# Wansbeck (UK Parliament constituency)

Wansbeck was a constituency in Northumberland in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented from its 1983 re-creation until its abolition for the 2024 general election by members of the Labour Party.
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat's area was split between the two new seats of Blyth and Ashington and North Northumberland.

## History

Wansbeck was first created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of four single-member Divisions of the county of Northumberland. It was abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Blyth.
The seat was re-established for the 1983 general election, largely replacing the abolished Morpeth constituency. The new version of the seat had very little in common with the version abolished in 1950; only Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and some rural areas were in both.

## Boundaries
### 1885–1918

The Sessional Districts of:
* Bedlingtonshire
* Castle East (except the parish of Wallsend)
* Morpeth
* Castle West (part)
* Coquetdale East (part)
NB included non-resident freeholders in the parliamentary borough of Morpeth

### 1918–1950

* The Urban Districts of Cramlington, Earsdon, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Newburn, Seaton Delaval, Seghill, and Whitley and Monkseaton
* parts of the Rural Districts of Castle Ward, and Morpeth.
Gained Newburn and surrounding areas from the abolished Tyneside Division. Ashington transferred to Morpeth and a small area in north (Amble) transferred to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

### First abolition

The contents of the constituency were distributed as follows:
* rural areas around the borough of Morpeth, including Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, to Morpeth;
* Seaton Valley urban district (incorporating Cramlington, Seghill, Earsdon and Seaton Delaval) to Blyth;
* Whitley Bay to Tynemouth;
* rural areas to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne to Hexham; and
* Newburn to Newcastle upon Tyne West

### 1983–2024

* the Borough of Castle Morpeth wards of Hebron, Hepscott and Mitford, Morpeth Central, Morpeth Kirkhill, Morpeth North, Morpeth South, Morpeth Stobhill and Pegswood; and
* the District of Wansbeck (comprising the wards of: Bedlington Central, Bedlington East, Bedlington West, Bothal, Central, Choppington, Guide Post, Haydon, Hurst, Newbiggin East, Newbiggin West, Park, Seaton, Sleekburn, and Stakeford).
The majority of the constituency, including Morpeth, Ashington, and Newbiggin had comprised the bulk of the abolished constituency of Morpeth. Bedlington was transferred from Blyth.

### 2007 boundary review

In the fifth periodic boundary review of parliamentary representation in Northumberland, which came into effect for the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission for England recommended that no changes be made to the Wansbeck constituency.
In 2009, a government reorganisation resulted in the abolition of all local government boroughs and districts in Northumberland and the establishment of the county as a unitary authority. However, this did not affect the constituency boundaries.

## Constituency profile

Named after the River Wansbeck and former district of the same name, the seat had the visitor attractions of a historic main town with a castle, Morpeth and the traditional seaside town of Newbiggin. Workless claimants as registered jobseekers, with high male unemployment, which is widespread but exacerbated in the area, in November 2012, was higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 6.2% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian. This was marginally higher than the then regional average of 5.9%.

## Political history
### 1885–1950
#### Political history

The seat alternated in accordance with the national trend in strong mining communities outside of South Yorkshire, which as such saw significant early Labour support, and, in the 1931 and 1935 elections, led to a general transfer of loyalty to the Conservative Party, ushering in a return to Labour support at the next contested election in 1945.

#### Prominent frontbenchers

Alfred Robens represented the area in the Attlee ministry and towards the end of the year of Attlee's more marginal victory (1950–1951) served as Minister of Labour and National Service. He then in 1950 won instead the newly created Blyth seat to the immediate south. In 1955 he became Shadow Foreign Secretary until an unimpressive performance in predicting and reacting to events in the Suez Crisis in 1956. However, in a position which would span the period 1961 until 1971, he became Chairman of the National Coal Board (and Lord Robens) and oversaw substantial cuts in the mining industry. During this period he co-authored the Robens Report that followed his difficult but practical risk management of the coal mining sector, including accepting some culpability in the Aberfan Disaster. This led, with the ministry of Barbara Castle's adjustments, to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which set up the Health and Safety Executive and remains the foundation of this area of English law.

### 1983–2024

The constituency was held solely by Labour since its recreation, presenting a safe seat. However, in 2019 - in line with the huge swing in their favour in traditional Labour seats in the North and Midlands - the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority to an unprecedentedly low three-figure total.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1885–1950

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Charles Fenwick | Liberal |
| 1918 | Robert Mason | Liberal |
| 1919 | Robert Mason | Coalition Liberal |
| 1922 | George Warne | Labour |
| 1929 | George Shield | Labour |
| 1931 | Bernard Cruddas | Conservative |
| 1940 | Donald Scott | Conservative |
| 1945 | Alfred Robens | Labour |
| 1950 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

### MPs 1983−2024

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Jack Thompson | Labour |
| 1997 | Denis Murphy | Labour |
| 2010 | Ian Lavery | Labour |
| 2024 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Election results 1983–2024
### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Thompson | 21,732 | 47.0 | |
| | Liberal | Alan Thompson | 13,901 | 30.1 | |
| | Conservative | Charles Mitchell | 10,563 | 22.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,831 | 17.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,196 | 72.8 | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
General election 1987: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Thompson | 28,080 | 57.5 | +10.5 |
| | Liberal | Sarah Mitchell | 11,291 | 23.1 | −7.0 |
| | Conservative | David Walton | 9,490 | 19.4 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,789 | 34.4 | +17.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,861 | 78.0 | +5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.8 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Thompson | 30,046 | 59.7 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | Glen Sanderson | 11,872 | 23.6 | +4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian C. Priestley | 7,691 | 15.3 | −7.8 |
| | Green | Nic Best | 710 | 1.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,174 | 36.1 | +1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,319 | 79.3 | +1.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 | |
General election 1997: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Denis Murphy | 29,569 | 65.5 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Thompson | 7,202 | 15.9 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | Paul V. Green | 6,299 | 13.9 | −9.7 |
| | Referendum | Peter H. Gompertz | 1,146 | 2.5 | New |
| | Green | Nic Best | 956 | 2.1 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,367 | 49.6 | +13.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,172 | 71.7 | −7.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.8 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Denis Murphy | 21,617 | 57.8 | −7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Thompson | 8,516 | 22.8 | +6.9 |
| | Conservative | Rachael Lake | 4,774 | 12.8 | −1.1 |
| | Independent | Michael Kirkup | 1,076 | 2.9 | New |
| | Green | Nic Best | 954 | 2.5 | +0.4 |
| | UKIP | Gavin Attwell | 482 | 1.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,101 | 35.0 | −14.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,419 | 59.3 | −12.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.3 | |
General election 2005: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Denis Murphy | 20,315 | 55.2 | −2.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Reed | 9,734 | 26.4 | +3.6 |
| | Conservative | Ginny Scrope | 5,515 | 15.0 | +2.2 |
| | Green | Nic Best | 1,245 | 3.4 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,581 | 28.8 | −6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,809 | 58.4 | −0.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.1 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Lavery | 17,548 | 45.9 | −9.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Reed | 10,517 | 27.5 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | Campbell Storey | 6,714 | 17.5 | +2.5 |
| | BNP | Stephen Finlay | 1,481 | 3.7 | New |
| | UKIP | Linda-Lee Stokoe | 974 | 2.5 | New |
| | Green | Nic Best | 601 | 1.6 | −1.8 |
| | Independent | Malcolm Reid | 359 | 0.9 | New |
| | Christian | Michael Flynn | 142 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,031 | 18.4 | −10.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,273 | 60.7 | +2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −5.2 | |
General election 2015: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Lavery | 19,267 | 50.0 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative | Chris Galley | 8,386 | 21.8 | +4.3 |
| | UKIP | Melanie Hurst | 7,014 | 18.2 | +15.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Hancock | 2,407 | 6.2 | −21.3 |
| | Green | Christopher Hedley | 1,454 | 3.8 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,881 | 28.2 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,528 | 63.6 | +2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 0.0 | |
General election 2017: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Lavery | 24,338 | 57.3 | +7.3 |
| | Conservative | Chris Galley | 13,903 | 32.7 | +10.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joan Tebbutt | 2,015 | 4.7 | −1.5 |
| | UKIP | Melanie Hurst | 1,483 | 3.5 | −14.7 |
| | Green | Steven Leyland | 715 | 1.7 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,435 | 24.6 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,454 | 68.4 | +4.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.8 | |
General election 2019: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Lavery | 17,124 | 42.3 | −15.0 |
| | Conservative | Jack Gebhard | 16,310 | 40.3 | +7.6 |
| | Brexit Party | Eden Webley | 3,141 | 7.8 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Psallidas | 2,539 | 6.3 | +1.6 |
| | Green | Steven Leyland | 1,217 | 3.0 | +1.3 |
| | CPA | Michael Flynn | 178 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 814 | 2.0 | −22.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,509 | 64.0 | −4.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −11.3 | |

## Election results 1885–1950
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,858 | 68.4 | |
| | Conservative | John Blencowe Cookson | 2,703 | 31.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,155 | 36.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,561 | 82.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,392 | | |
| | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,235 | 75.4 | +7.0 |
| | Liberal Unionist | William Wight | 1,710 | 24.6 | −7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,525 | 50.8 | +14.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,945 | 66.8 | −15.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,392 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | +7.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,696 | 66.1 | −9.3 |
| | Conservative | Seymour McCalmont Hill | 2,920 | 33.9 | +9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,776 | 32.2 | −18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,616 | 76.2 | +9.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,304 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | −9.3 | |
General election 1895: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,629 | 69.9 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Joseph John Harris | 2,422 | 30.1 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,207 | 39.8 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,051 | 65.8 | −10.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,234 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | +3.8 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 5,474 | 56.1 | −13.8 |
| | Conservative | J Stanley Appleby | 4,283 | 43.9 | +13.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,191 | 12.2 | −27.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,757 | 68.8 | +3.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,179 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | −13.8 | |
General election 1906: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 10,386 | 76.4 | +20.3 |
| | Conservative | Walter Riddell | 3,210 | 23.6 | −20.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,176 | 52.8 | +40.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,596 | 77.6 | +8.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,529 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | +20.3 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | 10,872 | 70.0 | −6.4 |
| | Conservative | Charles Percy | 4,650 | 30.0 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,222 | 40.0 | −12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,522 | 81.6 | +4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,028 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | −6.8 | |
General election December 1910: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Charles Fenwick | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal-Labour:Charles Fenwick
* Labour: William Straker
1918 Wansbeck by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Mason | 5,814 | 52.5 | N/A |
| | Independent Labour | Ebenezer Edwards | 5,267 | 47.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 547 | 5.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,081 | 51.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 21,602 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1918: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | Robert Mason | 14,065 | 56.9 | N/A |
| | Labour | Ebby Edwards | 10,666 | 43.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,399 | 13.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,731 | 57.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,750 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Lib-Lab | Liberal gain from Lib-Lab | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Warne | 16,032 | 45.2 | +2.1 |
| | Unionist | R. White | 11,149 | 31.4 | New |
| | National Liberal | John Neal | 5,192 | 14.6 | New |
| | Liberal | Matthew Davey | 3,134 | 8.8 | −48.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,883 | 13.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,507 | 76.6 | +18.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 46,354 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +25.1 | |
General election 1923: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Warne | 18,583 | 56.8 | +11.6 |
| | Unionist | Hilton Philipson | 14,131 | 43.2 | +11.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,452 | 13.6 | −0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,714 | 68.4 | −8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 47,828 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.1 | |
General election 1924: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Warne | 21,159 | 52.9 | −3.9 |
| | Unionist | M.K. Middleton | 18,875 | 47.1 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,284 | 5.8 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,034 | 79.4 | +11.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 50,446 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.9 | |
1929 Wansbeck by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Shield | 20,398 | 58.0 | +5.1 |
| | Unionist | Ian Moffat-Pender | 9,612 | 27.3 | −19.8 |
| | Liberal | Harry Briggs | 5,183 | 14.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,786 | 30.7 | +24.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,193 | 65.3 | −14.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 53,886 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +12.5 | |
General election 1929: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Shield | 27,930 | 54.5 | +1.6 |
| | Unionist | Bernard Cruddas | 17,056 | 33.2 | −13.9 |
| | Liberal | Frederick Waudby | 6,330 | 12.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,874 | 21.2 | +15.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,260 | 76.1 | −3.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,390 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bernard Cruddas | 33,659 | 58.25 | |
| | Labour | George Shield | 24,126 | 41.75 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,533 | 16.50 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,785 | 81.86 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Bernard Cruddas | 30,859 | 50.79 |
| | Labour | Edward Dowling | 29,904 | 49.21 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 955 | 1.58 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,763 | 79.59 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1940s

1940 Wansbeck by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Donald Scott | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1945: Wansbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Alfred Robens | 40,948 | 60.00 | |
| | Conservative | Donald Scott | 27,295 | 40.00 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,653 | 20.00 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 67,793 | 77.69 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |