Leicester East

Constituency profile

This is an urban constituency, much of which is densely developed as housing, retail or industry. The seat does not include central Leicester, skirting its ring road, but is served by buses and cycle routes into Leicester City Centre, which is within normal walking distance of the division's south-west quarter. The boundaries include a golf course situated in the south-east and a large municipal garden in the north-west.

Leicester East has an extremely high South Asian population. In 1981, 26% of the population was non-white. The constituency had the highest concentration of East Africa–born people (9.2% of the population – most of them ethnically South Asian) in 1981. By the late 1980s, Leicester East was possibly just over 30% Asian. Almost a third of the population was Hindu in 2011, and the majority of the other people of Asian ethnicity are of Muslim or Sikh faiths. People of mixed ethnicities are gradually increasing in number – to 3.1% of the population in 2011.

History

First creation

The seat was created in 1918 and for the next four years was served by Sir Gordon Hewart KC, who resigned to become Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. In 1950 the area was divided between Leicester North East and Leicester South East.

Second (current) creation

The constituency was re-created in 1974.

;Summary of results Leicester East has been won by the Labour Party's candidate in 12 of the 14 elections since it was re-created. Its MP from 1987 to 2019, Keith Vaz, won an absolute majority of votes from the 1992 general election onward. It had been narrowly won by Conservative Party candidate Peter Bruinvels (a lay canon) at the height of his party's popularity in 1983. The following election saw Vaz regain the seat for Labour; he held it at every election thereafter, from 1997 onward always winning by margins of over 29% and 13,000 votes, until he stood down at the 2019 general election. The result in 2015 made the constituency the 37th-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage majority. Vaz won his highest majority, 22,428 votes (42.8%), in 2017. In 2019 Labour held the seat with a substantially reduced majority of 6,019, down from 22,428 – a swing of 15%.

The constituency was the sole gain by the Conservatives at the 2024 general election, when Shivani Raja was elected with 31.1% of the vote.

;Opposition parties The Conservative Party candidate has been runner-up in every election save for Bruinvels' win in 1983 and Raja's victory in 2024. The candidate of UKIP took third place in 2015, for the first time; her 2010 counterpart had won 1.5% of the vote, the party not having previously stood in the constituency. The pro-UKIP swing between the 2010 and 2015 elections, of 7.4%, was less than the national average of 9.5%. Susan Cooper was 1.8% away from second place in 2005, giving the best result of a Liberal Democrat to date, attracting just under a fifth of the vote.

;Turnout Turnout in the recreated seat has ranged between 78.7% in 1992 and 61.0% in 2024.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Latimer, Spinney Hill, and West Humberstone.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Evington, Humberstone, and Latimer.

1983–2010: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone, Latimer, Rushey Mead, Thurncourt, and West Humberstone.

2010–2024: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton, Latimer, Rushey Mead, and Thurncourt.

2024–present: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton, North Evington, Rushey Mead, Thurncourt and Troon, with polling district EVF in Evington ward transferred out to Leicester South.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1918–1950

Leicester prior to 1918

MPs since 1974

Leicester South East and Leicester North East prior to 1974

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

|reg. electors=76,560

Elections in the 2010s

In November 2021 Webbe was given a 10-week suspended sentence for making threatening phone calls to a friend of her partner. Webbe, who since September 2020 had been suspended from the Labour Party and was sitting as an independent MP, was then expelled from the party and continued to sit as an independent until Parliament was dissolved.

Elections in the 2000s

In 2005 this seat bucked the national trend as there was a swing to Labour whereas the national swing was 2.5% to the Conservatives.

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

|reg. electors = 54,364 |reg. electors = 39,906 |reg. electors = 38,658 |reg. electors = 37,749 |reg. electors = 37,319

Election in the 1910s

|reg. electors = 37,687

Notes

References

References

1. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – East Midlands". Boundary Commission for England.
2. Studlar, Donley T.. (1 September 1983). "The ethnic vote, 1983: Problems of analysis and interpretation". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.
3. (1 August 1984). "The electoral geography of immigrant groups in Britain". Electoral Studies.
4. Bald, Suresht R.. (1 July 1989). "The South Asian presence in British electoral politics". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.
5. "Census Publications – House of Commons Library".
6. "Labour Members of Parliament 2015".
7. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023".
8. {{Rayment-hc. l. 2. (March 2012)
9. "Leicester East – General election results 2024". [[BBC News]].
10. (24 May 2024). "Leicester MP Claudia Webbe will fight again for her seat in Westminster".
11. Patel, Asha. (7 June 2024). "Keith Vaz to stand as MP for Leicester East". [[BBC News]].
12. "Leicester East Parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
13. (4 November 2021). "Claudia Webbe: MP convicted of harassment gets suspended sentence". BBC News.
14. Mack, Tom. (4 November 2021). "MP Claudia Webbe expelled from Labour Party after being handed suspended prison sentence". Leicester Mercury.
15. "Election Data 2015".
16. "Election Data 2010".
17. (March 2010). "Full slate in Leicestershire as BNP candidate nominated in Leicester East".
18. "Green Candidate Mo Taylor for Leicester East".
19. "Election Data 2005".
20. "Election Data 2001".
21. "Election Data 1997".
22. "Election Data 1992".
23. (9 April 1992). "General Election 1992".
24. "Election Data 1987".
25. "Election Data 1983".
26. "UK General Election results: February 1974 [Archive]".
27. Craig, F.W.S.. (1969). "British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949". Political Reference Publications.