# North Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Shropshire is a constituency in the county of Shropshire, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Helen Morgan of the Liberal Democrats after a by-election on 16 December 2021. The former MP, Owen Paterson of the Conservatives, resigned his seat on 5 November 2021 when faced with suspension from the Commons for a breach of advocacy rules and the consequent possibility of a recall petition. The seat had previously been a safe seat for the Conservatives.

## Boundaries

1832–1885: The Hundreds of Oswestry, Pimhill, North Bradford and South Bradford, as well as the Liberty of Shrewsbury.
1983–1997: The District of North Shropshire, the Borough of Oswestry, and the District of The Wrekin wards of Church Aston, Edgmond, Ercall Magna, Newport East, Newport North, and Newport West.
1997–2024: The District of North Shropshire and the Borough of Oswestry.
The district councils of North Shropshire and Oswestry were abolished in 2009, but the constituency boundaries remained unaltered.
2024–present: The County of Shropshire electoral districts of: Ellesmere Urban; Gobowen, Selattyn and Weston Rhyn; Llanymynech; Market Drayton East; Market Drayton West; Oswestry East; Oswestry South; Oswestry West; Prees; Ruyton and Baschurch; St. Martin’s; St. Oswald; Shawbury; The Meres; Wem; Whitchurch North; Whitchurch South; Whittington.
    The constituency was reduced in size to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the electoral districts of Cheswardine and Hodnet to The Wrekin.

## Constituency profile

The area is rural and north of Shrewsbury, west of Newcastle-under-Lyme in the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation, south of Cheshire and Wrexham, having five small towns (in size order): Oswestry, Market Drayton, Whitchurch, Wem and Ellesmere. Residents' health and wealth are similar to UK averages.

## History

From its first creation in 1832 to the abolition of the first creation in 1885 the constituency covered approximately half of the county and elected two members, formally Knights of the Shire. In 1885 the county was (together with South Shropshire) divided between four constituencies: Ludlow, Newport, Oswestry and Wellington.
In 1983 the constituency was revived in a smaller form as the successor to the Oswestry seat and elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Its first MP was John Biffen, who had been MP for Oswestry since a 1961 byelection. He served in various cabinet roles under Margaret Thatcher from 1979 until he fell out of favour after the 1987 general election. Biffen retired for the 1997 general election and was succeeded by fellow Conservative Owen Paterson.
Paterson was appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in May 2010 and from the September 2012 Cabinet reshuffle, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, until another reshuffle in June 2014. Paterson resigned as an MP in November 2021 for breaching Commons lobbying rules while working for two firms as a consultant. A by-election was held on 16 December 2021, triggered by the resignation and was won by Helen Morgan for the Liberal Democrats with a 34% swing. The swing was seventh largest in United Kingdom by-election history.
In December 2023, the Labour Party included the seat in its published list of 211 non-battleground seats, indicating they did not see it as necessary to win in order to gain a majority at the 2024 general election, when it was retained by Helen Morgan on a further swing to the Liberal Democrats. Compared to the notional 2019 results the overall swing was 41.3%.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1832–1885

* Constituency created in 1832
| Election | First member | First party | First party | Second member | Second party | Second party |
| 1832 | Sir Rowland Hill, Bt | | Tory | John Cotes | | Whig |
| 1834 | Sir Rowland Hill, Bt | | Conservative | John Cotes | | Whig |
| 1835 | Sir Rowland Hill, Bt | | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | | Conservative |
| 1843 by-election | Viscount Clive | | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | | Conservative |
| 1848 by-election | John Whitehall Dod | | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | | Conservative |
| 1857 | John Whitehall Dod | | Conservative | Hon. Rowland Hill | | Conservative |
| 1859 | John Ormsby-Gore | | Conservative | Hon. Rowland Hill | | Conservative |
| 1865 | John Ormsby-Gore | | Conservative | Hon. Charles Cust | | Conservative |
| 1866 by-election | John Ormsby-Gore | | Conservative | Hon. Adelbert Brownlow-Cust | | Conservative |
| 1867 by-election | John Ormsby-Gore | | Conservative | Viscount Newport | | Conservative |
| 1876 by-election | Stanley Leighton | | Conservative | Viscount Newport | | Conservative |
| 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

### MPs since 1983

Oswestry and Wrekin prior to 1983
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | John Biffen | Conservative |
| 1997 | Owen Paterson | Conservative |
| 2021 by-election | Helen Morgan | Liberal Democrats |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Helen Morgan | 26,214 | 52.9 | +42.5 |
| | Conservative | Simon Baynes | 10,903 | 22.0 | −39.7 |
| | Reform UK | Mark Whittle | 7,687 | 15.5 | N/A |
| | Labour | Natalie Rowley | 3,423 | 6.9 | −15.5 |
| | Green | Craig Emery | 1,234 | 2.5 | −0.8 |
| | Independent | Samuel Cladingbowl | 133 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,311 | 30.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,594 | 64.1 | −3.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,573 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +41.3 | |
2021 North Shropshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Helen Morgan | 17,957 | 47.2 | +37.2 |
| | Conservative | Neil Shastri-Hurst | 12,032 | 31.6 | −31.1 |
| | Labour | Ben Wood | 3,686 | 9.7 | −12.4 |
| | Green | Duncan Kerr | 1,738 | 4.6 | +1.4 |
| | Reform UK | Kirsty Walmsley | 1,427 | 3.8 | New |
| | UKIP | Andrea Allen | 378 | 1.0 | New |
| | Reclaim | Martin Daubney | 375 | 1.0 | New |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Alan "Howling Laud" Hope | 118 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | Independent | Suzie Akers-Smith | 95 | 0.2 | New |
| | Heritage | James Elliot | 79 | 0.2 | New |
| | Rejoin EU | Boris Been Bunged | 58 | 0.2 | New |
| | Freedom Alliance | Earl Jesse | 57 | 0.1 | New |
| | Party Party | Russell Dean | 19 | 0.1 | New |
| | No description | Yolande Kenward | 3 | 0.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,925 | 15.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,022 | 46.3 | −21.6 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 74 | 0.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 82,314 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +34.2 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Owen Paterson | 35,444 | 62.7 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | Graeme Currie | 12,495 | 22.1 | −9.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Helen Morgan | 5,643 | 10.0 | +4.7 |
| | Green | John Adams | 1,790 | 3.2 | +0.1 |
| | Shropshire Party | Robert Jones | 1,141 | 2.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,949 | 40.6 | +11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,513 | 67.9 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.6 | |
General election 2017: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Owen Paterson | 33,642 | 60.5 | +9.0 |
| | Labour | Graeme Currie | 17,287 | 31.1 | +11.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Thornhill | 2,948 | 5.3 | −0.7 |
| | Green | Duncan Kerr | 1,722 | 3.1 | −1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,355 | 29.4 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,599 | 69.0 | +1.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.1 | |
General election 2015: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Owen Paterson | 27,041 | 51.5 | ±0.0 |
| | Labour | Graeme Currie | 10,457 | 19.9 | +1.8 |
| | UKIP | Andrea Allen | 9,262 | 17.6 | +12.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Thornhill | 3,184 | 6.0 | −14.9 |
| | Green | Duncan Kerr | 2,575 | 4.9 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,584 | 31.6 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,483 | 67.6 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.9 | |
Class War originally selected Al Derby as a candidate here, but he changed to Wolverhampton North East.
General election 2010: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Owen Paterson | 26,692 | 51.5 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Croll | 10,864 | 20.9 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | Ian McLaughlan | 9,406 | 18.1 | −7.8 |
| | UKIP | Sandra List | 2,432 | 4.7 | −0.1 |
| | BNP | Phil Reddall | 1,667 | 3.2 | New |
| | Green | Steve Boulding | 808 | 1.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,828 | 30.6 | +6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,869 | 65.7 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.3 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Owen Paterson | 23,061 | 49.6 | +1.0 |
| | Labour | Sandra Samuels | 12,041 | 25.9 | −9.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Bourne | 9,175 | 19.7 | +6.9 |
| | UKIP | Ian Smith | 2,233 | 4.8 | +2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,020 | 23.7 | +10.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,510 | 61.4 | −1.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.1 | |
General election 2001: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Owen Paterson | 22,631 | 48.6 | +8.4 |
| | Labour | Mike Ion | 16,390 | 35.2 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ben Jephcott | 5,945 | 12.8 | −7.6 |
| | UKIP | David Trevanion | 1,165 | 2.5 | New |
| | Independent | Russell Maxfield | 389 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,241 | 13.4 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,520 | 63.1 | −9.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: North Shropshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Owen Paterson | 20,730 | 40.2 | |
| | Labour | Ian Lucas | 18,535 | 36.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Stevens | 10,489 | 20.4 | |
| | Referendum | Denis Allen | 1,764 | 3.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,195 | 4.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,518 | 72.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1992: Shropshire North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Biffen | 32,443 | 50.5 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Stevens | 16,232 | 25.3 | −2.1 |
| | Labour | Bob Hawkins | 15,550 | 24.2 | +3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,211 | 25.2 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,225 | 77.7 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.2 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Shropshire North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Biffen | 30,385 | 52.2 | −1.2 |
| | Liberal | Gordon Smith | 15,970 | 27.4 | −4.2 |
| | Labour | Bob Hawkins | 11,866 | 20.4 | +5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,415 | 24.8 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,221 | 75.5 | +2.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Shropshire North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Biffen | 28,496 | 53.4 | |
| | Liberal | David Evans | 16,829 | 31.6 | |
| | Labour | Helen Jones | 7,860 | 14.7 | |
| | Independent For Referendum | J.L. Phillimore | 135 | 0.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,667 | 21.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,320 | 72.7 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stanley Leighton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | George Bridgeman | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,729 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

1876 North Shropshire by-election (1 seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stanley Leighton | 2,737 | 50.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Salusbury Kynaston Mainwaring | 2,700 | 49.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,437 | 74.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,342 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Gore's elevation to the peerage, becoming Lord Harlech.
General election 1874: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | George Bridgeman | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,557 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Ormsby-Gore | 3,602 | 38.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | George Bridgeman | 3,403 | 36.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Richard George Jebb | 2,412 | 25.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 991 | 10.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,915 (est) | 77.7 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,611 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
1867 North Shropshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Bridgeman | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Brownlow-Cust's elevation to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl Brownlow.
1866 North Shropshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Adelbert Brownlow-Cust | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Cust's resignation.
General election 1865: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Charles Cust | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,315 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1859: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Rowland Hill | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,110 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Whitehall Dod | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Rowland Hill | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,227 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1852: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Whitehall Dod | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,685 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

By-election, 16 February 1848: Shropshire North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Whitehall Dod | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Herbert's succession to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl of Powis
General election 1847: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Herbert | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,876 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
By-election, 16 January 1843: Shropshire North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Herbert | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,876 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Hill's succession to the peerage, becoming 2nd Viscount Hill
General election 1841: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rowland Hill | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,075 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1837: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Rowland Hill | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,910 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1835: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Rowland Hill | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | William Ormsby-Gore | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,653 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1832: Shropshire North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Rowland Hill | 2,981 | 41.7 |
| | Whig | John Cotes (1799-1874) | 2,117 | 29.6 |
| | Tory | William Ormsby-Gore | 2,045 | 28.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,296 | 91.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,682 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 864 | 12.1 |
| | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 72 | 1.0 |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |