Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)


Barrow and Furness, formerly known as Barrow-in-Furness, is a constituency in Cumbria which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Simon Fell, a Conservative.

History and profile

The seat of Barrow and Furness was established by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and covers the southwest part of Cumbria. The largest town in the constituency, Barrow-in-Furness, grew on the back of the shipbuilding industry and is now the site of the BAE Systems nuclear submarine and shipbuilding operation. This reliance on a single industry associated with controversial defence policies has proved politically volatile in a constituency the Labour Party would consider its own backyard. Labour Cabinet member Albert Booth represented Barrow from 1966 for many years but was defeated in 1983, in the aftermath of the Falklands War, by a Manchester lawyer, Cecil Franks of the Conservative Party, who retained the seat until 1992. Local media attributed this to widespread fears of job losses because the Labour Party was then signed up to doing away with all its nuclear capabilities including the submarines.
As Labour revised its policies by favouring the retention of Britain's nuclear capability, and following massive job losses in the town's shipbuilding industry, Labour's fortunes revived in Barrow. John Hutton took the seat back for Labour in 1992 and retained it until the 2010 general election, when he was replaced by John Woodcock, also of Labour. In 2001, Hutton had the support of more than half of all those who voted. Other industries in the constituency currently include engineering and chemicals, and more than a quarter of all jobs are in manufacturing. The 2015 result gave the seat the 10th-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority. In 2017, Woodcock's majority was reduced from 795 votes to 209 votes, the 16th smallest majority in the country.

Boundaries

This constituency contains the southern half of the Furness peninsula, South Cumbria in the north-west of England.
1885–1918: The municipal borough of Barrow-in-Furness.
1983–2010: The entire district of Barrow-in-Furness and the following wards from the District of South Lakeland: Low Furness, Pennington, Ulverston Central, Ulverston East, Ulverston North, Ulverston South and Ulverston West.
2010–: The entire district of Barrow-in-Furness and the following wards from the District of South Lakeland: Broughton, Crake Valley, Low Furness & Swarthmoor, Ulverston Central, Ulverston East, Ulverston North, Ulverston South, Ulverston Town and Ulverston West.

Members of Parliament

The current MP is Simon Fell, a Conservative Party MP. He replaced John Woodcock, an independent since 18 June 2018 and formerly a member of the Labour and Co-operative Parties, who stood down at the 2019 general election. In turn, he replaced John Hutton, a former lecturer. Hutton had taken the seat from Cecil Franks of the Conservative Party at the 1992 general election. He held the cabinet posts of Secretary of State for Defence, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections 1918-1945

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1930s

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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections 1885-1915

Elections in the 1880s

The election was declared void on petition, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;