Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)

Constituency profile

The Blackburn constituency is located in Lancashire and contains the large town of Blackburn. The town has an industrial heritage in textile manufacturing, especially cotton weaving. Coal mining also took place in the town.

Compared to national averages, house prices and household income in Blackburn are low and deprivation is high. Residents are less likely to be degree-educated and to work in professional jobs. The constituency is ethnically diverse; White and Asian people each make up 48% of the population. Asian residents primarily declared Pakistani (24%) or Indian (21%) origin, and almost all are Muslims.

The town is politically divided. At the most recent borough council election in 2024, residents in the north-eastern, predominantly Asian wards of the town elected independent councillors, whilst the mostly White wards of the south and west of the town were won by Conservative or Labour Party candidates. It is estimated that 55% of voters in the constituency favoured leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, slightly higher than the national figure of 52%.

Boundaries

Historic

1832–1885: The township of Blackburn.

1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Blackburn as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.

1918–1950: the county borough of Blackburn.

1955–1974: The county borough of Blackburn wards of Park, St. John's, St. Jude's, St. Luke's, St. Matthew's, St. Michael's, St. Paul's, St. Silas's, St. Stephen's, St. Thomas's and Trinity.

2010–2024: The district of Blackburn with Darwen wards of Audley, Bastwell, Beardwood and Lammack, Corporation Park, Ewood, Higher Croft, Little Harwood, Livesey with Pleasington, Meadowhead, Mill Hill, Queen's Park, Roe Lee, Shadsworth with Whitebirk, Shear Brow and Wensley Fold.

Following the 2007 review of parliamentary representation in Lancashire in the run up to the 2010 United Kingdom general election, including the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen, the Boundary Commission for England made minor boundary changes to the existing constituency.

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 Borough of Blackburn with Darwen (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• Audley & Queen’s Park; Bastwell & Daisyfield; Billinge & Beardwood; Blackburn Central; Blackburn South East; Ewood; Little Harwood & Whitebirk; Livesey with Pleasington; Mill Hill & Moorgate; Roe Lee; Shear Brow & Corporation Park; Wensley Fold. :Minor changes to reflect changes to local authority ward structure. The constituency encompasses the town of Blackburn in the North West of England. It borders four other constituencies: Ribble Valley to the north, Hyndburn to the east, Rossendale and Darwen to the south and Chorley to the west.

History

Blackburn was first enfranchised by the Reform Act 1832, as a two-member constituency, and was first used at the 1832 general election. It was abolished for the 1950 general election, replaced by two single member constituencies, Blackburn East and Blackburn West.

Blackburn was re-established as a single-member constituency for the 1955 general election, partially replacing Blackburn East and Blackburn West. After its re-establishment, the constituency was initially a marginal, but Blackburn was later considered to be a Labour Party stronghold prior to the 2024 general election—up until that point, it had only elected Labour MPs since its recreation in 1955. In 2024 Blackburn was won by Adnan Hussain, an independent candidate who campaigned largely on the issue of the genocide of Palestinians during the Gaza war. Three other previously safe Labour seats saw similar results at that election, all of which had large Muslim populations.

The constituency of Blackburn has been represented by two prominent frontbenchers in the Cabinet: Barbara Castle, a First Secretary of State (amongst other roles) who stood down from this seat to become a Member of the European Parliament, and Jack Straw, who served as Home Secretary and then Foreign Secretary in the Blair government.

1997 general election

Jack Straw's Conservative challenger in the 1997 general election, Geeta Sidhu-Robb, was filmed with a megaphone during the election campaign, exclaiming in Urdu or Gujarati: "Don't vote for a Jew, Jack Straw is a Jew. If you vote for him, you're voting for a Jew. Jews are the enemies of Muslims." Sidhu-Robb said that this was in response to racist campaigning by the Labour Party, who she accused of claiming that she was "against Islam". She felt that Labour were "making it personal", and she took particular umbrage as her husband was Muslim. Sidhu-Robb later said she wished she had not made those comments about Straw, saying she did so because she was "furious" and that she "didn't want racism and bigotry to play a part in anything that [she] had anything to do with." Nonetheless, her comments regarding Straw's religion resurfaced over 20 years later, when Sidhu-Robb was competing to be nominated as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2021 London Mayoral election, causing the Liberal Democrats to remove her from consideration for their candidacy.

2005 general election

Blackburn's then MP, Straw, was primarily challenged in the 2005 general election by the Conservative Party, but the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, also stood for election in the seat as an Independent. Murray said: "I've been approached by several people in the Asian community who are under huge pressure from Labour activists talking up the [BNP's chances] to apply for a postal vote rather than a ballot vote and then hand their postal vote over to the Labour party." Over 50% more people used postal votes in the 2005 general election in Blackburn than in 2001. The BNP had not stood in the previous two elections, but this time had a candidate, who polled 5.4% of the vote, and beat Murray to come fourth. Both were outperformed by the Liberal Democrats in third place, and the Conservatives, who remained second. Straw held on comfortably, albeit with a reduced majority; his winning vote share of 42% was the smallest since the seat became a single-member constituency until the 2024 result.

2015 general election

In August 2011, Jack Straw claimed that he had no plans to retire, despite turning 65 earlier that month. Two years later, on 25 October 2013, Straw announced that he would stand down as Blackburn's MP at the next election. In March 2014, Kate Hollern was selected, via an all women shortlist, as the candidate for Labour for the 2015 general election, and held the seat.

Members of Parliament

Two-member constituency (1832–1950)

Single member constituency (1955–present)

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

votes=10,518

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Back to elections

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Conservative: W. D. Smiles, George Elliston
• Labour: James Bell, William John Tout Back to elections

Elections in the 1930s

Back to elections

Elections in the 1920s

Back to elections

Elections in the 1910s

|reg. electors = 22,572 |reg. electors = 22,572 Back to elections

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 21,127

|reg. electors = 19,496 Back to elections

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors = 18,275

|reg. electors = 17,661 Back to elections

Elections in the 1880s

thumb|120px|Briggs |reg. electors=16,329

|reg. electors=13,062 Back to elections

Elections in the 1870s

title=By-election, 2 Oct 1875 |reg. electors = 11,721

• Caused by Feilden's death.

title=General election 1874: Blackburn |reg. electors = 11,195 Back to elections

Elections in the 1860s

title=By-election, 30 March 1869: Blackburn{{cite news |access-date= |reg. electors = 9,183

• Caused by the 1868 election being declared void on petition after "undue influence by those who held the position of agents in the canvass".

title=General election, 1868: Blackburn |reg. electors = 9,183

title=General election, 1865: Blackburn |reg. electors = 1,894 Back to elections

Elections in the 1850s

title=General election, 1859: Blackburn |reg. electors = 1,617

title=General election, 1857: Blackburn |reg. electors = 1,518

title=By-election, 24 March 1853: Blackburn |reg. electors = 1,325

• Caused by Eccles' election being declared void on petition, due to bribery.

title=General election, 1852: Blackburn |reg. electors = 1,258 Back to elections

Elections in the 1840s

title=General election, 1847: Blackburn |reg. electors = 1,121

title=General election, 1841: Blackburn |reg. electors = 906 Back to elections

Elections in the 1830s

title=General election, 1837: Blackburn |reg. electors = 842

title=General election, 1835: Blackburn |reg. electors = 761

title=General election, 1832: Blackburn |reg. electors = 626

Back to elections

Notes

References

References

1. (14 April 2008). "Blackburn: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. Beattie (1992), p. 49.
3. Burrow, J. & Co. (Eds.) (1960), p. 8.
4. "Coal mining in Blackburn with Darwen". Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.
5. "Seat Details - Blackburn".
6. (4 July 2024). "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency".
7. "2021 census results: Religion in your constituency".
8. (1832). "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament.". His Majesty's statute and law printers.
9. . (1885). ["The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria"](https://archive.org/details/publicgeneralac01walegoog). *Eyre and Spottiswoode*.
10. Mayer, Sylvain. (1918). "Representation of the People Act 1918 and the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918". Waterlow and Sons Limited.
11. {{Cite legislation UK. (1955). (5 January 1955)
12. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023".
13. (13 September 2020). "Exclusive: A Lib dem Prospective Mayoral Candidate Was Filmed Urging Voters Not to Vote for a Jewish Candidate During a Failed Election Bid".
14. Could the election be won by fraud?, Robert Winnett and Abul Taher, ''[[The Sunday Times]]'', 10 April 2005
15. (14 August 2011). "Jack Straw has no plans to retire despite hitting 65". Lancashire Telegraph.
16. (25 October 2013). "Jack Straw to step down as Labour MP for Blackburn". BBC News.
17. {{Rayment-hc. b. 3. (March 2012)
18. (1838). "The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838".
19. (1981). "Ten Per Cent and No Surrender: The Preston Strike 1853–1854". Cambridge University Press.
20. (19 June 2003). "Scandal gripped the nation". Lancashire Telegraph.
21. (2001). "The Middlemost and the Milltowns: Bourgeois Culture and Politics in Early Industrial England". Stanford University Press.
22. (1889). "The Parliamentary Representation of Lancashire (County and Borough) 1258–1885 with Biographical and Genealogical Notices of the Members". Henry Gray.
23. (31 July 1847). "The General Election". The Spectator.
24. "The Diary of Charles Tiplady". Cotton Town.
25. "Blackburn – General election results 2024". BBC News.
26. "Blackburn Parliamentary constituency". BBC.
27. "Blackburn parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
28. (1974). "British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885–1918". Macmillan Press.
29. . ["Edwin Hamer, Mayor of Blackburn 1899–1900"](http://www.cottontown.org/Politics/Mayors/Pages/20th-Century.aspx#0).
30. "Late 19th Century". Blackburn with Darwen Council.
31. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
32. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
33. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
34. (2 January 1886). "Blackburn". Preston Herald.
35. (1977). "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885". Macmillan Press.
36. (2 October 1875). "Blackburn Election". Jersey Independent and Daily Telegraph.
37. (25 September 1875). "Election of Blackburn". Preston Herald.
38. (28 January 1874). "The General Election". Western Daily Mercury.
39. (20 March 1869). "Blackburn Election Petition". Preston Chronicle.
40. (23 April 1859). "Representation of Blackburn". Preston Chronicle.
41. (26 March 1853). "Blackburn Election". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser.
42. (6 August 1847). "Durham Chronicle".
43. (24 July 1847). "Blackburn Election". Preston Chronicle.
44. (31 July 1847). "Blackburn". Bell's Weekly Messenger.