Barking (UK Parliament constituency)

Constituency profile

The constituency is located in the east of Greater London within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is entirely urban and includes the town of Barking, the western part of Dagenham and the residential area of Becontree.

Economic activity in the area was historically dominated by fishing and shipbuilding. Becontree is the largest council estate in the country and, upon its completion in the 1930s, was said to be the largest in the world. Average household income in the constituency is similar to the rest of the country, but considerably lower than the rest of London. Residents are generally younger, more deprived and less likely to own a house than the national average. The constituency is ethnically diverse; 42% of residents are White, 28% are Asian and 22% are Black.

In the most recent borough council election in 2022, every seat in the constituency was won by the Labour Party. Unlike most of London, Barking constituency is estimated to have voted in favour of leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, with the option receiving around 60% of the vote.

Political history

The area has elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1945, on strong majorities of over 20% of the vote, except for the results in 1983, 1987 and 1992. Margaret Hodge served as the MP for the seat from 1994 to 2024.

The rise in support for the British National Party since the turn of the 21st century saw the party attain 16.9% of the vote at the 2005 general election, with the Labour vote reduced by over 13% compared to the 2001. The BNP out-polled the Liberal Democrats for third place and were just 27 votes behind the Conservatives.

Party members and supporters were optimistic that the party would soon make a breakthrough into the UK parliament, and party leader Nick Griffin stood in Barking for the 2010 general election. However, his performance in Barking was poor, as he polled 14.6% of the vote (representing a decline in percentage terms compared to 2005), and Margaret Hodge retained the seat with 54.3% of the vote, doubling her majority. The Conservatives came second with 17.8%. During the run-up to the 2010 election, filmmaker Laura Fairrie had access to the British National Party and Labour Party campaigns, and later produced a documentary The Battle for Barking, which premiered on More 4 on 30 November 2010.

In 2015, the UKIP vote increased to almost 23%; this was predicted as they came the runners up in every ward in the 2014 Barking and Dagenham Council election, they came within 200 votes of winning 4 seats on the council.

In 2017, the UKIP vote collapsed, and Labour and the Conservatives both increased their share of the vote, although Labour's increase of 10.1% saw them claim 67.8% of the vote overall (their largest share in Barking at any election since the 1994 by-election and the greatest at a general election since 1970), increasing their majority from 35.5% to 45.3%. Despite a swing away from Labour in the 2019 election, its majority was still a healthy 34.7%.

Following Margaret Hodge's retirement as an MP, Labour's vote at the 2024 general election fell by 16.5%; however its majority only fell by 4.4% as the Conservative vote collapsed to 11.8%. Both Reform UK (14.2%) and the Green Party (13.7%) overtook the Conservatives, relegating them to fourth place. The Workers Party candidate took 9.8% of the vote.

Boundaries

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

|reg. electors = 79,825

Elections in the 2010s

| reg. electors = 77,946 |reg. electors = 77,022 |reg. electors = 73,977 |reg. electors = 73,868

Elections in the 2000s

|reg. electors = 57,658 |reg. electors = 55,229

Elections in the 1990s

|reg. electors = 53,458

• Changes are based on the notional 1992 election result, not the 1994 by-election.

|reg. electors = 49,635 |reg. electors = 50,454

Elections in the 1980s

|reg. electors = 51,639 |reg. electors = 52,362

Elections in the 1970s

|reg. electors = 48,289 |reg. electors = 50,039 |reg. electors = 49,617 |reg. electors = 49,363

Elections in the 1960s

|reg. electors = 48,281 |reg. electors = 50,326

Elections in the 1950s

|reg. electors = 51,654 |reg. electors = 53,314 |reg. electors = 55,219 |reg. electors = 54,627

Elections in the 1940s

| reg. electors = 47,770

Notes

References

References

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2. "BH History - The Boathouse Studios".
3. Brandon, Simon. (9 September 2021). "Becontree: the 100-year-old estate".
4. (13 September 2019). "Memories of Becontree council estate 100 years on".
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6. "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency".
7. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/constituency/a11.stm Barking] election result (BBC News online).
8. "The Battle for Barking". Channel 4.
9. [http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7032/7032_iii.pdf 2010 post-revision map Greater London and metropolitan areas of England]
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23. [http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/9-democracy/elections/2010/pdf/nominations-barking.pdf Statement of Persons Nominated]{{dead link. (October 2016)
24. [http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/barking Barking] {{Webarchive. link. (17 April 2010 UKPolling)
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