St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)

Constituency profile

Electoral Calculus characterises the seat's electorate as "Kind Yuppies", with right-wing economic views but more liberal social attitudes. Incomes and house prices in this seat are well above UK averages. The seat voted decisively to remain in the European Union in 2016, with an estimated Remain vote of 62% compared to 48% nationally.

History

Up to 1852

The Parliamentary Borough of St Albans was represented by two MPs in the House of Commons of England from 1554 to 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 onwards, until it was disenfranchised as a result of electoral corruption in 1852.

1885 to date

; Political history before 1997

Until 1997 the seat was held by one Conservative or another save for the very early 20th century Official Opposition leadership of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and the follow-on first part of his premiership, governing in minority, and later – from 1945 – five of the six years seeing Labour's landslide Attlee ministry.

; Political history since 1997 The seat swung towards the left wing on boundary changes effective in 1997, and the founding of the New Labour movement which sought public sector reform and investment with expansion based on international investor-friendly economic growth. The seat followed its projections in line with the large swing led by Tony Blair, to sees its return to a Labour politician. Results, except for a strong Tory surge in 2015 are closer than the 1979–1992 Tory victories forming a complex three-party contest – only once another candidate in this time has reached the deposit (politics)-retaining threshold of 5% of the vote, UKIP at its 2015 peak.

Despite the former Labour MP for the seat, Kerry Pollard, standing there in 2005, 2015 and 2017, he fell varyingly short. The 2019 vote share fell to below that seen in the 1980s, locally, for the party's candidate – the party leader was to the left of the party, Jeremy Corbyn.

The seat has had great fluctuation in Liberal Democrat vote share: 2001 and 2015 were ebbs at below 20% of the vote; in 2010 and 2017 the Liberal Democrat candidate, promisingly, took 4.4% and 10.7% less than the winning Conservative. Liberal Democrat Daisy Cooper went on to win, in 2019. She became first member of a liberal party to represent the constituency since John Bamford Slack in early 1900s.

In December 2023, the Labour Party included the seat in its published list of 211 non-battleground seats, suggesting they did not see it as winnable.

Prominent members

The noble and local landowning Grimston family have produced nine members throughout the seat's history. The three first heirs to the Earldom of Verulam have won election in the seat – the latest MP from the family was John Grimston who later became the 6th Earl (died 1973).

Sir Hildred Carlile (died 1942) was a textiles entrepreneur and generous benefactor of Bedford College, University of London.

Francis Fremantle was chairman of the Parliamentary Medical Committee from 1923 to 1943.

Peter Lilley was a frontbench minister in government from 1992 until 1997, the Secretary of State for Social Security, after two years as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1885–1918

• The Municipal Borough of St Albans;
• The Sessional Divisions of Barnet and St Albans; and
• Parts of the Sessional Divisions of Watford, Hertford and Dacorum.

As well from the Borough of St Albans, the seat included the towns of Harpenden, Hatfield and Chipping Barnet.

1918–1945

• The Municipal Borough of St Albans;
• The Urban Districts of Barnet and East Barnet Valley;
• The Rural Districts of Barnet and Hatfield; and
• The Rural District of St Albans civil parishes of Sandridge Rural, St Michael Rural, St Peter Rural, and St Stephen.

North-western parts, including Harpenden, transferred to the new Hemel Hempstead Division. South-western corner (Aldenham) transferred to Watford.

1945–1950

• The Municipal Borough of St Albans;
• The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City;
• The Rural District of Hatfield; and
• The Rural District of St Albans civil parishes of Sandridge Rural, St Michael Rural, St Peter Rural, and St Stephen.

The Urban Districts of Barnet and East Barnet (formerly East Barnet Valley) and the Rural District of Elstree (formerly Barnet) formed the new Barnet Division. The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City had been formed as a separate local authority which had previously been partly in the Hitchin Division.  Other marginal changes as a result of changes to local authority boundaries.

1950–1955

• The Municipal Borough of St Albans;
• The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City;
• The Rural District of Welwyn; and
• The Rural District of St Albans civil parishes of Sandridge Rural, St Michael Rural, St Peter Rural, St Stephen, and Wheathampstead.

The Rural District of Welwyn was transferred from Hitchin and the parish of Wheathampstead from Hemel Hempstead.  The Rural District of Hatfield was transferred to Barnet.

1955–1974

• The Municipal Borough of St Albans; and
• The Rural District of St Albans civil parishes of Colney Heath, London Colney, Sandridge Rural, St Michael Rural, St Stephen, and Wheathampstead.

The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City and the Rural District of Welwyn were transferred to Hertford. (The parish of St Peter Rural had been divided into the parishes of Colney Heath and London Colney).

1974–1983

• The Municipal Borough of St Albans;
• The Urban District of Harpenden; and
• The Rural District of St Albans civil parishes of Harpenden Rural, Redbourn, St Michael Rural, Sandridge, and Wheathampstead.

Boundaries moved northwards: Harpenden U.D. and the parishes of Harpenden Rural and Redbourn were transferred in from Hemel Hempstead. The parishes of Colney Heath, London Colney and St Stephen were transferred out to form part of the new constituency of South Hertfordshire.

1983–1997

• The District of St Albans wards of Ashley, Batchwood, Clarence, Colney Heath, Cunningham, Harpenden East, Harpenden North, Harpenden South, Harpenden West, Marshalswick North, Marshalswick South, Redbourn, St Peter's, Sandridge, Sopwell, and Verulam.

Minor changes: Colney Heath transferred from abolished South Hertfordshire; Wheathampstead transferred to Welwyn Hatfield.

1997–2010

• The District of St Albans wards of Ashley, Batchwood, Clarence, Colney Heath, Cunningham, London Colney, Marshalswick North, Marshalswick South, Park Street, St Peter's, St Stephen's, Sopwell, and Verulam; and
• The District of Three Rivers ward of Bedmond.

Moved southwards again, gaining London Colney from Hertsmere, Park Street and St Stephen's from Watford and the Three Rivers District ward of Bedmond from South West Hertfordshire. Northern parts, including Harpenden, formed part of the new constituency of Hitchin and Harpenden.

2010–2024

• The City of St Albans wards of Ashley, Batchwood, Clarence, Colney Heath, Cunningham, London Colney, Marshalswick North, Marshalswick South, Park Street, St Peter's, St Stephen, Sopwell, and Verulam; and
• The Three Rivers District ward of Bedmond and Primrose Hill.

Marginal adjustments to bring the parliamentary boundaries in line with those of local government wards, which had changed since the 1995 review.

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 unchanged except for the small part in the District of Three Rivers, which was transferred to South West Hertfordshire.

Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2022, the constituency now comprises the following wards of the City of St Albans from the 2024 general election:

• Batchwood; Bernards Heath; Clarence; Colney Heath; Cunningham; Hill End; London Colney; Marshalswick East & Jersey Farm (majority); Marshalswick West (nearly all); Park Street; St Peters; St Stephen (nearly all); Sopwell; Verulam (nearly all). The seat is in Hertfordshire, England. Specifically, it comprises the cathedral city of St Albans and some of the surrounding countryside, mainly to the south of the city.

Neighbouring seats, clockwise from north, are: Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Welwyn Hatfield, Hertsmere, South West Hertfordshire.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1553–1640

MPs 1640–1852

MPs since 1885

Hertfordshire prior to 1885

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

|reg. electors = 72,739

Elections in the 2010s

• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 2005 and 2010 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful

Elections in the 1980s

• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1979 and 1983 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful

Elections in the 1970s

• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1970 and February 1974 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful.

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1951 and 1955 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful
• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1945 and 1950 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful

Elections in the 1940s

• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1935 and 1945 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 12,497

|reg. electors = 11,518

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors = 9,672

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 8,741

Elections in the 1850s

On 3 May 1852, the borough was disenfranchised after a Royal Commission found proof of extensive bribery. The electorate was incorporated into Hertfordshire.

|reg. electors = 483

• Caused by Raphael's death

Elections in the 1840s

|reg. electors = 532

|reg. electors = 541

• Caused by Hare's appointment as a Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria

|reg. electors = 532

|reg. electors = 532

• Caused by Grimston's resignation by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds

Elections in the 1830s

|reg. electors = 595

|reg. electors = 544

|reg. electors = 657

|reg. electors =

|reg. electors =

Notes

References

Sources

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh2wKY2rkDUC&q=Return+of+Members+of+Parliament
• D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125310/http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)

References

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19. {{cite DNB
20. Admiral from 1702
21. Created The Viscount Grimston (in the [[Peerage of Ireland]]), November 1719
22. On petition (in a dispute over the franchise), Hale was found not to have been duly elected
23. Pages 118 to 120,[[Lewis Namier]], ''[[The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III]]'' (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
24. The 2nd Viscount Grimston (in the [[Peerage of Ireland]]) from October 1756
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26. Styled Lord Bingham from October 1795, when his father was raised to an Earldom
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70. "UK General Election results February 1950". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources.
71. Large Labour Vote At St. Albans, Seat Held By Coalition, ''The Times'', Wednesday 24 December 1919, page 10
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