# Stoke-on-Trent South (UK Parliament constituency)

Stoke-on-Trent South is a constituency created in 1950, and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Allison Gardner, a Labour party representative.

## Boundaries
### Historic

1950–1955: The County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent wards numbers 19 to 26.
1955–1983: The County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent wards numbers 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24.
1983–2010: The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of Blurton, Fenton Green, Great Fenton, Longton South, Meir Park, Trentham Park, and Weston.
2010–2024: The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of Blurton, Fenton, Longton North, Longton South, Meir Park and Sandon, Trentham and Hanford, and Weston and Meir North.

### Current

Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was defined as composing the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:
* The Borough of Stafford wards of: Barlaston; Fulford; Swynnerton & Oulton.
* The District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of: Checkley; Forsbrook.
* The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of: Blurton East; Blurton West and Newstead; Broadway and Longton East; Dresden and Florence; Hanford and Trentham; Hollybush and Longton West; Lightwood North and Normacot; Meir North; Meir Park; Meir South; Weston Coyney.
Significant changes, with northern parts, including the town of Fenton, being transferred to Stoke-on-Trent Central. To compensate and bring the electorate within the permitted range, the parts in the Stafford and Staffordshire Moorlands local authorities were added from the abolished constituency of Stone.
Following a further local government boundary review in the City of Stoke-on-Trent which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
* The Borough of Stafford wards of: Barlaston; Fulford; Swynnerton & Oulton.
* The District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of: Checkley; Forsbrook.
* The City of Stoke-on-Trent wards of: Blurton; Dresden & Florence; Hanford, Newstead & Trentham; Hollybush; Lightwood North & Normacot; Longton & Meir Hay South (nearly all); Meir Hay North, Parkhall & Weston Coney (majority); Meir North; Meir Park; Meir South.

## Constituency profile

The seat is non-rural and in the upper valley of the Trent covering half of the main city of the Potteries, a major ceramics centre since the 17th century.
A former safe Labour seat, like the other Stoke-on-Trent constituencies, it includes the city's most middle-class electoral wards of Meir that contrast with much of the neighbouring, predominantly lower income, population of the other wards.
The seat is home to Stoke City F.C. whose Bet365 Stadium is at the northern edge of the constituency.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 equal to the regional average of 4.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.

## History
### Political history

The constituency was created for the 1950 general election as the successor to the Stoke Division of Stoke-on-Trent. It also included parts of the abolished Stone constituency which had been absorbed by the County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent.
The constituency and its predecessor were safe Labour seats from 1935 until the 2010s when it became marginal. It was won by the Conservative Party for the first time in 2017 when Jack Brereton became its MP. At the 2019 general election, the Conservatives increased their majority to over 11,000 votes; with a vote share of 62%. This was overturned in the 2024 election when, despite boundary changes favorable to the Conservatives, Labour'sAllison Gardner won the seat, albeit with a small majority of 627 votes.

### Prominent members

Jack Ashley (later Lord Ashley) became deaf as a result of an operation, but his disability campaigns led to major enactments and public sector changes to improve ordinary life for deaf people, including the inclusion of sign language in television programmes and campaigns to help other disabled people.

## Members of Parliament

Stoke-on-Trent/"Stoke" prior to 1950
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1950 | Ellis Smith | Labour |
| 1966 | Jack Ashley | Labour |
| 1992 | George Stevenson | Labour |
| 2005 | Rob Flello | Labour |
| 2017 | Jack Brereton | Conservative |
| 2024 | Allison Gardner | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Allison Gardner | 14,221 | 34.7 | +5.1 |
| | Conservative | Jack Brereton | 13,594 | 33.2 | −29.3 |
| | Reform UK | Michael Bailey | 8,851 | 21.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alec Sandiford | 1,577 | 3.9 | −2.3 |
| | Independent | Asif Mehmood | 1,372 | 3.4 | N/A |
| | Green | Peggy Wiseman | 1,207 | 2.9 | +1.3 |
| | Independent | Carla Parrish | 120 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 627 | 1.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,942 | 59.7 | −1.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.0 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jack Brereton | 24,632 | 62.2 | +13.1 |
| | Labour | Mark McDonald | 13,361 | 33.7 | –13.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rosalyn Gordon | 1,611 | 4.1 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,271 | 28.5 | +26.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,604 | 61.4 | –1.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +13.4 | |
General election 2017: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jack Brereton | 20,451 | 49.1 | +16.4 |
| | Labour | Rob Flello | 19,788 | 47.5 | +8.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Wilkes | 808 | 1.9 | –1.4 |
| | Green | Jan Zablocki | 643 | 1.5 | –1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 663 | 1.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,690 | 63.1 | +5.8 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.1 | |
General election 2015: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rob Flello | 15,319 | 39.2 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | Joe Rich | 12,780 | 32.7 | +4.3 |
| | UKIP | Tariq Mahmood | 8,298 | 21.2 | +17.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Andras | 1,309 | 3.3 | –12.6 |
| | Green | Luke Bellamy | 1,029 | 2.6 | New |
| | TUSC | Matthew Wright | 372 | 1.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,539 | 6.5 | –3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,107 | 57.3 | –1.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –2.0 | |
General election 2010: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rob Flello | 15,446 | 38.8 | –8.1 |
| | Conservative | James Rushton | 11,316 | 28.4 | +4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Zulfiqar Ali | 6,323 | 15.9 | +0.8 |
| | BNP | Michael Coleman | 3,762 | 9.4 | +0.4 |
| | UKIP | Mark Barlow | 1,363 | 3.4 | +0.7 |
| | Staffordshire Independent Group | Terry Follows | 1,208 | 3.0 | New |
| | Independent | Mark Breeze | 434 | 1.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,130 | 10.4 | –12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,852 | 58.8 | +4.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –6.2 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rob Flello | 17,727 | 46.9 | –6.9 |
| | Conservative | Mark Deaville | 9,046 | 23.9 | –0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Martin | 5,894 | 15.6 | +2.5 |
| | BNP | Mark Leat | 3,305 | 8.7 | +4.9 |
| | UKIP | Neville Benson | 1,043 | 2.8 | New |
| | Veritas | Grant Allen | 805 | 2.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,618 | 23.0 | –6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,820 | 53.6 | +2.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –3.1 | |
General election 2001: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Stevenson | 19,366 | 53.8 | –8.2 |
| | Conservative | Philip Bastiman | 8,877 | 24.6 | +2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Coleman | 4,724 | 13.1 | +2.9 |
| | Independent | Adrian Knapper | 1,703 | 4.7 | New |
| | BNP | Steven Batkin | 1,358 | 3.8 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,489 | 29.2 | –10.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,028 | 51.4 | –14.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –5.2 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Stevenson | 28,645 | 62.0 | +12.2 |
| | Conservative | Sheila Scott | 10,342 | 22.4 | –14.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Barnett | 4,710 | 10.2 | +2.8 |
| | Referendum | Richard Adams | 1,103 | 2.4 | New |
| | Liberal | Alison Micklem | 580 | 1.3 | New |
| | BNP | Steven Batkin | 568 | 1.2 | New |
| | National Democrats | Brian Lawrence | 288 | 0.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,303 | 39.6 | +26.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,236 | 66.1 | –8.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +13.3 | |
General election 1992: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Stevenson | 26,380 | 49.8 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | Roger Ibbs | 19,471 | 36.7 | –1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Fred Jones | 6,870 | 13.0 | –1.7 |
| | Natural Law | Elizabeth Lines | 291 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,909 | 13.1 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,012 | 74.3 | +0.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 | |

### Elections of the 1980s

General election 1987: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Jack Ashley | 24,794 | 47.5 |
| | Conservative | Dennis Hartshorne | 19,741 | 37.8 |
| | Liberal | Peter Wild | 7,669 | 14.69 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,053 | 9.68 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,204 | 73.73 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1983: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Ashley | 23,611 | 48.0 | −10.8 |
| | Conservative | Peter Maxwell | 16,506 | 33.6 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal | William Walley | 9,050 | 18.4 | +9.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,105 | 14.4 | −12.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,167 | 69.6 | −2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.0 | |

### Elections of the 1970s

General election 1979: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Jack Ashley | 31,610 | 58.75 |
| | Conservative | R Rayner | 17,364 | 32.27 |
| | Liberal | D Chantrey | 4,829 | 8.98 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,246 | 26.48 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,803 | 72.52 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Jack Ashley | 30,699 | 61.18 |
| | Conservative | S Heath | 14,204 | 28.31 |
| | Liberal | E Johnson | 5,278 | 10.52 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,495 | 32.87 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,181 | 69.09 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election February 1974: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Ashley | 31,650 | 56.83 | |
| | Conservative | S Newall | 15,981 | 28.70 | |
| | Liberal | M Smith | 7,578 | 13.61 | New |
| | Communist | S Lomas | 481 | 0.86 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,669 | 28.13 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,690 | 77.38 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Jack Ashley | 20,770 | 60.24 |
| | Conservative | RJ Apps | 13,344 | 38.70 |
| | Communist | SJ Lomas | 364 | 1.06 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,426 | 21.54 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,478 | 50.66 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections of the 1960s

General election 1966: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Ashley | 27,380 | 61.65 | |
| | Conservative | FW Thornton | 14,769 | 33.26 | |
| | Communist | SJ Lomas | 2,262 | 5.09 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,611 | 28.39 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,411 | 71.02 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ellis Smith | 28,928 | 60.56 |
| | Conservative | Clive Howson | 18,839 | 39.44 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,089 | 21.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,767 | 75.65 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections of the 1950s

General election 1959: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ellis Smith | 29,578 | 59.28 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey S Tucker | 20,318 | 40.72 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,260 | 18.56 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,896 | 78.24 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ellis Smith | 31,003 | 63.61 |
| | Conservative | Basil GC Webb | 17,739 | 36.39 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,264 | 27.22 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,742 | 73.62 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ellis Smith | 35,261 | 65.77 |
| | Conservative | Basil Webb | 18,355 | 34.23 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,906 | 31.54 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,616 | 84.21 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Stoke-on-Trent South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ellis Smith | 34,339 | 64.45 |
| | Conservative | L Orridge | 14,637 | 27.47 |
| | Liberal | William Herbert Kemp | 4,307 | 8.08 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,702 | 36.98 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,283 | 85.27 |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |