Knowsley (UK Parliament constituency)

The constituency mainly consists of low-income social housing and former social housing built to decant the residents displaced by post-war slum clearance in Liverpool. It includes Huyton to the south (once represented by Prime Minister Harold Wilson) and Kirkby to the north. Between them is the green space of Knowsley Hall and Park, the ancestral home of the Earls of Derby and the site of Knowsley Safari Park. In 2010, The Guardian summarised the area as "One of the most deprived areas in the country. The new parliamentary constituency folds in Knowsley North and Knowsley South."{{cite web |title=Knowsley |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/constituency/1504/knowsley |work=guardian.co.uk}}

The constituency voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

Created for the 2010 general election (during the Boundary Commission for England's Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies{{cite web |title=Knowsley Boundary Commission for England |url=http://www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/review_areas/Merseyside_Boroughs/knowsley.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20091102212155/http%3A//www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/review_areas/Merseyside_Boroughs/knowsley.shtml |archive-date=2009-11-02 |access-date=2009-12-04}}), it was believed to present the safest seat in the country, with an estimated Labour majority of 24,333 votes.{{cite news |date=22 January 2010 |title=Altered Constituencies Data |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/jan/22/new-parliamentary-constituencies-westminster-election |work=The Guardian}} The area returned the second highest share of the vote seen by a candidate for the Labour Party, of 70.9%, behind the 72.0% achieved in Liverpool Walton. The same ranking of results nationally by percentage majority occurred in 2015,{{cite web |title=Labour Members of Parliament 2015 |url=http://www.ukpolitical.info/labour-mps-elected-2015.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929214847/http://www.ukpolitical.info/labour-mps-elected-2015.htm |archive-date=2018-09-29 |website=UK Political.info}} when it became the safest seat in the country in absolute terms, beating East Ham by 403 votes.{{Cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Carl |last2=Hawkins |first2=Oliver |last3=Audickas |first3=Lukas |last4=Bate |first4=Alex |last5=Cracknell |first5=Richard |last6=Apostolova |first6=Vyara |last7=Dempsey |first7=Noel |last8=McInnes |first8=Roderick |last9=Rutherford |first9=Tom |last10=Uberoi |first10=Elise |date=2019-01-29 |title=General Election 2017: full results and analysis |url=https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7979 |publisher=parliament.uk}}

It ranked foremost by party majority in 2017, where it was followed directly by East Ham and 28 other seats won by Labour candidates, after which followed North East Hampshire. It achieved the highest majority for any British Member of Parliament since the advent of universal suffrage, with Labour winning with a majority of 42,214 votes, surpassing the 36,230-vote majority held by then-Conservative Prime Minister John Major in his Huntingdon constituency in 1992.

On its creation, the seat was won by George Howarth, who had served as MP for the predecessor seats of Knowsley North (1986–1997) and Knowsley North and Sefton East (1997–2010). On his retirement for the 2024 general election, he was succeeded by Anneliese Midgley on a reduced majority over Reform UK of 50.9%.

The constituency covers a large part of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, the main settlements being Huyton and Kirkby. It replaced most of the previous Knowsley South constituency, as well as the parts of Knowsley North and Sefton East in the Knowsley borough. Distant parts from the centre of the metropolitan borough were covered by the new St Helens South and Whiston and Garston and Halewood constituencies.

The seat is composed of the following electoral wards:

2010-2024: The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley wards of Cherryfield, Kirkby Central, Longview, Northwood, Page Moss, Park, Prescot West, Roby, St Bartholomews, St Gabriels, St Michaels, Shevington, Stockbridge, Swanside, and Whitefield.

2024-present: The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley wards of Cherryfield, Northwood, Prescot North, Roby, St Gabriels, St Michaels, Shevington, Stockbridge, and Whitefield.{{Cite web |title=The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1230/schedules/made |at=Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region}}

:Allowing for changes to ward names and boundaries, the constituency was reduced in size to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the Page Moss and Swanside wards to Liverpool West Derby.

{{Election box begin

| title = General election 2024: Knowsley{{Cite web|url=https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-07/Parliamentary%20Results%202024.pdf | title=Knowsley Constituency declaration of result of poll |access-date=6 July 2024 |publisher=Knowsley Council}}{{cite news |title=Knowsley - General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001317 |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=BBC News}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|party=Labour Party (UK)|candidate=Anneliese Midgley|votes=24,243|percentage=67.3|change=−12.3}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Reform UK| candidate=Alexander Hitchmough| votes=5,924|percentage=16.4|change=+10.1}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Green Party of England and Wales|candidate=Graham Wickens|votes=2,772|percentage=7.7| change=+5.7}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Sherrie McDaid|votes=1,496|percentage=4.2| change=−4.5}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Kate Tipton|votes=1,232|percentage=3.4| change=+0.9}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Workers Party of Britain|candidate=Graham Padden|votes=245|percentage=0.7|change=N/A}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Social Democratic Party (UK, 1990–present)|candidate=Patricia Jameson|votes=135|percentage=0.4|change=N/A}}

{{Election box majority|votes=18,319|percentage=50.9|change=−21.8}}

{{Election box registered electors|reg. electors=71,964}}

{{Election box turnout|votes=36,135|percentage=50.2|change=−15.2}}

{{Election box rejected|votes=88|percentage=|change=}}

{{Election box hold with party link|winner = Labour Party (UK)|swing = −13.5}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title = General election 2019: Knowsley {{cite web|url=https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/knowsleycouncil/media/Documents/Statement_of_Persons_Nominated_and_Notice_of_Poll_Knowsley_Constituency.pdf|title=Statement of persons nominated 2019}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = George Howarth

|votes = 44,374

|percentage = 80.8

|change = –4.5

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Rushi Millns

|votes = 4,432

|percentage = 8.1

|change = –1.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Brexit Party

|candidate = Tim McCullough

|votes = 3,348

|percentage = 6.1

|change = New

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Green Party of England and Wales

|candidate = Paul Woodruff

|votes = 1,262

|percentage = 2.3

|change = +1.4

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)

|candidate = Joe Slupsky

|votes = 1,117

|percentage = 2.0

|change = –0.1

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK, 1989)

|candidate = Ray Catesby

|votes = 405

|percentage = 0.7

|change = New

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 39,942

|percentage = 72.7

|change = –3.3

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 54,938

|percentage = 65.4

|change = –2.4

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = –4.6

}}

{{Election box end}}

This was the largest numerical Labour majority at the 2019 general election.http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

{{Election box begin |title=General election 2017: Knowsley{{cite news |url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/general-election-2017-who-standing-13023168 |title=General Election 2017: who is standing for election |work=Liverpool Echo |date=11 May 2017}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = George Howarth

|votes = 47,351

|percentage = 85.3

|change = +7.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = James Spencer

|votes = 5,137

|percentage = 9.3

|change = +2.7

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = UK Independence Party

|candidate = Neil Miney

|votes = 1,285

|percentage = 2.3

|change = –7.5

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)

|candidate = Carl Cashman

|votes = 1,189

|percentage = 2.1

|change = –0.8

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = Green Party of England and Wales

|candidate = Steve Baines

|votes = 521

|percentage = 0.9

|change = –1.6

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 42,214

|percentage = 76.0

|change = +7.7

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 55,483

|percentage = 67.8

|change = +3.7

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = +2.3

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title= General election 2015: Knowsley{{cite web|title=Election Data 2015|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt|archive-date=17 October 2015}}{{cite news

| title = Knowsley

| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000775

| work = BBC News

| access-date = 10 May 2015}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = George Howarth

|votes = 39,628

|percentage = 78.1

|change = +7.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = UK Independence Party

|candidate = Louise Bours

|votes = 4,973

|percentage = 9.8

|change = +7.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = Alice Bramall

|votes = 3,367

|percentage = 6.6

|change = -2.4

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)

|candidate = Carl Cashman

|votes = 1,490

|percentage = 2.9

|change = -10.5

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Green Party of England and Wales

|candidate = Vikki Gregorich

|votes = 1,270

|percentage = 2.5

|change = New

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 34,655

|percentage = 68.3

|change = +10.8

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 50,728

|percentage = 64.1

|change = +8.0

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = 0.0

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |

|title= General election 2010: Knowsley{{cite web|title=Election Data 2010|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt|archive-date=26 July 2013}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = George Howarth*

|votes = 31,650

|percentage = 70.9

|change = -0.9

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)

|candidate = Flo Clucas

|votes = 5,964

|percentage = 13.4

|change = -0.4

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Conservative Party (UK)

|candidate = David Dunne

|votes = 4,004

|percentage = 9.0

|change = -2.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = British National Party

|candidate = Steven Greenhalgh

|votes = 1,895

|percentage = 4.2

|change = +2.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = UK Independence Party

|candidate = Anthony Rundle

|votes = 1,145

|percentage = 2.6

|change = New

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 25,686

|percentage = 57.5

|change = -0.5

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 44,654

|percentage = 56.1

|change = +2.3

}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Labour Party (UK)

|swing = -0.2

}}

{{Election box end}}

:* Served as an MP in the 2005–2010 Parliament

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Merseyside

{{Reflist|group=n}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/65869.html Knowsley UK Parliament constituency] (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• [https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/168640.html Knowsley UK Parliament constituency] (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

{{Constituencies in North West England}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Merseyside

Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 2010

Category:Politics of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley