# Bradford South (UK Parliament constituency)

Bradford South is a constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Judith Cummins of the Labour Party.

## Constituency profile

The seat covers the southern suburbs of Bradford from Queensbury to Holmewood and has a large South Asian population.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Great Horton, Lister Hills, Little Horton, North Bierley East, and North Bierley West.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Clayton, Great Horton, Lister Hills, North Bierley West, and Thornton.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Clayton, North Bierley East, North Bierley West, and West Bowling, and the Urban District of Queensbury and Shelf.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Clayton, Great Horton, Odsal, Tong, Wibsey, and Wyke, and the Urban District of Queensbury and Shelf.
1983–2010: The City of Bradford wards of Great Horton, Odsal, Queensbury, Tong, Wibsey, and Wyke.
2010–2024: The City of Bradford wards of Great Horton, Queensbury, Royds, Tong, Wibsey, and Wyke.
2024–present: As above, apart from the gain of a small part of the Bowling and Barkerend ward (polling district 5F) from Bradford East to bring the electorate within the permitted range.

## History

It was a Liberal-held seat from 1922 to 1924 and 1931–1945. Since the 1945 general election Bradford South has returned Labour Party MPs, although the Conservative Party came very close to gaining the seat in the 1980s.

## Members of Parliament

Elland prior to 1918
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | Vernon Willey | Coalition Conservative |
| 1922 | Herbert Harvey Spencer | Liberal |
| 1924 | William Hirst | Co-operative |
| 1931 | Herbert Holdsworth | Liberal |
| 1945 | Meredith Titterington | Labour |
| 1949 by-election | George Craddock | Labour |
| 1970 | Tom Torney | Labour |
| 1987 | Bob Cryer | Labour |
| 1994 by-election | Gerry Sutcliffe | Labour |
| 2015 | Judith Cummins | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Judith Cummins | 11,833 | 35.8 | −10.9 |
| | Reform UK | Ian Eglin | 7,441 | 22.5 | +15.5 |
| | Conservative | Zaf Shah | 4,853 | 14.7 | −25.4 |
| | Green | Matt Edwards | 3,366 | 10.2 | +7.7 |
| | Independent | Rehiana Ali | 3,345 | 10.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anthony Smith | 954 | 2.9 | −0.8 |
| | Workers Party | Harry Boota | 513 | 1.6 | N/A |
| | Yorkshire | Jonathan Barras | 489 | 1.5 | N/A |
| | English Democrat | Therese Hirst | 248 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,392 | 13.3 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,042 | 46.5 | –11.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 71,002 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 13.2 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Labour | 19,110 | 46.7 |
| | Conservative | 16,381 | 40.1 |
| | Brexit Party | 2,872 | 7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 1,519 | 3.7 |
| | Green | 1,007 | 2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 40,889 | 57.7 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 70,890 |
General election 2019: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Judith Cummins | 18,390 | 46.3 | –8.2 |
| | Conservative | Narinder Sekhon | 16,044 | 40.4 | +2.2 |
| | Brexit Party | Kulvinder Manik | 2,819 | 7.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alun Griffiths | 1,505 | 3.8 | +2.5 |
| | Green | Matthew Edwards | 983 | 2.5 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,346 | 5.9 | –10.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,741 | 57.6 | –3.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –5.2 | |
General election 2017: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Judith Cummins | 22,364 | 54.5 | +11.1 |
| | Conservative | Tanya Graham | 15,664 | 38.2 | +11.9 |
| | UKIP | Stephen Place | 1,758 | 4.3 | –19.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart Thomas | 516 | 1.3 | –1.6 |
| | English Democrat | Therese Hirst | 377 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Green | Darren Parkinson | 370 | 0.9 | –2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,700 | 16.3 | –0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,049 | 60.6 | +1.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –0.4 | |
General election 2015: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Judith Cummins | 16,328 | 43.4 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | Tanya Graham | 9,878 | 26.3 | –2.8 |
| | UKIP | Jason Smith | 9,057 | 24.1 | +20.6 |
| | Green | Andy Robinson | 1,243 | 3.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Tear | 1,094 | 2.9 | –15.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,450 | 17.1 | +4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,600 | 59.1 | –0.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.5 | |
General election 2010: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Gerry Sutcliffe | 15,682 | 41.3 | –7.0 |
| | Conservative | Matthew Palmer | 11,060 | 29.1 | +4.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alun Griffiths | 6,948 | 18.3 | +3.8 |
| | BNP | Sharon Sutton | 2,651 | 7.0 | –0.8 |
| | UKIP | Jamie Illingworth | 1,339 | 3.5 | +2.0 |
| | Democratic Nationalist | James Lewthwaite | 315 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,622 | 12.2 | –12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,995 | 59.8 | +6.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –5.9 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Gerry Sutcliffe | 17,954 | 49.0 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative | Geraldine Carter | 8,787 | 24.0 | −4.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mike Doyle | 5,334 | 14.6 | +4.0 |
| | BNP | James Lewthwaite | 2,862 | 7.8 | N/A |
| | Green | Derek Curtis | 695 | 1.9 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Jason Smith | 552 | 1.5 | −0.7 |
| | Veritas | Therese Muchewicz | 421 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,167 | 25.0 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,605 | 54.2 | +2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.2 | |
General election 2001: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Gerry Sutcliffe | 19,603 | 55.8 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative | Graham Tennyson | 9,941 | 28.3 | +0.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alexander Wilson-Fletcher | 3,717 | 10.6 | −0.7 |
| | UKIP | Peter North | 783 | 2.2 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Tony Kelly | 571 | 1.6 | N/A |
| | Socialist Alliance | Ateeq Siddique | 302 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Defend The Welfare State Against Blairism | George Riseborough | 220 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,662 | 27.5 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,137 | 51.3 | −14.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Gerry Sutcliffe | 25,558 | 56.7 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | Ann G. Hawkesworth | 12,622 | 28.0 | −10.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alexander Wilson-Fletcher | 5,093 | 11.3 | −2.4 |
| | Referendum | Marilyn Kershaw | 1,785 | 4.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,936 | 28.7 | +19.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,058 | 65.9 | −9.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1994 Bradford South by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Gerry Sutcliffe | 17,014 | 55.3 | +7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Helen Wright | 7,350 | 23.9 | +10.2 |
| | Conservative | Ronnie Farley | 5,475 | 17.8 | −20.6 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | David Sutch | 727 | 2.4 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Keith Laycock | 197 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,664 | 31.4 | +22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,763 | 44.1 | −31.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1992: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bob Cryer | 25,185 | 47.6 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Andrew S. Popat | 20,283 | 38.4 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian J. Boulton | 7,243 | 13.7 | −4.1 |
| | Islamic Party | Mohammad Naseem | 156 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,902 | 9.2 | +8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,867 | 75.6 | +2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bob Cryer | 21,230 | 41.4 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative | Graham Hall | 20,921 | 40.8 | +3.5 |
| | SDP | Trevor Lindley | 9,109 | 17.8 | −6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 309 | 0.6 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,260 | 73.7 | +2.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.2 | |
General election 1983: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Torney | 18,542 | 37.5 | |
| | Conservative | Graham Hall | 18,432 | 37.3 | |
| | SDP | David Pearl | 12,143 | 24.6 | N/A |
| | Ecology | Robert Adset | 308 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 110 | 0.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,425 | 71.0 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Torney | 26,323 | 47.11 | |
| | Conservative | JK Hirst | 22,005 | 39.38 | |
| | Liberal | R Taylor | 7,127 | 12.75 | |
| | National Front | G Wright | 422 | 0.76 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,318 | 7.73 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,877 | 73.18 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Tom Torney | 25,219 | 48.05 |
| | Conservative | GC Littlewood | 16,964 | 32.32 |
| | Liberal | CJ Cawood | 10,306 | 19.63 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,255 | 15.73 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,489 | 71.64 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election February 1974: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Torney | 25,875 | 44.76 | |
| | Conservative | PG Dwyer | 18,222 | 31.52 | |
| | Liberal | Margaretta Holmstedt | 12,961 | 22.42 | |
| | Independent Powellite | R Pearson | 749 | 1.30 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,653 | 13.24 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,807 | 79.68 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Tom Torney | 20,985 | 45.93 |
| | Conservative | John Derek Whittaker Bottomley | 19,009 | 41.61 |
| | Liberal | George Dunkerley | 5,694 | 12.46 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,976 | 4.32 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,688 | 72.01 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.3 |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Craddock | 22,932 | 52.53 |
| | Conservative | John Derek Whittaker Bottomley | 15,435 | 35.35 |
| | Liberal | George Dunkerley | 5,291 | 12.12 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,497 | 17.18 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,658 | 75.99 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.25 |
General election 1964: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Craddock | 21,004 | 46.28 |
| | National Liberal | John Derek Whittaker Bottomley | 17,097 | 37.67 |
| | Liberal | Allen Clegg | 7,286 | 16.05 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,907 | 8.61 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,387 | 78.57 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Craddock | 21,172 | 45.85 |
| | National Liberal | Reginald Winston Jones | 18,158 | 39.32 |
| | Liberal | Hugh Womersley | 6,850 | 14.83 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,014 | 6.53 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,180 | 80.99 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Craddock | 20,478 | 47.32 |
| | National Liberal | Reginald Winston Jones | 16,768 | 38.75 |
| | Liberal | Arthur T Ellis | 6,029 | 13.93 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,710 | 8.57 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,275 | 80.36 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Craddock | 21,364 | 47.16 |
| | National Liberal | Geoffrey Francis Greenbank | 17,863 | 39.43 |
| | Liberal | Edward Rushworth | 6,072 | 13.40 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,501 | 7.73 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,299 | 86.21 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Craddock | 21,344 | 47.50 |
| | National Liberal | John Lightfoot Windle | 15,998 | 35.60 |
| | Liberal | Edward Rushworth | 7,594 | 16.90 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,346 | 11.90 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,936 | 86.19 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1940s

1949 Bradford South by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Craddock | 23,335 | 51.3 | −1.2 |
| | National Liberal | John Lightfoot Windle | 19,313 | 42.4 | +9.3 |
| | Independent Liberal | Colin James Canning | 2,882 | 6.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,022 | 8.9 | −10.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,530 | 74.4 | −2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.3 | |
General election 1945: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Meredith Titterington | 24,394 | 52.5 | +11.0 |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Walker Peel | 15,392 | 33.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Charles Ewart Hindley | 6,707 | 14.4 | −44.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,002 | 19.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,493 | 76.9 | +6.6 |
| | Labour Co-op gain from Liberal | Labour Co-op gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General Election 1939–40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal National: Herbert Holdsworth
* Labour: Meredith Titterington
* Liberal: Charles Ewart Hindley

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Herbert Holdsworth | 24,081 | 58.5 | −7.9 |
| | Labour Co-op | William Hirst | 17,121 | 41.5 | +7.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,960 | 17.0 | −15.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,202 | 70.3 | −12.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Herbert Holdsworth | 31,531 | 66.4 | +40.6 |
| | Labour Co-op | William Hirst | 15,994 | 33.6 | −15.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,537 | 32.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,525 | 82.61 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour Co-op | Liberal gain from Labour Co-op | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | William Hirst | 23,251 | 48.9 | +9.9 |
| | Liberal | Frederick Ogden | 12,279 | 25.8 | −2.8 |
| | Unionist | Geoffrey William Ferrand | 12,050 | 25.3 | −7.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,972 | 23.1 | +16.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,580 | 83.0 | +0.8 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +6.3 | |
General election 1924: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | William Hirst | 13,919 | 39.0 | +4.1 |
| | Unionist | George Mitcheson | 11,586 | 32.4 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal | Herbert Harvey Spencer | 10,237 | 28.6 | −8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,333 | 6.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,742 | 82.2 | +5.3 |
| | Labour Co-op gain from Liberal | Labour Co-op gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Herbert Harvey Spencer | 12,218 | 37.0 | −1.0 |
| | Labour Co-op | William Hirst | 11,543 | 34.9 | −0.4 |
| | Unionist | George Mitcheson | 9,270 | 28.1 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 675 | 2.1 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,031 | 76.9 | −5.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -0.3 | |
General election 1922: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Herbert Harvey Spencer | 13,259 | 38.0 | +13.4 |
| | Labour Co-op | William Hirst | 12,353 | 35.3 | +4.4 |
| | Unionist | Vernon Willey | 9,334 | 26.7 | −17.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 906 | 2.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,946 | 82.2 | +17.4 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Bradford South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Vernon Willey | 11,949 | 44.5 | |
| | Co-operative Party | William Hirst | 8,291 | 30.9 | |
| | Liberal | George Muff | 6,613 | 24.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,658 | 13.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,853 | 64.8 | |
| | 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. ||||||