Southwark and Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Southwark and Bermondsey was a special area in London, UK, that elected one person to represent it in the UK Parliament. This area is called a constituency. The only person elected from this area was Simon Hughes. He started as a member of the Liberal Party. Later, after 1988, he became a Liberal Democrat. This constituency was replaced by the North Southwark and Bermondsey area in 1997.

History of the Constituency

This constituency was created for the general election in 1983. It stopped being a constituency for the general election in 1997. Like all constituencies since 1950, it elected only one Member of Parliament (MP). This idea of one MP per area was first suggested by groups like the Chartists in the 1800s.

The same person, Simon Hughes, was elected as the MP for Southwark and Bermondsey in every election it had. He was first a Liberal, then a Liberal Democrat.

Simon Hughes's First Election

Simon Hughes was already an MP for a similar area before Southwark and Bermondsey was created. He won a special election in February 1983. This election was very tough. The former Labour MP, Bob Mellish, strongly campaigned against the Labour candidate, Peter Tatchell. At this time, the Labour Party was not very popular across the country. Also, the UK had recently won the Falklands War, and the economy was starting to grow well under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Even though it was a strong area for the Labour Party after World War II, Simon Hughes won as a Liberal.

Social History of the Area

In the late 1800s, maps showed that the main streets in this area, like Borough High Street and Old Kent Road, had many middle-class homes. There were no streets with very wealthy people. Many streets had a mix of people, some comfortable and some poor. Some small parts of the area were described as having very poor conditions.

The area was badly damaged during the London Blitz in World War II. It took many years to rebuild. After the war, many jobs in the docks disappeared quickly. Local jobs included warehouses, railway work, and public services. Many people worked in lower-paid jobs.

During this time, many new social housing projects were built in inner south London. These included tall concrete buildings and mid-rise apartment blocks. Before 1950, the area mostly elected Labour MPs. Support for other parties, like the Conservatives, was very low.

Where Was Southwark and Bermondsey?

The constituency covered the northern part of the London Borough of Southwark. It included specific local areas called wards: Abbey, Bricklayers, Browning, Burgess, Cathedral, Chaucer, Dockyard, Riverside, and Rotherhithe.

When it was abolished in 1997, most of the area became part of the new North Southwark and Bermondsey constituency. A small number of voters moved to the Lewisham Deptford constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election Results

Here are the results from the general elections held in the Southwark and Bermondsey constituency.

Images for kids

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  A chart showing historical election results for Bermondsey.

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in London
• Southwark local elections