Newark is a constituency in Nottinghamshire, England. It is represented by Robert Jenrick, of Reform UK. Jenrick won the seat as a Conservative in a by-election on 5 June 2014, following the resignation of Patrick Mercer in April 2014. He defected to Reform UK in January 2026.
Constituency profile Newark is a constituency in Nottinghamshire. Its largest town is Newark-on-Trent, which, when taken together with the connected villages of Balderton and Farndon, has a population of around 49,000. Other settlements in the constituency include the towns of Bingham, Southwell and Tuxford and the village of Collingham.
Newark is a large, rural constituency between the cities of Nottingham and Lincoln with many small villages. Newark-on-Trent is a market town with many historic buildings, including a 12th-century castle, and was traditionally an important inland port on the River Trent. The town has average levels of wealth, with some deprived suburban neighbourhoods. Southwell is a highly-affluent town with an Anglican cathedral. The rural parts of the constituency are generally wealthy and contain a number of former and current Royal Air Force bases. The average house price is lower than the national average but higher than the rest of the East Midlands.
In general, residents of the constituency are older, more religious and have average levels of education compared to the rest of the country. The homeownership rate is high, and rates of household income and child poverty are in line with national averages. A high proportion of residents work in the agriculture, manufacturing and transport sectors, and a low percentage claim unemployment benefits. White people made up 96% of the population at the 2021 census.
At the local council level, most of the constituency is represented by Conservatives with some independents elected in Newark-on-Trent and Bingham and Liberal Democrats in Southwell. Whilst most of Nottinghamshire is represented by Reform UK at the county council, which held elections in 2025, this constituency continues to be represented mostly by Conservatives. An estimated 58% of voters in the Newark constituency supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the nationwide figure of 52%.
Boundaries Historic 1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Newark, and the Rural Districts of Bingham, Newark, and Southwell.
1950–1955: The Municipal Borough of Newark, the Urban District of Mansfield Woodhouse, and the Rural Districts of Newark and Southwell.
1955–1983: The Municipal Borough of Newark, and the Rural Districts of Newark and Southwell.
1983–2010: The District of Newark wards of Beacon, Bridge, Bullpit Pinfold, Castle, Caunton, Collingham, Devon, Elston, Farndon, Magnus, Meering, Milton Lowfield, Muskham, Southwell East, Southwell West, Sutton on Trent, Trent, and Winthorpe, and the District of Bassetlaw wards of East Markham, East Retford East, East Retford North, East Retford West, Elkesley, Trent, and Tuxford.
2010–2024: The District of Newark and Sherwood wards of Balderton North, Balderton West, Beacon, Bridge, Castle, Caunton, Collingham and Meering, Devon, Farndon, Lowdham, Magnus, Muskham, Southwell East, Southwell North, Southwell West, Sutton-on-Trent, Trent, and Winthorpe, the District of Bassetlaw wards of East Markham, Rampton, Tuxford, and Trent, and the Borough of Rushcliffe wards of Bingham East, Bingham West, Cranmer, Oak, and Thoroton.
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 District of Bassetlaw wards of: Clayworth; East Markham; Rampton; Sturton; Tuxford and Trent. The District of Newark & Sherwood wards of: Balderton North & Coddington; Balderton South; Beacon; Bridge; Castle; Collingham; Devon; Farndon & Fernwood; Muskham; Southwell; Sutton-on-Trent; Trent. The Borough of Rushcliffe wards of: Bingham East; Bingham West; Cranmer; East Bridgford; Thoroton. 1
The constituency saw minor boundary changes, primarily due to the redrawing of local authority ward boundaries.
1 Following a further local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, the parts in the Borough of Rushcliffe now comprise the following wards from the 2024 general election:
Bingham North; Bingham South; Cranmer; East Bridgford; Newton (majority); and a small part of Nevile & Langar. The constituency covers large parts of the Newark and Sherwood district which encompasses the east of Nottinghamshire, as such includes the towns of Newark-on-Trent and Southwell, and the villages of Collingham and Sutton-on-Trent. It also covers parts of the Bassetlaw and Rushcliffe areas including Markham Moor and Bingham.
History
Newark was the last borough to be added to the Unreformed House of Commons which took place in 1673, prior to the Reform Act 1832. It returned two representatives to Parliament from 1673 until 1885.
Newark petitioned for enfranchisement as a parliamentary borough in the 1660s, in recognition of the town's royalist sympathies during the English Civil War. It was eventually enfranchised by a royal charter in early 1673, which gave the rights of election to the mayor and aldermen. However, the freemen of the town contested this, and held a separate election in which they selected a different member to the aldermen. The dispute in Parliament lasted until 1677, when the charter was withdrawn and a new one issued, causing a fresh election in which all inhabitants paying scot and lot could vote. In 1685, a third charter was issued, giving the right of election to all forty-shilling freeholders. The borough constituency existed until 1885, when it was replaced by a county division of the same name under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
The future Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, began his political career as Member of Parliament for Newark from 1832 to 1845. More recently, the Labour Party held Newark (on substantially different boundaries to the present ones) from 1950 until 1979, when it was taken by the Conservatives' Richard Alexander. Alexander lost his seat during Labour's landslide victory at the 1997 general election. The victorious Labour candidate, Fiona Jones, was convicted of electoral fraud and expelled from the House of Commons in 1999 over misrepresented election expenses. The conviction was later overturned upon appeal and she returned to Parliament. However, Jones lost her seat at the 2001 general election to Patrick Mercer of the Conservatives, who held it until 2014.
Mercer held the position of Shadow Minister for Homeland Security from June 2003 until March 2007, when he was forced to resign following racially contentious comments made to The Times.
The Newark constituency in 2010 lost the town of Retford to the Bassetlaw constituency (although Newark still has a smaller part of the Bassetlaw district), but gained land in and around Bingham from the Rushcliffe constituency, thus making it much safer Conservative territory.
Following an investigation by Commons authorities finding that Mr Mercer had engaged in paid lobbying, not properly reported the income or declared his interest, and repeatedly seriously denigrated other members, Patrick Mercer stepped down as MP for Newark on 30 April 2014.
Robert Jenrick was elected in the subsequent by-election, in the Conservative Party's largest by-election majority for four decades. He was appointed on 24 July 2019 as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. On 15 January 2026, Jenrick became one in a series of high-profile Conservatives to defect to Reform UK.
Members of Parliament
MPs before 1885 ElectionMemberParty!MemberParty1673 Henry Savile Sir Paul Neile1677 Sir Richard RothwellFeb 1679 Robert Leke Sir Robert MarkhamAug 1679 Sir Richard Rothwell1685 Henry Savile Philip Darcy1689 William Savile Nicholas Saunderson1693 Sir Francis Molyneux, 4th Baronet1695 Sir George Markham, 3rd Baronet1698 James Saunderson1700 John RaynerJan 1701 Sir George Markham, 3rd BaronetNov 1701 Sir Matthew Jenison James Saunderson1705 John Digby1708 Richard Sutton1710 Sir Thomas Willoughby, 2nd Baronet Richard Newdigate1712 Richard Sutton1715 Conyers Darcy1722 James Pelham1738 (by) Lord William Manners1741 Job Staunton Charlton1754 John Manners1761 Thomas Thoroton1768 John Shelley1774 George Manners-Sutton Henry Clinton Tory1780 Lord George Manners-Sutton Tory1783 (by) John Manners-Sutton Tory1784 Constantine Phipps Tory1790 William CrosbieTory1796 Thomas Manners-Sutton Tory Mark WoodTory1802 Sir Charles Pole1805 (by) Henry WilloughbyTory1806 Sir Stapleton Cotton, Bt Tory1814 (by) George Hay Dawkins-Pennant1818 Sir William Henry ClintonTory1829 (by) Michael Thomas SadlerToryFeb 1831 (by) William Farnworth HandleyToryMay 1831 Thomas WildeWhig1832 William Ewart GladstoneTory1834 Conservative Conservative1835 Thomas WildeWhig1841 Lord John MannersConservative1846 (by) John StuartConservative1847 John Manners-SuttonConservative1852 Granville Harcourt-VernonPeelite1857 Earl of LincolnPeelite John HandleyPeelite1859 Grosvenor HodgkinsonLiberalLiberal1865 Lord Arthur Pelham-ClintonLiberal1868 Edward DenisonLiberal1870 (by) Samuel BristoweLiberal1874 Thomas EarpLiberal1880 William Newzam NicholsonConservative1885Representation reduced to one member
MPs since 1885 ElectionMemberParty 1885Charles PierrepontConservative 1895Harold Finch-HattonConservative 1898 (by)Charles PierrepontConservative 1900 (by)Charles WelbyConservative 1906John StarkeyConservative 1922William Cavendish-BentinckConservative 1943 (by)Sidney ShephardConservative 1950George DeerLabour 1964Ted BishopLabour 1979Richard AlexanderConservative 1997Fiona JonesLabour Mar 1999Independent Apr 1999Labour 2001 Patrick MercerConservative 2013 Independent 2014 (by)Robert JenrickConservative2026Reform UK
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
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 in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; Unionist: Arthur Colefax Liberal: Robert Burley Wallis
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Caused by Finch-Hatton's resignation.
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1870s
Caused by Denison's death.
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1840s
Caused by Gladstone's appointment as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Caused by Gladstone's appointment as Vice-President of the Board of Trade and Master of the Mint
Caused by Wilde's appointment as Solicitor General for England and Wales
Elections in the 1830s
Caused by Willoughby's resignation
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Nottinghamshire
Notes
References
External links Newark UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Newark UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Newark UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK