# Belper (UK Parliament constituency)

Belper is a former constituency in the UK Parliament. It was created at the 1918 general election as a county division of Derbyshire, comprising the area in the centre of the county and surrounding Derby, and named after the market town of Belper although this was in the north of the constituency. In 1950 it was expanded to include the far south of the county. It was a marginal constituency for most of its existence.
The area had an ever-expanding population after 1945 as prosperous suburbs of Derby were built outside the city boundaries. Lord George-Brown, who represented the seat at the time, wrote in 1971 after his defeat in the 1970 general election that "The electorate had increased by over 10,000 since 1966, mainly from the growth of middle-class housing estates, so that most of the new electors could be expected to vote Tory. Since my majority in 1966 was 4,274, an influx of 10,000 new voters, mainly Tory, obviously imperilled the seat." A Boundary Commission report issued in 1969 had recommended changes which would have removed the extra voters, but the Labour government of the time had delayed implementation of the report.

## Boundaries

When created in 1918, the constituency consisted of the Urban Districts of Alfreton, Belper and Heage, together with the Rural District of Belper and part of the Rural District of Repton (the civil parishes of Ash, Bearwardcote, Bretby, Burnaston, Dalbury Lees, Egginton, Etwall, Findern, Foremark, Ingleby, Mickleover, Newton Solney, Radbourne, Repton, Trusley, Twyford and Stenson, and Willington).
In 1950, boundary changes removed the Urban Districts of Alfreton and Heage to the Ilkeston constituency, together with the civil parish of Shipley from Belper Rural District. To compensate for this loss of electors, the changes transferred in the rest of the Repton Rural District from the West Derbyshire and South East Derbyshire constituencies. In addition from South East Derbyshire came the Urban District of Swadlincote.
In 1974 the boundaries were realigned with those for local government which had changed to transfer some electors to Derby; the constituency consisted of the urban districts of Belper and Swadlincote, and the rural districts of Repton and Belper except the civil parish of Shipley.
In 1983 the constituency was abolished; the largest part (40,000 voters around Swadlincote) formed the basis of South Derbyshire, 22,000 voters around Belper itself went to West Derbyshire, and 10,000 voters to Amber Valley.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1918 | John Hancock | Liberal |
| | 1923 | Herbert Wragg | Conservative |
| | 1929 | Jack Lees | Labour |
| | 1931 | Sir Herbert Wragg | Conservative |
| | 1945 | George Brown | Labour |
| | 1970 | Geoffrey Stewart-Smith | Conservative |
| | Feb 1974 | Roderick MacFarquhar | Labour |
| | 1979 | Sheila Faith | Conservative |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Hancock | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Hancock | 12,494 | 61.1 | N/A |
| | Labour | Oliver Wright | 7,942 | 38.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,552 | 22.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,436 | 63.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Herbert Wragg | 9,662 | 41.8 | New |
| | Labour | Oliver Wright | 7,284 | 31.5 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal | John Hancock | 6,178 | 26.7 | −34.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,378 | 10.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,124 | 70.0 | +6.4 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Herbert Wragg | 14,766 | 58.2 | +16.4 |
| | Labour | Jack Lees | 10,618 | 41.8 | +10.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,148 | 16.4 | +6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,384 | 74.5 | +4.5 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +3.1 | |
General election 1929: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack Lees | 15,958 | 43.0 | +1.2 |
| | Unionist | Herbert Wragg | 13,003 | 35.0 | −23.2 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Scott Anderson | 8,149 | 22.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,955 | 8.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,110 | 82.7 | +8.2 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | −12.2 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Herbert Wragg | 23,361 | 60.2 | +25.2 |
| | Labour | Jack Lees | 15,450 | 39.8 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,911 | 20.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,811 | 82.0 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +14.2 | |
General election 1935: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Herbert Wragg | 20,078 | 51.1 | −9.1 |
| | Labour | Jack Lees | 19,250 | 48.9 | +9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 828 | 2.2 | −18.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,328 | 76.8 | −5.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −9.1 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Brown | 24,319 | 52.9 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative | George Hampson | 15,438 | 33.5 | −17.6 |
| | Liberal | Robert Archibald Burrows | 6,276 | 13.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,881 | 19.4 | +17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,033 | 80.2 | +3.4 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | −10.8 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

Boundary changes occurred at this point.
General election 1950: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Alfred Brown | 30,904 | 53.2 |
| | Conservative | Michael Argyle | 21,581 | 37.1 |
| | Liberal | John Pickett Lawrie | 5,650 | 9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,323 | 16.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,135 | 88.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Alfred Brown | 32,875 | 57.1 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Middup | 24,678 | 42.9 | +5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,197 | 14.2 | −1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,553 | 86.8 | −2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.0 | |
General election 1955: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Alfred Brown | 30,214 | 55.6 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative | John Twells | 24,115 | 44.4 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,099 | 11.2 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,329 | 81.6 | −5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.5 | |
General election 1959: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Alfred Brown | 31,344 | 53.7 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative | Joyce Ratcliffe | 27,007 | 46.3 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,337 | 7.4 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,351 | 84.2 | +2.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.9 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Alfred Brown | 30,481 | 47.3 | −6.4 |
| | Conservative | John Lowther | 24,169 | 37.5 | −8.8 |
| | Liberal | Norman Heathcote | 9,807 | 15.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,312 | 9.8 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,457 | 86.1 | +1.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.2 | |
General election 1966: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Alfred Brown | 34,495 | 53.3 | +6.0 |
| | Conservative | John Lowther | 30,221 | 46.7 | +9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,274 | 6.6 | −3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,716 | 84.1 | −2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Stewart-Smith | 35,757 | 51.5 | +4.8 |
| | Labour | George Alfred Brown | 33,633 | 48.5 | −4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,124 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 69,390 | 80.1 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.8 | |
Boundary changes occurred at this point.
General election February 1974: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Roderick MacFarquhar | 30,611 | 51.7 | −4.1 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Stewart-Smith | 28,577 | 48.3 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,034 | 3.4 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,188 | 83.8 | +3.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.1 | |
General election October 1974: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Roderick MacFarquhar | 27,365 | 47.1 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | Simon Newall | 21,681 | 37.4 | −10.9 |
| | Liberal | Julian Wates | 9,017 | 15.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,684 | 9.7 | +6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,063 | 81.6 | −1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.2 | |
General election 1979: Belper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sheila Faith | 27,193 | 44.4 | +7.0 |
| | Labour | Roderick MacFarquhar | 26,311 | 42.9 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal | Malcolm Peel | 7,331 | 12.0 | −3.5 |
| | National Front | John Grand-Scrutton | 460 | 0.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 882 | 1.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,295 | 83.6 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +5.6 | |