# Leicester East (UK Parliament constituency)

Leicester East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since July 2024 by Shivani Raja of the Conservative Party.

## Constituency profile

This is an urban constituency, much of which is densely developed as housing, retail or industry. The seat does not include central Leicester, skirting its ring road, but is served by buses and cycle routes into Leicester City Centre, which is within normal walking distance of the division's south-west quarter. The boundaries include a golf course situated in the south-east and a large municipal garden in the north-west.
Leicester East has an extremely high South Asian population. Almost a third of the population is Hindu, and the majority of the others of Asian ethnicity are of Muslim or Sikh faiths. Those of mixed ethnicities are gradually increasing – to 3.1% of the population in 2011.

## History
### First creation

The seat was created in 1918 and for the next four years was served by Sir Gordon Hewart KC, who resigned to become Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. In 1950 the area was divided between Leicester North East and Leicester South East.

### Second (current) creation

The constituency was re-created in 1974.

#### Summary of results

Leicester East has been won by the Labour Party's candidate in 12 of the 14 elections since it was re-created. Its MP from 1987 to 2019, Keith Vaz, won an absolute majority of votes from the 1992 general election onward. It had been narrowly won by Conservative Party candidate Peter Bruinvels (a lay canon) at the height of his party's popularity in 1983. The following election saw Vaz regain the seat for Labour; he held it at every election thereafter, from 1997 onward always winning by margins of over 29% and 13,000 votes, until he stood down at the 2019 general election. The result in 2015 made the constituency the 37th-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage majority. Vaz won his highest majority, 22,428 votes (42.8%), in 2017. In 2019 Labour held the seat with a substantially reduced majority of 6,019, down from 22,428 – a swing of 15%.
The constituency was the sole gain by the Conservatives at the 2024 general election, when Shivani Raja was elected with 31.1% of the vote.

#### Opposition parties

The Conservative Party candidate has been runner-up in every election save for Bruinvels' win in 1983 and Raja's victory in 2024. The candidate of UKIP took third place in 2015, for the first time; her 2010 counterpart had won 1.5% of the vote, the party not having previously stood in the constituency. The pro-UKIP swing between the 2010 and 2015 elections, of 7.4%, was less than the national average of 9.5%. Susan Cooper was 1.8% away from second place in 2005, giving the best result of a Liberal Democrat to date, attracting just under a fifth of the vote.

#### Turnout

Turnout in the recreated seat has ranged between 78.7% in 1992 and 62.1% in 2001.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Latimer, Spinney Hill, and West Humberstone.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Evington, Humberstone, and Latimer.
1983–2010: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone, Latimer, Rushey Mead, Thurncourt, and West Humberstone.
2010–2024: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton, Latimer, Rushey Mead, and Thurncourt.
2024–present: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton, North Evington, Rushey Mead, Thurncourt and Troon, with polling district EVF in Evington ward transferred out to Leicester South.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1918–1950

Leicester prior to 1918
| Year | Member | Party |
| 1918 | Sir Gordon Hewart | Liberal Party |
| 1922 by-election | George Banton | Labour |
| 1922 | Arthur Evans | National Liberal |
| 1923 | George Banton | Labour |
| 1924 | John Loder | Conservative |
| 1929 | Frank Wise | Labour |
| 1931 | Abraham Lyons | Conservative |
| 1945 | Terence Donovan | Labour |
| 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

### MPs since 1974

Leicester South East and Leicester North East prior to 1974
| Year | Member | Party |
| Feb 1974 | Tom Bradley | Labour |
| 1981 | Tom Bradley | SDP |
| 1983 | Peter Bruinvels | Conservative |
| 1987 | Keith Vaz | Labour |
| 2019 | Claudia Webbe | Labour |
| 2020 | Claudia Webbe | Independent |
| 2024 | Shivani Raja | Conservative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Shivani Raja | 14,526 | 31.1 | –7.4 |
| | Labour | Rajesh Agrawal | 10,100 | 21.6 | –29.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Zuffar Haq | 6,329 | 13.5 | +7.9 |
| | Independent | Claudia Webbe | 5,532 | 11.8 | N/A |
| | One Leicester | Keith Vaz | 3,681 | 7.9 | N/A |
| | Reform UK | Raj Solanki | 2,611 | 5.6 | +3.1 |
| | Green | Mags Lewis | 2,143 | 4.6 | +2.8 |
| | Independent | Malihah Adam | 974 | 2.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Nagarjun Agath | 703 | 1.5 | N/A |
| | Independent | Khandu Patel | 115 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,426 | 9.5 | –2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,714 | 61.0 | –2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 76,560 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +11.0 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Claudia Webbe | 25,090 | 50.8 | –16.2 |
| | Conservative | Bhupendra Dave | 19,071 | 38.6 | +14.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nitesh Dave | 2,800 | 5.7 | +3.1 |
| | Brexit Party | Tara Baldwin | 1,243 | 2.5 | N/A |
| | Green | Melanie Wakley | 888 | 1.8 | −0.2 |
| | Independent | Sanjay Gogia | 329 | 0.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,019 | 12.2 | –30.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,421 | 63.0 | –4.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –15.3 | |
In November 2021 Webbe was given a 10-week suspended sentence for making threatening phone calls to a friend of her partner. Webbe, who since September 2020 had been suspended from the Labour Party and was sitting as an independent MP, was then expelled from the party and continued to sit as an independent until Parliament was dissolved.
General election 2017: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 35,116 | 67.0 | +5.9 |
| | Conservative | Edward Yi He | 12,688 | 24.2 | +1.2 |
| | Independent | Sujata Barot | 1,753 | 3.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nitesh Dave | 1,343 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| | Green | Melanie Wakley | 1,070 | 2.0 | –1.1 |
| | Independent | Ian Fox | 454 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,428 | 42.8 | +4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,424 | 67.4 | +3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 | |
General election 2015: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 29,386 | 61.1 | +7.4 |
| | Conservative | Kishan Devani | 11,034 | 23.0 | –1.5 |
| | UKIP | Susanna Steptoe | 4,290 | 8.9 | +7.4 |
| | Green | Nimit Jethwa | 1,468 | 3.1 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dave Raval | 1,233 | 2.6 | –11.6 |
| | TUSC | Michael Barker | 540 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Tom Darwood | 117 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,352 | 38.2 | +8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,599 | 63.7 | –2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.5 | |
General election 2010: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 25,804 | 53.8 | −5.0 |
| | Conservative | Jane Hunt | 11,722 | 24.4 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ali Asghar | 6,817 | 14.2 | −2.3 |
| | BNP | Colin Gilmore | 1,700 | 3.5 | N/A |
| | Green | Mo Taylor | 733 | 1.5 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Felicity Ransome | 725 | 1.5 | N/A |
| | Unity For Peace And Socialism | Avtar Sadiq | 494 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,082 | 29.3 | –9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,995 | 65.8 | +3.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.8 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 24,015 | 58.1 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | Suella Fernandes | 8,139 | 19.7 | −4.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Cooper | 7,052 | 17.1 | +4.8 |
| | Veritas | Colin Brown | 1,666 | 4.0 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Valerie Smalley | 434 | 1.1 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,876 | 38.4 | +5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,306 | 62.2 | +0.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.6 | |
In 2005 this seat bucked the national trend as there was a swing to Labour whereas the national swing was 2.5% to the Conservatives.
General election 2001: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 23,402 | 57.6 | −7.9 |
| | Conservative | John Mugglestone | 9,960 | 24.5 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Harpinder Athwal | 4,989 | 12.3 | +5.3 |
| | Socialist Labour | David Roberts | 837 | 2.1 | +1.1 |
| | BNP | Clive Potter | 772 | 1.9 | N/A |
| | Independent | Shirley Bennett | 701 | 1.7 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,442 | 33.1 | –8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,661 | 62.1 | −7.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –4.2 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 29,083 | 65.5 | +9.2 |
| | Conservative | Simon Milton | 10,661 | 24.01 | –9.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jay Matabudul | 3,105 | 6.99 | −1.1 |
| | Referendum | Philip Iwaniw | 1,015 | 2.29 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Sohan Singh Sidhu | 436 | 0.98 | N/A |
| | Independent | Neil Slack | 102 | 0.23 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,422 | 41.49 | +18.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,402 | 69.11 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.4 | |
General election 1992: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 28,123 | 56.3 | +10.1 |
| | Conservative | Jeffery C. Stevens | 16,807 | 33.7 | −8.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sheila A. Mitchell | 4,043 | 8.1 | −3.3 |
| | Green | Murray R. Frankland | 453 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Independent | Dennis J. Taylor | 308 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | ASK Mahaldar | 186 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,316 | 22.6 | +18.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,920 | 78.7 | +0.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.5 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Vaz | 24,074 | 46.2 | +9.2 |
| | Conservative | Peter Bruinvels | 22,150 | 42.5 | +3.6 |
| | SDP | Aileen Ayres | 5,935 | 11.4 | –9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,924 | 3.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,159 | 78.59 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Bruinvels | 19,117 | 38.9 | –2.3 |
| | Labour | Patricia Hewitt | 18,184 | 37.0 | –9.9 |
| | SDP | Tom Bradley | 10,362 | 21.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | RV Ganatra | 970 | 2.0 | N/A |
| | BNP | RL Sutton | 459 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 933 | 1.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,092 | 73.2 | –2.4 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +3.8 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Bradley | 23,844 | 46.9 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | M Waterhouse | 20,988 | 41.3 | +4.8 |
| | Liberal | B Andrews | 4,623 | 9.1 | –3.2 |
| | National Front | BJ Calver | 1,385 | 2.7 | –3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,856 | 5.6 | –2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,840 | 75.6 | +3.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.4 | |
General election October 1974: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Bradley | 20,688 | 44.8 | +0.1 |
| | Conservative | KG Reeves | 16,877 | 36.5 | –8.3 |
| | Liberal | W Capstick | 5,668 | 12.3 | N/A |
| | National Front | A Reed-Herbert | 2,967 | 6.4 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,811 | 8.3 | +5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,200 | 72.3 | –5.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.2 | |
General election February 1974: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Bradley | 23,474 | 47.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | K.G. Reeves | 22,061 | 44.8 | N/A |
| | National Front | K. Sanders | 3,662 | 7.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,413 | 2.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,199 | 77.8 | N/A |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Terence Donovan | 28,414 | 56.94 | |
| | Conservative | Abraham Lyons | 15,182 | 30.42 | |
| | Liberal | David Goodwillie Galloway | 6,306 | 12.64 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,232 | 26.52 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,902 | 76.05 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Abraham Lyons | 20,442 | 49.28 | |
| | Labour | Frederick Gould | 17,532 | 42.62 | |
| | Liberal | Frederick Lawson | 3,509 | 8.46 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,910 | 6.66 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,483 | 70.18 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Abraham Lyons | 30,265 | 68.67 | |
| | Labour | Frank Wise | 13,811 | 31.33 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,454 | 37.34 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,076 | 79.10 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frank Wise | 22,533 | 50.8 | +1.5 |
| | Unionist | John Loder | 13,801 | 31.1 | −19.6 |
| | Liberal | Frederick Lawson | 8,054 | 18.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,732 | 19.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,388 | 81.6 | +2.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 54,364 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election 1924: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | John Loder | 16,090 | 50.7 | +22.7 |
| | Labour | George Banton | 15,669 | 49.3 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 421 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,759 | 79.6 | +3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 39,906 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | +9.1 | |
General election 1923: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Banton | 13,162 | 44.8 | −2.9 |
| | Unionist | Arthur Evans | 8,247 | 28.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | James Henderson-Stewart | 7,998 | 27.2 | −25.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,915 | 16.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,407 | 76.1 | −0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,658 | | |
| | Labour gain from National Liberal | Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | +11.1 | |
General election 1922: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Arthur Evans | 15,164 | 52.3 | N/A |
| | Labour | George Banton | 13,850 | 47.7 | +20.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,314 | 4.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,014 | 76.9 | +11.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,749 | | |
| | National Liberal gain from Liberal | National Liberal gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
1922 Leicester East by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Banton | 14,062 | 52.9 | +25.8 |
| | National Liberal | Albert E. Marlow | 8,710 | 32.7 | −40.2 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Wilberforce Allen | 3,825 | 14.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,352 | 20.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,597 | 71.3 | +5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,319 | | |
| | Labour gain from National Liberal | Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | +33.0 | |

### Election in the 1910s

General election 1918: Leicester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | Gordon Hewart | 18,024 | 72.9 | |
| | Labour | George Banton | 6,697 | 27.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,327 | 45.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,721 | 65.6 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,687 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||