Tamworth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, based on the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. The seat is currently represented by Sarah Edwards of the Labour Party, re-elected in the UK 2024 general election.
Boundaries 1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Birmingham, the Sessional Divisions of Birmingham and Solihull, part of the Sessional Divisions of Atherstone and Coleshill, and part of the Municipal Borough of Tamworth.
1918–1945: The Municipal Borough of Sutton Coldfield, the Rural Districts of Meriden and Solihull, and part of the Rural District of Tamworth.
1997–2010: The Borough of Tamworth, and the District of Lichfield wards of Bourne Vale, Fazeley, Little Aston, Mease Valley, Shenstone, Stonnall, and Tame.
2010–2024: The Borough of Tamworth, and the District of Lichfield wards of Bourne Vale, Fazeley, Little Aston, Mease and Tame, Shenstone, and Stonnall.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020): The District of Lichfield wards of: Bourne Vale; Fazeley; Little Aston & Stonnall; Mease Valley; Shenstone; Whittington & Streethay (excluding the parish of Streethay). The Borough of Tamworth.
Minor adjustments to the boundary with Lichfield.
History The present Tamworth Constituency, a county constituency, replaced the old South East Staffordshire constituency for the 1997 general election.
A previous Tamworth constituency existed from 1563 until it was abolished for the 1945 general election. It was a borough constituency that elected two MPs until the 1885 general election, when it was reincarnated as a single-MP constituency in the county of Warwickshire by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
Political history Since its 1997 recreation the seat has been a bellwether, reflecting the largest party in terms of seats in the House of Commons with the largest share of the vote for the candidate locally. However, the seat has heavily trended towards the Conservatives in the general elections up to 2019, with majorities in excess of 10,000 in both 2015 and 2017 and almost 20,000 in 2019.
In the October 2023 by-election caused by the resignation of Chris Pincher (Conservative), Sarah Edwards (Labour) was elected. The results were videoed. Whilst it was a 24% swing to Labour, the turnout was a comparatively low 35%.
In the 2024 general election, Eddie Hughes stood as the Conservative candidate; he was the incumbent MP for Walsall North, which had been abolished as a result of the 2023 boundary review. Edwards retained the seat with a slightly increased margin in numerical terms, but a lower percentage margin (3.1% versus 5.1%) due to the higher turnout.
Prominent members The Prime Minister and leader of the breakaway Tory group, the Peelites, Sir Robert Peel, represented the area for a long period 1830–1850, as did his father, brother and son at different periods. His father and son, also named Robert, also shared the baronetcy gained by his father, which gave them the automatic right to the style "Sir".
Constituency profile Income and wealth are around average for the UK. The area voted strongly for Brexit in 2016.Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Tamworth
The constituency is convenient for all of the West Midlands conurbation and has considerable local employment. Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.9% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
Members of Parliament MPs before 1660 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1275–1559 No representation or records1563–1567 Michael HarcourtRobert Harcourt1571 Edward LewknorJohn Bullock1572–1583 Lancelot BostockJohn Nuttall1584–1585 John Breton Clement Fisher1586–1587 Walter Bagot John Ferrers1588–1589 Sir Edward Devereux Robert Wright1593 John Ferrers Thomas Smith1597–1598 William Temple George Hyde1601 George Egeock Robert Burdett1604 Sir Percival Willoughby Chose to sit for Nottinghamshire, replaced by Sir Thomas Beaumont John Ferrers1614 Sir Thomas Roe Sir Percival Willoughby1621 Sir Thomas Puckering John Ferrar1624–1625 John Woodford John Wightwick1625 Sir Thomas Puckering Sir Richard Skeffington1626 Sir Thomas Puckering Sir Walter Devereux1628–1629 Sir Thomas Puckering Sir Walter Devereux1629–1640No Parliaments summoned1640 (Apr) Sir Simon ArcherGeorge Abbot1640 (Nov) Ferdinando Stanhope (Royalist), killed 1643 Henry Wilmot (Royalist), expelled 1641.Oswald Barron, 'The Wild Wilmots', The Ancestor XI (1904), 5.1645 George Abbot (Parliamentarian)Sir Peter Wentworth (Parliamentarian)1648George Abbot (Parliamentarian)Sir Peter Wentworth (Parliamentarian)1653 Tamworth not represented in Barebone's Parliament1654 Tamworth not represented in 1st Protectorate Parliament1656 Tamworth not represented in 2nd Protectorate Parliament1659 Maj. Gen. Tobias Bridge Edward Keeling
MPs 1660–1885 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party1660Richard Newdigate Thomas Fox 1661Amos Walrond John Swinfen 1669John Ferrers 1670John Boyle, Lord Clifford Feb 1679 Sir Thomas Thynne, Bt Aug 1679Sir Andrew Hacket 1681John Swinfen 1685Richard Howe Sir Henry Gough Jan 1689Henry SidneyMay 1689Henry Boyle1690Michael Biddulph 1695Thomas Guy 1698John Chetwynd 1699Sir Henry Gough 1701Henry Thynne 1702 Joseph Girdler 1708Richard Swinfen 1710 Samuel Bracebridge 1715William Inge 1722 Francis Willoughby 1723Richard Swinfen Jan 1727Hon. George ComptonAug 1727William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin WhigHon. Thomas Willoughby Tory 1734Lord John Sackville Hon. George Compton 1735Charles Cotes 1741John Floyer 1742Charles Cotes 1747 Hon. Thomas Villiers Sir Henry Harpur 1748Sir Robert Burdett 1756Viscount Villiers 1765 Edward Thurlow Mar 1768William de Grey Nov 1768Charles Vernon 1774 Thomas de Grey 1778Anthony Chamier Sep 1780 John Courtenay Nov 1780 John Calvert 1784John Calvert II 1790Sir Robert Peel Tory1796Thomas Carter 1802William Loftus 1812Lord Charles Townshend Whig1818William Yates Peel Tory1820Lord Charles Townshend Whig1830 Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Bt Tory1834 Conservative1835William Yates Peel Conservative1837Edward Henry A'Court Conservative1846 PeeliteJul 1847William Yates Peel ConservativeDec 1847 John Townshend Whig1850 Sir Robert Peel, 3rd Bt Peelite1856 John Townshend Whig1859 Liberal Liberal1863John Peel Liberal1868Sir Henry Bulwer Liberal1871John Peel Liberal1872Robert William Hanbury Conservative1878Hamar Bass Liberal1880Jabez Balfour Liberal
MPs 1885–1945 Tamworth was reduced to having one member in 1885.
YearMemberWhip1885Philip Muntz Conservative1909Sir Francis Newdegate Conservative1917Henry Wilson-Fox Unionist1922Sir Percy Newson Unionist1923Sir Edward Iliffe Unionist1929Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland Unionist1935Sir John Mellor Conservative The seat was abolished in 1945.
MPs since 1997
South East Staffordshire prior to 1997
ElectionMemberParty 1997 Brian Jenkins Labour 2010Chris Pincher Conservative 2022Independent 2023 by-electionSarah Edwards Labour
Elections Elections in the 2020s
Changes in vote share are based on the 2019 general election result, not the 2023 by-election result.
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections 1918–1945 Elections in the 1930s 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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected: Conservative: John Mellor Labour: Michael Patrick Fogarty
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections 1885–1918 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: Francis Newdegate Liberal:
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections 1868–1885 Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1870s
Caused by Hanbury's resignation in order to contest the 1878 North Staffordshire by-election.
Caused by John Peel's death.
Caused by Butler's elevation to the peerage, becoming Lord Dalling and Bulwer.
Elections in the 1860s
Elections 1832–1868 Elections in the 1860s
Caused by Townshend's succession to the peerage, becoming 5th Marquess Townshend.
Caused by Peel's appointment as Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Elections in the 1850s
Caused by Townshend's elevation to the peerage, becoming Marquess of Townshend
Caused by Peel's appointment as a Civil Lord of the Admiralty.
Caused by Robert Peel's death.
Elections in the 1840s
Caused by William Yates Peel's resignation by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds
Caused by Peel's appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and First Lord of the Treasury
Elections in the 1830s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Staffordshire List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region)
Notes
References
External links Tamworth UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Tamworth UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Tamworth UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK