# Nottingham South (UK Parliament constituency)

Nottingham South is a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, represented since 2010 by Lilian Greenwood of the Labour Party.

## Members of Parliament

Since 2010, the seat has been represented by Lilian Greenwood, who succeeded Labour's Alan Simpson on his retirement. Simpson had held the seat since 1992, when he unseated the Conservative Martin Brandon-Bravo.

### MPs 1885–1974

Nottingham prior to 1885
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | John Williams | Liberal |
| 1886 | Henry Smith Wright | Conservative |
| 1895 | Lord Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | Conservative |
| 1906 | Arthur Richardson | Liberal-Labour |
| January 1910 | Lord Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | Conservative |
| 1929 | Holford Knight | Labour |
| 1931 | Holford Knight | National Labour |
| 1935 | Frank Markham | National Labour |
| 1945 | Norman Smith | Labour Co-operative |
| 1955 | Denis Keegan | Conservative |
| 1959 | William Clark | Conservative |
| 1966 | George Perry | Labour |
| 1970 | Norman Fowler | Conservative |
| February 1974 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

### MPs since 1983

Nottingham East and Nottingham West prior to 1983
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Martin Brandon-Bravo | Conservative |
| 1992 | Alan Simpson | Labour |
| 2010 | Lilian Greenwood | Labour |

## Constituency profile

The seat is the most economically diverse of the three Nottingham constituencies covering higher income and lower income output areas (sub-divisions of wards). In 2010 it was the most marginal of the seats, changing hands on several occasions over the previous few decades, though is now a very safe Labour seat. There are below-national levels of unemployment claimants, for example at the end of 2010 male claimants were less than half as many as in Nottingham North. The Labour majority has since grown to 6,000 in 2015 and over 15,000 in 2017, making it a safe seat.
The constituency is also the most politically diverse of the three city seats which together form Nottingham City Council. In the 2007 elections for Nottingham City Council, the constituency elected 9 of the 42 Labour councillors, 6 of the 7 Conservatives and 5 of the 6 Liberal Democrats.

## Boundaries
### Historic

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Nottingham wards of Bridge, Castle, Market, Meadow, St Mary, and Trent.
1918–1955: The County Borough of Nottingham wards of Bridge, Castle, Meadows, and Trent.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Nottingham wards of Bridge, Clifton, Lenton, and Trent, and the Urban District of West Bridgford.
1983–2010: The City of Nottingham wards of Abbey, Bridge, Clifton East, Clifton West, Lenton, Park, Robin Hood, Wilford, and Wollaton.
2010–2024: The City of Nottingham wards of Bridge, Clifton North, Clifton South, Dunkirk and Lenton, Leen Valley, Radford and Park, Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey, and Wollaton West.

### Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
* The City of Nottingham wards of Bilborough, Clifton East, Clifton West, Lenton & Wollaton East, Meadows, Radford, and Wollaton West.
Nottingham city centre was transferred to Nottingham East and Leen Valley to the newly created seat of Nottingham North and Kimberley, with the Bilborough ward being transferred from the abolished Nottingham North constituency.
Nottingham South contains at least parts of both of the city's universities. The University of Nottingham's University Park Campus and Jubilee Campus are both in the constituency, as is the Clifton Campus of Nottingham Trent University. Many of these students are based in rows of terraced housing in the Lenton and Radford wards of this seat. A minority of students and much of the universities' staff are based in neighbouring Beeston, but this falls within the Broxtowe constituency.

## History

Since as early as 1295, Nottingham was represented by one large constituency which elected two members of parliament to the House of Commons. Under a major Act of 1885 three single-member subdivisions were created: Nottingham East, Nottingham West and Nottingham South.

### Nine year absence of the seat

Nottingham South was abolished in the election of February 1974 but was re-formed with altered boundaries nine years later in 1983 from parts of Nottingham East and Nottingham West.

### Modern demography

Nottingham South is the most diverse of the three constituencies in terms of economic demographics. It includes areas of higher incomes than average in the form of Wollaton and The Park Estate and areas of relative poverty, both suburban and inner city. The council estate built next to and within the bounds of the village/parish of Clifton was once the largest in Europe.
Results to date excluding under the Blair Ministry when it was quite firmly Labour have produced the most marginal majorities of Nottingham City's three constituencies. The Conservative Martin Brandon-Bravo held the seat from 1983 to 1992. Since 1992, Nottingham South has been held by Labour MPs; Alan Simpson until retiring from the House of Commons in 2010 and Lilian Greenwood from 2010.
Communities or localities in Nottingham South include:
* Clifton
* Dunkirk
* Hockley Village
* Lace Market
* Leen Valley
* Lenton Abbey
* Lenton
* Parts of Nottingham City Centre
* Radford
* The Meadows
* The Park Estate
* Wollaton

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lilian Greenwood | 15,579 | 47.4 | −6.4 |
| | Conservative | Zarmeena Quraishi | 5,285 | 16.1 | −15.5 |
| | Reform UK | Mykel Hedge | 4,936 | 15.0 | +10.4 |
| | Green | Cath Sutherland | 2,923 | 8.9 | +5.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christina Morgan-Danvers | 2,059 | 6.3 | −0.4 |
| | Workers Party | Paras Ghazni | 1,496 | 4.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Shaghofta Akhtar | 449 | 1.4 | N/A |
| | Independent | Mohammed Sayeed | 152 | 0.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,294 | 31.3 | +5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,879 | 51.2 | −9.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,255 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.5 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lilian Greenwood | 26,586 | 55.2 | −7.2 |
| | Conservative | Marc Nykolyszyn | 14,018 | 29.1 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barry Holliday | 3,935 | 8.2 | +5.0 |
| | Brexit Party | John Lawson | 2,012 | 4.2 | New |
| | Green | Cath Sutherland | 1,583 | 3.3 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,568 | 26.1 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,134 | 60.6 | −7.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.7 | |
General election 2017: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lilian Greenwood | 30,013 | 62.4 | +14.8 |
| | Conservative | Jane Hunt | 14,851 | 30.9 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tony Sutton | 1,564 | 3.2 | −0.3 |
| | UKIP | David Hollas | 1,103 | 2.3 | −9.0 |
| | Green | Adam McGregor | 598 | 1.2 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,162 | 31.5 | +15.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,129 | 67.6 | +4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.7 | |
General election 2015: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lilian Greenwood | 20,697 | 47.6 | +10.3 |
| | Conservative | Jane Hunt | 13,761 | 31.7 | −1.2 |
| | UKIP | David Hollas | 4,900 | 11.3 | +8.9 |
| | Green | Adam McGregor | 2,345 | 5.4 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Deborah Newton-Cook | 1,532 | 3.5 | −19.6 |
| | TUSC | Andrew Clayworth | 230 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,936 | 15.9 | +11.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,465 | 63.0 | +2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.8 | |
General election 2010: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lilian Greenwood | 15,209 | 37.3 | −10.1 |
| | Conservative | Rowena Holland | 13,437 | 32.9 | +7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tony Sutton | 9,406 | 23.1 | +0.2 |
| | BNP | Tony Woodward | 1,140 | 2.8 | New |
| | UKIP | Ken Browne | 967 | 2.4 | −1.5 |
| | Green | Matthew Butcher | 630 | 1.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,772 | 4.4 | −17.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,789 | 60.5 | +9.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.2 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Simpson | 16,506 | 47.4 | −7.1 |
| | Conservative | Sudesh Mattu | 9,020 | 25.9 | −1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tony Sutton | 7,961 | 22.9 | +6.3 |
| | UKIP | Ken Browne | 1,353 | 3.9 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,486 | 21.5 | −5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,840 | 50.6 | +0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.9 | |
General election 2001: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Simpson | 19,949 | 54.5 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Wendy Manning | 9,960 | 27.2 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kevin Mulloy | 6,064 | 16.6 | +3.7 |
| | UKIP | David Bartrop | 632 | 1.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,989 | 27.3 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,605 | 50.1 | −16.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Simpson | 26,825 | 55.3 | +7.6 |
| | Conservative | Brian Kirsch | 13,461 | 27.7 | −14.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary Long | 6,265 | 12.9 | +2.9 |
| | Referendum | Ken Thompson | 1,523 | 3.1 | New |
| | National Democrats | Sharron Edwards | 446 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,364 | 27.6 | +21.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,520 | 67.0 | −7.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +10.8 | |
General election 1992: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alan Simpson | 25,771 | 47.7 | +6.9 |
| | Conservative | Martin Brandon-Bravo | 22,590 | 41.8 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gareth Long | 5,408 | 10.0 | −4.2 |
| | Natural Law | Julianne Christou | 263 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,181 | 5.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,032 | 74.2 | +1.2 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.0 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Martin Brandon-Bravo | 23,921 | 45.0 | −0.9 |
| | Labour | Alan Simpson | 21,687 | 40.8 | +6.7 |
| | SDP | Leighton Williams | 7,517 | 14.2 | −5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,234 | 4.2 | −7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,125 | 73.0 | +2.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Martin Brandon-Bravo | 22,238 | 45.9 | |
| | Labour | Ken Coates | 16,523 | 34.1 | |
| | Liberal | Raymond Poynter | 9,697 | 20.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,715 | 11.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,458 | 70.2 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Norman Fowler | 26,726 | 53.75 | |
| | Labour | George Perry | 23,031 | 46.25 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,731 | 7.50 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,793 | 70.03 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Perry | 24,580 | 50.32 | |
| | Conservative | William Clark | 24,268 | 49.68 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 316 | 0.64 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,848 | 75.61 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Clark | 23,594 | 45.97 | |
| | Labour | William Frederick Back | 21,046 | 41.00 | |
| | Liberal | Brian S Stratford | 6,690 | 13.03 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,548 | 4.97 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,329 | 78.17 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Clark | 29,607 | 57.11 |
| | Labour | John Silkin | 22,235 | 42.89 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,372 | 14.22 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,845 | 72.49 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Denis Keegan | 29,145 | 56.88 | |
| | Labour Co-op | Norman Smith | 22,092 | 43.12 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,053 | 13.76 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,240 | 78.29 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour Co-op | Conservative gain from Labour Co-op | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour Co-op | Norman Smith | 19,844 | 50.61 |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 19,362 | 49.39 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 482 | 1.22 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,206 | 84.47 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Norman Smith | 18,806 | 48.03 | |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 17,165 | 43.82 | New |
| | Liberal | Ernest Gwynne Watkins | 3,182 | 8.13 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,641 | 4.19 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,153 | 85.37 | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Norman Smith | 15,316 | 50.46 | |
| | National | Frank Markham | 10,766 | 35.47 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Ronald James Rae Blindell | 4,272 | 14.07 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,550 | 14.99 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,354 | 75.91 | |
| | Labour Co-op gain from National Labour | Labour Co-op gain from National Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Labour | Frank Markham | 15,559 | 52.24 | |
| | Labour | T. J. May | 10,963 | 36.81 | |
| | Liberal | Joseph Mawdesley | 3,260 | 10.95 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,596 | 15.43 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,782 | 70.95 | |
| | National Labour hold | National Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Labour | Holford Knight | 22,852 | 68.35 | New |
| | Labour | Alonzo Ralph Ellis | 10,583 | 31.65 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,269 | 36.70 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,435 | 77.57 | |
| | National Labour hold | National Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Holford Knight | 14,800 | 42.9 | +3.6 |
| | Unionist | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 14,252 | 41.3 | −19.4 |
| | Liberal | Leslie Hale | 5,445 | 15.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 548 | 1.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,497 | 80.4 | +8.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,920 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +11.5 | |
General election 1924: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 13,725 | 60.7 | +9.3 |
| | Labour | Henry Mills | 8,897 | 39.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,828 | 21.4 | −5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,622 | 72.3 | +4.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,271 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 10,724 | 51.4 | −24.9 |
| | Independent Labour | Henry Mills | 5,176 | 24.8 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal | Victor Deidorichs Duval | 4,966 | 23.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,548 | 26.6 | −26.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,866 | 67.6 | +1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,847 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −13.0 | |
General election 1922: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 15,158 | 76.3 | +1.9 |
| | Independent Labour | Henry Mills | 4,706 | 23.7 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,452 | 52.6 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,864 | 66.3 | +15.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 29,951 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +1.9 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 10,881 | 74.4 | +22.8 |
| | Independent Labour | Henry Mills | 3,738 | 25.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,143 | 48.8 | +45.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,619 | 47.9 | −47.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,528 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
General election December 1910: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 6,151 | 51.6 | +0.1 |
| | Lib-Lab | Arthur Richardson | 5,766 | 48.4 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 385 | 3.2 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,917 | 84.9 | −4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,031 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 | |
General election January 1910: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 6,434 | 51.5 | +4.9 |
| | Lib-Lab | Arthur Richardson | 6,052 | 48.5 | −4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 382 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,486 | 89.0 | +2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,031 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Lib-Lab | Conservative gain from Lib-Lab | Swing | +4.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Arthur Richardson | 6,314 | 53.4 | +10.9 |
| | Conservative | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 5,514 | 46.6 | −10.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 800 | 6.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,828 | 86.6 | +12.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,656 | | |
| | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Swing | +10.9 | |
General election 1900: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 5,298 | 57.5 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal | Henry Yorke Stanger | 3,914 | 42.5 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,384 | 15.0 | +10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,212 | 74.0 | −6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,442 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.1 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Cavendish-Bentinck | 4,802 | 52.4 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | Frederick William Maude | 4,369 | 47.6 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 433 | 4.8 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,171 | 80.6 | −1.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,377 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election 1892: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Smith Wright | 4,570 | 50.5 | −1.0 |
| | Liberal | John Fletcher Moulton | 4,487 | 49.5 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 83 | 1.0 | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,057 | 82.3 | +12.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,010 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.0 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Smith Wright | 4,586 | 51.5 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal | John Williams | 4,317 | 48.5 | −3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 269 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,903 | 69.8 | −5.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,751 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.4 | |
General election 1885: Nottingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Williams | 4,983 | 51.9 | |
| | Conservative | Henry Smith Wright | 4,620 | 48.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 363 | 3.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,603 | 75.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,751 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |