Worcester (UK Parliament constituency)

Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Worcester.

1950–1983: The County Borough of Worcester, the Borough of Droitwich, and the Rural District of Droitwich.

1983–1997: The City of Worcester, and the District of Wychavon wards of Drakes Broughton, Inkberrow, Lenches, Pinvin, Spetchley, and Upton Snodsbury.

1997–present: The City of Worcester.

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

The constituency covers the city of Worcester, with (since the 1997 redistribution) exactly the same boundaries as the city. It borders the Mid Worcestershire constituency to the east, and West Worcestershire to the west.

History

A safe Conservative seat for many years (the Conservatives even narrowly held the seat in the 1945 Labour landslide), Worcester was represented by the high-profile Conservative cabinet minister Peter Walker for three decades, from a by-election in 1961 until he stood down in 1992. Peter Luff held the seat for the Conservatives until 1997, when he moved to the redrawn Mid Worcestershire constituency.

Mike Foster of the Labour Party gained the seat at the 1997 general election. This can be put down to a combination of Labour's landslide victory nationally, but also to the fact that boundary changes meant the constituency was now solely an urban area, rather than also containing much of the surrounding countryside.

Peter Walker's son, Robin Walker, was elected as the Conservative MP at the 2010 general election. The constituency is marginal and was selected as a "target" by the Labour Party in 1997, and by the Conservative Party in 2010. Robin Walker announced in March 2023 that he would not seek reelection and stood down from parliament at the dissolution in advance of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, when it was gained by Labour's Tom Collins.

Many political commentators and journalists look on Worcester as having the demographic statistics which most closely mirror those in the United Kingdom as a whole. As such the term "Worcester woman" has come into use as a description for a typical swing voter.

Members of Parliament

• Constituency created in 1295

MPs 1660–1885

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

|reg. electors = 56,622

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

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: Crawford Greene
• Liberal: Richard Fairbairn
• Labour: James Ferguson

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Electorate 22,667 |reg. electors = 22,667

|reg. electors = 8,701

|reg. electors = 8,701

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 8,460

|reg. electors = 8,412

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors = 7,617

|reg. electors = 6,999

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 6,714

|reg. electors = 6,714

|reg. electors = 6,422

Elections in the 1870s

|reg. electors = 6,290

• Caused by Sheriff's death.

|reg. electors = 5,578

Elections in the 1860s

|reg. electors = 5,542

|reg. electors = 2,309

• Caused by Laslett's resignation

Elections in the 1850s

|reg. electors = 2,563

|reg. electors = 2,530

|reg. electors = 2,290

• Caused by Rufford's resignation.

Elections of the 1840s

|reg. electors = 2,518

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

|reg. electors = 3,307

Elections of the 1830s

|reg. electors = 3,238

|reg. electors = 2,400

|reg. electors = 2,366

|reg. electors =

Notes

References

References

1. (4 March 2011). "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England.
2. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023".
3. "1386-1421 - Worcester". History of Parliament Trust.
4. "1509-1558 - Worcester". History of Parliament Trust.
5. [http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/brogden-%28bragdan-brockenden%29-edward-1527-57 Bragden biography] History of Parliament Online (biography gives other versions of his surname: Bragdan and Brockenden)
6. "1558-1603 Worcester". History of Parliament Trust.
7. {{rayment-hc. w. 5. (March 2012)
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12. (10 July 1846). "Friday, July 10. 1846". Hull Advertiser and Exchange Gazette.
13. (24 June 1847). "The General Election". Morning Post.
14. (8 July 1847). "To Correspondents". Worcester Journal.
15. (24 April 1852). "Election News". Preston Chronicle.
16. (30 April 1852). "General News". Monmouthshire Merlin.
17. (8 July 1852). "Worcester". Cheltenham Chronicle.
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36. The Liberal Magazine, 1939
37. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
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39. (1974). "British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918". Macmillan Press.
40. (20 Jul 1895). "Great Conservative Victory". [[Berrow's Worcester Journal.
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43. (2 December 1865). "Conservative Dinner in Worcester". Worcester Journal.
44. (14 March 1857). "Election Intelligence". Leeds Times.
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