Lewisham West
Encyclopedia
Lewisham West was a borough constituency in south-east London represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elected one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election from 1918
, until it was abolished for the 2010 general election.
seat, being won by whichever party won the General Election (with the exception of 1979). However, long-term demographic trends have since turned the seat away from being a Labour-Conservative marginal into a safe Labour seat. Partly this has occurred because of a strong increase in the number of ethnic minority residents. At the same time, the communities of Catford, Sydenham and Forest Hill have become much less leafy and suburban over the past 30 years. The large council estate of Bellingham has always been a Labour stronghold, and the other areas of the seat can also now be regarded as quite safe for Labour, whereas in the past they were not.
, Sydenham
, Forest Hill
and Bellingham
.
, the Boundary Commission for England have created a new constituency of Lewisham West and Penge
, which creates a cross-border constituency. Electoral wards from Bromley
and Lewisham
are used in the creation of this new seat.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elected one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election from 1918
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, until it was abolished for the 2010 general election.
History
From 1966 until 1992, Lewisham West was a classic bellwetherBellwether
A bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.The term is derived from the Middle English bellewether and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram leading his flock of sheep.The movements of...
seat, being won by whichever party won the General Election (with the exception of 1979). However, long-term demographic trends have since turned the seat away from being a Labour-Conservative marginal into a safe Labour seat. Partly this has occurred because of a strong increase in the number of ethnic minority residents. At the same time, the communities of Catford, Sydenham and Forest Hill have become much less leafy and suburban over the past 30 years. The large council estate of Bellingham has always been a Labour stronghold, and the other areas of the seat can also now be regarded as quite safe for Labour, whereas in the past they were not.
Boundaries
Lewisham West constituency covered the south-western part of the London Borough of Lewisham, being largely based on the communities of CatfordCatford
Catford is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Architecture:...
, Sydenham
Sydenham
Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...
, Forest Hill
Forest Hill, London
Forest Hill is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It situated between Dulwich and Sydenham. The area has enjoyed extensive investment since plans to extend the East London Line to Forest Hill were unveiled in 2004....
and Bellingham
Bellingham, London
Bellingham is a neighbourhood and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham, and consists mainly of social/council housing built in the 1920s on what was then farm land. Many houses have been bought by the tenants under the Right to Buy Scheme. However, the majority are still rented out to...
.
Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South LondonSouth London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, the Boundary Commission for England have created a new constituency of Lewisham West and Penge
Lewisham West and Penge (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewisham West and Penge is a cross-border constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, which creates a cross-border constituency. Electoral wards from Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
and Lewisham
Lewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
are used in the creation of this new seat.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did... |
Edward Feetham Coates | Coalition Conservative | |
| 1921 by-election Lewisham West by-election, 1921 The Lewisham West by-election, 1921 was a by-election held on 13 September 1921 for the British House of Commons constituency of Lewisham West.... |
Philip Dawson Philip Dawson Sir Philip Dawson was a British electrical engineer and Conservative politician.Following education at Ghent and Liège Universities, Dawson became a member of the Institutes of Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineers. He became a partner in the firm of Kincaid, Waller, Manville and Dawson,... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1938 by-election Lewisham West by-election, 1938 The Lewisham West by-election, 1938 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Lewisham West on 24 November 1938.-Campaign:... |
Henry Brooke Henry Brooke, Baron Brooke of Cumnor Henry Brooke, Baron Brooke of Cumnor CH, PC was a British Conservative Party politician.-Political career:... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1945 United Kingdom general election, 1945 The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to... |
Arthur Skeffington Arthur Skeffington Arthur Massey Skeffington was a British Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for 23 years between 1945 and 1971.... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
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| 1950 United Kingdom general election, 1950 The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five... |
Henry Price Henry Price (politician) Henry Alfred Price, CBE was a British company director and politician. He came from a working-class background but did well in business in the paper trade, where he set up his own business... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power... |
Patrick McNair-Wilson Patrick McNair-Wilson Sir Patrick Michael Ernest David McNair-Wilson is a British Conservative politician.McNair-Wilson was educated at Eton College and was commissioned in the Coldstream Guards 1947-52, serving in Palestine and North Africa... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1966 United Kingdom general election, 1966 The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs... |
James Dickens James Dickens (UK politician) James McCulloch York Dickens has been a British Labour politician. He was Member of Parliament for the marginal constituency of Lewisham West from 1966 to 1970.He was a member of the Tribune Group of left-wing MPs. His seat was gained by the Conservative candidate John Gummer.After leaving... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
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| 1970 United Kingdom general election, 1970 The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their... |
John Gummer John Gummer John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, PC is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal, now a member of the House of Lords. He is Chairman of the environmental consultancy company Sancroft International and Chairman of Veolia Water... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| Feb 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
Christopher Price Christopher Price (UK politician) Christopher Price is a former Labour politician in the United Kingdom.Price was educated at Leeds Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford where he was secretary of the Labour Club in 1953... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
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| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
John Maples John Maples John Cradock Maples, Baron Maples is British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament representing Lewisham West from 1982 to 1992 and Stratford-upon-Avon from 1997 to 2010... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... |
Jim Dowd Jim Dowd (politician) James Patrick Dowd is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, first for Lewisham West and since 2010 for Lewisham West and Penge.-Early life:... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
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| 2010 | constituency abolished: see Lewisham West and Penge Lewisham West and Penge (UK Parliament constituency) Lewisham West and Penge is a cross-border constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
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