | 43.7 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Phillip Whitehead | 18,797 | 36.8 | −8.1 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Connolly | 9,924 | 19.5 | +10.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,506 | 6.9 | +6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,024 | 72.5 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +3.2 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Phillip Whitehead | 28,797 | 44.9 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | R.N. Kemm | 28,583 | 44.5 | +6.9 |
| | Liberal | R.F. Whitehouse | 6,093 | 9.5 | −8.0 |
| | National Front | C. Bayliss | 592 | 0.9 | New |
| | United English National | S.P. Gibson | 116 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 214 | 0.4 | −6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,181 | 76.8 | +3.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.3 | |
General election October 1974: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Phillip Whitehead | 26,960 | 44.5 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative | D.J. Penfold | 22,767 | 37.6 | −0.6 |
| | Liberal | M.D. Peel | 10,595 | 17.5 | −4.1 |
| | More Prosperous Britain | H. Smith | 242 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,193 | 6.9 | +4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,564 | 73.2 | −5.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Phillip Whitehead | 26,029 | 40.2 | −14.5 |
| | Conservative | D.J. Penfold | 24,736 | 38.2 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal | M.D. Peel | 13,995 | 21.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,293 | 2.0 | −7.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,760 | 79.1 | +6.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Phillip Whitehead | 20,114 | 54.7 | −7.1 |
| | Conservative | John W Roberts | 16,635 | 45.3 | +7.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,479 | 9.4 | −14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,749 | 64.2 | −6.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Niall MacDermot | 23,033 | 61.8 | +8.9 |
| | Conservative | Derek H Hene | 14,215 | 38.2 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,818 | 23.6 | +5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,248 | 70.8 | −3.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Niall MacDermot | 21,386 | 52.9 | +0.1 |
| | Conservative | Derek H Hene | 13,991 | 34.6 | −12.6 |
| | Liberal | Alfred Leslie Smart | 5,057 | 12.5 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,395 | 18.3 | +12.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,434 | 74.4 | −2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1962 Derby North by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Niall MacDermot | 16,497 | 49.4 | −3.4 |
| | Liberal | Lyndon Irving | 8,479 | 25.4 | new |
| | Conservative | T.M. Wray | 7,502 | 22.5 | −24.7 |
| | Independent | T. Lynch | 886 | 2.7 | new |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,018 | 24.0 | +18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,364 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clifford Wilcock | 22,673 | 52.8 | −3.0 |
| | Conservative | Robin Maxwell-Hyslop | 20,266 | 47.2 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,407 | 5.6 | −6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,939 | 76.7 | +1.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clifford Wilcock | 24,162 | 55.8 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | Rolla CP Rouse | 19,156 | 44.2 | +7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,006 | 11.6 | −6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,318 | 75.7 | −9.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Clifford Wilcock | 22,390 | 57.09 |
| | Conservative | Victor Echevarri Waldron | 16,828 | 42.91 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,562 | 14.18 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,218 | 82.49 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Derby North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clifford Wilcock | 22,410 | 55.2 | |
| | Conservative | V. Seely | 14,980 | 36.9 | |
| | Liberal | Gerald Ivan Walters | 3,190 | 7.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,430 | 18.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,580 | 85.5 | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |