# Birmingham Ladywood (UK Parliament constituency)

Birmingham Ladywood is a constituency in the city of Birmingham that was created in 1918. The seat has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by Shabana Mahmood of the Labour Party since 2010. Mahmood currently serves as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under the government of Keir Starmer.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Ladywood and Rotton Park.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of All Saints', Ladywood, and Rotton Park.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Duddeston, Ladywood, and St Paul's.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of All Saints', Ladywood, Rotton Park, and Soho.
1983–1997: The City of Birmingham wards of Ladywood, Sandwell, and Soho.
1997–2010: The City of Birmingham wards of Aston, Ladywood, Nechells, and Soho (as they existed on 1 June 1994).
2010–2018: The City of Birmingham wards of Aston, Ladywood, Nechells, and Soho (as they existed on 12 April 2005).
2018–2024: Following a local government boundary review, which did not effect the parliamentary boundaries, the contents of the constituency were as follows with effect from May 2018:
* The City of Birmingham wards of Ladywood, Nechells, Newtown, and Soho & Jewellery Quarter, most of Aston, Bordesley & Highgate, and Bordesley Green, about half of North Edgbaston, and small parts of Holyhead, and Lozells.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises:
* The City of Birmingham wards of Alum Rock; Balsall Heath West; Bordesley & Highgate; Bordesley Green; Ladywood; Nechells; Newtown; Soho & Jewellery Quarter.
After adjusting the boundaries to take into account the revised ward structure, the Aston ward was transferred to Birmingham Perry Barr and the North Edgbaston ward to Birmingham Edgbaston, offset by the gain of the Balsall Heath West ward from Birmingham Hall Green and the Alum Rock ward from Birmingham Hodge Hill.

## Constituency profile

Birmingham Ladywood includes Birmingham City Centre along with the areas of Ladywood, Nechells, Bordesley & Highgate and Soho & Jewellery Quarter. The area is one of the most multicultural in Birmingham and the whole of the United Kingdom; in the 1991 census, 55.6% of the constituency population were ethnic minorities, the highest in England at the time. In the recession of 2008–09, it was the first place in the UK where the unemployment claimant count rate exceeded 10%, breaching that level in January 2009. In July 2008, Ladywood had the highest unemployment rate in the whole of the West Midlands (by the international standardised measure, which is usually higher than the claimant count) at just over 18%, compared with neighbouring Birmingham seats Perry Barr (8.1%), Sparkbrook and Small Heath (13.9%), and Yardley (7%). For the year ending September 2014, the unemployment rate was 12.4%, although the employment rate had increased only slightly, from 46.1% to 46.6% (compared with 69.7% for the West Midlands as a whole).
The average house price in Ladywood is just under £155,000, much lower than the national average of just over £288,000.

## History
### Summary of results

The constituency has undergone several boundary changes since its creation in 1918 but has remained a safe Labour seat since the Second World War, with the exception of a by-election in 1969 when Wallace Lawler won the seat for the Liberal Party and the immediately surrounding period when its majority was marginal. The seat was regained for Labour by Doris Fisher at the 1970 general election. The 2015 general election result made the seat the sixth-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.

### Notable representatives

The constituency's first MP was the future Conservative Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who transferred to the Edgbaston seat in 1929. The current MP is Shabana Mahmood, one of the UK's first three female Muslim MPs.
The first campaign for this constituency in 1918 was notable because the Liberal Party candidate was Mrs Margery Corbett Ashby, one of only seventeen women candidates to contest a parliamentary election at the first opportunity. Chamberlain reacted to this intervention by being one of the few male candidates to specifically target women voters; deploying his wife, issuing a special leaflet headed "A word to the Ladies" and holding two meetings in the afternoon.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | Neville Chamberlain | Conservative |
| 1929 | Wilfrid Whiteley | Labour |
| 1931 | Geoffrey Lloyd | Conservative |
| 1945 | Victor Yates | Labour |
| 1969 by-election | Wallace Lawler | Liberal |
| 1970 | Doris Fisher | Labour |
| Feb 1974 | Brian Walden | Labour |
| 1977 by-election | John Sever | Labour |
| 1983 | Clare Short | Labour |
| 2006 | Clare Short | Independent |
| 2010 | Shabana Mahmood | Labour |
Clare Short, elected as a Labour MP from the 1983 general election onwards, resigned the Labour whip on 20 October 2006 and wished it to be known that she would continue to sit in the Commons as an independent MP.

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Shabana Mahmood | 15,558 | 42.5 | −36.7 |
| | Independent | Akhmed Yakoob | 12,137 | 33.2 | New |
| | Green | Zoe Challenor | 3,478 | 9.5 | +7.3 |
| | Conservative | Shazna Muzammil | 2,218 | 6.1 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lee Dargue | 1,711 | 4.7 | −0.6 |
| | Reform UK | Irene Yoong-Henery | 1,477 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,421 | 9.3 | −58.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,579 | 43.7 | −12.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Shabana Mahmood | 33,355 | 79.2 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative | Mary Noone | 4,773 | 11.3 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lee Dargue | 2,228 | 5.3 | +2.5 |
| | Green | Alex Nettle | 931 | 2.2 | +0.9 |
| | Brexit Party | Andrew Garcarz | 831 | 2.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28,582 | 67.9 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,118 | 56.2 | −2.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.8 | |
General election 2017: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Shabana Mahmood | 34,166 | 82.7 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Browning | 5,452 | 13.2 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lee Dargue | 1,156 | 2.8 | −1.0 |
| | Green | Kefentse Dennis | 533 | 1.3 | −2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28,714 | 69.5 | +8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,307 | 59.0 | +6.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.3 | |
General election 2015: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Shabana Mahmood | 26,444 | 73.6 | +17.9 |
| | Conservative | Isabel Sigmac | 4,576 | 12.7 | +0.8 |
| | UKIP | Clair Braund | 1,805 | 5.0 | +2.5 |
| | Green | Margaret Okole | 1,501 | 4.2 | +1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shazad Iqbal | 1,374 | 3.8 | −23.7 |
| | Liberty GB | Tim Burton | 216 | 0.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,868 | 60.9 | +32.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,916 | 52.7 | +4.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.6 | |
General election 2010: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Shabana Mahmood | 19,950 | 55.7 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ayoub Khan | 9,845 | 27.5 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative | Nusrat M. Ghani | 4,277 | 11.9 | +3.5 |
| | UKIP | Christopher Booth | 902 | 2.5 | −3.0 |
| | Green | Peter C. Beck | 859 | 2.4 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,105 | 28.2 | +5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,833 | 48.7 | +3.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.5 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clare Short | 17,262 | 51.9 | −17.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ayoub Khan | 10,461 | 31.5 | +23.3 |
| | Conservative | Philippa Stroud | 3,515 | 10.6 | −0.7 |
| | UKIP | Lyn Nazemi-Afshar | 2,008 | 6.0 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,801 | 20.4 | −37.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,246 | 46.8 | +2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −20.1 | |
General election 2001: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clare Short | 21,694 | 68.9 | −5.2 |
| | Conservative | Benjamin H. Prentice | 3,551 | 11.3 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | S. Mahmood Chaudhry | 2,586 | 8.2 | +0.2 |
| | People's Justice | Allah Ditta | 2,112 | 6.7 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | Surinder P. Virdee | 443 | 1.4 | New |
| | Muslim Party | Mahmood Hussain | 432 | 1.4 | New |
| | ProLife Alliance | James Caffery | 392 | 1.2 | New |
| | UKIP | Anneliese Nattrass | 283 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,143 | 57.6 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,493 | 44.3 | −9.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.6 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clare Short | 28,134 | 74.1 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | Shailesh Vara | 5,052 | 13.3 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sardul Singh Marwa | 3,020 | 8.0 | −0.2 |
| | Referendum | Ruth A. Gurney | 1,086 | 2.9 | New |
| | National Democrats | Andrew Carmichael | 685 | 1.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,082 | 60.8 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,977 | 54.2 | −11.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.9 | |
General election 1992: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clare Short | 24,887 | 66.3 | +8.6 |
| | Conservative | Barbara S. Ashford | 9,604 | 25.6 | −5.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian L. Worth | 3,068 | 8.2 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,283 | 40.7 | +14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,559 | 65.9 | +1.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.1 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clare Short | 21,971 | 57.7 | +6.7 |
| | Conservative | Simon Lee | 11,943 | 31.3 | +4.2 |
| | SDP | Gurdial Singh Sangha | 3,532 | 9.3 | −11.2 |
| | Green | Joyce Millington | 650 | 1.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,028 | 26.4 | +2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,096 | 64.8 | +2.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clare Short | 19,278 | 51.0 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative | Pramilia Le Hunte | 10,248 | 27.1 | −10.6 |
| | Liberal | Kenneth Hardeman | 7,758 | 20.5 | +12.5 |
| | Stop Deportation of Black People | Baba Bakhtaura | 355 | 0.9 | New |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Rodney Atkinson | 198 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,030 | 23.9 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,837 | 62.6 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Sever | 13,450 | 63.5 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative | A. Newhouse | 5,691 | 26.9 | +4.8 |
| | Liberal | Kenneth George Hardeman | 2,030 | 9.6 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,759 | 36.6 | −5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,071 | 62.3 | +5.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.9 | |
1977 Birmingham Ladywood by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Sever | 8,227 | 53.1 | −11.4 |
| | Conservative | Quentin Davies | 4,402 | 28.4 | +6.3 |
| | National Front | Anthony Reed Herbert | 888 | 5.7 | New |
| | Liberal | Kenneth George Hardeman | 765 | 4.9 | −8.5 |
| | Socialist Unity | Raghib Ahsan | 534 | 3.5 | New |
| | Independent | James Hunte | 336 | 2.2 | New |
| | Independent Conservative | George Matthews | 71 | 0.5 | New |
| | Reform Party | Peter Courtney | 63 | 0.4 | New |
| | Air Road Public Safety | Bill Boaks | 46 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,825 | 24.7 | −17.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,484 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Brian Walden | 14,818 | 64.5 | +5.9 |
| | Conservative | Richard Lawn | 5,079 | 22.1 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal | Kenneth George Hardeman | 3,086 | 13.4 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,739 | 42.4 | +7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,983 | 56.9 | −7.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Brian Walden | 15,126 | 58.6 | +15.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard Lawn | 6,164 | 23.9 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal | Kenneth George Hardeman | 3,753 | 14.6 | −20.4 |
| | National Front | John Alexander Alfred Davis | 751 | 2.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,962 | 34.7 | +26.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,794 | 64.2 | +2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Doris Fisher | 5,067 | 43.4 | −15.5 |
| | Liberal | Wallace Lawler | 4,087 | 35.0 | +11.3 |
| | Conservative | Charles Lawrence Wade | 2,523 | 21.6 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 980 | 8.4 | −26.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,677 | 62.2 | +2.5 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1969 Birmingham Ladywood by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Wallace Lawler | 5,104 | 54.4 | +30.7 |
| | Labour | Doris Fisher | 2,391 | 25.5 | −33.6 |
| | Conservative | Louis Glass | 1,580 | 16.8 | −0.6 |
| | British Movement | Colin Jordan | 282 | 3.0 | New |
| | Fellowship | James Haigh | 34 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,713 | 28.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,391 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Victor Yates | 8,895 | 58.9 | −4.3 |
| | Liberal | Wallace Lawler | 3,580 | 23.7 | New |
| | Conservative | Thomas G. John | 2,621 | 17.4 | −19.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,315 | 35.2 | +10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,096 | 59.7 | +6.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Victor Yates | 10,098 | 63.2 | –0.5 |
| | Conservative | Thomas G. John | 5,879 | 36.8 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,219 | 26.4 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,977 | 53.7 | −5.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.5 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Victor Yates | 14,717 | 63.7 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Thomas G. John | 8,393 | 36.3 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,324 | 27.4 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,110 | 59.1 | −0.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.0 | |
General election 1955: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Victor Yates | 18,476 | 65.7 | +6.1 |
| | Conservative | Peter W Hodgens | 9,665 | 34.3 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,811 | 31.4 | +12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,141 | 60.0 | −17.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.1 | |
General election 1951: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Victor Yates | 24,088 | 59.6 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative | Leslie Seymour | 16,331 | 40.4 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,757 | 19.2 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,419 | 77.4 | −3.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.8 | |
General election 1950: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Victor Yates | 25,603 | 61.4 | +5.5 |
| | Conservative | Frederic Bennett | 16,071 | 38.6 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,532 | 22.8 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,674 | 80.4 | +10.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.5 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Victor Yates | 13,503 | 55.9 | +27.6 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Lloyd | 10,657 | 44.1 | −27.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,846 | 11.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,160 | 70.1 | +4.1 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +27.7 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Lloyd | 18,565 | 71.8 | |
| | Labour | Hubert Humphreys | 7,311 | 28.3 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,254 | 43.5 | −0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,876 | 66.0 | −12.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Lloyd | 23,057 | 71.8 | +21.8 |
| | Labour | Wilfrid Whiteley | 9,057 | 28.2 | −21.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,000 | 43.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,114 | 78.1 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Wilfrid Whiteley | 16,447 | 50.02 | +1.1 |
| | Unionist | Geoffrey William Lloyd | 16,436 | 49.98 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 0.04 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,883 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Neville Chamberlain | 13,374 | 49.1 | −4.1 |
| | Labour | Oswald Mosley | 13,297 | 48.9 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal | Alfred William Bowkett | 539 | 2.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 77 | 0.2 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,200 | 80.5 | +8.5 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −2.0 | |
General election 1923: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Neville Chamberlain | 12,884 | 53.2 | −2.0 |
| | Labour | Robert Dunstan | 11,330 | 46.8 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,554 | 6.4 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,214 | 72.0 | +1.5 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −2.0 | |
General election 1922: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Neville Chamberlain | 13,032 | 55.2 | −14.3 |
| | Labour | Robert Dunstan | 10,589 | 44.8 | +25.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,443 | 10.4 | −40.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,621 | 70.5 | +29.9 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −20.0 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Birmingham Ladywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Neville Chamberlain | 9,405 | 69.5 | |
| | Labour | John Kneeshaw | 2,572 | 19.0 | |
| | Liberal | Margery Corbett Ashby | 1,552 | 11.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,833 | 50.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,529 | 40.6 | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||