# Barnsley East (UK Parliament constituency)

Barnsley East was a constituency in South Yorkshire, from 2010 until 2024. This constituency covered parts of the town of Barnsley.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was replaced (including boundary changes) by Barnsley South, first contested at the 2024 general election.

## Constituency profile

The seat covers the south-east suburbs of Barnsley and former coal mining areas such as Hoyland, Darfield and Wombwell. Its residents are poorer than the UK average.

## History

The seat was created as Barnsley East in 1983 and later abolished in 1997 to create Barnsley East and Mexborough. It was recreated as Barnsley East at the 2010 general election.
Eight candidates competed for the seat in the 2010 general election; however, the largest two opposition parties failed to gain more than 18.2% each and the winning candidate Michael Dugher managed to obtain 47% of all votes despite the presence of a candidate from the Socialist Labour Party. Although the percentage decline in the Labour vote was the largest in the country (at nearly 24%), they still won the seat safely. In 2017, Stephanie Peacock succeeded Dugher as MP for Barnsley East.
Both between 1983 and 1997, and at the 2010 general election, this constituency has been a safe seat for the Labour Party, as indeed was its temporary replacement, Barnsley East and Mexborough. After the 2019 general election however, this constituency became a marginal seat, with Labour's vote share dropping by 21.9% and their majority cut to just 8.4% after a strong challenge by the Brexit Party.

## Boundaries

1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley wards of Brierley, Cudworth, Darfield, Dearne South, Dearne Thurnscoe, Wombwell North, and Wombwell South.
2010–2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley wards of Cudworth, Darfield, Hoyland Milton, North East, Rockingham, Stairfoot, Wombwell, and Worsbrough.
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South Yorkshire for the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission for England divided the existing Barnsley East and Mexborough seat to split off Barnsley East from Mexborough, to create the new Barnsley East constituency.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1983–1997

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Terry Patchett | Labour |
| 1996 by-election | Jeff Ennis | Labour |
| 1997 | Constituency abolished: see Barnsley East and Mexborough & Barnsley Central | Constituency abolished: see Barnsley East and Mexborough & Barnsley Central |

### MPs 2010–2024

| Election | Member | Party |
| 2010 | Michael Dugher | Labour |
| 2017 | Stephanie Peacock | Labour |
| 2024 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results 2010–2024
### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Barnsley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Dugher | 18,059 | 47.0 | −23.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Brown | 6,969 | 18.2 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative | James Hockney | 6,329 | 16.5 | +3.8 |
| | BNP | Colin Porter | 3,301 | 8.6 | New |
| | UKIP | Tony Watson | 1,731 | 4.5 | New |
| | Independent | Kevin Hogan | 712 | 1.9 | New |
| | Independent | Eddie Devoy | 684 | 1.8 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | Ken Capstick | 601 | 1.6 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,090 | 28.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,396 | 56.1 | +7.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −14.0 | |
General election 2015: Barnsley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Dugher | 21,079 | 54.7 | +7.7 |
| | UKIP | Robert Swiffen | 9,045 | 23.5 | +19.0 |
| | Conservative | Katharine Harborne | 5,622 | 14.6 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruth Coleman-Taylor | 1,217 | 3.2 | −15.0 |
| | Yorkshire First | Tony Devoy | 647 | 1.7 | New |
| | English Democrat | Kevin Riddiough | 440 | 1.1 | New |
| | TUSC | Ralph Dyson | 364 | 0.9 | New |
| | Vapers in Power | Billy Marsden | 103 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,034 | 31.2 | +2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,517 | 55.7 | −0.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −5.6 | |
General election 2017: Barnsley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stephanie Peacock | 24,280 | 59.5 | +4.8 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Lloyd | 10,997 | 27.0 | +12.4 |
| | UKIP | James Dalton | 3,247 | 8.0 | −15.5 |
| | Yorkshire | Tony Devoy | 1,215 | 3.0 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nicola Turner | 750 | 1.8 | −1.4 |
| | English Democrat | Kevin Riddiough | 287 | 0.7 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,283 | 32.5 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,776 | 58.6 | +2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.8 | |
General election 2019: Barnsley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stephanie Peacock | 14,329 | 37.6 | −21.9 |
| | Brexit Party | Jim Ferguson | 11,112 | 29.2 | New |
| | Conservative | Adam Gregg | 10,377 | 27.3 | +0.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sophie Thornton | 1,330 | 3.5 | +1.7 |
| | Green | Richard Trotman | 922 | 2.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,217 | 8.4 | −24.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,070 | 54.8 | −3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

## Election results 1983–1997
### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Barnsley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Terry Patchett | 23,905 | 66.3 | |
| | Liberal | Peter Tomlinson | 6,413 | 17.8 | |
| | Conservative | George England | 5,749 | 15.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,492 | 48.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,067 | 67.3 | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
General election 1987: Barnsley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Terry Patchett | 29,948 | 74.5 | +8.2 |
| | Conservative | James Clappison | 5,437 | 14.0 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Griffiths | 4,482 | 11.5 | −7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,511 | 60.5 | +12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,867 | 72.6 | +5.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Barnsley East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Terry Patchett | 30,346 | 77.2 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | John M. Procter | 5,569 | 14.2 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sylvia Anginotti | 3,399 | 8.6 | −2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,777 | 63.0 | +2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,314 | 72.9 | +0.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
Following the death of Terry Patchett on 11 October 1996, a by-election was held on 12 December 1996. The replacement Labour candidate Jeff Ennis held the seat for the party despite a low voter turnout.
1996 Barnsley East by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jeff Ennis | 13,683 | 76.4 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Willis | 1,502 | 8.4 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative | Jane Ellison | 1,299 | 7.3 | −6.9 |
| | Socialist Labour | Ken Capstick | 949 | 5.3 | New |
| | UKIP | Nikolai Tolstoy | 378 | 2.1 | New |
| | Socialist Equality | Julie Hyland | 89 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,181 | 68.0 | +5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,900 | 33.7 | −39.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |