# Harrow East (UK Parliament constituency)

Harrow East is a constituency in Greater London created in 1945 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Bob Blackman, a Conservative.

## Constituency profile

The censuses of 2001 and 2011 show the overwhelmingly most common housing type of the area to be semi-detached houses – almost a majority – followed by mid-rise apartments (whether purpose-built or converted from older houses), then terraced houses and then detached houses. They also show a consistently lower-than-average proportion of social housing than for Greater London.
The constituency is served by three separate commuter railway lines running into central London, and has many parks and sports grounds. Few arterial roads bisect Harrow East – further east is the start of the M1 motorway, and in the middle of seats further south in north-west London are the A40 Western Avenue and North Circular Road, omitting the boundaries drawn from the arterial road-building projects of the 1940s-to-1970s period.
Harrow East has a large Hindu population, a demographic which has shifted heavily away from Labour towards the Conservatives during Blackman's tenure as MP thanks to Blackman's courting of the Hindu nationalist vote. The Conservatives generally perform worse than Labour amongst most ethnic minority groups; it was the most ethnically diverse Conservative-held constituency in the general elections of 2015 and 2017.

## History

The seat was created in 1945 and has been varied due to two sets of major ward reconfigurations and by other national boundary reforms. The predecessor seats were Hendon and to a much lesser extent Harrow.
From 1945 to 2010, it was a stronger area for the Labour Party than neighbouring Harrow West; nevertheless, the seat had been mostly held by the Conservative Party. Labour did win here in landslide victories in 1945, 1966 and 1997, and after the latter, held on in the two subsequent general elections. Commencing with the 1979 general election, and prior to the 2024 general election, the seat was a bellwether by reflecting the national result. The 2017 result produced the 29th-most marginal majority of the Conservative Party's 317 seats by percentage of majority.
The seat was regained in 2010 by the Conservative Bob Blackman on a high turnout whilst Labour's incumbent managed to hold on to Harrow West, as boundary changes had favoured Labour there. Residents in the borough include fewer people in the category of no qualifications than the national average, in 2011, at 16.8%.
In the 2024 general election, Harrow East had the second-largest percentage majority of any Conservative-held seat in the country, behind only Richmond and Northallerton, the seat of then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak; it was the only seat in the country where the Conservatives exceeded 50% of the vote.

## Boundaries

1945–1950: The Urban District of Harrow wards of Kenton, Stanmore North, Stanmore South, Wealdstone North, Wealdstone South, and part of Harrow Weald ward.
1950–1955: As above, but the whole of Harrow Weald, and without Wealdstone North or Wealdstone South.
1955–1974: The Municipal Borough of Harrow wards of Belmont, Harrow Weald, Queensbury, Stanmore North and Stanmore South.
1974–1978: The London Borough of Harrow wards of Belmont, Harrow Weald, Queensbury, Stanmore North and Stanmore South.
1978–1983: The London Borough of Harrow wards of Canons, Centenary, Harrow Weald, Kenton East, Stanmore Park, Stanmore South and Wemborough.
1983–2010: The London Borough of Harrow wards of Canons, Centenary, Greenhill, Harrow Weald, Kenton East, Kenton West, Marlborough, Stanmore Park, Stanmore South, Wealdstone and Wemborough.
2010–2024: The London Borough of Harrow wards of Belmont, Canons, Edgware, Harrow Weald, Kenton East, Kenton West, Queensbury, Stanmore Park and Wealdstone.
2024–present: The London Borough of Brent ward of Queensbury, and he London Borough of Harrow wards of Belmont, Canons, Centenary, Edgware, Harrow Weald, Kenton East, Kenton West, and Stanmore.
    The Borough of Brent ward of Queensbury was transferred from the abolished constituency of Brent North, thus uniting the parts of the suburb of Queensbury in Brent with those in Harrow. Other boundary changes included the transfer of Wealdstone to Harrow West.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1945 | Frederick Skinnard | Labour |
| 1950 | Ian Harvey | Conservative |
| 1959 by-election | Anthony Courtney | Conservative |
| 1966 | Roy Roebuck | Labour |
| 1970 | Hugh Dykes | Conservative |
| 1997 | Tony McNulty | Labour |
| 2010 | Bob Blackman | Conservative |

## Election results
### Elections in the 2020s

With 53.3% of the vote, Blackman received the highest vote share for any Conservative candidate that stood in the election, and was the only Conservative elected with an absolute majority. He was one of three Conservative MPs to be re-elected with increased majorities.
General election 2024: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bob Blackman | 25,466 | 53.3 | –1.3 |
| | Labour | Primesh Patel | 13,786 | 28.9 | –8.5 |
| | Reform UK | Roger Clark | 2,188 | 4.6 | +4.4 |
| | Independent | Sabira Lakha | 2,097 | 4.4 | N/A |
| | Green | Seb Newsam | 2,006 | 4.2 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Reetendra Nath Banerji | 1,511 | 3.2 | –4.3 |
| | Workers Party | Sarajulhaq Parwani | 723 | 1.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,680 | 24.4 | +7.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,777 | 62.5 | –6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 76,386 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.6 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Conservative | 28,555 | 54.6 |
| | Labour | 19,568 | 37.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 3,930 | 7.5 |
| | Green | 136 | 0.3 |
| | Brexit Party | 98 | 0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 52,287 | 68.5 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 76,299 |
General election 2019: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bob Blackman | 26,935 | 54.4 | +5.0 |
| | Labour | Pamela Fitzpatrick | 18,765 | 37.9 | −8.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adam Bernard | 3,791 | 7.7 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,170 | 16.5 | +13.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,491 | 68.6 | −2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 72,120 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.5 | |
General election 2017: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bob Blackman | 25,129 | 49.4 | −0.9 |
| | Labour | Navin Shah | 23,372 | 46.0 | +5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adam Bernard | 1,573 | 3.1 | +1.0 |
| | Green | Emma Wallace | 771 | 1.5 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,757 | 3.4 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,845 | 70.9 | +1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 71,755 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.1 | |
General election 2015: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bob Blackman | 24,668 | 50.3 | +5.6 |
| | Labour | Uma Kumaran | 19,911 | 40.6 | +3.0 |
| | UKIP | Aidan Powlesland | 2,333 | 4.8 | +2.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ross Barlow | 1,037 | 2.1 | −12.2 |
| | Green | Emma Wallace | 846 | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| | TUSC | Nana Asante | 205 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,757 | 9.7 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,000 | 69.0 | +1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 70,981 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
General election 2010: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bob Blackman | 21,435 | 44.7 | +6.1 |
| | Labour | Tony McNulty | 18,032 | 37.6 | −7.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nahid Boethe | 6,850 | 14.3 | +0.1 |
| | UKIP | Abhijit Pandya | 896 | 1.9 | +0.1 |
| | Green | Madeleine Atkins | 793 | 1.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,403 | 7.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,006 | 67.1 | +5.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 70,510 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | -7.0 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tony McNulty | 23,445 | 46.1 | −9.2 |
| | Conservative | David Ashton | 18,715 | 36.8 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pash Nandhra | 7,747 | 15.2 | +2.7 |
| | UKIP | Paul Cronin | 916 | 1.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,730 | 9.3 | −13.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,823 | 60.5 | +2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 83,904 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −6.9 | |
General election 2001: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tony McNulty | 26,590 | 55.3 | +2.8 |
| | Conservative | Peter Wilding | 15,466 | 32.2 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Kershaw | 6,021 | 12.5 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,124 | 23.1 | +6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,077 | 58.4 | −12.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 82,269 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.0 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tony McNulty | 29,962 | 52.5 | +18.7 |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 20,189 | 35.4 | −17.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Baldev Sharma | 4,697 | 8.2 | −2.7 |
| | Referendum | Bernard Casey | 1,537 | 2.7 | New |
| | UKIP | A.J. Scholefield | 464 | 0.8 | New |
| | Natural Law | Andrew Planton | 171 | 0.3 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,737 | 17.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,020 | 71.3 | −6.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 79,981 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | -18.1 | |
General election 1992: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 30,752 | 52.9 | −1.3 |
| | Labour | Tony McNulty | 19,654 | 33.8 | +10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | V.M. Chamberlain | 6,360 | 10.9 | −11.3 |
| | Liberal | P. Burrows | 1,142 | 2.0 | New |
| | Natural Law | S. Hamza | 212 | 0.4 | New |
| | Anti-Federalist League | J. Lester | 49 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,098 | 19.1 | −11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,169 | 77.8 | +4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 74,733 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -6.2 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 32,302 | 54.2 | +4.4 |
| | Labour | David John Brough | 14,029 | 23.6 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal | Zerbanoo Gifford | 13,251 | 22.2 | −5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,273 | 30.6 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,582 | 73.5 | +1.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 81,124 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 28,834 | 49.8 | −4.5 |
| | Liberal | Richard Hains | 16,166 | 27.9 | +17.5 |
| | Labour | David Brough | 12,941 | 22.3 | −11.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,668 | 21.9 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,941 | 72.5 | −5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 79,926 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 20,871 | 54.32 | +8.10 |
| | Labour | David Miles | 12,993 | 33.82 | −2.99 |
| | Liberal | Martin Savitt | 3,984 | 10.37 | −6.60 |
| | National Front | Leslie Le Croissette | 572 | 1.49 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,878 | 20.50 | +11.09 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,936 | 77.85 | +2.95 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 49,354 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 17,073 | 46.22 | +1.57 |
| | Labour | R.W. Lewis | 13,595 | 36.81 | +3.32 |
| | Liberal | J. McDonnell | 6,268 | 16.97 | −4.90 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,478 | 9.41 | −1.75 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,936 | 74.90 | −7.48 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 49,315 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 17,978 | 44.65 | −6.35 |
| | Labour | K.W. Childerhouse | 13,485 | 33.49 | −7.00 |
| | Liberal | J. McDonnell | 8,805 | 21.87 | +13.55 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,493 | 11.16 | +0.65 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,268 | 82.38 | +6.44 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 48,878 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Dykes | 19,517 | 51.00 | +7.55 |
| | Labour | Roy Roebuck | 15,496 | 40.49 | −3.92 |
| | Liberal | Michael Colne | 3,185 | 8.32 | −3.82 |
| | Independent | Geoffrey Cramp | 72 | 0.19 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,021 | 10.51 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,270 | 75.94 | −6.82 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 50,395 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Roy Roebuck | 17,374 | 44.41 | −2.65 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Courtney | 16,996 | 43.45 | −9.49 |
| | Liberal | Michael Colne | 4,749 | 12.14 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 378 | 0.96 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,119 | 82.76 | +2.78 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 47,267 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Courtney | 20,307 | 52.94 | −4.28 |
| | Labour | Jo Richardson | 18,048 | 47.06 | +4.28 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,259 | 5.88 | −8.56 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,355 | 79.98 | −4.56 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 47,954 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Courtney | 23,554 | 57.22 | +2.79 |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 17,607 | 42.78 | −2.79 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,947 | 14.44 | +5.58 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,161 | 84.54 | +1.92 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 49,273 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
1959 Harrow East by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony T. Courtney | 17,776 | 52.8 | −1.63 |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 15,546 | 46.2 | +0.63 |
| | National Union of Small Shopkeepers | Thomas Lynch | 348 | 1.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,220 | 6.6 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,795 | 68.96 | −13.64 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 48,820 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.1 | |
General election 1955: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Harvey | 22,243 | 54.43 | +4.58 |
| | Labour | Merlyn Rees | 18,621 | 45.57 | +1.59 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,622 | 8.86 | +2.99 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,864 | 82.62 | −5.24 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 49,460 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Harvey | 26,896 | 49.85 | +5.1 |
| | Labour | Robert D Rees | 23,725 | 43.98 | +2.9 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey JE Rhodes | 3,329 | 6.17 | −5.91 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,171 | 5.87 | +3.10 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,950 | 87.86 | +0.63 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,408 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1950: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Harvey | 23,680 | 44.75 | +9.70 |
| | Labour | Frederick Skinnard | 22,216 | 41.98 | −4.46 |
| | Liberal | Desmond Banks | 6,393 | 12.08 | −0.55 |
| | Communist | Bill Seaman | 633 | 1.20 | −4.67 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,464 | 2.77 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,922 | 87.23 | +9.89 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 60,668 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Harrow East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Skinnard | 27,613 | 46.44 | |
| | Conservative | Fredman Ashe Lincoln | 20,843 | 35.05 | |
| | Liberal | Anthony Gibbs | 7,513 | 12.63 | |
| | Communist | G Driver | 3,493 | 5.87 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,770 | 11.39 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,462 | 77.34 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 76,883 | | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |