Birmingham Yardley
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Birmingham Yardley is a constituency[n 1] of part of the city of Birmingham represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Jess Phillips of the Labour Party.[n 2]
| Birmingham Yardley | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundaries since 2024 | |
Boundary of Birmingham Yardley in West Midlands region | |
| County | West Midlands |
| Population | 106,738 (2011 census)[1] |
| Electorate | 73,261 (December 2010)[2] |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1918 |
| Member of Parliament | Jess Phillips (Labour) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Birmingham East, Birmingham Bordesley and East Worcestershire |
Yardley Rural District was annexed to Birmingham under the 1911 Greater Birmingham Act.
Constituency profile
The seat lies within Birmingham to the east of the city centre. It includes the areas of Stechford, Yardley, Acocks Green, Sheldon and the industrial area of Tyseley. The western areas of the constituency around Small Heath and Tyseley are inner-city in character with mostly terraced houses, whilst the eastern parts are suburban with mostly detached or semi-detached housing.
The constituency has high levels of deprivation and residents are less likely to be degree-educated or work in professional jobs compared to national averages.[3] The constituency is ethnically diverse; 44% of residents are White, 41% are Asian (primarily Pakistani) and 6% are Black.[4] Most of the constituency elected Liberal Democrat councillors at the most recent city council election in 2026, whilst two Reform UK councillors were elected, and one Green Party councillor. An estimated 57% of voters in the constituency supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the national figure of 52%.[3]
Boundaries
1918–1950: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Saltley, Small Heath and Yardley.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Acocks Green and Yardley.[5]
1955–1983: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Acocks Green, Sheldon and Yardley.[6]
1983–1997: The City of Birmingham wards of Acocks Green, Sheldon and Yardley (as they existed on 1 February 1983).
1997–2010: The City of Birmingham wards of Acocks Green, Sheldon and Yardley (as they existed on 1 June 1994).
2010–2018: The City of Birmingham wards of Acocks Green, Sheldon, South Yardley, and Stechford and Yardley North.
2018–2024: Following a local government boundary review,[7] which did not effect the parliamentary boundaries, the contents of the constituency were as follows with effect from May 2018:
- The City of Birmingham wards of Acocks Green, Garretts Green, Sheldon, South Yardley, Tyseley & Hay Mills, Yardley East, and Yardley West & Stechford, and small parts of Bordesley Green, Glebe Farm & Tile Cross, Hall Green North, Small Heath and Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises:
- The City of Birmingham wards of Acocks Green; Sheldon; Small Heath; South Yardley; Tyseley & Hay Mills; Yardley East; Yardley West & Stechford.[8]
The Garretts Green ward was transferred to Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North in exchange for the bulk of the Small Heath ward. Remaining part wards removed.
Members of Parliament
From the seat's creation in 1918 until the 2005 general election, the MP elected for Birmingham Yardley was on all but three occasions a member of the party that won the general election, making it a former bellwether seat. Exceptions were Labour wins in the constituency compared to Conservative wins nationally in 1951, 1955 and 1992.
| Election | Member[9] | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Alfred Jephcott | Unionist | ||
| 1929 | Archibald Gossling | Labour | ||
| 1931 | Edward Salt | Conservative | ||
| 1945 | Wesley Perrins | Labour | ||
| Constituency split, majority formed Birmingham Small Heath, minority merged with the majority of the abolished Birmingham Acock's Green | ||||
| 1950 | Henry Usborne | Labour | Member for Birmingham Acock's Green (1945–1950) | |
| 1959 | Leonard Cleaver | Conservative | ||
| 1964 | Ioan Evans | Labour | Comptroller of the Household (1968–1970) | |
| 1970 | Derek Coombs | Conservative | ||
| Feb 1974 | Syd Tierney | Labour | ||
| 1979 | David Bevan | Conservative | ||
| 1992 | Estelle Morris | Labour | Secretary of State for Education and Skills (2001–2002), Minister of State for the Arts (2003–2005) | |
| 2005 | John Hemming | Liberal Democrat | ||
| 2015 | Jess Phillips | Labour | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls (2024–2026) | |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jess Phillips | 11,275 | 31.2 |  26.9 | |
| Workers Party | Jody McIntyre | 10,582 | 29.3 | new | |
| Reform | Nora Kamberi | 5,061 | 14.0 |  9.0 | |
| Conservative | Yvonne Clements | 3,634 | 10.1 | 16.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Roger Harmer | 3,634 | 10.1 | 1.1 | |
| Green | Roxanne Green | 1,958 | 5.4 | 4.2 | |
| Majority | 693 | 1.9 | 23.1 | ||
| Turnout | 36,144 | 49.4 | 8.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 73,203 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | 28.1 |
|||
| 2019 notional result[11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Labour | 24,349 | 58.1 | |
| Conservative | 11,208 | 26.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 3,743 | 8.9 | |
| Brexit Party | 2,103 | 5.0 | |
| Green | 503 | 1.2 | |
| Turnout | 41,906 | 58.3 | |
| Electorate | 71,912 | ||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jess Phillips | 23,379 | 54.8 | 2.3 | |
| Conservative | Vincent Garrington | 12,720 | 29.8 | 10.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Roger Harmer | 3,754 | 8.8 | 9.1 | |
| Brexit Party | Mary McKenna | 2,246 | 5.3 | new | |
| Green | Christopher Garghan | 579 | 1.4 | 0.8 | |
| Majority | 10,659 | 25.0 | 12.3 | ||
| Turnout | 42,678 | 57.3 | 4.0 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour hold | Swing | 6.1 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jess Phillips | 25,398 | 57.1 | 15.6 | |
| Conservative | Mohammed Afzal | 8,824 | 19.8 | 5.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Hemming | 7,984 | 17.9 | 7.7 | |
| UKIP | Paul Clayton | 1,916 | 4.3 | 11.8 | |
| Green | Christopher Garghan | 280 | 0.6 | 1.1 | |
| Independent | Abu Nowshed | 100 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 16,574 | 37.3 | 21.4 | ||
| Turnout | 44,502 | 61.3 | 4.0 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour hold | Swing | 4.8 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jess Phillips | 17,129 | 41.5 | 9.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Hemming | 10,534 | 25.6 | 14.0 | |
| UKIP | Paul Clayton | 6,637 | 16.1 | 13.2 | |
| Conservative | Arun Photay | 5,760 | 14.0 | 5.2 | |
| Green | Grant Bishop | 698 | 1.7 | New | |
| Respect | Teval Stephens | 187 | 0.5 | New | |
| TUSC | Eamonn Flynn | 135 | 0.3 | New | |
| SDP | Peter Johnson | 71 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 6,595 | 15.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 41,151 | 57.0 | 0.8 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | 11.7 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | John Hemming | 16,162 | 39.6 | 2.5 | |
| Labour | Lynnette Kelly | 13,160 | 32.2 | 2.5 | |
| Conservative | Meirion Jenkins | 7,836 | 19.2 | 8.6 | |
| BNP | Tanya Lumby | 2,153 | 5.3 | 0.1 | |
| UKIP | Graham Duffen | 1,190 | 2.9 | 1.8 | |
| National Front | Paul Morris | 349 | 0.9 | 0.5 | |
| Majority | 3,002 | 7.4 |  0.0 | ||
| Turnout | 40,850 | 56.5 | 2.0 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
| 2005 notional result[19] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Liberal Democrats | 16,485 | 42.0 | |
| Labour | 13,621 | 34.7 | |
| Conservative | 4,142 | 10.6 | |
| Others | 2,581 | 6.6 | |
| BNP | 1,523 | 3.9 | |
| UKIP | 670 | 1.7 | |
| Green | 201 | 0.5 | |
| Turnout | 39,223 | 54.5 | |
| Electorate | 71,986 | ||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | John Hemming | 13,648 | 46.4 | 8.1 | |
| Labour | Jayne Innes | 10,976 | 37.3 | 9.6 | |
| Conservative | Paul Uppal | 2,970 | 10.1 | 3.0 | |
| BNP | Robert Purcell | 1,523 | 5.2 | New | |
| UKIP | Mohammed Yaqub | 314 | 1.1 | 0.0 | |
| Majority | 2,672 | 9.1 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 29,431 | 57.7 | 0.5 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | 8.8 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Estelle Morris | 14,085 | 46.9 | 0.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Hemming | 11,507 | 38.3 | 5.3 | |
| Conservative | Barrie Roberts | 3,941 | 13.1 | 4.7 | |
| UKIP | Alan Ware | 329 | 1.1 | 0.7 | |
| Socialist Labour | Colin Wren | 151 | 0.5 | New | |
| Majority | 2,578 | 8.6 | 5.4 | ||
| Turnout | 30,011 | 57.2 | 14.0 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Estelle Morris | 17,778 | 47.0 | 12.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Hemming | 12,463 | 33.0 | 2.8 | |
| Conservative | Anne Jobson | 6,736 | 17.8 | 16.7 | |
| Referendum | Duncan Livingston | 646 | 1.7 | New | |
| UKIP | Alan Ware | 164 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 5,315 | 14.0 | 13.6 | ||
| Turnout | 37,787 | 71.2 | 6.8 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Estelle Morris | 14,884 | 34.9 | 1.7 | |
| Conservative | David Bevan | 14,722 | 34.5 | 8.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Hemming | 12,899 | 30.2 | 9.4 | |
| National Front | Pauline Read | 192 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 162 | 0.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 42,697 | 78.0 | 4.1 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 3.2 |
|||
Elections in the 1980s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | David Bevan | 17,931 | 42.6 | 0.6 | |
| Labour | Geoff Edge | 15,409 | 36.6 | 0.3 | |
| Liberal | Leslie Smith | 8,734 | 20.8 | 1.3 | |
| Majority | 2,522 | 6.0 | 0.9 | ||
| Turnout | 42,074 | 73.9 | 1.8 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | David Bevan | 17,986 | 43.2 | 6.7 | |
| Labour | Roger Godsiff | 15,121 | 36.3 | 6.2 | |
| SDP | David Bennett | 8,109 | 19.5 | 13.7 | |
| National Front | Robert Jones | 415 | 1.0 | 0.7 | |
| Majority | 2,865 | 6.9 | 4.2 | ||
| Turnout | 41,631 | 72.1 | 1.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 57,707 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –0.2 | |||
| 1979 notional result[27] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Conservative | 22,285 | 49.9 | |
| Labour | 19,016 | 42.6 | |
| Liberal | 2,601 | 5.8 | |
| Others | 778 | 1.7 | |
| Turnout | 44,680 | ||
| Electorate | |||
Elections in the 1970s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | David Bevan | 20,193 | 47.6 | +8.9 | |
| Labour | Syd Tierney | 19,029 | 44.8 | –3.5 | |
| Liberal | Susan Mary Anderson | 2,491 | 5.9 | –4.6 | |
| National Front | Harold Challendar | 749 | 1.8 | –0.6 | |
| Majority | 1,164 | 2.75 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 42,462 | 73.8 | +0.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 57,574 | –1,478 | |||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +8.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Syd Tierney | 20,834 | 48.3 | +3.7 | |
| Conservative | Derek Coombs | 16,664 | 38.6 | –1.8 | |
| Liberal | John Aldridge | 4,518 | 10.5 | –4.5 | |
| National Front | Harold Challendar | 1,034 | 2.4 | New | |
| More Prosperous Britain | Thomas Keen | 111 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 4,170 | 9.7 | |||
| Turnout | 43,161 | 73.1 | –5.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 59,052 | +456 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | +2.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Syd Tierney | 20,580 | 44.6 | –4.2 | |
| Conservative | Derek Coombs | 18,633 | 40.4 | –10.8 | |
| Liberal | John Aldridge | 6,912 | 15.0 | New | |
| Majority | 1,947 | 4.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 39,213 | 78.7 | +9.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 58,596 | –1,247 | |||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.3 | |||
| 1970 notional result[29] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Conservative | 21,300 | 51.2 | |
| Labour | 20,300 | 48.8 | |
| Turnout | 41,600 | 69.5 | |
| Electorate | 59,843 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derek Coombs | 21,827 | 50.14 | ||
| Labour Co-op | Ioan Evans | 21,707 | 49.86 | ||
| Majority | 120 | 0.28 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 43,534 | 69.70 | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1960s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Ioan Evans | 25,568 | 56.35 | ||
| Conservative | Leonard Cleaver | 19,809 | 43.65 | ||
| Majority | 5,759 | 12.70 | |||
| Turnout | 45,377 | 77.62 | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Ioan Evans | 22,788 | 50.19 | ||
| Conservative | Leonard Cleaver | 22,619 | 49.81 | ||
| Majority | 169 | 0.38 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 45,407 | 77.05 | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1950s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Leonard Cleaver | 23,482 | 51.52 | ||
| Labour | Henry Usborne | 22,097 | 48.48 | ||
| Majority | 1,385 | 3.04 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 45,579 | 77.08 | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Henry Usborne | 23,722 | 53.52 | ||
| Conservative | Philip Holland | 20,598 | 46.48 | ||
| Majority | 3,124 | 7.04 | |||
| Turnout | 44,320 | 75.02 | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour win (new boundaries) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Henry Usborne | 22,800 | 53.15 | ||
| Conservative | Albert E. Shaw | 20,099 | 46.85 | ||
| Majority | 2,701 | 6.30 | |||
| Turnout | 42,899 | 82.51 | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Henry Usborne | 22,342 | 51.16 | ||
| Conservative | Gordon Matthews | 18,431 | 42.20 | ||
| Liberal | A.S. Ritchie | 2,553 | 5.85 | ||
| Communist | Jim Faulkner[31] | 347 | 0.79 | ||
| Majority | 3,911 | 8.96 | |||
| Turnout | 43,673 | 84.32 | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour win (new boundaries) | |||||
Elections in the 1940s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Wesley Perrins | 33,835 | 60.49 | +18.16 | |
| Conservative | Edward Salt | 16,514 | 29.53 | −28.14 | |
| Liberal | Charles Frederick Middleton | 5,583 | 9.98 | New | |
| Majority | 17,321 | 30.96 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 55,932 | 69.21 | +3.99 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +23.15 | |||
Elections in the 1930s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edward Salt | 25,717 | 57.67 | −7.52 | |
| Labour | Charles Jarman | 18,879 | 42.33 | +8.50 | |
| Majority | 6,838 | 15.34 | −16.02 | ||
| Turnout | 44,596 | 65.22 | −12.48 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.01 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edward Salt | 32,061 | 65.19 | +24.29 | |
| Labour | Archibald Gossling | 16,640 | 33.83 | −15.07 | |
| New Party | EJ Bartleet | 479 | 0.97 | New | |
| Majority | 15,421 | 31.36 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 49,180 | 76.70 | −1.1 | ||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +18.64 | |||
Elections in the 1920s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Archibald Gossling | 23,956 | 48.9 | 2.1 | |
| Unionist | Edward Salt | 19,590 | 39.9 | 13.3 | |
| Liberal | Charles Albert Beaumont | 5,500 | 11.2 | New | |
| Majority | 4,366 | 9.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 49,046 | 77.8 | 0.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 63,068 | ||||
| Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | 7.7 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Alfred Jephcott | 16,149 | 53.2 | 0.3 | |
| Labour | Archibald Gossling | 14,184 | 46.8 | 0.3 | |
| Majority | 1,965 | 6.4 | 0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 30,333 | 77.3 | 12.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 39,235 | ||||
| Unionist hold | Swing | 0.3 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Alfred Jephcott | 13,300 | 53.5 | 4.6 | |
| Labour | Archibald Gossling | 11,562 | 46.5 | 4.6 | |
| Majority | 1,738 | 7.0 | 9.2 | ||
| Turnout | 24,862 | 64.4 | 6.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 38,591 | ||||
| Unionist hold | Swing | 4.6 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Alfred Jephcott | 15,586 | 58.1 | 1.8 | |
| Labour | Archibald Gossling | 11,234 | 41.9 | 3.6 | |
| Majority | 4,352 | 16.2 | 1.8 | ||
| Turnout | 26,820 | 70.5 | 17.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 38,045 | ||||
| Unionist hold | Swing | 0.9 |
|||
Election in the 1910s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Unionist | Alfred Jephcott | 10,960 | 56.3 | |
| Labour | George Shann | 7,466 | 38.3 | ||
| Liberal | George Jackson | 1,049 | 5.4 | ||
| Majority | 3,494 | 18.0 | |||
| Turnout | 19,475 | 53.2 | |||
| Registered electors | 36,575 | ||||
| Unionist win (new seat) | |||||
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. | |||||
See also
Notes
- A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
