Leicester South is a constituency, recreated in 1974, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2024 general election by independent Shockat Adam.
A previous version of the seat existed between 1918 and 1950, during which time it was held mostly by Conservative Party MPs. Since its re-creation in 1974 it has had mostly Labour representation, including from the 2011 byelection until 2024 by the Labour Co-op MP Jonathan Ashworth (the designation denotes that he was a member of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, one of 26 such MPs as of the dissolution of the 2019–2024 Parliament; such members are required to contribute practically to a cooperative business). In a shock result, Ashworth was defeated by Adam at the 2024 election.
Constituency profile Leicester South is a constituency in Leicestershire. It covers the city centre of Leicester and the neighbourhoods to its south, including Highfields, Stoneygate, Evington, Knighton and Eyres Monsell. Leicester has a strong association with the textile, clothing and shoemaking industries, which – having suffered a devastating slump in the early 1980s – survived in the city in a vestigial form until recently, but mostly collapsed during the 2020s. This constituency has a large student population, containing as it does the campuses of two universities: the University of Leicester and De Montfort University. Leicester South has some areas with high levels of deprivation, particularly in the city centre and in Eyres Monsell (a large council estate), although Knighton is affluent and suburban. House prices in the constituency are similar to those in the rest of the East Midlands and lower than the national average.
Leicester South is ethnically and religiously diverse. At the 2021 census, Asians were the largest ethnic group at 44% of the population, most of whom were of Indian origin. The Asian community mostly arrived in Leicester during the 1960s and 1970s, with many coming from Uganda as refugees following their expulsion from that country. Dissimilarly to the neighbouring Leicester East constituency, a majority of Asians here are Muslims, with a relatively small Hindu population. White people were 39% of the population in 2021 and Black people were 9%. The constituency is ethnically split by the A6 road; Asians make up an overwhelming majority of residents north-east of the road, while White people are a majority south-west of it.
In general, residents of Leicester South are young and have average levels of education. Household income and homeownership rates are low. A high proportion of residents work in the health and education sectors. A high proportion claim unemployment benefits, and the child poverty rate is nearly double the nationwide figure. On Leicester City Council most of the constituency is represented by the Labour Party, although Green Party councillors were elected in the city centre. Voters in Leicester South strongly supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 61% voted to remain compared to the nationwide figure of 48%.
History (since 1974) Although Tom Boardman, previously Conservative MP for Leicester South-West, won Leicester South's first contest following its re-creation, the constituency was thereafter – with just one exception – held by Jim Marshall of the Labour Party until Marshall's death in 2004. That exception was the 1983 general election, at which Conservative candidate Derek Spencer won as Leicester South became the most marginal constituency in the UK, with a majority of just seven votes. Marshall regained the seat in 1987, and the electorate went on to show increased Labour support in local and national elections.
The 2004 by-election caused by Marshall's death was fought under the shadow of the Iraq War, and was won by Parmjit Singh Gill who became at the time the only Liberal Democrat MP from an ethnic minority. He held the seat for a year before being defeated by Labour candidate Sir Peter Soulsby at the 2005 general election. Soulsby subsequently resigned to seek election as Mayor of Leicester in 2011, bringing Leicester South its second by-election in the space of seven years; this time (the poll coinciding with the referendum on the voting system) the seat was safely held by Jonathan Ashworth for Labour. Ashworth was re-elected in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Despite being the only constituency in the city to have been represented by three parties in the previous 40 years, Leicester South became regarded as the safest of the Labour seats in the city, with a majority in 2017 of 26,261 votes (52.0%), falling to 22,675 (45.2%) in 2019. However, the constituency's historic volatility continued, with Ashworth suffering a surprise defeat in the July 2024 general election. The seat was won by Shockat Adam standing as an independent, with a narrow majority of 979 votes (2.3%).
Boundaries
Historic 1918–1950: The county borough of Leicester wards of Aylestone, Castle, Charnwood, De Montfort, Knighton, Martin's, and Wycliffe.
The initial report of the Boundary Commission for England, dated October 1947 and published in December 1947, recommended that Leicester retain three seats, including a revised Leicester South constituency consisting of the wards of Aylestone, De Montfort, Knighton, North Braunstone and Spinney Hill, giving an electorate of 67,574 as of the review date of 15 October 1946."Initial Report", Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 7260, p. 30–31. When the Representation of the People Bill enacting the commission's recommendations was debated in the House of Commons, the Government brought forward amendments at Committee stage on 24 March 1948 to allow 17 more constituencies in England. Home Secretary James Chuter Ede announced that the Boundary Commission would be invited to consider assigning an additional constituency to each of nine cities, including Leicester."All-Night Debate on New Constituencies", The Times, 25 March 1948, p. 4. The Government issued a white paper proposing the new boundaries, which created new borough constituencies of Leicester South East and Leicester South West in place of Leicester South. The Boundary Commission recommended no alteration to the proposals,"Report of Boundary Commissioners for England on Representations relating to certain proposed new Constituencies", Cmd. 7400, p. 5. and the revised constituencies were therefore enacted.
In 1969, the Second Periodical Report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England reduced Leicester from four seats to three, and recreated Leicester South as a borough constituency.
1974–1983: The county borough of Leicester wards of Aylestone, De Montfort, Knighton, Spinney Hill, The Castle, and Wycliffe wards of Leicester.F. W. S. Craig, "Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972", Political Reference Publications, Chichester, 1972, p. 138.
1983–2010: The City of Leicester wards of Aylestone, Castle, Crown Hills, East Knighton, Eyres Monsell, Saffron, Spinney Hill, Stoneygate, West Knighton and Wycliffe.
Minor boundary changes were made as a result of the Third Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission in 1983. The new constituency took in about 3,000 voters who were previously in other Leicester seats."The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", Parliamentary Research Services, Chichester, 1983, p. 89. No changes were made in the Fourth Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission in 1995."Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky (Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre), 1995, p. 109.
2010–2024: The City of Leicester wards of Aylestone, Castle, Eyres Monsell, Freemen, Knighton, Spinney Hills, and Stoneygate.
In the Fifth Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission in 2007, the constituency had only a minor alteration, with 73 voters being added from Leicester West.Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Fifth Periodical Review), BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky (Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre), 2007, p. 108.
Further to a local government boundary review which became effective in May 2015, the Freemen ward was replaced by the Saffron ward and the additional Wycliffe ward was created, largely split off from the Spinney Hills ward.
Current The City of Leicester wards of Castle, Evington (small part), Eyres Monsell, Knighton, Saffron, Spinney Hills, Stoneygate, and Wycliffe. Following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the size of the constituency was reduced with the transfer of Aylestone ward to Leicester West. To partly compensate, polling district EVF in Evington ward was added from Leicester East.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1918–1950
Leicester prior to 1918
ElectionMemberParty 1918Thomas Blane Conservative 1922 William George Waterhouse Reynolds Conservative 1923 Ronald Wilberforce Allen Liberal 1924 Charles Waterhouse Conservative 1945 Herbert Bowden Labour 1950 constituency abolished
MPs since 1974
Leicester South East and Leicester South West prior to 1974
ElectionMemberParty Feb 1974 Tom Boardman Conservative Oct 1974 Jim Marshall Labour 1983 Derek Spencer Conservative 1987 Jim Marshall Labour 2004 by-election Parmjit Singh Gill Liberal Democrat 2005 Sir Peter Soulsby Labour 2011 by-election Jonathan Ashworth Labour and Co-operative2024Shockat AdamIndependent
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
The Conservatives' 7 vote majority made Leicester South their most marginal constituency after the 1983 election and was the closest result in any constituency in the United Kingdom in the election.
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Leicestershire and Rutland
Notes
References
External links Leicester South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Leicester South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Leicester South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK