Leicester East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since July 2024 by Shivani Raja of the Conservative Party.

Constituency profile Leicester East is an urban constituency in Leicestershire. It covers the eastern neighbourhoods of the city of Leicester, including Humberstone, Hamilton, Belgrave, Rushey Mead, North Evington and Thurncourt. 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. The Leicester East constituency has high levels of deprivation, particularly in the areas close to the city centre with densely packed terraced housing, such as Belgrave. House prices in the constituency are similar to those in the rest of the East Midlands and lower than the national average.

In general, residents of the constituency are young and have low levels of education, income and professional employment. A high proportion work in the manufacturing and retail sectors. Leicester East has the highest percentage of Asian residents of any constituency in the United Kingdom; they made up 69% of the population at the 2021 census and most are of Indian origin. A majority of the Asian population are Hindu but there are also many Muslims and Sikhs. 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. White people made up 20% of residents in 2021, most of whom live on the city's outskirts in and around Thurncourt. On Leicester City Council, the more central, densely-populated areas of this constituency are represented by Conservatives while the outer, more suburban areas have elected Labour Party councillors. An estimated 51% of voters in Leicester East supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the nationwide figure of 52%.

History

First creation The seat was created in 1918 and for the next four years was served by Sir Gordon Hewart KC, who resigned to become Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. In 1950 the area was divided between Leicester North East and Leicester South East.

Second (current) creation The constituency was re-created in 1974.

Summary of results Leicester East has been won by the Labour Party's candidate in 12 of the 14 elections since it was re-created. Its MP from 1987 to 2019, Keith Vaz, won an absolute majority of votes from the 1992 general election onward. It had been narrowly won by Conservative Party candidate Peter Bruinvels (a lay canon) at the height of his party's popularity in 1983. The following election saw Vaz regain the seat for Labour; he held it at every election thereafter, from 1997 onward always winning by margins of over 29% and 13,000 votes, until he stood down at the 2019 general election. The result in 2015 made the constituency the 37th-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage majority. Vaz won his highest majority, 22,428 votes (42.8%), in 2017. In 2019 Labour held the seat with a substantially reduced majority of 6,019, down from 22,428 – a swing of 15%.

The constituency was the sole gain by the Conservatives at the 2024 general election, when Shivani Raja was elected with 31.1% of the vote.

Opposition parties The Conservative Party candidate has been runner-up in every election save for Bruinvels' win in 1983 and Raja's victory in 2024. The candidate of UKIP took third place in 2015, for the first time; her 2010 counterpart had won 1.5% of the vote, the party not having previously stood in the constituency. The pro-UKIP swing between the 2010 and 2015 elections, of 7.4%, was less than the national average of 9.5%. Susan Cooper was 1.8% away from second place in 2005, giving the best result of a Liberal Democrat to date, attracting just under a fifth of the vote.

Turnout Turnout in the recreated seat has ranged between 78.7% in 1992 and 61.0% in 2024.

Boundaries

Historic 1918–1950: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Latimer, Spinney Hill, and West Humberstone.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Evington, Humberstone, and Latimer.

1983–2010: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone, Latimer, Rushey Mead, Thurncourt, and West Humberstone.

2010–2024: The City of Leicester wards of Belgrave, Charnwood, Coleman, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton, Latimer, Rushey Mead, and Thurncourt.

Further to a local government boundary review which became effective in May 2015, North Evington and Troon wards were created, replacing the Charnwood, Coleman and Latimer wards.

Current The City of Leicester wards of:

Belgrave, Evington (most), Humberstone & Hamilton, North Evington, Rushey Mead, Thurncourt and Troon.

Following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was adjusted slightly by transferring polling district EVF in Evington ward to Leicester South.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1918–1950

Leicester prior to 1918

YearMemberParty 1918 Sir Gordon Hewart Coalition Liberal Jan 1922 National Liberal Mar 1922 by-election George Banton Labour Nov 1922 Arthur Evans National Liberal Aug 1923 Unionist Dec 1923 George Banton Labour 1924 John Loder Unionist 1929 Frank Wise Labour 1931 Abraham Lyons Conservative 1945 Terence Donovan Labour1950 Constituency abolished

MPs since 1974 Leicester South East and Leicester North East prior to 1974

YearMemberParty Feb 1974 Tom Bradley Labour 1981 SDP 1983 Peter Bruinvels Conservative 1987 Keith Vaz Labour 2019 Claudia Webbe Labour2020 Independent 2024 Shivani Raja Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

In November 2021, Webbe was given a 10-week suspended sentence for making threatening phone calls to a friend of her partner. Webbe, who since September 2020 had been suspended from the Labour Party and was sitting as an independent MP, was then expelled from the party and continued to sit as an independent until Parliament was dissolved.

Elections in the 2000s

In 2005 this seat bucked the national trend as there was a swing to Labour whereas the national swing was 2.5% to the Conservatives.

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Election in the 1910s

See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Leicestershire and Rutland

Notes

References

External links Leicester East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Leicester East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Leicester East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK