Rugby (UK Parliament constituency)


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Rugby is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by John Slinger, of the Labour Party.[n 2]

Rugby
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map

Boundaries since 2010

Map of constituency

Boundary of Rugby in West Midlands region

CountyWarwickshire
Electorate72,603 (2023) [1]
Major settlementsRugby, Bulkington
Current constituency
Created2010
Member of ParliamentJohn Slinger (Labour Party)
SeatsOne
Created fromRugby & Kenilworth
1885–1983
SeatsOne
Created fromNorth Warwickshire
Replaced byRugby & Kenilworth and Nuneaton[2]

1885–1918: The Petty Sessional Divisions of Rugby, Southam, Burton Dassett and Kingston, and Kenilworth (except the parishes of Lillington and Milverton).

1918–1945: The Rural Districts of Farnborough, Monks Kirby, Rugby and Southam, the Rural District of Brailes (except the parishes of Ilmington and Stretton-on-Fosse), the parishes of Charlcote, Combrook, Compton Verney, Eatington, Kineton, Loxley, Moreton Morrell, Newbold Pacey, Wellesbourne Hastings and Wellesbourne Mountford in the Rural District of Stratford-on-Avon, and the Urban District of Rugby.

1945–1950:

1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Rugby and the Rural District of Rugby.

1974–1983: The borough of Rugby and the rural district of Rugby as altered by The West Midlands Order 1965 and The Coventry Order 1965.

2010-: The Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth ward of Bulkington, and the Borough of Rugby wards of Admirals, Avon and Swift, Benn, Bilton, Brownsover North, Brownsover South, Caldecott, Earl Craven and Wolston, Eastlands, Fosse, Hillmorton, Lawford and King's Newnham, New Bilton, Newbold, Overslade, Paddox, and Wolvey.

Between 1950 and 1979, Rugby was a consistent Labour-Conservative marginal, often bucking the national swing (for example, William Price held the seat for Labour with an increased majority in 1970 while the Wilson government was defeated). Since its recreation in 2010, the seat produced solid Conservative majorities until 2024.

Historic boundaries

When first created in 1885, the Rugby division consisted of the Petty Sessional Divisions of Rugby, Southam, Burton Dassett and Kington, and Kenilworth except the parishes of Lillington and Milverton. The division as recommended by the Boundary Commissioners had a population of 49,291 in the 1881 Census.[3]

Boundary changes in 1918 expanded the constituency to the south, while removing some areas near Leamington Spa. The constituency was defined as consisting of the Urban District of Rugby, the Rural Districts of Farnborough, Monks Kirby, Rugby and Southam, together with the majority of Brailes Rural district (excepting only the two parishes of Ilmington and Stretton-on-Fosse which were in a detached part of Warwickshire). Finally, the division included several parishes which were in the east of Stratford-on-Avon Rural District: Charlcote, Combrook, Compton Verney, Eatington, Kineton, Loxley, Moreton Morrell, Newbold Pacey, Wellesbourne Hastings and Wellesbourne Mountford.[4]

When changes were made to constituency boundaries in 1945 to split up some extremely large constituencies, Rugby was affected by the recommendations made as a result of the growth in electorate in the Coventry constituency. It gained some areas to the east of Coventry which had already been added to Rugby Rural District but were previously part of Nuneaton division. This change added about 2,000 voters.[5] The constituency was considerably reduced in area in boundary changes which came into effect in 1950, being reduced to simply the Municipal Borough of Rugby and the Rural District of Rugby.[6] No alteration in boundaries was made as part of the First Periodical Review of Boundaries in 1954,[7] and in the Second Periodical Review which came into effect in 1974, the definition remained the same although changes in local government boundaries meant that a minor change was made.[8]

The Third Periodical Review of constituency boundaries expanded the Rugby constituency to the west. The constituency lost 6,545 of its 60,909 electors, in and around the villages of Ansty and Wolvey, to Nuneaton. It then gained 16,600 electors from Kenilworth, resulting in its renaming as Rugby and Kenilworth.[9]

2010-2024

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered this constituency for the 2010 general election since which it has electoral wards:

  • Admirals; Avon and Swift; Benn; Bilton; Brownsover North; Brownsover South; Caldecott; Earl Craven and Wolston; Eastlands; Fosse; Hillmorton; Lawford and King's Newnham; New Bilton; Newbold; Overslade; Paddox; Wolvey. in Rugby Borough
  • Bulkington in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth.[10][11]

2024-

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth ward of Bulkington.
  • The Borough of Rugby wards of: Admirals and Cawston; Benn; Bilton; Clifton, Newton and Churchover; Coton and Boughton; Eastlands; Hillmorton; New Bilton; Newbold and Brownsover; Paddox; Revel and Binley Woods; Rokeby and Overslade; Wolston and the Lawfords; Wolvey and Shilton.[12]

Very small changes to align boundaries with those of wards in the Borough of Rugby.

Constituency profile

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The constituency consists of Census Output Areas of two local government districts with similar characteristics and that forming the bulk has a working population whose income is slightly above to the national average and lower than average reliance upon social housing.[13] At the end of 2012 the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 2.3% of the population claiming jobseekers allowance, compared to the regional average of 4.4%.[14]

The borough contributing to the bulk of the seat has a quite low 17.5% of its population without a car, 19.6% of the population without qualifications contrasted with a high 28.2% with level 4 qualifications or above by way of illustration. In terms of tenure 69.5% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage as at the 2011 census across the district.[15]

Members of Parliament

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Event Member[16] Party
1885 Henry Peyton Cobb Liberal
1895 Richard Verney[n 3] Conservative
1900 Corrie Grant Liberal
Jan 1910 John Baird Conservative
1922 Euan Wallace Conservative
1923 Ernest Brown Liberal
1924 David Margesson Conservative
1942 by-election William Brown Independent
1950 James Johnson Labour
1959 Roy Wise Conservative
1966 William Price Labour
1979 Jim Pawsey Conservative
1983 constituency abolished
Election Member[16] Party
2010 Mark Pawsey Conservative
2024 John Slinger Labour
 
Rugby election history

Elections in the 2020s

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Elections in the 2010s

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Election results 1885-1983

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Elections in the 1880s

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Elections in the 1890s

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Elections in the 1900s

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Elections in the 1910s

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Elections in the 1920s

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Elections in the 1930s

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General Election 1939–40:

Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

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Elections in the 1950s

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Elections in the 1960s

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Elections in the 1970s

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  1. ^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Before birthright succession to the Lords as Baron Willoughby de Broke
Specific
  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – West Midlands". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  2. ^ "'Rugby', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  3. ^ "County of Warwick" in "Report of the Boundary Commissioners for England Wales, 1885" (C.-4287), vol I p. 165-7.
  4. ^ "39. County of Warwick" in "Report of the Boundary Commission (England and Wales)", Cd. 8757, vol II.
  5. ^ "Report in regard to the division of abnormally large Constituencies named in the Second Schedule to the Act", Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 6634, p. 35-37.
  6. ^ Initial Report of the Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 7260, p. 48.
  7. ^ "First Periodical Report", Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 9311, p. 37.
  8. ^ F. W. S. Craig, "Boundaries of British Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972", Political Reference Publications, Chichester, 1972, p. 144.
  9. ^ "The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", Parliamentary Research Services, 1983, pp. 114, 214.
  10. ^ Colin Rallings, Michael Thrasher, "Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", University of Plymouth, 2007, p. 139.
  11. ^ 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England
  12. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
  13. ^ "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
  14. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  15. ^ "2011 census interactive maps". Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  16. ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 2)
  17. ^ "Rugby". BBC News. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Rugby Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  20. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results May 2015". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  21. ^ "Rugby Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015. BBC. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  22. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  23. ^ "UK > England > West Midlands > Rugby". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  25. ^ "Bedworth Conservative Association". Birmingham Daily Post. 22 February 1886. p. 8. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. ^ a b F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
  27. ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
General

Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.

52°14′N 1°59′W / 52.24°N 1.98°W