# Burnley (UK Parliament constituency)

Burnley is a constituency centred on the town of Burnley in Lancashire which has been represented since 2024 by Oliver Ryan, who currently sits as an independent after being suspended from the Labour Party.

## History

The seat was created in 1868. Except for 1931, it was won by Labour candidates from World War I until 2010, generally on safe, large majorities; Ann Widdecombe failed to take the seat from the Labour Party in 1979. The closest second place was to a Conservative Party candidate, Ian Bruce, who came 787 votes (1.6%) short of taking the seat in 1983.
Burnley saw strong opposition support for the Liberal Democrats in 2005, moving into second place; meanwhile a local independent pushed Yousuf Miah, a Conservative into fourth position. Following controversy regarding outgoing Labour MP Kitty Ussher's personal expenses, Gordon Birtwistle, who first contested the seat in 1992, gained the seat in 2010 with a heavy swing of 9.6%.
However, Birtwistle was one of the many casualties faced by the Liberal Democrats in the 2015 election, losing the seat to Julie Cooper, who had also stood as Labour's candidate in 2010, although the 6.2% swing away from Birtwistle was less than half the 15.2% national swing against his party. As in 2005, the Conservatives came fourth, behind UKIP, as well as Labour and the Lib Dems this time.
At the 2017 election, Labour held the seat with an increased majority. Birtwistle stood again, but saw his share of the vote halved; this was widely seen to be due to his party's stance on Brexit. This election saw one of the biggest increases in the share of the vote for the Conservatives in the whole country, who more than doubled their share of the vote. UKIP lost two-thirds of their vote from 2015, but did retain their deposit. This meant that Burnley was one of the few constituencies in England where four parties retained their deposits.
At the 2019 election, Antony Higginbotham won the seat for the Conservatives, thus becoming the first Conservative to represent Burnley in parliament for over 100 years. The Conservative vote share increased by over 9% compared with the previous election, while the Labour vote share declined by about 10%.
In 2024 Higginbotham's vote halved and the seat was regained for Labour by Oliver Ryan. Gordon Birtwistle, standing in his eighth election for the Liberal Democrats (every election since 1992, except 2001), improved his vote share threefold to come second, relegating the Conservatives to third place.

## Boundaries

1868–1918: The townships of Burnley, and Habergham Eaves.
1918–1983: The County Borough of Burnley.
1983–1997: The Borough of Burnley.
1997–2024: As 1983 but with redrawn boundaries, due to local government boundary changes in the mid-1980s.
The review of parliamentary representation in Lancashire by the Boundary Commission for England in the 2000s proposed no change to the boundaries of the Burnley seat. The seat remained coterminous with the boundaries of the borough of Burnley (as it has been since 1983; before then, it was coterminous with the county borough of the same name).
2024–present: The Borough of Burnley, and the Borough of Pendle wards of: Brierfield East & Clover Hill; Brierfield West & Reedley.
    Constituency expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the community of Brierfield from the abolished constituency of Pendle.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1868 | Richard Shaw | Liberal |
| 1876 by-election | Peter Rylands | Liberal |
| 1886 | Peter Rylands | Liberal Unionist |
| 1887 by-election | John Slagg | Liberal |
| 1889 by-election | Jabez Balfour | Liberal |
| 1893 by-election | Hon. Philip Stanhope | Liberal |
| 1900 | William Mitchell | Conservative |
| 1906 | Frederick Maddison | Lib-Lab |
| Jan. 1910 | Gerald Arbuthnot | Conservative |
| Dec. 1910 | Philip Morrell | Liberal |
| 1918 | Dan Irving | Labour |
| 1924 by-election | Arthur Henderson | Labour |
| 1931 | Gordon Campbell, VC | National Liberal |
| 1935 | Wilfrid Burke | Labour |
| 1959 | Dan Jones | Labour |
| 1983 | Peter Pike | Labour |
| 2005 | Kitty Ussher | Labour |
| 2010 | Gordon Birtwistle | Liberal Democrats |
| 2015 | Julie Cooper | Labour |
| 2019 | Antony Higginbotham | Conservative |
| 2024 | Oliver Ryan | Labour Co-op |
| 2025 | Oliver Ryan | Independent |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Oliver Ryan | 12,598 | 31.7 | ―8.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 9,178 | 23.1 | +15.4 |
| | Conservative | Antony Higginbotham | 8,058 | 20.3 | ―20.2 |
| | Reform UK | Nathan McCollum | 7,755 | 19.5 | +12.4 |
| | Green | Jack Launer | 1,518 | 3.8 | +2.0 |
| | Independent | Rayyan Fiass | 292 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Independent | Mitchell Cryer | 169 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Independent | David Roper | 151 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,420 | 8.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,719 | 53.0 | ―9.4 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.8 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Antony Higginbotham | 15,720 | 40.3 | +9.3 |
| | Labour | Julie Cooper | 14,368 | 36.9 | ―9.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 3,501 | 9.0 | ―6.0 |
| | Brexit Party | Stewart Scott | 3,362 | 8.6 | New |
| | BAPIP | Charlie Briggs | 1,162 | 3.0 | New |
| | Green | Laura Fisk | 739 | 1.9 | +0.8 |
| | Independent | Karen Entwistle | 132 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,352 | 3.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,984 | 60.6 | ―1.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.5 | |
General election 2017: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Julie Cooper | 18,832 | 46.7 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | Paul White | 12,479 | 31.0 | +17.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 6,046 | 15.0 | −14.5 |
| | UKIP | Tom Commis | 2,472 | 6.1 | −11.2 |
| | Green | Laura Fisk | 461 | 1.1 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,353 | 15.7 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,290 | 62.2 | +0.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 2015: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Julie Cooper | 14,951 | 37.6 | +6.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 11,707 | 29.5 | −6.2 |
| | UKIP | Tom Commis | 6,864 | 17.3 | +15.1 |
| | Conservative | Sarah Cockburn-Price | 5,374 | 13.5 | −3.1 |
| | Green | Mike Hargreaves | 850 | 2.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,244 | 8.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,746 | 61.6 | −1.2 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +6.3 | |
General election 2010: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 14,932 | 35.7 | +12.0 |
| | Labour | Julie Cooper | 13,114 | 31.3 | −7.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard Ali | 6,950 | 16.6 | +5.8 |
| | BNP | Sharon Wilkinson | 3,747 | 9.0 | −1.3 |
| | Independent | Andrew Brown | 1,876 | 4.5 | New |
| | UKIP | John Wignall | 929 | 2.2 | +1.2 |
| | Independent | Andrew Hennessey | 287 | 0.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,818 | 4.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,845 | 62.8 | +3.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | +9.6 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kitty Ussher | 14,999 | 38.5 | −10.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 9,221 | 23.7 | +7.5 |
| | Burnley First Independent | Harry Brooks | 5,786 | 14.8 | New |
| | Conservative | Yousuf Miah | 4,206 | 10.8 | −10.1 |
| | BNP | Len Starr | 4,003 | 10.3 | −1.0 |
| | Independent | Jeff Slater | 392 | 1.0 | New |
| | UKIP | Robert McDowell | 376 | 1.0 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,778 | 14.8 | −13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,983 | 59.2 | +3.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −9.2 | |
General election 2001: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Pike | 18,195 | 49.3 | −8.6 |
| | Conservative | Robert Frost | 7,697 | 20.9 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Wright | 5,975 | 16.2 | −1.2 |
| | BNP | Steve Smith | 4,151 | 11.3 | New |
| | UKIP | Richard Buttrey | 866 | 2.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,498 | 28.4 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,884 | 55.7 | −11.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.6 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Pike | 26,210 | 57.9 | +4.9 |
| | Conservative | Bill Wiggin | 9,148 | 20.2 | −10.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 7,877 | 17.4 | +1.0 |
| | Referendum | Richard Oakley | 2,010 | 4.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,062 | 37.7 | +15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,245 | 66.9 | −7.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.65 | |
General election 1992: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Pike | 27,184 | 53.0 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative | Brenda Binge | 15,693 | 30.6 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Birtwistle | 8,414 | 16.4 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,491 | 22.4 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,291 | 74.2 | −4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.9 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Pike | 25,140 | 48.4 | +8.6 |
| | Conservative | Harold Elletson | 17,583 | 33.8 | −4.4 |
| | SDP | Ronals Baker | 9,241 | 17.8 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,557 | 14.6 | +13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,964 | 78.8 | +2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.5 | |
General election 1983: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Pike | 20,178 | 39.8 | −11.0 |
| | Conservative | Ian Bruce | 19,391 | 38.2 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal | Michael Steed | 11,191 | 20.0 | +7.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 787 | 1.6 | −13.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,760 | 76.3 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −6.9 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Jones | 20,172 | 50.8 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative | Ann Widdecombe | 14,062 | 35.4 | +10.7 |
| | Liberal | Michael Steed | 5,091 | 12.8 | −7.7 |
| | Independent Democrat | F. Tyrrall | 352 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,110 | 15.4 | −14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,677 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Jones | 21,642 | 54.8 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative | A. Pickup | 9,766 | 24.7 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal | S.P. Mews | 8,119 | 20.5 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,876 | 30.1 | +6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,527 | 79.7 | 0.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.3 | |
General election February 1974: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Jones | 21,108 | 50.4 | −6.6 |
| | Conservative | A. Pickup | 11,268 | 27.0 | −7.9 |
| | Liberal | S. Mews | 9,471 | 22.6 | +14.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,840 | 23.4 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,847 | 79.7 | +4.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Jones | 24,200 | 57.0 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | John Birch | 14,846 | 34.9 | +7.2 |
| | Liberal | George Brownbill | 3,446 | 8.11 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,354 | 22.1 | −10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,046 | 75.7 | −4.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Dan Jones | 25,583 | 60.43 |
| | Conservative | Albert S Royse | 11,710 | 27.66 |
| | Liberal | Mary R Mason | 5,045 | 11.92 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,873 | 32.77 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,338 | 79.96 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1964: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Jones | 25,244 | 56.80 | |
| | Conservative | Tom Mitchell | 12,365 | 27.82 | |
| | Liberal | Mary R Mason | 6,833 | 15.38 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,879 | 28.98 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,442 | 81.68 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Dan Jones | 27,675 | 56.97 |
| | Conservative | Edward Brooks | 20,902 | 43.03 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,773 | 13.94 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,577 | 83.77 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Wilfrid Burke | 27,865 | 55.63 |
| | Conservative | Edward Brooks | 22,229 | 44.37 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,636 | 11.26 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,094 | 83.46 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Wilfrid Burke | 31,261 | 56.53 |
| | Conservative | Donald P Dunkley | 24,034 | 43.37 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,227 | 13.16 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,295 | 88.86 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Wilfrid Burke | 30,685 | 55.65 | |
| | Conservative | F.H. Wilson | 23,636 | 42.86 | |
| | Communist | Bill Whittaker | 526 | 0.95 | New |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Dan Carradice | 295 | 0.53 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,049 | 12.79 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,142 | 89.56 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Wilfrid Burke | 32,122 | 63.54 |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Monckton Milnes | 18,431 | 36.46 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,691 | 27.08 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,553 | 80.44 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Wilfrid Burke | 31,160 | 53.61 | |
| | National Liberal | Gordon Campbell | 26,965 | 46.39 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,195 | 7.22 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,125 | 87.36 | |
| | Labour gain from National Liberal | Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Gordon Campbell | 35,126 | 56.15 | |
| | Labour | Arthur Henderson | 26,917 | 43.03 | |
| | Communist | J. Rushton | 512 | 0.82 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,209 | 13.12 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,555 | 91.85 | |
| | National gain from Labour | National gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Henderson | 28,091 | 46.2 | +0.8 |
| | Unionist | Ian Fairbairn | 20,137 | 33.2 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal | Aneurin Edwards | 12,502 | 20.6 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,954 | 13.0 | +3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,730 | 89.6 | +1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,781 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election 1924: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Henderson | 20,549 | 45.4 | +7.6 |
| | Unionist | Ian Fairbairn | 16,084 | 35.6 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal | James Whitehead | 8,601 | 19.0 | −11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,465 | 9.8 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,954 | 88.4 | +1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 51,162 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
1924 Burnley by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Henderson | 24,571 | 58.4 | +20.6 |
| | Conservative | Harold Edward Joscelyn Camps | 17,534 | 41.6 | +9.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,037 | 16.8 | +10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,105 | 82.4 | −4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 51,086 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.4 | |
General election 1923: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Irving | 16,848 | 37.8 | −1.3 |
| | Unionist | Harold Edward Joscelyn Camps | 14,197 | 31.8 | −1.3 |
| | Liberal | James Whitehead | 13,543 | 30.4 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,651 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,588 | 87.3 | −1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 51,086 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 0.0 | |
General election 1922: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Irving | 17,385 | 39.1 | −2.8 |
| | Unionist | Harold Edward Joscelyn Camps | 14,731 | 33.1 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal | Walter Layton | 12,339 | 27.8 | +3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,654 | 6.0 | −2.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,455 | 88.7 | +17.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 50,111 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.1 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election December 1918: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dan Irving | 15,217 | 41.9 | New |
| C | Unionist | Henry Mulholland | 12,289 | 33.8 | −3.7 |
| | Liberal | John Howarth Grey | 8,825 | 24.3 | −14.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,928 | 8.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,114 | 71.4 | −22.7 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +16.2 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the summer of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place.
* British Socialist Party: Dan Irving
General election December 1910: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Philip Morrell | 6,177 | 38.7 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative | Gerald Arbuthnot | 6,004 | 37.5 | +2.3 |
| | Social Democratic Federation | Henry Hyndman | 3,810 | 23.8 | −6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 173 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,991 | 94.1 | −2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,992 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +0.9 | |
General election January 1910: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gerald Arbuthnot | 5,776 | 35.2 | +2.5 |
| | Lib-Lab | Fred Maddison | 5,681 | 34.6 | −0.2 |
| | Social Democratic Federation | Henry Hyndman | 4,948 | 30.2 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 95 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,405 | 96.5 | +1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,992 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Lib-Lab | Conservative gain from Lib-Lab | Swing | +1.4 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Fred Maddison | 5,288 | 34.8 | −12.9 |
| | Conservative | Gerald Arbuthnot | 4,964 | 32.7 | −19.6 |
| | Social Democratic Federation | Henry Hyndman | 4,932 | 32.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 324 | 2.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,184 | 95.0 | +5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,983 | | |
| | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.4 | |
General election 1900: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Mitchell | 6,773 | 52.3 | +9.8 |
| | Liberal | Philip Stanhope | 6,173 | 47.7 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 600 | 4.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,946 | 89.9 | −0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,393 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.6 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Philip Stanhope | 5,454 | 45.1 | −11.1 |
| | Conservative | William Alexander Lindsay | 5,133 | 42.5 | −1.3 |
| | Social Democratic Federation | Henry Hyndman | 1,498 | 12.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 321 | 2.6 | −9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,085 | 90.5 | −0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,360 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.9 | |
1893 Burnley by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Philip Stanhope | 6,199 | 53.0 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative | William Alexander Lindsay | 5,506 | 47.0 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 693 | 6.0 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,705 | 91.3 | +0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,826 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.2 | |
General election 1892: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Jabez Balfour | 6,450 | 56.2 | +6.5 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Edwin Lawrence | 5,035 | 43.8 | −6.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,415 | 12.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,485 | 91.0 | +4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,619 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +6.5 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 27 Feb 1889: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Jabez Balfour | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist |
* Caused by Stagg's death.
By-election, 19 Feb 1887: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Slagg | 5,026 | 52.9 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative | John Thursby | 4,481 | 47.1 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 545 | 5.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,507 | 94.9 | +8.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,020 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +3.2 | |
* Caused by Ryland's death.
General election 1886: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Peter Rylands | 4,209 | 50.3 | +4.0 |
| | Liberal | James Greenwood | 4,166 | 49.7 | −4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 43 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,375 | 86.9 | −7.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,638 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +4.0 | |
General election 1885: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Peter Rylands | 4,866 | 53.7 | −1.4 |
| | Conservative | Henry Herbert Wainwright | 4,199 | 46.3 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 667 | 7.4 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,065 | 94.1 | +0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,638 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.4 | |
General election 1880: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Peter Rylands | 3,943 | 55.1 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | Edmund Talbot | 3,217 | 44.9 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 726 | 10.2 | −0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,160 | 94.0 | +9.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,614 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.1 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

By-election, 14 Feb 1876: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Peter Rylands | 3,520 | 53.4 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative | William Alexander Lindsay | 3,077 | 46.6 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 433 | 6.8 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,597 | 92.6 | +8.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,127 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.8 | |
* Caused by Shaw's death.
General election 1874: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Richard Shaw | 3,065 | 55.2 | +1.3 |
| | Conservative | William Alexander Lindsay | 2,490 | 44.8 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 575 | 10.4 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,555 | 84.1 | +8.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,607 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.3 | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Burnley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Richard Shaw | 2,620 | 53.9 | |
| | Conservative | James Yorke Scarlett | 2,238 | 46.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 382 | 7.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,858 | 75.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,417 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |