# Liverpool Wavertree (UK Parliament constituency)

Liverpool Wavertree is a borough constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1997 and every election since has been won by a Labour Party candidate. It has been represented by Paula Barker since 2019.
An earlier constituency of the same name existed between 1918 and 1983, but lay further to the south-east, and was a predominantly Conservative seat.

## Boundaries
### Historic

1918–1950: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Allerton, Childwall and Little Woolton, Garston, Much Woolton, Wavertree, and Wavertree West.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Old Swan, Wavertree, and Wavertree West.
1955–1983: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Broadgreen, Childwall, Church, and Old Swan.
1997–2010: The City of Liverpool wards of Broadgreen, Childwall, Church, Kensington, Old Swan, and Picton.
2010–2024: The City of Liverpool wards of Childwall, Church, Kensington and Fairfield, Old Swan, Picton, and Wavertree.

### Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following wards of the City of Liverpool as they existed on 1 December 2020:
* Childwall; Greenbank; Kensington and Fairfield; Mossley Hill; Picton; St. Michael’s; Wavertree.
The constituency was subject to significant change, with addition of the (former) wards of Greenbank, Mossley Hill and St Michael's wards from Liverpool Riverside, partly offset by the transfer of the Church ward to Liverpool Garston and the Old Swan ward to Liverpool West Derby.
Liverpool was subject to a comprehensive local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023. As a result, the new constituency boundaries do not align with the revised ward boundaries. The constituency now comprises the following wards or part wards of the City of Liverpool from the 2024 general election:
* Aigburth; Arundel; Canning (small part); Childwall (most); Church (most); Edge Hill (nearly all); Everton East (small part); Festival Gardens (part); Gateacre (very small part); Greenbank Park; Kensington & Fairfield (most); Mossley Hill (most); Old Swan West; Penny Lane (part); Princes Park (small part); Sefton Park; Smithdown; St Michaels; Wavertree Garden Suburbs; Wavertree Village.
The constituency is one of five covering the city of Liverpool, and covers the localities in the eastern parts of the city such as Wavertree, Broadgreen, Childwall, Edge Hill, Kensington, Fairfield, part of Mossley Hill and Old Swan.

## History

The present Liverpool Wavertree constituency dates from 1997. It contained parts of the former constituencies of Liverpool Broadgreen and Liverpool Mossley Hill. It was held by Jane Kennedy of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2010, who was also the former MP for Liverpool Broadgreen. At the 2005 general election, the Labour lead over the Liberal Democrats was cut from 38 points to 15 points. At the 2010 general election, Jane Kennedy retired, and Luciana Berger was selected as the official Labour candidate, which caused some friction in the local CLP, especially due to her close connection with Kennedy.
An earlier Liverpool Wavertree constituency existed until 1983; this was further to the south-east in the city and was predominantly a Conservative seat, occasionally with large majorities. It had been created in 1918, but a declining population in the 1970s caused it to be split between Liverpool Garston, the newly formed Liverpool Broadgreen and Liverpool Mossley Hill constituencies. While the Conservatives have fared badly in the new Wavertree constituency (polling under 7% at the 2005 general election), a direct comparison must take into account the differing boundaries since the 1997 recreation: with more inner-city areas than its previous incarnation, the seat is home to constituents on a lower income than the average in the North West and who are traditionally less sympathetic to Conservative policies. The 2015 general election result made the seat the seventh-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.
At the 2010 general election, the Liberal Democrats' targeting of the seat led to a high turnout; however, it was comfortably retained by Labour with a 2.1% swing away from the Liberal Democrats. The unexpected turnout led, unusually, to one polling station running out of ballot papers.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Party |
| 1918 | Nathan Raw | | Coalition Conservative |
| 1922 | Sir Harold Smith | | Unionist |
| 1923 | Hugh Rathbone | | Liberal |
| 1924 | John Tinné | | Unionist |
| 1931 by-election | Ronald Nall-Cain | | Conservative |
| 1935 by-election | Joseph Cleary | | Labour |
| 1935 | Peter Stapleton Shaw | | Conservative |
| 1945 | Victor Raikes | | Conservative |
| 1950 | John Tilney | | Conservative |
| Feb 1974 | Anthony Steen | | Conservative |
| 1983 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |
| 1997 | Jane Kennedy | | Labour |
| 2010 | Luciana Berger | | Labour Co-op |
| Feb 2019 | Luciana Berger | | Change UK |
| Jun 2019 | Luciana Berger | | Independent |
| Jul 2019 | Luciana Berger | | The Independents |
| Sep 2019 | Luciana Berger | | Liberal Democrats |
| 2019 | Paula Barker | | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paula Barker | 23,077 | 58.0 | −13.6 |
| | Green | Tom Crone | 6,773 | 17.0 | +10.8 |
| | Reform UK | Adam Heatherington | 3,454 | 8.7 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rob McAlister-Bell | 2,759 | 6.9 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative | Charlotte Eagar | 1,887 | 4.7 | −4.9 |
| | Independent | Ann San | 1,191 | 3.0 | N/A |
| | Independent | Mohamed El Ghady | 566 | 1.4 | N/A |
| | Independent | Joe Owens | 108 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,304 | 41.0 | −21.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,815 | 56.0 | −12.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 70,581 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paula Barker | 31,310 | 72.2 | −7.3 |
| | Conservative | Catherine Mulhern | 4,225 | 9.7 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Kemp | 4,055 | 9.3 | +2.8 |
| | Brexit Party | Adam Heatherington | 1,921 | 4.4 | New |
| | Green | Kay Inckle | 1,365 | 3.1 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal | Mick Coyne | 501 | 1.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 27,085 | 62.5 | −5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,377 | 68.4 | −1.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.2 | |
General election 2017: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Luciana Berger | 34,717 | 79.5 | +10.2 |
| | Conservative | Denise Haddad | 5,251 | 12.0 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Kemp | 2,858 | 6.5 | +0.5 |
| | Green | Ted Grant | 598 | 1.4 | −3.8 |
| | Independent | Adam Heatherington | 216 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29,466 | 67.5 | +8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,640 | 70.1 | +3.7 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +4.1 | |
General election 2015: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Luciana Berger | 28,401 | 69.3 | +16.2 |
| | Conservative | James Pearson | 4,098 | 10.0 | +2.5 |
| | UKIP | Adam Heatherington | 3,375 | 8.2 | +5.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Leo Evans | 2,454 | 6.0 | −28.2 |
| | Green | Peter Cranie | 2,140 | 5.2 | +3.6 |
| | TUSC | David Walsh | 362 | 0.9 | New |
| | Independent | Niamh McCarthy | 144 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,303 | 59.3 | +40.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,974 | 66.4 | +5.8 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +6.9 | |
General election 2010: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Luciana Berger | 20,132 | 53.1 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Eldridge | 12,965 | 34.2 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Garnett | 2,830 | 7.5 | +1.0 |
| | UKIP | Neil Miney | 890 | 2.3 | +0.4 |
| | Green | Rebecca Lawson | 598 | 1.6 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | Kim Singleton | 200 | 0.5 | −0.2 |
| | BNP | Steven McEllenborough | 150 | 0.4 | New |
| | Independent | Franke Dunne | 149 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,167 | 18.9 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,914 | 60.6 | +12.8 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +2.1 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jane Kennedy | 18,441 | 52.4 | −10.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Eldridge | 13,268 | 37.7 | +13.3 |
| | Conservative | Jason Steen | 2,331 | 6.6 | −3.0 |
| | UKIP | Mark Bill | 660 | 1.9 | +0.8 |
| | Socialist Labour | Gary Theys | 244 | 0.7 | −0.4 |
| | Democratic Socialist Alliance | Paul Filby | 227 | 0.6 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,173 | 14.7 | −23.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,171 | 50.8 | +6.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −11.8 | |
General election 2001: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jane Kennedy | 20,155 | 62.7 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Newby | 7,836 | 24.4 | +2.9 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Allen | 3,091 | 9.6 | −1.2 |
| | Socialist Labour | Michael Lane | 359 | 1.1 | New |
| | Socialist Alliance | Mark O'Brien | 349 | 1.1 | New |
| | UKIP | Neil Miney | 348 | 1.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,319 | 38.3 | −4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,138 | 44.3 | −18.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.3 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jane Kennedy | 29,592 | 64.4 | +23.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Kemp | 9,891 | 21.5 | −13.2 |
| | Conservative | Kit Malthouse | 4,944 | 10.8 | −1.7 |
| | Referendum | Peter A. Worthington | 576 | 1.3 | New |
| | Liberal | Keith McCullough | 391 | 0.9 | New |
| | ProLife Alliance | Racheal A. Kingsley | 346 | 0.8 | New |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Carole Corkhill | 178 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,701 | 42.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,918 | 62.7 | N/A |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Steen | 21,770 | 50.3 | +4.5 |
| | Labour Co-op | Roy Morris | 14,828 | 34.2 | −5.0 |
| | Liberal | C. W. Roberts | 6,705 | 15.5 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,942 | 15.9 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,303 | 73.4 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 | |
General election October 1974: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Steen | 18,971 | 45.9 | +2.8 |
| | Labour Co-op | Roy Morris | 16,216 | 39.2 | +8.1 |
| | Liberal | Anthony Limont | 6,193 | 15.0 | −10.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,755 | 6.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,380 | 69.3 | −5.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.5 | |
General election February 1974: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Anthony Steen | 19,027 | 43.0 |
| | Labour | Ian Levin | 13,752 | 31.1 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Carr | 11,450 | 25.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,275 | 11.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,229 | 74.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1970: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Tilney | 19,127 | 46.6 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Carr | 11,650 | 28.4 | +11.3 |
| | Labour | Gordon Woodburn | 10,253 | 25.0 | −9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,477 | 18.2 | +3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,030 | 69.2 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Tilney | 19,179 | 48.58 |
| | Labour | Robert Ashcroft | 13,529 | 34.27 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Carr | 6,771 | 17.15 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,650 | 14.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,479 | 70.97 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1964: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Tilney | 20,598 | 49.45 |
| | Labour | Stanley Thorne | 12,338 | 29.62 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Carr | 8,719 | 20.93 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,260 | 19.83 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,655 | 73.74 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Tilney | 26,624 | 63.12 | |
| | Labour | Milicent Aspin | 10,392 | 24.64 | |
| | Liberal | Tom Stuttard Rothwell | 5,161 | 12.24 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,232 | 38.48 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,177 | 75.75 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Tilney | 28,172 | 69.18 |
| | Labour | Milicent Aspin | 12,552 | 30.82 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,620 | 38.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,724 | 70.84 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Tilney | 28,179 | 58.85 |
| | Labour | William Hamling | 19,702 | 41.15 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,477 | 17.70 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,881 | 78.32 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Tilney | 26,164 | 52.08 |
| | Labour | William Hamling | 18,559 | 36.94 |
| | Liberal | Thomas John Vernon Parry | 5,512 | 10.97 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,605 | 15.14 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,235 | 82.42 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Victor Raikes | 25,470 | 48.2 | −10.3 |
| | Labour | Derek Maurice Van Abbé | 20,249 | 38.4 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal | Leslie Hall Storey | 7,063 | 13.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,221 | 9.8 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,782 | 73.1 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.6 | |
A general election was planned for 1939–1940 but was postponed because of war. By the end of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Conservative: Peter Stapleton Shaw
* Labour: Clifford Kenyon
* Liberal: Nelia Muspratt

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Stapleton Shaw | 26,915 | 58.5 | −19.4 |
| | Labour | Joseph Cleary | 19,068 | 41.5 | +19.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,847 | 17.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,983 | 73.2 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −10.6 | |
1935 Liverpool Wavertree by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Cleary | 15,611 | 35.3 | +13.2 |
| | Conservative | James Platt | 13,711 | 31.2 | −46.7 |
| | Ind. Conservative | Randolph Churchill | 10,575 | 23.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Tudor Artro Morris | 4,208 | 9.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,840 | 4.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,165 | 72.3 | −2.9 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | −30.0 | |
General election 1931: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ronald Nall-Cain | 33,476 | 77.9 | +12.9 |
| | Labour | Colin Clark | 9,504 | 22.1 | −12.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,972 | 55.8 | +25.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,980 | 75.2 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +12.9 | |
1931 Liverpool Wavertree by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ronald Nall-Cain | 18,687 | 65.0 | +25.0 |
| | Labour | Samuel Lewis Treleaven | 10,042 | 35.0 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,645 | 30.0 | +22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,729 | 51.7 | −26.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +11.2 | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | John Tinné | 16,880 | 40.0 | −7.4 |
| | Labour | Samuel Lewis Treleaven | 13,585 | 32.2 | −2.8 |
| | Liberal | Hugh Rathbone | 11,723 | 27.8 | +10.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,295 | 7.8 | −4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,188 | 78.1 | −2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 53,989 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −2.3 | |
General election 1924: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | John Tinné | 14,063 | 47.4 | +12.7 |
| | Labour | William Robinson | 10,383 | 35.0 | +7.0 |
| | Liberal | Hugh Rathbone | 5,206 | 17.6 | −19.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,680 | 12.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,652 | 80.3 | +8.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36,936 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +16.2 | |
General election 1923: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Hugh Rathbone | 9,349 | 37.3 | New |
| | Unionist | Harold Smith | 8,700 | 34.7 | −26.9 |
| | Labour | James Vint Laughland | 7,025 | 28.0 | −10.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 649 | 2.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,074 | 71.9 | +2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,869 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1922: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Harold Smith | 14,372 | 61.6 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | James Vint Laughland | 8,941 | 38.4 | +11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,431 | 23.2 | −9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,313 | 69.5 | +9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 33,558 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −4.9 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Liverpool Wavertree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Nathan Raw | 11,326 | 59.9 | |
| | Labour | Charles Wilson | 5,103 | 27.0 | |
| | Liberal | Alfred Allen Booth | 2,484 | 13.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,223 | 32.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,913 | 60.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,262 | | |
| | 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. ||||||