Wirral South
Encyclopedia
Wirral South is a county constituency in Merseyside, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first-past-the-post
system of election, and was first contested in 1983
.
and Bebington and Ellesmere Port
. Both had been held by the Conservative Party
, for whom Barry Porter
took the new seat in that year's general election. Following the death of Porter in late 1996, a by-election was held in February 1997
. This was the last by-election of that Parliament, held a matter of weeks before the general election was called. It was won by Ben Chapman
of the Labour Party
, who held the seat until retiring following controversy over his expenses. Labour narrowly managed to hold on in the 2010 General Election.
, covering the south of the borough. Like its neighbour Wirral West, it is a predominantly middle-class area. It contains the towns of Heswall
and Bebington
and the villages of Bromborough
, Eastham
, Brimstage
and Thornton Hough
.
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 elects 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
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
system of election, and was first contested in 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...
.
History
The constituency was formed from parts of the former seats of WirralWirral (UK Parliament constituency)
Wirral was a county constituency which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
and Bebington and Ellesmere Port
Bebington and Ellesmere Port (UK Parliament constituency)
Bebington and Ellesmere Port was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system...
. Both had been held by the Conservative Party
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...
, for whom Barry Porter
Barry Porter
George Barrington Porter, known as Barry Porter was a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician....
took the new seat in that year's general election. Following the death of Porter in late 1996, a by-election was held in February 1997
Wirral South by-election, 1997
A by-election was held for the United Kingdom parliament constituency of Wirral South, in Merseyside, England, on 27 February 1997. The seat became vacant on the death of Conservative Party Member of Parliament Barry Porter, and was won by Labour's Ben Chapman....
. This was the last by-election of that Parliament, held a matter of weeks before the general election was called. It was won by Ben Chapman
Ben Chapman (politician)
James Keith Chapman, known as Ben Chapman, is a British Labour Party politician and former civil servant who was the Member of Parliament for Wirral South from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
of the Labour Party
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...
, who held the seat until retiring following controversy over his expenses. Labour narrowly managed to hold on in the 2010 General Election.
Boundaries
The constituency is one of four covering the Metropolitan Borough of WirralMetropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
, covering the south of the borough. Like its neighbour Wirral West, it is a predominantly middle-class area. It contains the towns of Heswall
Heswall
Heswall is a town in Wirral, in the county of Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. At the time of the 2001 Census, the total population of the ward was 16,012 , which included the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton...
and Bebington
Bebington
Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It lies south of Liverpool and west southwest of Manchester, along the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula...
and the villages of Bromborough
Bromborough
Bromborough is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bebington and to the north of Eastham...
, Eastham
Eastham, Merseyside
Eastham is a village and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bromborough...
, Brimstage
Brimstage
Brimstage is a village located in the centremost part of the Wirral Peninsula, England, east of Heswall and west of Bebington. The village is located in the Clatterbridge Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South.At the time of the 2001 Census,...
and Thornton Hough
Thornton Hough
Thornton Hough is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England, of pre-Conquest origins and historically a part of Cheshire. The village grew during the ownership of Joseph Hirst into a small model village and was later acquired by William Lever...
.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Barry Porter Barry Porter George Barrington Porter, known as Barry Porter was a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician.... |
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... |
|
| 1997 by-election Wirral South by-election, 1997 A by-election was held for the United Kingdom parliament constituency of Wirral South, in Merseyside, England, on 27 February 1997. The seat became vacant on the death of Conservative Party Member of Parliament Barry Porter, and was won by Labour's Ben Chapman.... |
Ben Chapman Ben Chapman (politician) James Keith Chapman, known as Ben Chapman, is a British Labour Party politician and former civil servant who was the Member of Parliament for Wirral South from 1997 to 2010.-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... |
|
| 2010 | Alison McGovern Alison McGovern Alison McGovern is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Wirral South since 2010.-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... |
|
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
See also
- List of Parliamentary constituencies on Merseyside
- Wirral South by-election, 1997Wirral South by-election, 1997A by-election was held for the United Kingdom parliament constituency of Wirral South, in Merseyside, England, on 27 February 1997. The seat became vacant on the death of Conservative Party Member of Parliament Barry Porter, and was won by Labour's Ben Chapman....