# Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)

Blackburn is a constituency in Lancashire, England, which is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by independent politician Adnan Hussain. From 2015 to 2024 it was represented by Kate Hollern of the Labour Party and, from 1979 to 2015, by Jack Straw who served under the Labour leaders of Neil Kinnock and John Smith and the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

## Boundaries
### Historic

1832–1885: The township of Blackburn.
1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Blackburn as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.
1918–1950: the county borough of Blackburn.
1955–1974: The county borough of Blackburn wards of Park, St. John's, St. Jude's, St. Luke's, St. Matthew's, St. Michael's, St. Paul's, St. Silas's, St. Stephen's, St. Thomas's and Trinity.
2010–2024: The district of Blackburn with Darwen wards of Audley, Bastwell, Beardwood and Lammack, Corporation Park, Ewood, Higher Croft, Little Harwood, Livesey with Pleasington, Meadowhead, Mill Hill, Queen's Park, Roe Lee, Shadsworth with Whitebirk, Shear Brow and Wensley Fold.
Following the 2007 review of parliamentary representation in Lancashire in the run up to the 2010 United Kingdom general election, including the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen, the Boundary Commission for England made minor boundary changes to the existing constituency.

### Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following wards of the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
* Audley & Queen’s Park; Bastwell & Daisyfield; Billinge & Beardwood; Blackburn Central; Blackburn South East; Ewood; Little Harwood & Whitebirk; Livesey with Pleasington; Mill Hill & Moorgate; Roe Lee; Shear Brow & Corporation Park; Wensley Fold.
    Minor changes to reflect changes to local authority ward structure.
The constituency encompasses the town of Blackburn in the North West of England. It borders four other constituencies: Ribble Valley to the north, Hyndburn to the east, Rossendale and Darwen to the south and Chorley to the west.

## History

Blackburn was first enfranchised by the Reform Act 1832, as a two-member constituency, and was first used at the 1832 general election. It was abolished for the 1950 general election, replaced by two single member constituencies, Blackburn East and Blackburn West.
Blackburn was re-established as a single-member constituency for the 1955 general election, partially replacing Blackburn East and Blackburn West. After its re-establishment, the constituency was initially a marginal, but Blackburn was later considered to be a Labour Party stronghold prior to the 2024 general election—up until that point, it had only elected Labour MPs since its recreation in 1955. In 2024 Blackburn was won by Adnan Hussain, an independent candidate who campaigned largely on the issue of the genocide of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war. Three other previously safe Labour seats saw similar results at that election, all of which had large Muslim populations.
The constituency of Blackburn has been represented by two prominent frontbenchers in the Cabinet: Barbara Castle, a First Secretary of State (amongst other roles) who stood down from this seat to become a Member of the European Parliament, and Jack Straw, who served as Home Secretary and then Foreign Secretary in the Blair government.

### 1997 general election

Jack Straw's Conservative challenger in the 1997 general election, Geeta Sidhu-Robb, was filmed with a megaphone during the election campaign, exclaiming in Urdu or Gujarati: "Don't vote for a Jew, Jack Straw is a Jew. If you vote for him, you're voting for a Jew. Jews are the enemies of Muslims." Sidhu-Robb said that this was in response to racist campaigning by the Labour Party, who she accused of claiming that she was "against Islam". She felt that Labour were "making it personal", and she took particular umbrage as her husband was Muslim. Sidhu-Robb later said she wished she had not made those comments about Straw, saying she did so because she was "furious" and that she "didn't want racism and bigotry to play a part in anything that [she] had anything to do with." Nonetheless, her comments regarding Straw's religion resurfaced over 20 years later, when Sidhu-Robb was competing to be nominated as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2021 London Mayoral election, causing the Liberal Democrats to remove her from consideration for their candidacy.

### 2005 general election

Blackburn's then MP, Straw, was primarily challenged in the 2005 general election by the Conservative Party, but the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, also stood for election in the seat as an Independent. Murray said: "I've been approached by several people in the Asian community who are under huge pressure from Labour activists [talking up the BNP's chances] to apply for a postal vote rather than a ballot vote and then hand their postal vote over to the Labour party." Over 50% more people used postal votes in the 2005 general election in Blackburn than in 2001. The BNP had not stood in the previous two elections, but this time had a candidate, who polled 5.4% of the vote, and beat Murray to come fourth. Both were outperformed by the Liberal Democrats in third place, and the Conservatives, who remained second. Straw held on comfortably, albeit with a reduced majority; his winning vote share of 42% was the smallest since the seat became a single-member constituency until the 2024 result.

### 2015 general election

In August 2011, Jack Straw claimed that he had no plans to retire, despite turning 65 earlier that month. Two years later, on 25 October 2013, Straw announced that he would stand down as Blackburn's MP at the next election. In March 2014, Kate Hollern was selected, via an all women shortlist, as the candidate for Labour for the 2015 general election, and held the seat.

## Members of Parliament
### Two-member constituency (1832–1950)

| Election | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| 1832 | | William Feilden | Whig | | William Turner | Whig |
| 1841 | | William Feilden | Conservative | | John Hornby | Conservative |
| 1847 | | James Pilkington | Whig | | John Hornby | Conservative |
| 1852 | | James Pilkington | Whig | | William Eccles | Radical |
| 1853 by-election | | James Pilkington | Whig | | Montague Joseph Feilden | Whig |
| 1857 | | James Pilkington | Whig | | William Henry Hornby | Conservative |
| 1859 | | James Pilkington | Liberal | | William Henry Hornby | Conservative |
| 1865 | | Joseph Feilden | Conservative | | William Henry Hornby | Conservative |
| 1869 by-election | | Henry Feilden | Conservative | | Edward Hornby | Conservative |
| 1874 | | Henry Feilden | Conservative | | William Edward Briggs | Liberal |
| 1875 by-election | | Daniel Thwaites | Conservative | | William Edward Briggs | Liberal |
| 1880 | | Sir William Coddington | Conservative | | William Edward Briggs | Liberal |
| 1885 | | Sir William Coddington | Conservative | | Sir Robert Peel | Conservative |
| 1886 | | Sir William Coddington | Conservative | | William Hornby | Conservative |
| 1906 | | Philip Snowden | Labour | | William Hornby | Conservative |
| 1910 | | Philip Snowden | Labour | | Sir Thomas Barclay | Liberal |
| 1910 | | Philip Snowden | Labour | | Sir Henry Norman | Liberal |
| 1918 | | Percy Dean | Coalition Conservative | | Sir Henry Norman | Coalition Liberal |
| 1922 | | Sir Sidney Henn | Conservative | | Sir Henry Norman | National Liberal |
| 1923 | | Sir Sidney Henn | Conservative | | John Duckworth | Liberal |
| 1929 | | Thomas Gill | Labour | | Mary Hamilton | Labour |
| 1931 | | Sir George Elliston | Conservative | | Sir WD Smiles | Conservative |
| 1945 | | John Edwards | Labour | | Barbara Castle | Labour |
| 1950 | constituency abolished: see Blackburn East and Blackburn West | constituency abolished: see Blackburn East and Blackburn West | constituency abolished: see Blackburn East and Blackburn West | constituency abolished: see Blackburn East and Blackburn West | constituency abolished: see Blackburn East and Blackburn West | constituency abolished: see Blackburn East and Blackburn West |

### Single member constituency (1955–present)

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1955 | Barbara Castle | Labour |
| 1979 | Jack Straw | Labour |
| 2015 | Jack Straw | Independent |
| 2015 | Kate Hollern | Labour |
| 2024 | Adnan Hussain | Independent |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Adnan Hussain | 10,518 | 27.0 | N/A |
| | Labour | Kate Hollern | 10,386 | 26.7 | −39.3 |
| | Workers Party | Craig Murray | 7,105 | 18.3 | N/A |
| | Reform UK | Tommy Temperley | 4,844 | 12.5 | +6.6 |
| | Conservative | Jamie McGowan | 3,474 | 8.9 | −14.4 |
| | Green | Denise Morgan | 1,416 | 3.6 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adam Waller-Slack | 689 | 1.8 | −0.6 |
| | Independent | Altaf Patel | 369 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Independent | Natasha Shah | 86 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 132 | 0.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,887 | 53.1 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kate Hollern | 29,040 | 64.9 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative | Claire Gill | 10,736 | 24.0 | −2.9 |
| | Brexit Party | Rick Moore | 2,770 | 6.2 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Beth Waller-Slack | 1,130 | 2.5 | +1.0 |
| | Green | Reza Hossain | 741 | 1.7 | New |
| | Independent | Rizwan Shah | 319 | 0.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,304 | 40.9 | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,736 | 62.8 | −4.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.0 | |
General election 2017: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kate Hollern | 33,148 | 69.8 | +13.5 |
| | Conservative | Bob Eastwood | 12,780 | 26.9 | −0.4 |
| | Independent | Duncan Miller | 875 | 1.8 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Irfan Ahmed | 709 | 1.5 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,368 | 42.9 | +13.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,512 | 67.2 | +7.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.9 | |
General election 2015: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kate Hollern | 24,762 | 56.3 | +8.5 |
| | Conservative | Bob Eastwood | 12,002 | 27.3 | +1.2 |
| | UKIP | Dayle Taylor | 6,280 | 14.3 | +12.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Lishman | 955 | 2.2 | −13.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,760 | 29.0 | +8.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,999 | 60.1 | −1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.7 | |
General election 2010: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 21,751 | 47.8 | +5.7 |
| | Conservative | Michael Law-Riding | 11,895 | 26.1 | +3.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul English | 6,918 | 15.2 | −5.4 |
| | BNP | Robin Evans | 2,158 | 4.7 | −0.7 |
| | Independent | Bushra Irfan | 1,424 | 3.1 | New |
| | UKIP | Bobby Anwar | 942 | 2.1 | −0.2 |
| | Independent | Grace Astley | 238 | 0.5 | New |
| | Independent | Janis Sharp | 173 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,856 | 21.7 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,499 | 62.9 | +5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.1 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 17,562 | 42.0 | −12.1 |
| | Conservative | Imtiaz Ameen | 9,553 | 22.9 | −8.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tony Melia | 8,608 | 20.6 | +12.5 |
| | BNP | Nicholas Holt | 2,263 | 5.4 | New |
| | Independent | Craig Murray | 2,082 | 5.0 | New |
| | UKIP | Dorothy Baxter | 954 | 2.3 | −0.6 |
| | Green | Graham Carter | 783 | 1.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,009 | 19.1 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,805 | 56.9 | +1.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.4 | |
General election 2001: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 21,808 | 54.1 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative | John Cotton | 12,559 | 31.2 | +6.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Imtiaz Patel | 3,264 | 8.1 | −2.4 |
| | UKIP | Dorothy Baxter | 1,185 | 2.9 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | Terry Cullen | 559 | 1.4 | +0.1 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Jim Nichol | 532 | 1.3 | New |
| | Independent | Paul Morris | 377 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,249 | 22.9 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,284 | 55.5 | −9.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.9 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 26,141 | 55.0 | +6.6 |
| | Conservative | Geeta Sidhu Robb | 11,690 | 24.6 | −12.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Fenn | 4,990 | 10.5 | −1.0 |
| | Referendum | David Bradshaw | 1,892 | 4.0 | New |
| | National Democrats | Tina Wingfield | 671 | 1.4 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | Helen Drummond | 635 | 1.3 | New |
| | Green | Robin Field | 608 | 1.3 | −0.3 |
| | Keep Britain Free and Independent Party | Margo Carmichael-Grimshaw | 506 | 1.1 | New |
| | Common Sense Sick of Politicians | John Batchelor | 362 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,451 | 30.4 | +19.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,495 | 65.0 | −10.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.7 | |
General election 1992: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 26,633 | 48.4 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative | Ross M. Coates | 20,606 | 37.5 | −2.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Derek Mann | 6,332 | 11.5 | +1.5 |
| | Green | Robin Field | 878 | 1.6 | New |
| | Lodestar Party | Margo Carmichael-Grimshaw | 334 | 0.6 | New |
| | Natural Law | William Ayliffe | 195 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,027 | 10.9 | +1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,978 | 75.1 | +0.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.6 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 27,965 | 49.9 | +5.2 |
| | Conservative | Anne Cheetham | 22,468 | 40.1 | +0.7 |
| | SDP | Mohammed Ali | 5,602 | 10.0 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,497 | 9.8 | +4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,035 | 74.9 | +0.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 | |
General election 1983: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 25,400 | 44.7 | −6.0 |
| | Conservative | Graham Mather | 22,345 | 39.4 | +2.8 |
| | SDP | Eric B. Fairbrother | 8,174 | 14.4 | +2.7 |
| | National Front | David A. Riley | 864 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,055 | 5.3 | −8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,784 | 74.6 | +0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.4 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Straw | 19,683 | 50.7 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Ian D. McGaw | 14,193 | 36.6 | +4.5 |
| | Liberal | Frank J. Beetham | 4,371 | 11.3 | −0.7 |
| | National Front | Edward Adamson | 565 | 1.5 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,490 | 14.1 | −5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,813 | 74.0 | +1.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.6 | |
General election October 1974: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 20,344 | 51.5 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | Ian D. McGaw | 12,692 | 32.1 | −1.3 |
| | Liberal | Frank J. Beetham | 4,741 | 12.0 | −2.0 |
| | National Front | John Kingsley Read | 1,758 | 4.5 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,652 | 19.4 | +4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,537 | 72.9 | −6.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.2 | |
General election February 1974: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 20,340 | 48.4 | −4.8 |
| | Conservative | Ian D. McGaw | 14,040 | 33.4 | −13.4 |
| | Liberal | Frank J. Beetham | 5,891 | 14.0 | New |
| | National Front | John Kingsley Read | 1,778 | 4.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,300 | 15.0 | +8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,049 | 78.3 | +2.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.3 | |
General election 1970: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 22,473 | 53.2 | −6.1 |
| | Conservative | Trixie Gardner | 19,737 | 46.8 | +6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,736 | 6.4 | −10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,210 | 75.5 | −3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −6.1 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 25,381 | 58.3 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Marsden | 18,133 | 41.7 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,248 | 16.6 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,514 | 79.2 | −1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election 1964: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 26,543 | 57.5 | +4.7 |
| | Conservative | John Maurice Armstrong Yerburgh | 19,650 | 42.5 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,893 | 15.0 | +9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,193 | 81.0 | −4.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.7 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 27,356 | 52.8 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | John Maurice Armstrong Yerburgh | 24,490 | 47.2 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,866 | 5.6 | +4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,846 | 85.9 | +2.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 | |
General election 1955: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 26,241 | 50.5 | |
| | Conservative | Thomas Marsden | 25,752 | 49.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 489 | 1.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,993 | 83.1 | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Edwards | 35,182 | 26.0 | +2.1 |
| | Labour | Barbara Castle | 35,145 | 26.0 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Glover | 26,325 | 19.5 | −6.7 |
| | Conservative | Robert Goulborne Parker | 25,807 | 19.1 | −7.0 |
| | Liberal | Robert Shackleton | 6,587 | 4.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Marjorie Annie Macinerney | 6,096 | 4.5 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 135,142 | 82.6 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,857 | 6.5 | N/A |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,338 | 6.9 | N/A |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | 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;
* Conservative: W. D. Smiles, George Elliston
* Labour: James Bell, William John Tout
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Elliston | 37,932 | 26.2 | −6.9 |
| | Conservative | W. D. Smiles | 37,769 | 26.1 | −7.0 |
| | Labour | James Bell | 34,571 | 23.9 | +6.9 |
| | Labour | George Walker | 34,423 | 23.8 | +7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 144,695 | 84.9 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,509 | 2.4 | −13.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,198 | 2.2 | −13.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | W. D. Smiles | 50,105 | 33.2 | |
| | Conservative | George Elliston | 49,953 | 33.1 | |
| | Labour | Mary Hamilton | 25,643 | 17.0 | |
| | Labour | Thomas Gill | 25,030 | 16.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 150,551 | 87.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25,075 | 15.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,923 | 16.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Blackburn (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mary Hamilton | 37,256 | 26.1 | +4.3 |
| | Labour | Thomas Gill | 35,723 | 25.0 | +3.2 |
| | Unionist | Sydney Henn | 35,249 | 24.7 | −3.4 |
| | Liberal | Gerald Isaacs | 34,504 | 24.2 | −4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 142,732 | 87.8 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,752 | 1.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 474 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Blackburn (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Duckworth | 31,612 | 28.3 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Sydney Henn | 31,347 | 28.1 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Mary Hamilton | 24,330 | 21.8 | −2.0 |
| | Labour | Thomas Gill | 24,317 | 21.8 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 111,606 | 88.2 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,017 | 6.3 | +0.2 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,295 | 6.5 | +1.2 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Blackburn (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Duckworth | 31,117 | 29.1 | −5.3 |
| | Unionist | Sydney Henn | 28,505 | 26.6 | +1.1 |
| | Labour | John Davies | 25,428 | 23.8 | +2.1 |
| | Labour | Edward Porter | 21,903 | 20.5 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 106,953 | 85.0 | −3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,602 | 6.1 | +2.8 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,689 | 5.3 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1922: Blackburn (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Sydney Henn | 28,280 | 25.5 | −13.4 |
| | National Liberal | Henry Norman | 27,071 | 24.4 | −17.0 |
| | Labour | John Davies | 24,049 | 21.7 | |
| | Labour | Edward Porter | 23,402 | 21.1 | |
| | Liberal | Thomas Meech | 8,141 | 7.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 110,943 | 88.4 | +13.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,669 | 3.3 | −15.9 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,231 | 3.8 | −17.9 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | Henry Norman | 32,076 | 41.4 | +15.1 |
| C | Unionist | Percy Dean | 30,158 | 38.9 | −8.4 |
| | Labour | Philip Snowden | 15,274 | 19.7 | −6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 77,510 | 74.8 | −17.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,884 | 19.2 | N/A |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | −0.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,802 | 21.7 | +19.4 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +11.8 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
General election December 1910: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Philip Snowden | 10,762 | 26.4 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal | Henry Norman | 10,754 | 26.3 | −2.1 |
| | Conservative | W.B. Boyd-Carpenter | 9,814 | 24.0 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | H.L. Riley | 9,500 | 23.3 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,830 | 92.4 | −3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 22,572 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 948 | 2.4 | −3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 940 | 2.3 | −4.1 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.1 | |
General election January 1910: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Norman | 12,064 | 28.4 | +4.8 |
| | Labour | Philip Snowden | 11,916 | 28.1 | +1.4 |
| | Conservative | Robert Cecil | 9,307 | 22.0 | −4.8 |
| | Conservative | G.F.S. Bowles | 9,112 | 21.5 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,399 | 96.0 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 22,572 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,757 | 6.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,609 | 6.1 | +2.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Hornby | 10,291 | 26.8 | −13.7 |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. | Philip Snowden | 10,282 | 26.7 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Drage | 8,932 | 23.3 | −10.6 |
| | Liberal | Edwin Hamer | 8,892 | 23.2 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,397 | 95.4 | +9.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 21,127 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,399 | 3.6 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,350 | 3.4 | N/A |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative | Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.4 | |
General election 1900: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Hornby | 11,247 | 40.5 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | William Coddington | 9,415 | 33.9 | −1.9 |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. | Philip Snowden | 7,096 | 25.6 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,758 | 85.8 | −1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,496 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,319 | 8.3 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Hornby | 9,553 | 37.4 | +8.6 |
| | Conservative | William Coddington | 9,150 | 35.8 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Ritzema | 6,840 | 26.8 | −16.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,543 | 87.6 | −4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,275 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,310 | 9.0 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +12.5 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +12.1 | |
General election 1892: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Hornby | 9,265 | 28.8 | N/A |
| | Conservative | William Coddington | 9,046 | 28.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | W. Taylor | 7,272 | 22.5 | New |
| | Liberal | Eli Heyworth | 6,694 | 20.7 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,277 | 92.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,661 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,774 | 5.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | William Coddington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Conservative | Harry Hornby | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1885: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Coddington | 9,168 | 30.9 | +5.5 |
| | Conservative | Robert Peel | 8,425 | 28.4 | +3.5 |
| | Liberal | William Edward Briggs | 6,740 | 22.7 | −3.3 |
| | Liberal | James Nuttall Boothman | 5,341 | 18.0 | −5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,685 | 5.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,656 | 95.9 | +2.5 (est) |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,329 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.6 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.4 | |
General election 1880: Blackburn (two seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Edward Briggs | 6,349 | 26.0 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | William Coddington | 6,207 | 25.4 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative | Daniel Thwaites | 6,088 | 24.9 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal | George Molesworth | 5,760 | 23.6 | +0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,202 (est) | 93.4 (est) | −0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,062 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 261 | 1.1 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 447 | 1.8 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.7 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1870s

By-election, 2 Oct 1875 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Daniel Thwaites | 5,792 | 54.5 | +2.9 |
| | Liberal | J. T. Hibbert | 4,832 | 45.5 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 960 | 9.0 | +8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,624 | 90.6 | −3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,721 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
* Caused by Feilden's death.
General election 1874: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Feilden | 5,532 | 26.3 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal | William Edward Briggs | 5,338 | 25.4 | +1.4 |
| | Conservative | Daniel Thwaites | 5,323 | 25.3 | −1.5 |
| | Liberal | Richard Shackleton | 4,851 | 23.1 | +0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,522 (est) | 94.0 (est) | −5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,195 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 194 | 0.9 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 0.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.5 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1860s

By-election, 30 March 1869: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Hornby | 4,738 | 27.5 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative | Henry Feilden | 4,697 | 27.3 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal | John Gerald Potter | 3,964 | 23.0 | −1.0 |
| | Liberal | John Morley | 3,804 | 22.1 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 733 | 4.3 | +1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,602 (est) | 93.7 (est) | −5.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,183 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.8 | |
* Caused by the 1868 election being declared void on petition after "undue influence by those who held the position of agents in the canvass".
General election, 1868: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Hornby | 4,907 | 26.8 | −5.0 |
| | Conservative | Joseph Feilden | 4,826 | 26.4 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal | John Gerald Potter | 4,399 | 24.0 | +6.6 |
| | Liberal | Montague Joseph Feilden | 4,164 | 22.8 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 427 | 2.4 | −3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,148 (est) | 99.6 (est) | +12.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,183 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.8 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.1 | |
General election, 1865: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Hornby | 1,053 | 31.8 | |
| | Conservative | Joseph Feilden | 938 | 28.3 | |
| | Liberal | James Pilkington | 744 | 22.5 | |
| | Liberal | John Gerald Potter | 577 | 17.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 194 | 5.8 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,656 (est) | 87.4 (est) | −4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,894 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1850s

General election, 1859: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Hornby | 832 | 38.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal | James Pilkington | 750 | 34.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Patrick Murrough | 567 | 26.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 82 | 3.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,491 (est) | 92.2 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,617 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election, 1857: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Hornby | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | James Pilkington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,518 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
By-election, 24 March 1853: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Montague Joseph Feilden | 631 | 52.4 | +8.7 |
| | Conservative | William Hornby | 574 | 47.6 | +21.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 57 | 4.8 | −8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,205 | 90.9 | +14.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,325 | | |
| | Whig gain from Radical | Whig gain from Radical | Swing | −6.3 | |
* Caused by Eccles' election being declared void on petition, due to bribery.
General election, 1852: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | James Pilkington | 846 | 43.7 | +8.4 |
| | Radical | William Eccles | 580 | 30.0 | +26.0 |
| | Conservative | John Hornby | 509 | 26.3 | −11.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 968 (est) | 76.9 (est) | +0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,258 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 266 | 13.7 | −17.6 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +7.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 71 | 3.7 | N/A |
| | Radical gain from Conservative | Radical gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.8 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1840s

General election, 1847: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hornby | 641 | 37.6 | −28.5 |
| | Whig | James Pilkington | 602 | 35.3 | +18.8 |
| | Whig | William Hargreaves | 392 | 23.0 | +6.5 |
| | Chartist | William Prowting Roberts | 68 | 4.0 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 852 (est) | 76.0 (est) | −12.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,121 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 39 | 2.3 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −26.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 534 | 31.3 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +16.5 | |
General election, 1841: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Feilden | 441 | 34.1 | New |
| | Conservative | John Hornby | 427 | 33.0 | New |
| | Whig | William Turner | 426 | 32.9 | −21.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 805 | 88.9 | +18.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 906 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 1.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | −20.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | −11.3 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1830s

General election, 1837: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Turner | 515 | 54.8 | +13.7 |
| | Whig | William Feilden | 416 | 44.3 | +14.2 |
| | Radical | John Benjamin Smith | 9 | 1.0 | −27.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 589 | 70.0 | −11.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 842 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 99 | 10.5 | −0.5 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +13.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 407 | 43.3 | +42.0 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +14.1 | |
General election, 1835: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Turner | 432 | 41.1 | +8.3 |
| | Whig | William Feilden | 316 | 30.1 | −5.5 |
| | Radical | John Bowring | 303 | 28.8 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 618 | 81.2 | −15.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 761 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 116 | 11.0 | +9.8 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +4.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13 | 1.3 | −1.5 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −2.1 | |
General election, 1832: Blackburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Feilden | 376 | 35.6 | |
| | Whig | William Turner | 346 | 32.8 | |
| | Radical | John Bowring | 334 | 31.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 607 | 97.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 626 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 30 | 2.8 | |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12 | 1.2 | |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
Back to elections