Southend West and Leigh is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. In the 2024 general election the seat was won by David Burton-Sampson for Labour. It was previously held by Anna Firth who won the 2022 by-election, following the murder of the incumbent MP, David Amess.
Although the constituency had always, since its creation in 1950, contained the town of Leigh-on-Sea, it was formally known as Southend West up until the 2024 general election. Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England recommended that it be renamed Southend West and Leigh.
Constituency profile
Southend West and Leigh is a constituency in Essex in the East of England. It covers the northern and western suburbs of the city of Southend-on-Sea, including Leigh-on-Sea, Chalkwell, Westcliff-on-Sea, Prittlewell and Eastwood.
Southend is a seaside resort city. It was a small fishing village until the early 19th century when it was developed for tourism. Leigh was traditionally a separate coastal town but has been absorbed by the Southend's suburban expansion. There is some deprivation in the areas close to the city centre, however this part of Southend largely avoided the economic problems caused by the late-20th-century decline in domestic tourism. Most of the neighbourhoods in this constituency are affluent and suburban in character, especially in Leigh, which was named the happiest place to live in Britain by Rightmove in 2018. House prices across the constituency are generally similar to the rest of the East of England and higher than the UK average.
Residents of Southend West and Leigh are older than average with a low proportion of young adults. They have average rates of income, high levels of homeownership, and the child poverty rate is low. Residents generally have below-average levels of education and a high proportion work in the health and education sectors. The percentage claiming unemployment benefits is low. White people made up 89% of the population at the 2021 census.
This constituency is politically mixed at the local city council; Leigh is represented by Green Party councillors, the city centre neighbourhoods like Prittlewell by the Labour Party and Reform UK, and the outer suburbs like Eastwood by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. An estimated 57% of voters in Southend West and Leigh supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the UK-wide figure of 52%.
History The constituency was created for the 1950 general election under the Representation of the People Act 1948, when the Parliamentary Borough of Southend-on-Sea was split in two.
Because four members of the Guinness family have held the seat (or its predecessor, Southend) it has been dubbed in political analyses in the media as "Guinness-on-Sea".
The seat had historically been seen by pundits as a safe Conservative seat and from its creation until 2019, the seat was held by the Conservative Party, with majorities ranging from 5.7% during the Labour Landslide of 1997 to 43.4% in 1955.
The seat was represented by David Amess for 24 years, from 1997 to 15 October 2021, when he was murdered. Amess was previously the MP for Basildon from 1983. A by-election was held to elect a replacement MP. In a similar vein to the subsequent by-election following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, all major contender parties stated they would not field candidates in opposition to the successful Conservative candidate, Anna Firth.
At the 2024 general election it was won by Labour for the first time with a 35.6% share.
Boundaries and boundary changes
Historic (Southend West)
1950–1955 The County Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, Milton, Prittlewell, St Clements, Victoria, and Westborough.
Formed primarily from western parts of the abolished Parliamentary Borough of Southend-on-Sea.
1955–1983 The County Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Blenheim, Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, Prittlewell, St Clement's, Southbourne, and Westborough.
Realignment of boundary with Southend East.
1983–2010 The Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Belfairs, Blenheim, Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, Prittlewell, and Westborough.
Marginal changes following the redistribution of wards in the Borough of Southend-on-Sea.
2010–2024
The Borough of Southend-on-Sea wards of Belfairs, Blenheim Park, Chalkwell, Eastwood Park, Leigh, Prittlewell, St Laurence, Westborough, and West Leigh.
Further marginal changes were due to a redistribution of local authority wards.
Current (Southend West and Leigh) Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises the whole of the previous Southend West seat with the addition of St Luke's ward from Rochford and Southend East.
The constituency comprises a small part of the west of Southend-on-Sea, and includes Leigh-on-Sea and Westcliff-on-Sea. It is bounded to the north and east by Rochford and Southend East, to the north by Rayleigh and Wickford, to the west by Castle Point, and to the south by the very end of the Thames Estuary.
Members of Parliament
Southend prior to 1950
ElectionMemberParty 1950 Sir Henry Channon Conservative 1959 by-election Paul Channon Conservative 1997 Sir David Amess Conservative 2022 by-election Anna Firth Conservative 2024 David Burton-Sampson Labour
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Vote share changes for the 2024 election are compared to the notional results from the 2019 election, not the 2022 by-election.
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 30,367 59.1 Labour 14,913 29.0 Liberal Democrats 5,449 10.6 Others 692 1.3Turnout51,42166.9Electorate76,824
Jack Monroe had previously been standing for the National Health Action Party, before withdrawing their candidacy on 11 May 2017, citing death threats and concern for their health.
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
See also Parliamentary constituencies in Essex List of parliamentary constituencies in the East of England (region)
Notes
References
External links Southend West Liberal Democrat Prospective MP Southend West UKIP Prospective MP Southend Liberal Democrats Southend West Conservatives Southend West UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Southend West UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Southend West and Leigh UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK