North Warwickshire and Bedworth
UK Parliament constituency (1832–1885, 1983 onwards)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Warwickshire and Bedworth is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.[n 2]
| North Warwickshire and Bedworth | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundaries since 2010 | |
Boundary of North Warwickshire and Bedworth in West Midlands region | |
| County | Warwickshire |
| Electorate | 70,245 (2023)[1] |
| Major settlements | Atherstone, Bedworth, Coleshill and Polesworth |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1983 (as North Warwickshire) |
| Member of Parliament | Rachel Taylor (Labour) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Meriden Nuneaton |
| 1832–1885 | |
| Seats | Two |
| Type of constituency | County constituency |
| Created from | Warwickshire |
| Replaced by | Nuneaton Rugby Tamworth |
Before the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was known as North Warwickshire. Its new name took effect with the 2024 general election, its boundaries being unchanged.[2]
Constituency profile
North Warwickshire and Bedworth is a constituency in Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England. It is named after its largest town, Bedworth, which has a population of around 32,000.[3] Other settlements include the towns of Atherstone and Coleshill and the villages of Polesworth, Kingsbury, and Water Orton.
This constituency covers towns, villages and rural areas lying close to the cities of Birmingham and Coventry. Bedworth has an industrial history as a coal mining and textile manufacturing town. Polesworth and Kingsbury also grew through the coal mining industry, whilst Atherstone and Coleshill are historic market towns. There is some deprivation in Bedworth and Atherstone whilst the west of the constituency around Coleshill and Kingsbury is more affluent, giving the constituency an overall average level of wealth.[4] House prices across the constituency are generally similar to the rest of the West Midlands but below the UK average.[5]
North Warwickshire and Bedworth has an above-average proportion of retirees and older working-age adults and a below-average proportion of young adults.[6] Residents have high rates of homeownership and average levels of household income and child poverty.[5][7] In general, residents have low levels of education and a high proportion work in the transport, retail and manufacturing sectors.[5][8] The percentage claiming unemployment benefits is below average.[7] White people made up 92% of the population at the 2021 census.[9]
At the local district council level, the rural areas are mostly represented by Conservatives and the towns and larger villages mostly by Labour Party councillors. Bedworth is the exception; its district held local elections in 2026, more recently than the rest of the constituency, and the town elected Reform UK representatives. At the county council, which held elections in 2025, all seats in the constituency were won by Reform UK. Voters in the constituency strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 67% voted in favour of Brexit compared to the UK-wide figure of 52%, making North Warwickshire and Bedworth one of the top 40 most Brexit-voting constituencies out of 650 according to Electoral Calculus.[5]
Boundaries
1832–1885: The Hundred of Hemlingford, the County of the City of Coventry, and the Rugby and Kirby Divisions of the Hundred of Knightlow.[10]
1983–2010: The Borough of North Warwickshire, and the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth wards of Exhall, Heath, Mount Pleasant, and Poplar.
2010–present:
- The Borough of North Warwickshire wards of: Atherstone Central; Atherstone North; Atherstone South and Mancetter; Baddesley and Grendon; Coleshill North; Coleshill South; Curdworth; Dordon; Fillongley; Hurley and Wood End; Kingsbury; Newton Regis and Warton; Polesworth East; Polesworth West; Water Orton; and
- The Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth wards of: Bede; Exhall; Heath; Poplar; and Slough.
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged but changed the name to include Bedworth.[2]
The constituency since 2010 has all but two wards of North Warwickshire.[n 3]
History
1832–1885
The North Warwickshire constituency was created for the 1832 general election, when the Great Reform Act divided the former Warwickshire constituency into two new divisions: North Warwickshire and South Warwickshire.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, North Warwickshire was abolished for the 1885 general election, when Warwickshire was divided into four new single-member constituencies: Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Nuneaton and Tamworth.
1983–present
The second iteration of the North Warwickshire county constituency was created for the 1983 general election, replacing outlying parts of the Meriden and Nuneaton constituencies. The seat was won by Francis Maude of the Conservative Party at the 1983 general election, who held it until 1992, when it was taken by Mike O'Brien of Labour. Labour held the seat comfortably until 2010.
On 8 March 2007, former Army Officer and polar explorer Dan Byles was selected at an open primary to contest North Warwickshire for the Conservative Party. At the 2010 general election, Byles won the seat from Mike O'Brien by just 54 votes, making him the Conservative Member of Parliament with the smallest majority in the country. However, a strong Conservative performance during the latter part of the decade saw the seat become safer for the Conservatives – the result in 2019 being akin to a safe Conservative seat. This trend was reversed when the newly named seat was won by Labour's Rachel Taylor at the 2024 general election.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1832–1885
| Election | First member[11] | First party | Second member[11] | Second party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | William Stratford Dugdale | Tory[12] | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | Tory[12] | ||
| 1834 | Conservative[12] | Conservative[12] | ||||
| 1843 by-election | Charles Newdegate | Conservative[12] | ||||
| 1847 | Richard Spooner | Conservative | ||||
| 1864 by-election | William Bromley-Davenport | Conservative | ||||
| 1884 by-election | Philip Muntz | Conservative | ||||
| 1885 | Constituency abolished: see Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth | |||||
MPs 1983–2024
Meriden and Nuneaton prior to 1983
| Election | Member[11] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Francis Maude | Conservative | |
| 1992 | Mike O'Brien | Labour | |
| 2010 | Dan Byles | Conservative | |
| 2015 | Craig Tracey | Conservative | |
| 2024 | Rachel Taylor | Labour | |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Rachel Taylor | 14,727 | 36.0 | +9.2 | |
| Conservative | Craig Tracey | 12,529 | 30.6 | −35.3 | |
| Reform | Paul Hopkins | 10,701 | 26.1 | N/A | |
| Green | Alison Wilson | 1,755 | 4.3 | +1.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Guy Burchett | 1,228 | 3.0 | −1.5 | |
| Majority | 2,198 | 5.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 40,940 | 58.9 | −6.7 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.2 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Craig Tracey | 30,249 | 65.9 |  9.0 | |
| Labour Co-op | Claire Breeze | 12,293 | 26.8 |  12.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Richard Whelan | 2,069 | 4.5 | 2.3 | |
| Green | James Platt | 1,303 | 2.8 | 0.8 | |
| Majority | 17,956 | 39.1 | 21.1 | ||
| Turnout | 45,914 | 65.3 | 1.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 10.5 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Craig Tracey | 26,860 | 56.9 | 14.6 | |
| Labour | Julie Jackson | 18,350 | 38.9 | 2.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | James Cox | 1,028 | 2.2 | 0.1 | |
| Green | Keith Kondakor | 940 | 2.0 | 0.1 | |
| Majority | 8,510 | 18.0 | 11.7 | ||
| Turnout | 47,178 | 63.5 | 3.7 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 5.9 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Craig Tracey | 20,042 | 42.3 | 2.1 | |
| Labour | Mike O'Brien | 17,069 | 36.0 | 4.1 | |
| UKIP | William Cash[16] | 8,256 | 17.4 | 14.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Alan Beddow | 978 | 2.1 | 9.5 | |
| Green | Ian Bonner | 894 | 1.9 | New | |
| TUSC | Eileen Hunter | 138 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 2,973 | 6.3 | 6.2 | ||
| Turnout | 47,377 | 67.2 | 0.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 3.05 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Daniel Byles | 18,993 | 40.2 | 8.2 | |
| Labour | Mike O'Brien | 18,939 | 40.1 | 8.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Martin | 5,481 | 11.6 | 1.9 | |
| BNP | Jason Holmes | 2,106 | 4.5 | 0.4 | |
| UKIP | Stephen Fowler | 1,335 | 2.8 | 0.1 | |
| English Democrat | David Lane | 411 | 0.9 | New | |
| Majority | 54 | 0.1 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 47,265 | 67.4 | 5.2 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 8.1 |
|||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Mike O'Brien | 22,561 | 48.1 | 6.0 | |
| Conservative | Ian Gibb | 15,008 | 32.0 | 0.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jerry Roodhouse | 6,212 | 13.2 | 1.8 | |
| BNP | Michaela Mackenzie | 1,910 | 4.1 | New | |
| UKIP | Ian Campbell | 1,248 | 2.7 | 0.6 | |
| Majority | 7,553 | 16.1 | 5.6 | ||
| Turnout | 46,939 | 62.2 | 2.0 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | 2.8 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Mike O'Brien | 24,023 | 54.1 | 4.3 | |
| Conservative | Geoffrey Parsons | 14,384 | 32.4 | 1.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | William Powell | 5,052 | 11.4 | 4.0 | |
| UKIP | John Flynn | 950 | 2.1 | 1.1 | |
| Majority | 9,639 | 21.7 | 5.5 | ||
| Turnout | 44,409 | 60.2 | 14.5 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | 2.75 |
|||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Mike O'Brien | 31,669 | 58.4 | 12.3 | |
| Conservative | Stephen Hammond | 16,902 | 31.2 | 13.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | William Powell | 4,040 | 7.4 | 2.9 | |
| Referendum | Roland Mole | 917 | 1.7 | New | |
| UKIP | Christopher Cooke | 533 | 1.0 | New | |
| Berties Party | Ian Moorecroft | 178 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 14,767 | 27.2 | 24.7 | ||
| Turnout | 54,239 | 74.7 | 8.1 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | 12.9 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Mike O'Brien | 27,599 | 46.1 | 6.0 | |
| Conservative | Francis Maude | 26,145 | 43.6 | 1.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Noel R Mitchell | 6,167 | 10.3 | 4.6 | |
| Majority | 1,454 | 2.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 59,862 | 82.8 | 2.9 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 3.7 |
|||
Elections in the 1980s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Francis Maude | 25,453 | 45.1 | 3.1 | |
| Labour | Mike O'Brien | 22,624 | 40.1 | 3.0 | |
| SDP | Suzan Neale | 8,382 | 14.9 | 6.1 | |
| Majority | 2,829 | 5.0 | 0.1 | ||
| Turnout | 56,459 | 79.9 | 1.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 0.1 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Francis Maude | 22,452 | 42.0 | ||
| Labour Co-op | John Tomlinson | 19,867 | 37.1 | ||
| SDP | Howard Kerry | 11,207 | 20.9 | ||
| Majority | 2,585 | 4.9 | |||
| Turnout | 53,526 | 78.0 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Election results 1832–1885
Elections in the 1830s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tory | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,237 | 40.9 | ||
| Tory | William Stratford Dugdale | 1,666 | 30.4 | ||
| Whig | Dempster Heming | 1,573 | 28.7 | ||
| Majority | 93 | 1.7 | |||
| Turnout | 3,109 | 83.4 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,730 | ||||
| Tory win (new seat) | |||||
| Tory win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,600 | 37.3 | −3.6 | |
| Conservative | William Stratford Dugdale | 2,513 | 36.1 | +5.7 | |
| Whig | Arthur Francis Gregory[28] | 1,854 | 26.6 | −2.1 | |
| Majority | 659 | 9.5 | +7.8 | ||
| Turnout | c. 3,484 | c. 72.9 | c. −10.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,779 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −1.3 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Stratford Dugdale | 3,326 | 32.7 | −3.4 | |
| Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,768 | 27.2 | −10.1 | |
| Whig | Grey Skipwith | 2,292 | 22.5 | +9.2 | |
| Whig | Charles Holte Bracebridge | 1,787 | 17.6 | +4.3 | |
| Majority | 476 | 4.7 | −4.8 | ||
| Turnout | 5,099 | 76.9 | c. +4.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 6,632 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −5.1 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −8.4 | |||
Elections in the 1840s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Stratford Dugdale | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 6,785 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
- Caused by Eardley-Wilmot's resignation after being appointed Governor of Tasmania
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 2,915 | 38.1 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Richard Spooner | 2,451 | 32.1 | N/A | |
| Whig | William Henry Leigh[29] | 2,278 | 29.8 | New | |
| Majority | 173 | 2.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 4,961 (est) | 77.9 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 6,371 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1850s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 2,950 | 30.0 | −8.1 | |
| Conservative | Richard Spooner | 2,822 | 28.7 | −3.4 | |
| Whig | Frederick Craven[31] | 2,038 | 20.7 | ||
| Whig | Sir Thomas George Skipwith, 9th Baronet | 2,021 | 20.6 | ||
| Majority | 784 | 8.0 | +5.7 | ||
| Turnout | 4,916 (est) | 70.2 (est) | −7.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,002 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Richard Spooner | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 6,832 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Richard Spooner | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 6,871 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Elections in the 1860s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Bromley | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
- Caused by Spooner's death.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 3,159 | 37.4 | N/A | |
| Conservative | William Bromley | 2,873 | 34.0 | N/A | |
| Liberal | George Frederick Muntz | 2,408 | 28.5 | New | |
| Majority | 465 | 5.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,424 (est) | 80.8 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 6,710 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 4,547 | 29.0 | −8.4 | |
| Conservative | William Bromley-Davenport | 4,377 | 28.0 | −6.0 | |
| Liberal | George Frederick Muntz | 3,411 | 21.8 | +7.5 | |
| Liberal | Edward Fordham Flower | 3,322 | 21.2 | +6.9 | |
| Majority | 966 | 6.2 | +0.7 | ||
| Turnout | 7,829 (est) | 76.3 (est) | −4.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,266 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −7.8 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −6.6 | |||
Elections in the 1870s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | 4,672 | 38.3 | +9.3 | |
| Conservative | William Bromley-Davenport | 4,322 | 35.5 | +7.5 | |
| Liberal | George Frederick Muntz[32] | 3,189 | 26.2 | −16.8 | |
| Majority | 1,133 | 9.3 | +3.1 | ||
| Turnout | 7,686 (est) | 75.4 (est) | −0.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,200 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.0 | |||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Bromley-Davenport | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Charles Newdigate Newdegate | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 11,789 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Philip Muntz | 5,282 | 59.9 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Archibald Corbett | 3,538 | 40.1 | New | |
| Majority | 1,744 | 19.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 8,820 | 73.5 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 11,993 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
- Caused by Bromley-Davenport's death.
See also
Notes
- A county 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.
- Arley and Whitacre and Hartshill, moved in 2010 to Nuneaton