Newcastle upon Tyne North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Catherine McKinnell of the Labour Party.
Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, effective from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency underwent significant boundary changes, with only 41.3% of the previous seat being included in the redrawn one.
Constituency profile Newcastle upon Tyne North is a constituency in Tyne and Wear. It covers the northern suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, some of which are in the neighbouring borough of North Tyneside. Included in the constituency are the neighbourhoods of Sandyford, Jesmond, Gosforth, Kenton, Fawdon, Newcastle Great Park, Benton and Forest Hall.
Newcastle upon Tyne has Roman-era origins as a fortress city and was urbanised during the Industrial Revolution as a leading centre for shipbuilding and heavy industry. This constituency consists mostly of affluent suburbs with many large detached and semi-detached properties, although there is some deprivation in Kenton which has a high quantity of council housing. These neighbourhoods have a history of coal mining and were redeveloped as residential areas during the 20th and 21st centuries. House prices here are generally below the national averages but considerably higher than the rest of North East England.
The constituency has a low average age; there is a high student population in Jesmond and Sandyford which lie close to Newcastle University and Northumbria University. Residents have average rates of homeownership and very high levels of education. Household income is higher than the regional average and the child poverty rate is very low. A high proportion of residents work in professional occupations, especially in the health and public sectors, and a low percentage claim unemployment benefits. White people made up 87% of the population at the 2021 census.
Most of Newcastle upon Tyne North is represented by Liberal Democrats at the local council level, with some Labour Party councillors elected in the North Tyneside neighbourhoods (Benton and Forest Hall). An estimated 58% of voters in the constituency supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the nationwide figure of 48%.
History Parliament created this seat under the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the general election later that year. It was one of four divisions of the parliamentary borough of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which had previously been represented by one two-member seat.
The constituency included much of Newcastle city centre from 1950 to 1983, despite the fact that the Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency was retained, albeit with redrawn boundaries.
Following the local government reorganisation arising from the Local Government Act 1972, major boundary changes resulted in a constituency composed entirely of wards that did not form any part of the pre-1983 seat, which had been held by Conservative or Conservative Party affiliated candidates since 1918. The majority of the old Newcastle upon Tyne North wards moved to Newcastle upon Tyne Central. The newly constituted seat comprised northern and western suburbs of the expanded metropolitan borough of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Boundaries and boundary changes
Historic
1918–1950 The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Dene, Heaton, Jesmond, St Andrew's, and St Thomas.
1950–1983 The County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Arthur's Hill, Elswick, Jesmond, Sandyford, and Westgate.
Boundaries redrawn to take account of expansion of the County Borough and redistribution of wards. Dene and Heaton transferred to Newcastle upon Tyne East. Expanded westwards and into parts of the city centre, gaining Arthur's Hill and Elswick from Newcastle upon Tyne West and Westgate from Newcastle upon Tyne Central.
1983–2010 The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Castle, Denton, Fawdon, Grange, Lemington, Newburn, Westerhope, and Woolsington.
Following the reorganisation of local authorities as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the constituencies within the City of Newcastle upon Tyne were completely redrawn. The contents of the existing seat formed no part of the newly constituted version. With the exception of Sandyford, which was transferred to Newcastle upon Tyne East, the existing seat was absorbed into a redrawn Newcastle upon Tyne Central.
The new seat was made up of western parts of the now abolished constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne West, comprising the former Urban District of Newburn, the parts of Castle Ward transferred to the new metropolitan borough, previously in Hexham and a small area transferred from Wallsend.
2010–2024
The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of Castle, Denton, East Gosforth, Fawdon, Lemington, Newburn, Parklands, Westerhope, and Woolsington.
Minor changes due to redistribution of ward boundaries.
Current Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency was defined as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards of: Castle (polling districts F04, F05 and F06); Dene & South Gosforth; Fawdon & West Gosforth; Gosforth; Kenton; Kingston Park South & Newbiggin Hall (polling district O04); North Jesmond; Parklands; South Jesmond.
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside wards of: Benton; Longbenton.
The constituency underwent wholesale changes, with the following areas being transferred out:
The districts of Denton, Lemington, Westerhope and Newbiggin Hall to the new constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West; Callerton & Throckley ward (which includes the communities of Newburn and Woolsington) to Hexham; and The northern part of Castle ward, including Dinnington, to the new constituency of Cramlington and Killingworth.
The redrawn seat now comprises the following areas:
Eastern parts of Gosforth, Fawdon, Parklands ward and most of Castle ward from the previous version of the seat; Kenton and western parts of Gosforth from Newcastle upon Tyne Central (abolished); Jesmond and Dene from Newcastle upon Tyne East (abolished); and The North Tyneside Borough wards of Benton and Longbenton from the North Tyneside constituency (abolished). Following local government boundary reviews in both local authorities, the constituency now comprises the following:
The City of Newcastle upon Tyne wards or part wards of: Castle (majority); Dene & South Gosforth; Fawdon & West Gosforth; Gosforth; Jesmond (nearly all); Kenton; Kingston Park & Dinnington (majority, comprising Kingston Park); Manor Park (very small part); Ouseburn (minority); Parklands & North North Gosforth.
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside wards or part wards of: Camperdown (small part); Forest Hall (most); Longbenton & Benton.
Political history
From its creation in 1918, the seat was a safe Conservative Party seat, including six years of representation by Gwilym Lloyd George, who was aligned to the National Liberal Party but served as Home Secretary for almost three years until 1957 in a Conservative government. This continued until the 1983 general election, when the major boundary changes resulted in the majority of the old wards being moved to Newcastle upon Tyne Central, which the Conservatives won in 1983, while the new Newcastle North became a safe Labour seat, although in 1983 Labour's majority was just over 2,500 votes in a relatively close three-way race, despite a landslide defeat on the national scale. It has been a safe Labour seat ever since, with the Liberal Democrats being the greatest challengers in 2005 and 2010, and the Conservatives finishing in second place in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Members of Parliament ElectionMemberParty 1918 Nicholas Grattan-Doyle Conservative 1940 by-election Sir Cuthbert Headlam Independent Conservative 1940 Conservative 1951 Gwilym Lloyd George National Liberal 1957 by-election Sir William Elliott Conservative 1983 Robert Brown Labour 1987 Doug Henderson Labour 2010 Catherine McKinnell Labour
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional result (new boundaries)https://electionresults.parliament.uk/elections/2370 Party Vote % Labour 24,030 44.4 Conservative 17,207 31.8 Liberal Democrats 7,595 14.0 Brexit 3,118 5.8 Green 2,193 4.1Turnout54,14370.8Electorate76,503
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
The 1983 result is classed as a hold for Labour, rather than a gain from the Conservatives, because the pre-1983 Newcastle-upon-Tyne North constituency, which was a Conservative-held seat, covered a substantially different area, making the two seats entirely different. The constituency which replaced the pre-1983 Newcastle-upon-Tyne North constituency, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central, was won by the Conservatives and is classed as a hold for the Conservatives, as they were incumbent party in the pre-1983 Newcastle-upon-Tyne North seat. By contrast, this constituency was the closest successor to the pre-1983 Newcastle-upon-Tyne West seat where Robert Brown had been the MP.
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
The local Conservative Party association split on the issue of supporting Gwilym Lloyd-George's candidature. A faction nominated Colin Gray.
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Election in the 1910s
See also 1940 Newcastle upon Tyne North by-election 1957 Newcastle upon Tyne North by-election List of parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear List of parliamentary constituencies in North East England (region) History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Tyne and Wear History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Northumberland
Notes
References
Sources
External links Newcastle upon Tyne North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Newcastle upon Tyne North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Newcastle upon Tyne North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK