Southend West and Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) facts for kids
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Southend West and Leigh is an area in the UK Parliament that elects one person to represent it. This area is called a constituency. The person elected is known as a Member of Parliament (MP). In the most recent election in 2024, David Burton-Sampson from the Labour Party became the MP for this area. Before him, Anna Firth was the MP. She won a special election in 2022 after the previous MP, David Amess, sadly passed away.
Before the 2024 election, this area was simply known as Southend West.
Contents
History of Southend West and Leigh
This constituency was first created for the 1950 general election. It was formed when the older area called Southend-on-Sea was divided into two parts.
For a long time, the Conservative Party always won the elections here. It was often seen as a very safe area for them to win. This means they usually had a large number of votes more than other parties.
Because four members of the Guinness family have been MPs for this area (or its earlier version), some people jokingly called it "Guinness-on-Sea."
Sir David Amess was the MP for Southend West for 24 years, starting in 1997. He was a much-loved MP. After his sad passing in 2021, a special election was held to choose a new MP. As a sign of respect, the main political parties decided not to put forward their own candidates. This meant the Conservative nominee, Anna Firth, was elected without a contest from the major parties.
What are the Boundaries of the Area?
The boundaries of the constituency have changed a few times over the years. This happens to make sure each MP represents a similar number of people.
How the Boundaries Changed Over Time
- 1950–1955: The area included parts of Southend-on-Sea like Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, and Westborough. It was mainly the western side of the old Southend area.
- 1955–1983: The boundary was slightly adjusted with the neighbouring Southend East area.
- 1983–2010: There were small changes after the local areas in Southend-on-Sea were reorganised.
- 2010–2024: More small changes happened due to another reorganisation of local areas.
Current Boundaries Since 2024
For the 2024 general election, the constituency was renamed Southend West and Leigh. It now includes all of the old Southend West area. It also gained a part called St Luke's ward from the Rochford and Southend East constituency.
The area covers a small western part of Southend-on-Sea. It also includes the towns of Leigh-on-Sea and Westcliff-on-Sea. It is next to Rochford and Southend East to the north and east. To the north, it borders Rayleigh and Wickford. To the west, it is next to Castle Point. To the south, it is on the edge of the Thames estuary.
Who Have Been the Members of Parliament?
Before 1950, the area was part of the Southend constituency. Here is a list of the MPs who have represented Southend West and Southend West and Leigh since 1950:
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Sir Henry Channon | Conservative | |
| 1959 by-election | Paul Channon | Conservative | |
| 1997 | Sir David Amess | Conservative | |
| 2022 by-election | Anna Firth | Conservative | |
| 2024 | David Burton-Sampson | Labour | |
Recent Election Results
Here are the results from the most recent elections in the Southend West and Leigh constituency. These tables show how many votes each candidate received.
Elections in the 2020s
| General election 2024: Southend West and Leigh | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | David Burton-Sampson | 16,739 | 35.6 | ||
| Conservative | Anna Firth | 14,790 | 31.5 | ||
| Reform UK | Peter Little | 8,273 | 17.6 | ||
| Green | Tilly Hogrebe | 3,262 | 6.9 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Cummins | 3,174 | 6.8 | ||
| Confelicity | James Miller | 262 | 0.6 | ||
| Independent | Tom Darwood | 172 | 0.4 | ||
| Heritage | Lara Hurley | 99 | 0.2 | ||
| Independent | Robert David John Francis | 98 | 0.2 | ||
| Majority | 1,949 | ||||
| Turnout | 46,968 | 62.5 | |||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.5 | |||
| 2022 Southend West by-election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Anna Firth | 12,792 | 86.1 | +26.9 | |
| UKIP | Steve Laws | 400 | 2.7 | New | |
| English Democrat | Catherine Blaiklock | 320 | 2.2 | New | |
| Independent | Jayda Fransen | 299 | 2.0 | New | |
| Heritage | Ben Downton | 236 | 1.6 | New | |
| Freedom Alliance | Christopher Anderson | 161 | 1.1 | New | |
| English Constitution Party | Graham Moore | 86 | 0.6 | New | |
| No description | Olga Childs | 52 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 12,280 | 82.7 | +51.6 | ||
| Turnout | 15,942 | 24.0 | -43.4 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 1,084 | ||||
| Registered electors | 66,354 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 2010s
| General election 2019: Southend West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | David Amess | 27,555 | 59.2 | +4.0 | |
| Labour | Aston Line | 13,096 | 28.1 | -5.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Nina Stimson | 5,312 | 11.4 | +6.9 | |
| Independent | 77 Joseph | 574 | 1.2 | New | |
| Majority | 14,459 | 31.1 | +9.9 | ||
| Turnout | 46,537 | 67.4 | -2.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +4.9 | |||
| General election 2017: Southend West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | David Amess | 26,046 | 55.2 | +5.4 | |
| Labour | Julian Ware-Lane | 16,046 | 34.0 | +15.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Lucy Salek | 2,110 | 4.5 | -4.8 | |
| UKIP | John Stansfield | 1,666 | 3.5 | -14.0 | |
| Green | Dominic Ellis | 831 | 1.8 | -2.9 | |
| Southend Independent Association | Tino Callaghan | 305 | 0.6 | New | |
| Independent | Jason Pilley | 187 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 10,000 | 21.2 | -10.3 | ||
| Turnout | 47,191 | 69.7 | +3.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -5.2 | |||
| General election 2015: Southend West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | David Amess | 22,175 | 49.8 | +3.8 | |
| Labour | Julian Ware-Lane | 8,154 | 18.3 | +4.9 | |
| UKIP | Brian Otridge | 7,803 | 17.5 | +13.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Collins | 4,129 | 9.3 | -20.1 | |
| Green | Jon Fuller | 2,083 | 4.7 | +3.2 | |
| English Democrat | Jeremy Moss | 165 | 0.4 | -0.9 | |
| Majority | 14,021 | 31.5 | +14.8 | ||
| Turnout | 44,509 | 66.6 | +1.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -0.5 | |||
| General election 2010: Southend West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | David Amess | 20,086 | 46.1 | -0.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Welch | 12,816 | 29.4 | +5.4 | |
| Labour | Thomas Flynn | 5,850 | 13.4 | -9.2 | |
| UKIP | Garry Cockrill | 1,714 | 3.9 | +0.5 | |
| BNP | Tony Gladwin | 1,333 | 3.1 | New | |
| Green | Barry Bolton | 644 | 1.5 | New | |
| Independent | Vel (Marimutu Velmurgan) | 617 | 1.4 | New | |
| English Democrat | Terry Phillips | 546 | 1.3 | -0.5 | |
| Majority | 7,270 | 16.7 | -5.8 | ||
| Turnout | 43,606 | 65.1 | +4.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.8 | |||
See also
- List of parliamentary constituencies in Essex
- List of parliamentary constituencies in the East of England (region)
