# Manchester Withington (UK Parliament constituency)

Manchester Withington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Jeff Smith of Labour.

## Constituency profile

Demographically contrasting with neighbouring inner-city seats with similarly high Labour majorities, this constituency is the most affluent of all the Manchester seats, as it contains the medium-to-high income average areas of Chorlton and Didsbury, as well as mixed Old Moat and Withington neighbourhoods. Manchester Withington is a seat south of Manchester's city centre with a sizeable student population. It also has a particularly high number of young professionals and graduates. The southern border with Wythenshawe is the River Mersey, along which there are mostly green spaces, such as Fletcher Moss Park and Chorlton Water Park. Chorlton and Didsbury are mostly middle-class areas, with houses on leafy roads and thriving independent shops on their respective high streets. House prices are higher than other parts of Manchester, and the area has one of the highest proportion of graduates in the city. Many of the large Victorian family houses in Didsbury have been split into apartments for young professionals moving into the area.

## History

In the post-war period, Manchester Withington has elected all three major parties. Mostly Conservative before 1987 (with three years of Liberal Party representation near its 1918 inception), it even resisted being gained by Labour in its landslide victories in 1945 and 1966. However, in 1987 the seat turned red for the first time and remained so until 2005 when it was gained by Liberal Democrat John Leech. Leech took the seat with an 18% swing – the largest of the 2005 general election. He retained the seat in 2010, with both of the major parties' losing candidates becoming MPs elsewhere by the next election: Lucy Powell of Labour in Manchester Central in a 2012 by-election, and Conservative Chris Green in Bolton West in 2015.
Amidst a UK-wide collapse in support for the Lib Dems, the seat swung back to Labour in 2015 and in 2017 it became one of the safest Labour seats in the country, with an almost 30,000 majority for Jeff Smith. It was also one of the few seats in England outside London in 2015 where UKIP lost their deposit.
Smith retained the seat in 2019 with a slightly reduced majority, but this was halved in 2024 when a resurgent Green Party jumped from fourth to second place, overtaking the Liberal Democrats.

## Boundaries
### Historic

1918–1950: The County Borough of Manchester wards of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Didsbury, and Withington.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Manchester wards of Rusholme and Withington.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Manchester wards of Barlow Moor, Burnage, Levenshulme, Old Moat, and Withington.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Manchester wards of Barlow Moor, Burnage, Didsbury, Old Moat, and Withington.
1983–2018: The City of Manchester wards of Barlow Moor, Burnage, Chorlton, Didsbury, Old Moat, and Withington.
2018–2024: The City of Manchester wards of Burnage (part), Chorlton (part), Chorlton Park (part), Didsbury East, Didsbury West, Old Moat, and Withington.
Following a local government review of ward boundaries which became effective from May 2018, the contents of the constituency were adjusted, but this did not affect its boundaries.

### Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following wards of the City of Manchester (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
* Chorlton; Chorlton Park; Didsbury East; Didsbury West; Old Moat; Withington.
The boundaries were subject to minor changes to align with the revised ward boundaries, with the whole of the Burnage ward being included in the re-established constituency of Manchester Rusholme.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | Alfred Deakin Carter | Unionist |
| 1922 | Thomas Watts | Unionist |
| 1923 | Ernest Simon | Liberal |
| 1924 | Sir Thomas Watts | Unionist |
| 1929 | Ernest Simon | Liberal |
| 1931 | Edward Fleming | Conservative |
| 1950 | Frederick Cundiff | Conservative |
| 1951 | Sir Robert Cary | Conservative |
| Feb 1974 | Fred Silvester | Conservative |
| 1987 | Keith Bradley | Labour |
| 2005 | John Leech | Liberal Democrats |
| 2015 | Jeff Smith | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jeff Smith | 22,066 | 52.9 | –13.6 |
| | Green | Sam Easterby-Smith | 8,084 | 19.4 | +15.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Kilpatrick | 5,412 | 13.0 | –2.7 |
| | Conservative | Sarah Garcia de Bustos | 2,280 | 5.5 | –5.8 |
| | Reform UK | Kaine Williams | 1,961 | 4.7 | +2.2 |
| | Workers Party | Lizzie Greenwood | 1,774 | 4.3 | N/A |
| | SDP | Wendy Andrew | 154 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,982 | 33.5 | –17.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,731 | 59.2 | –10.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 70,549 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 14.5 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Labour | 33,100 | 66.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 7,803 | 15.7 |
| | Conservative | 5,607 | 11.3 |
| | Green | 2,015 | 4.0 |
| | Brexit Party | 1,269 | 2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 49,794 | 69.5 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 71,614 |
General election 2019: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jeff Smith | 35,902 | 67.8 | –3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Leech | 7,997 | 15.1 | –0.8 |
| | Conservative | Shengke Zhi | 5,820 | 11.0 | +0.7 |
| | Green | Lucy Bannister | 1,968 | 3.7 | +2.1 |
| | Brexit Party | Stephen Ward | 1,308 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 27,905 | 52.7 | –3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,995 | 69.5 | –2.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –1.6 | |
General election 2017: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jeff Smith | 38,424 | 71.7 | +18.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Leech | 8,549 | 15.9 | −8.1 |
| | Conservative | Sarah Heald | 5,530 | 10.3 | +0.5 |
| | Green | Laura Bannister | 865 | 1.6 | −6.5 |
| | Women's Equality | Sally Carr | 234 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29,875 | 55.8 | +26.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,602 | 71.9 | +4.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +13.0 | |
General election 2015: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jeff Smith | 26,843 | 53.7 | +13.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Leech | 11,970 | 24.0 | −20.6 |
| | Conservative | Robert Manning | 4,872 | 9.8 | −1.3 |
| | Green | Lucy Bannister | 4,048 | 8.1 | +6.3 |
| | UKIP | Mark Davies | 2,172 | 4.3 | +2.8 |
| | Independent | Marcus Farmer | 61 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,873 | 29.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,966 | 67.5 | +5.3 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +17.0 | |
General election 2010: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Leech | 20,110 | 44.6 | 2.2 |
| | Labour | Lucy Powell | 18,260 | 40.5 | 0.1 |
| | Conservative | Chris Green | 5,005 | 11.1 | 0.6 |
| | Green | Brian A. Candeland | 798 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| | UKIP | Robert Gutfreund-Walmsley | 698 | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| | Independent | Yasmin Zalzala | 147 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| | Independent | Marcus Farmer | 57 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,850 | 4.1 | 2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,075 | 62.2 | 6.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 1.4 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Leech | 15,872 | 42.4 | +20.4 |
| | Labour | Keith Bradley | 15,205 | 40.6 | −14.3 |
| | Conservative | Karen Bradley | 3,919 | 10.5 | −4.8 |
| | Green | Brian A. Candeland | 1,595 | 4.3 | −0.1 |
| | UKIP | Robert Gutfreund-Walmsley | 424 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Ivan Benett | 243 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Yasmin Zalzala | 152 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Their Party | Richard Reed | 47 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 667 | 1.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,459 | 55.3 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | +17.3 | |
General election 2001: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Bradley | 19,239 | 54.9 | −6.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Yasmin Zalzala | 7,715 | 22.0 | +8.4 |
| | Conservative | Julian Samways | 5,349 | 15.3 | −4.0 |
| | Green | Michelle Valentine | 1,539 | 4.4 | N/A |
| | Socialist Alliance | John Clegg | 1,208 | 3.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,524 | 32.9 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,050 | 51.9 | −13.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Bradley | 27,103 | 61.5 | +8.8 |
| | Conservative | Jonathan M. Smith | 8,522 | 19.3 | −12.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Yasmin Zalzala | 6,000 | 13.6 | −0.6 |
| | Referendum | Mark B.B. Sheppard | 1,079 | 2.5 | N/A |
| | ProLife Alliance | Simon P. Caldwell | 614 | 1.4 | N/A |
| | Socialist Alternative | Julie White | 376 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Rainbow Dream Ticket | Stephen Kingston | 181 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Mark E.J. Gaskell | 152 | 0.4 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,581 | 42.2 | +20.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,027 | 65.8 | −5.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +10.4 | |
General election 1992: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Bradley | 23,962 | 52.7 | +9.8 |
| | Conservative | Eric N. Farthing | 14,227 | 31.3 | −4.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Hennell | 6,457 | 14.2 | −5.6 |
| | Green | Brian A. Candeland | 725 | 1.6 | +0.6 |
| | Natural Law | Clive E. Menhinick | 128 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,735 | 21.4 | +14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,499 | 71.3 | −5.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.3 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Bradley | 21,650 | 42.9 | +8.7 |
| | Conservative | Fred Silvester | 18,259 | 36.2 | −3.0 |
| | Liberal | Audrey Jones | 9,978 | 19.8 | −6.4 |
| | Green | Michael Abberton | 524 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,391 | 6.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,411 | 77.1 | +4.8 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.9 | |
General election 1983: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Fred Silvester | 18,329 | 39.2 | −8.1 |
| | Labour | Frances Done | 15,956 | 34.2 | −4.7 |
| | SDP | Bernard L. Lever | 12,231 | 26.2 | N/A |
| | Independent | Michael Gibson | 184 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,373 | 5.0 | −3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,700 | 72.3 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.4 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Fred Silvester | 18,862 | 47.3 | +4.3 |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Hodgson | 15,510 | 38.9 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal | John T. Mitchell | 5,387 | 13.5 | −5.7 |
| | Independent | Michael George Gibson | 157 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,352 | 8.4 | +3.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,916 | 74.7 | +6.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election October 1974: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Fred Silvester | 16,937 | 43.0 | +0.6 |
| | Labour | Peter J. Hildrew | 14,936 | 37.8 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal | Nan Davies | 7,555 | 19.2 | −6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,001 | 5.2 | −5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,428 | 67.8 | −5.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.7 | |
General election February 1974: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Fred Silvester | 17,997 | 42.4 | −6.2 |
| | Labour | Sholto N.M. Moxley | 13,584 | 32.0 | −7.6 |
| | Liberal | Ian McWilliam-Fowler | 10,877 | 25.6 | +13.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,413 | 10.39 | +1.39 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,458 | 73.6 | +5.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Cary | 18,854 | 48.64 |
| | Labour | Michael Noble | 13,365 | 39.64 |
| | Liberal | James Clarney | 4,540 | 11.71 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,489 | 9.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,759 | 67.84 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Cary | 16,676 | 42.92 |
| | Labour | David Clark | 16,029 | 41.25 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Vaughan Davies | 6,150 | 15.83 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 647 | 1.67 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,855 | 71.18 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1964: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Cary | 18,259 | 44.28 |
| | Labour | Keith Openshaw | 13,117 | 31.18 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Vaughan Davies | 9,860 | 23.91 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,142 | 13.10 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,236 | 72.35 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Cary | 23,170 | 52.28 |
| | Labour | Robert Sheldon | 13,476 | 30.41 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Vaughan Davies | 7,675 | 17.32 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,694 | 21.83 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,321 | 74.54 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cary | 25,707 | 58.64 | |
| | Labour | John B. Hayes | 13,054 | 29.78 | |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Vaughan Davies | 5,077 | 11.58 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,653 | 28.86 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,838 | 71.94 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Cary | 26,804 | 64.73 |
| | Labour | James Clough | 14,604 | 35.27 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,200 | 29.46 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,408 | 80.29 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Frederick Cundiff | 22,817 | 52.32 |
| | Labour | Lewis Wright | 14,206 | 32.57 |
| | Liberal | Leonard Behrens | 6,591 | 15.11 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,611 | 19.75 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,614 | 85.31 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Manchester, Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Fleming | 30,881 | 46.4 | −15.9 |
| | Labour | R. Edwards | 22,634 | 34.0 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal | Leonard Behrens | 13,107 | 19.7 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,247 | 12.4 | −28.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,622 | 74.5 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Election in the 1930s

General election 1935: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Fleming | 35,564 | 62.27 | |
| | Labour | D. Scott Morton | 12,248 | 21.45 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Ross | 9,298 | 16.28 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,316 | 40.82 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,110 | 70.89 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Fleming | 36,097 | 62.8 | +23.0 |
| | Liberal | Philip Guedalla | 21,379 | 37.2 | −6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,562 | 11.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,168 | 75.8 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +14.8 | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Ernest Simon | 20,948 | 43.8 | +4.8 |
| | Unionist | Thomas Watts | 19,063 | 39.8 | −11.1 |
| | Labour | Joseph Robinson | 7,853 | 16.4 | +7.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,885 | 4.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,864 | 77.8 | −4.0 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +8.0 | |
General election 1924: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Thomas Watts | 13,633 | 50.9 | −7.3 |
| | Liberal | Ernest Simon | 10,435 | 39.0 | −19.2 |
| | Labour | Edgar Whiteley | 2,467 | 9.2 | N/A |
| | Independent | Kenneth Burke | 236 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,198 | 11.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,771 | 81.8 | +3.8 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Ernest Simon | 13,944 | 58.2 | +9.7 |
| | Unionist | Thomas Watts | 10,026 | 41.8 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,918 | 16.4 | 19.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,970 | 78.0 | +0.6 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +9.7 | |
General election 1922: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Thomas Watts | 11,678 | 51.5 | −17.8 |
| | Liberal | Ernest Simon | 11,008 | 48.5 | +17.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 670 | 3.0 | −35.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,686 | 77.4 | +38.8 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −17.8 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Manchester Withington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Alfred Deakin Carter | 11,677 | 69.3 | |
| | Liberal | George Frederick Burditt | 5,166 | 30.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,511 | 38.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,843 | | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |