Newark (UK Parliament constituency)

Boundaries

Historic

1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Newark, and the Rural Districts of Bingham, Newark, and Southwell.

1950–1955: The Municipal Borough of Newark, the Urban District of Mansfield Woodhouse, and the Rural Districts of Newark and Southwell.

1955–1983: The Municipal Borough of Newark, and the Rural Districts of Newark and Southwell.

1983–2010: The District of Newark wards of Beacon, Bridge, Bullpit Pinfold, Castle, Caunton, Collingham, Devon, Elston, Farndon, Magnus, Meering, Milton Lowfield, Muskham, Southwell East, Southwell West, Sutton on Trent, Trent, and Winthorpe, and the District of Bassetlaw wards of East Markham, East Retford East, East Retford North, East Retford West, Elkesley, Trent, and Tuxford.

2010–2024: The District of Newark and Sherwood wards of Balderton North, Balderton West, Beacon, Bridge, Castle, Caunton, Collingham and Meering, Devon, Farndon, Lowdham, Magnus, Muskham, Southwell East, Southwell North, Southwell West, Sutton-on-Trent, Trent, and Winthorpe, the District of Bassetlaw wards of East Markham, Rampton, Tuxford, and Trent, and the Borough of Rushcliffe wards of Bingham East, Bingham West, Cranmer, Oak, and Thoroton.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency was defined as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The District of Bassetlaw wards of: Clayworth; East Markham; Rampton; Sturton; Tuxford and Trent.
• The District of Newark & Sherwood wards of: Balderton North & Coddington; Balderton South; Beacon; Bridge; Castle; Collingham; Devon; Farndon & Fernwood; Muskham; Southwell; Sutton-on-Trent; Trent.
• The Borough of Rushcliffe wards of: Bingham East; Bingham West; Cranmer; East Bridgford; Thoroton. 1

The constituency saw minor boundary changes, primarily due to the redrawing of local authority ward boundaries.

1 Following a further local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, the parts in the Borough of Rushcliffe now comprise the following wards from the 2024 general election:

• Bingham North; Bingham South; Cranmer; East Bridgford; Newton (majority); and a small part of Nevile & Langar. The constituency covers large parts of the Newark and Sherwood district which encompasses the east of Nottinghamshire, as such includes the towns of Newark-on-Trent and Southwell, and the villages of Collingham and Sutton-on-Trent. It also covers parts of the Bassetlaw and Rushcliffe areas including Markham Moor and Bingham.

History

Newark was the last borough to be added to the Unreformed House of Commons which took place in 1673, prior to the Reform Act 1832. It returned two representatives to Parliament from 1673 until 1885.

Newark petitioned for enfranchisement as a parliamentary borough in the 1660s, in recognition of the town's royalist sympathies during the English Civil War. It was eventually enfranchised by a royal charter in early 1673, which gave the rights of election to the mayor and aldermen. However, the freemen of the town contested this, and held a separate election in which they selected a different member to the aldermen. The dispute in Parliament lasted until 1677, when the charter was withdrawn and a new one issued, causing a fresh election in which all inhabitants paying scot and lot could vote. In 1685, a third charter was issued, giving the right of election to all forty-shilling freeholders. The borough constituency existed until 1885, when it was replaced by a county division of the same name under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

The future Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, began his political career as Member of Parliament for Newark from 1832 to 1845. More recently, the Labour Party held Newark (on substantially different boundaries to the present ones) from 1950 until 1979, when it was taken by the Conservatives' Richard Alexander. Alexander lost his seat during Labour's landslide victory at the 1997 general election. The victorious Labour candidate, Fiona Jones, was convicted of electoral fraud and expelled from the House of Commons in 1999 over misrepresented election expenses. The conviction was later overturned upon appeal and she returned to Parliament. However, Jones lost her seat at the 2001 general election to Patrick Mercer of the Conservatives, who held it until 2014.

Mercer held the position of Shadow Minister for Homeland Security from June 2003 until March 2007, when he was forced to resign following racially contentious comments made to The Times.

The Newark constituency in 2010 lost the town of Retford to the Bassetlaw constituency (although Newark still has a smaller part of the Bassetlaw district), but gained land in and around Bingham from the Rushcliffe constituency, thus making it much safer Conservative territory.

Following an investigation by Commons authorities finding that Mr Mercer had engaged in paid lobbying, not properly reported the income or declared his interest, and repeatedly seriously denigrated other members, Patrick Mercer stepped down as MP for Newark on 30 April 2014.

Robert Jenrick was elected in the subsequent by-election, in the Conservative Party's largest by-election majority for four decades. He was appointed on 24 July 2019 as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. On 15 January 2026, Jenrick became one in a series of high-profile Conservatives to defect to Reform UK.

Constituency profile

Many towns are historic in architecture with many well-preserved listed buildings whereas much of the council housing in the constituency has been privately acquired under the right to buy. Nonetheless, there is a minority of social housing but the proportion is lower than the national average across the three districts.

Labour held the seat for one term following their 1997 landslide victory, but subsequent major boundary changes have brought in more rural areas and made the seat into one of the most strongly Conservative voting in the UK, with it being the only Conservative seat in Nottinghamshire after the 2024 general election.

Members of Parliament

MPs before 1885

MPs since 1885

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

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

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: Arthur Colefax
• Liberal: Robert Burley Wallis

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 10,863

|reg. electors = 10,310

Elections in the 1890s

• Caused by Finch-Hatton's resignation.

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 10,214

|reg. electors = 2,297

Elections in the 1870s

|reg. electors = 1,974

|reg. electors = 1,803

• Caused by Denison's death.

Elections in the 1860s

|reg. electors = 1,803

|reg. electors = 710

Elections in the 1850s

|reg. electors = 763

|reg. electors = 763

|reg. electors = 867

Elections in the 1840s

|reg. electors = 951

• Caused by Gladstone's appointment as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

• Caused by Gladstone's appointment as Vice-President of the Board of Trade and Master of the Mint

|reg. electors = 1,116

|reg. electors = 1,130

• Caused by Wilde's appointment as Solicitor General for England and Wales

Elections in the 1830s

|reg. electors = 1,221

|reg. electors = 1,273

|reg. electors = 1,575

|reg. electors =

|reg. electors =

• Caused by Willoughby's resignation

|reg. electors =

Notes

References

References

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53. "Newark".