# Leeds South (UK Parliament constituency)

Leeds South is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency existed from 1885 to 1983 and was recreated in 2024 following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.
In the 2024 general election, the seat was won by Hilary Benn of the Labour Party, who serves as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the government of Keir Starmer. Benn had represented Leeds Central, the main predecessor of Leeds South, since 1999.
Leeds South was the seat of the former Leader of the Labour Party, the late Hugh Gaitskell, and the former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.

## History

The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in the general election of that year. Leeds had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North, Leeds South and Leeds West. The constituencies of Morley, Otley and Pudsey were also created in 1885.
The constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election. It was then split between the re-established constituency of Leeds Central, which included just over half of the seat's boundaries, and the new constituency of Morley and Leeds South, which took slightly under half of the seat's boundaries. After the 1983 general election Leeds was represented by the constituencies of Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North East, Leeds North West, Leeds West and Morley and Leeds South. There were also constituencies of Elmet (created 1983) and Pudsey.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election, formed primarily from the (abolished) constituency of Leeds Central, but excluding the city centre, and including a small part of Leeds East and a very small part of Morley and Outwood. The notional 2019 result for the new seat was Labour.

## Boundaries
### 1885–1983

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of East Hunslet, South, and West Hunslet, and part of Bramley ward.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Holbeck and West Hunslet, and part of New Wortley ward.
1950–1951: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck South, Hunslet Carr and Middleton, and West Hunslet.
1951–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, East Hunslet, Holbeck, Middleton, and West Hunslet.

### 2024–present

The City of Leeds wards of Beeston & Holbeck, Burmantofts & Richmond Hill, Hunslet & Riverside, Middleton Park, and Temple Newsam (part).
The part ward of Temple Newsam was transferred from Leeds East, with the bulk of the remainder comprising approximately 72% of the electorate of the abolished Leeds Central seat.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1885–1983

Leeds prior to 1885
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Sir Lyon Playfair | Liberal |
| 1892 | John Lawson Walton | Liberal |
| 1908 | William Middlebrook | Liberal |
| 1922 | Henry Charleton | Labour |
| 1931 | Noel Whiteside | Conservative |
| 1935 | Henry Charleton | Labour |
| 1945 | Hugh Gaitskell | Labour |
| 1963 | Merlyn Rees | Labour |
| 1983 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

### MPs since 2024

Leeds Central prior to 2024
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 2024 | Hilary Benn | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hilary Benn | 17,117 | 54.0 | −4.4 |
| | Green | Ed Carlisle | 5,838 | 18.4 | +14.6 |
| | Conservative | Karen Cooksley | 4,172 | 13.2 | −13.1 |
| | SDP | Daniel Whetstone | 1,874 | 5.9 | +5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Sykes | 1,340 | 4.2 | −0.2 |
| | Workers Party | Muhammad Azeem | 719 | 2.3 | New |
| | CPA | Janet Bickerdike | 341 | 1.1 | New |
| | Independent | Niko Omilana | 277 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,279 | 35.6 | +3.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,678 | 41.7 | −16.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 75,953 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −9.5 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Labour | 25,263 | 58.4 |
| | Conservative | 11,377 | 26.3 |
| | Brexit Party | 2,771 | 6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 1,922 | 4.4 |
| | Green | 1,635 | 3.8 |
| | Others | 281 | 0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 43,249 | 57.9 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 74,726 |

## Election results 1885–1983
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 5,208 | 64.5 | |
| | Conservative | Stuart Cunningham Macaskie | 2,869 | 35.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,339 | 29.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,077 | 73.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,931 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
Playfair was appointed Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 12 Feb 1886: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Lyon Playfair | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1886: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 4,665 | 61.5 | −3.0 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Hirst Bracken | 2,924 | 38.5 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,741 | 23.0 | −6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,589 | 69.4 | −4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,931 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 4,829 | 59.4 | −2.1 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Neville | 3,294 | 40.6 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,535 | 18.8 | −4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,123 | 71.9 | +2.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,290 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.1 | |
By-election, 22 Sep 1892 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Walton | 4,414 | 56.0 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Neville | 3,466 | 44.0 | +3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 948 | 12.0 | −6.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,880 | 69.8 | −2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,290 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.4 | |
* Caused by Playfair's elevation to the peerage.
General election 1895: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Walton | 4,608 | 47.6 | −11.8 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,447 | 46.0 | +5.4 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Alfred Shaw | 622 | 6.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 161 | 1.6 | −17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,677 | 81.2 | +9.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,921 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −8.6 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Walton | 4,952 | 51.2 | +3.6 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,718 | 48.8 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 234 | 2.4 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,670 | 71.9 | −9.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,442 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
General election 1906: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Walton | 6,200 | 50.2 | −1.0 |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. | Albert E. Fox | 4,030 | 32.6 | New |
| | Conservative | Henry Cameron-Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy | 2,126 | 17.2 | −31.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,170 | 17.6 | +15.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,356 | 81.7 | +9.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,119 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +15.3 | |
1908 Leeds South by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Middlebrook | 5,274 | 41.7 | −8.5 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,915 | 38.9 | +21.7 |
| | Labour | Albert E. Fox | 2,451 | 19.4 | −13.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 359 | 2.8 | −14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,640 | 82.5 | +0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,321 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.4 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Middlebrook | 8,969 | 67.3 | +17.1 |
| | Conservative | William Nicholson | 4,366 | 32.7 | +15.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,603 | 34.6 | +17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,335 | 84.8 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +15.9 | |
General election December 1910: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Middlebrook | 6,064 | 48.2 | −19.1 |
| | Conservative | William Nicholson | 3,804 | 30.3 | −2.4 |
| | Labour | John Badlay | 2,706 | 21.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,260 | 17.9 | −16.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,574 | 80.0 | −4.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: William Middlebrook
* Unionist:
* Labour:
General election 14 December 1918: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | William Middlebrook | 10,609 | 60.6 | +12.4 |
| | Labour | Frank Fountain | 5,510 | 31.5 | +10.0 |
| | Independent | James A Brook* | 1,377 | 7.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,099 | 29.1 | +11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,496 | 48.8 | −31.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,843 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.2 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
* Brook was supported by the three local branches of National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers and Comrades of the Great War.

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry Charleton | 13,210 | 53.7 | +22.2 |
| | Liberal | William Middlebrook | 11,380 | 46.3 | −14.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,830 | 7.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,590 | 69.8 | +21.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,252 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +18.3 | |
General election 1923: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry Charleton | 11,705 | 44.2 | −9.5 |
| | Unionist | Reginald Neville | 7,679 | 29.0 | New |
| | Liberal | Granville Gibson | 7,083 | 26.8 | −19.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,026 | 15.2 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,467 | 74.1 | +4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,719 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 | |
General election 1924: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry Charleton | 12,799 | 46.3 | +2.1 |
| | Unionist | B.T. Graham Ford | 11,008 | 39.9 | +10.9 |
| | Liberal | Frank Geary | 3,801 | 13.8 | −13.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,791 | 6.4 | −8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,608 | 76.5 | +2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36,085 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.4 | |
General election 1929: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry Charleton | 18,043 | 52.5 | +6.2 |
| | Unionist | B.T. Graham Ford | 9,433 | 27.5 | −12.4 |
| | Liberal | Ernest Kilburn Scott | 6,884 | 20.0 | +6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,610 | 25.0 | +18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,360 | 76.2 | −0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 45,084 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.3 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Noel Whiteside | 14,881 | 42.12 | |
| | Labour | Henry Charleton | 14,156 | 40.07 | |
| | Liberal | Frederick L. Boult | 6,291 | 17.81 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 725 | 2.05 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,328 | 77.56 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry Charleton | 15,223 | 46.03 | |
| | Conservative | Noel Whiteside | 14,207 | 42.96 | |
| | Social Credit | Wilfred Townend | 3,642 | 11.01 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,016 | 3.07 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,072 | 73.68 | |
| | 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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: Hugh Gaitskell
* Conservative: Donald Kaberry
* Liberal: J. Alun Williams
* British Union: John Angus Macnab

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 17,899 | 61.03 | |
| | Conservative | Arthur Maxwell Ramsden | 7,497 | 25.56 | |
| | Liberal | William Barford | 3,933 | 13.41 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,402 | 35.47 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,329 | 75.95 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 29,795 | 61.11 |
| | Conservative | B.H. Wood | 14,436 | 29.61 |
| | Liberal | Edgar Meeks | 4,525 | 9.28 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,359 | 31.50 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,756 | 84.61 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 30,712 | 65.06 |
| | Conservative | Winifred D. Brown | 16,493 | 34.94 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,219 | 30.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,205 | 82.19 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 25,833 | 65.15 |
| | Conservative | Winifred D. Brown | 13,817 | 34.85 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,016 | 30.30 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,650 | 72.85 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 24,442 | 58.6 | −6.5 |
| | Conservative | John Francis William Addey | 12,956 | 31.0 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal | John Brian Meeks | 4,340 | 10.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,486 | 27.6 | −2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,738 | 79.0 | +6.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1963 Leeds South by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 18,785 | 62.93 | +4.37 |
| | Conservative | John Udal | 5,996 | 20.09 | −10.95 |
| | Liberal | Brian Walsh | 4,399 | 14.74 | +4.34 |
| | Communist | Bert Ramelson | 670 | 2.24 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,789 | 42.84 | +15.32 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,850 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 22,339 | 63.12 | |
| | Conservative | Percival Arthur Woodward | 12,123 | 34.26 | |
| | Communist | Bert Ramelson | 928 | 2.62 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,997 | 28.86 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,390 | 72.00 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 23,171 | 68.76 |
| | Conservative | Percival Arthur Woodward | 9,813 | 29.12 |
| | Communist | Bert Ramelson | 714 | 2.12 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,358 | 39.64 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,698 | 68.11 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 19,536 | 59.82 | |
| | Conservative | Gavin K. Macpherson | 9,311 | 28.51 | |
| | Liberal | Stephen Cooksey | 3,810 | 11.67 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,225 | 31.31 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,657 | 65.95 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 21,365 | 55.24 |
| | Liberal | Denis Pedder | 9,505 | 24.57 |
| | Conservative | Peter David Harmer | 7,810 | 20.19 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,860 | 30.67 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,680 | 73.95 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 21,653 | 64.44 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Neil Metcalfe Stow | 6,388 | 19.01 |
| | Liberal | John Adams | 5,563 | 16.55 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,265 | 45.43 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,604 | 63.76 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1979: Leeds South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 22,388 | 65.02 | |
| | Conservative | R. Ratcliffe | 8,058 | 23.40 | |
| | Liberal | F. Hurst | 3,568 | 10.36 | |
| | National Front | B. Spink | 416 | 1.21 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,330 | 41.62 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,430 | 68.70 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |