Bootle (UK Parliament constituency)

Constituency profile

The Bootle constituency is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton within the county of Merseyside. It is part of Liverpool's urban area and lies to the north of the city centre. Within the constituency are the towns of Bootle, Litherland and Waterloo. Like much of Merseyside, the Bootle area has a maritime history, a large Irish-descended population, and has experienced economic decline with the decrease in importance of the Port of Liverpool.

Compared to national averages, residents of the constituency are more religious and have lower levels of wealth, education and professional employment. House prices are very low and there is a large proportion of social housing. White people make up 95% of the population. At the local council, almost all of the seats in the Bootle constituency are represented by Labour Party councillors. It is estimated that voters in the constituency were evenly split in the 2016 referendum on European Union membership, with 50% supporting and 50% opposing Brexit.

History

From 1885 to 1935, the constituency returned mostly Conservative MPs, with its most notable MP being Conservative Party leader Bonar Law from 1911 to 1918, when property qualifications for the vote were abolished. Bonar Law would later serve as UK prime minister from 1922 to 1923, though at that point he no longer represented Bootle in the House of Commons. James Burnie of the Liberal Party held the seat from 1922 to 1924, and the seat was briefly held by John Kinley from the Labour Party from 1929 to 1931 and became a Conservative–Labour marginal seat in the 1930s when the mainstream Labour party formed the National Government. The Labour Party has held it continuously since the 1945 general election; this period saw two decades of steep decline in the profitability of Liverpool Docks, manufacturing and shipbuilding, which employed many constituents. At the three general elections from 1997, Bootle was the safest seat for any party in the United Kingdom by percentage of majority.

In 1990, two by-elections were held in Bootle. The first followed the death of Allan Roberts on 21 February, and was held on 24 May. Jack Holmes, the candidate of the continuing Social Democratic Party (representing the faction of the party which did not merge with the Liberal Democrats) was beaten by Screaming Lord Sutch of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, contributing to the end of the SDP. The victorious Labour candidate, Michael Carr unexpectedly died on 20 July 1990 after just 57 days in office.

The second by-election, held on 8 November 1990, was won by the Labour candidate, Joe Benton. Benton retained Bootle at the next four general elections with large majorities. At the 2005 general election, the seat was the safest seat by percentage of majority and had the highest winning share of the vote. In June 2014, Benton announced that he would retire at the 2015 general election.

The 2015 result made the seat the fifth-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority (with a winning vote share of 74.5% and a majority of 63.6%). Bootle remained a safe seat into the 2020s, becoming the safest seat for Labour by this metric in 2024 (despite a decrease of the vote share by 10.7%) with a winning vote share of 68.7%; this gave Labour a 56.5% majority over Reform UK.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Boroughs of Bootle-cum-Linacre and Liverpool, the parishes of Childwall, Fazakerley, Walton-on-the-Hill, and Wavertree, and parts of the parishes of Toxteth Park and West Derby.

1918–1950: The County Borough of Bootle.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Bootle, and the Urban District of Litherland.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Bootle.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Bootle, and the Urban District of Litherland.

1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Church, Derby, Ford, Linacre, Litherland, Netherton, Orrell, and St Oswald.

1997–2010: As above less Church ward.

2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Church, Derby, Ford, Linacre, Litherland, Netherton and Orrell, St Oswald, and Victoria.

Boundary changes that came into force as a result of the 2010 general election being called saw the constituency grow to also include parts of the old Crosby constituency, with the electoral wards of Church and Victoria being added. Although these areas are more affluent than some parts of Bootle, it has not made the seat any less safe for Labour.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.

The constituency covers the southern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside. This comprises Bootle itself plus other localities including Crosby, Waterloo, Seaforth, Litherland, Netherton, Orrell and Ford.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

| access-date = 10 May 2015}}

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Bonar Law
• Liberal:

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 20,721

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors = 15,772

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 14,663

Notes

References

Sources

• Election results, 1950 – 2005
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1885 – 1918
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918 – 1949

References

1. "Bootle: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. "Bootle tourist information". Tour UK.
3. "Seat Details - Bootle".
4. "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics".
5. (4 July 2024). "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency".
6. [http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2005/RP05-033.pdf report], p14
7. "Majority by Constituency {{!".
8. "Labour Members of Parliament 2015".
9. . (1956). ["Statutory Instruments 1955"](https://books.google.com/books?id=8TDyAAAAMAAJ). *[[Her Majesty's Stationery Office]]*.
10. {{cite legislation UK. (1970)
11. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023".
12. {{Rayment-hc. b. 4. (March 2012)
13. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001113 Bootle]
14. "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council.
15. "Bootle Parliamentary constituency". BBC.
16. (11 May 2017). "General Election 2017: who is standing for election". Liverpool Echo.
17. "Election Data 2015". [[Electoral Calculus]].
18. "Election Data 2010". [[Electoral Calculus]].
19. "Election Data 2005". [[Electoral Calculus]].
20. "Election Data 2001". [[Electoral Calculus]].
21. "Election Data 1997". [[Electoral Calculus]].
22. "Election Data 1992". [[Electoral Calculus]].
23. (9 April 1992). "UK General Election results April 1992". Politics Resources.
24. The changes and swing are calculated relative to the 1987 general election, not to either of the 1990 by-elections.
25. "Election Data 1987". [[Electoral Calculus]].
26. "Election Data 1983". [[Electoral Calculus]].
27. (1974). "British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918". Macmillan Press.