The ceremonial county of Merseyside, created in 1974, is divided into 16 parliamentary constituencies (sub-classified into 11 of borough type and five of county status affecting the level of expenses permitted and status of returning officer). Three seats cross the county boundary - two are shared with Cheshire and one with Lancashire.
The area, centred on its largest city of Liverpool, has since that year elected a majority of Labour Party MPs moreover since 1997 at least 13 of 15 seats have been held or won by the party at each general election, with the party winning all seats for the first time in 2024. The two other largest parties nationally in England (Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) have to date won intermittently in the two larger seats within the four in the Wirral, the peninsula facing Liverpool, and, until 2024, had alternately represented the seat centred on the coastal strip in and around the leisure resort of Southport; it had not previously sided with the Labour Party since it was created in 1885. The bulk of seats especially towards the east and the centre of Liverpool have not sided with the Conservative Party since that party actively supported the National Labour Organisation (1931–1947).
Constituencies
ConstituencyBC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.ElectorateMajorityThe majority is the number of votes the winning candidate receives more than their nearest rival.Member of ParliamentNearest oppositionMapBirkenhead BC78,09113,798 Alison McGovern‡ Jo Bird¥Bootle BC73,03721,983 Peter Dowd‡ Darren Burns¤Ellesmere Port and Bromborough BCCross-county constituency with Cheshire70,79916,908 Justin Madders‡ Michael Aldred¤Knowsley BC71,96418,319 Anneliese Midgley‡ Alexander Hitchmough¤Liverpool Garston BC69,28220,104 Maria Eagle‡ Kiera Hubbard¤Liverpool Riverside BC71,38014,793 Kim Johnson‡ Chris Coughlan¥Liverpool Walton BC69,31720,245 Dan Carden‡ Joe Doran¤Liverpool Wavertree BC70,58116,304 Paula Barker‡ Tom Crone¥Liverpool West Derby BC69,93420,423 Ian Byrne‡ Jack Boyd¤Sefton Central CC74,28218,282 Bill Esterson‡ Marcus Bleasdale†Southport CCCross-county constituency with Lancashire73,6415,789 Patrick Hurley‡ Damien Moore†St Helens North CC75,48312,169 David Baines‡ Malcolm Webster¤St Helens South and Whiston BC71,56911,945 Marie Rimmer‡ Raymond Peters¤Wallasey BC74,08217,996 Angela Eagle‡ David Burgess-Joyce¤Widnes and Halewood CCCross-county constituency with Cheshire70,16116,425 Derek Twigg‡ Jake Fraser¤Wirral West CC72,8389,998 Matthew Patrick‡ Jenny Johnson†
Boundary changes 2024 See 2023 review of Westminster constituencies for further details.
For the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which redrew the constituency map ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Boundary Commission for England opted to combine Merseyside with Cheshire as a sub-region of the North West Region, with the creation of two cross-county boundary constituencies of Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, and Widnes and Halewood, which avoids the need for a constituency which spans the River Mersey. As a consequence, Garston and Halewood was abolished and Liverpool Garston re-established, and Wirral South was abolished, with its contents being redistributed to Birkenhead, Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, and Wirral West. Four wards in the Lancashire borough of West Lancashire were included in Southport.
Name (2010–2024)Boundaries 2010-2024Name (2024–present)Boundaries 2024–present Birkenhead BC Bootle BC Garston and Halewood BC Knowsley BC Liverpool, Riverside BC Liverpool, Walton BC Liverpool, Wavertree BC Liverpool, West Derby BC Sefton Central CC Southport BC St Helens North BC St Helens South and Whiston BC Wallasey BC Wirral South CC Wirral West CC Birkenhead BC Bootle BC Ellesmere Port and Bromborough BC Knowsley BC Liverpool Garston BC Liverpool Riverside BC Liverpool Walton BC Liverpool Wavertree BC Liverpool West Derby BC Sefton Central CC Southport CC St Helens North CC St Helens South and Whiston BC Wallasey BC Widnes and Halewood CC Wirral West CC
The following constituencies resulted from the boundary review:
Containing electoral wards from Knowsley
Knowsley Liverpool West Derby (part) St Helens South and Whiston (part) Widnes and Halewood (part also in Cheshire West and Chester)
Containing electoral wards from Liverpool Liverpool Garston Liverpool Riverside Liverpool Walton (part) Liverpool Wavertree Liverpool West Derby (part) Containing electoral wards from St Helens St Helens North St Helens South and Whiston (part) Containing electoral wards from Sefton
Bootle Liverpool Walton (part) Sefton Central Southport (part also in West Lancashire)
Containing electoral wards from Wirral
Birkenhead Ellesmere Port and Bromborough (part also in Cheshire West and Chester) Wallasey Wirral West
2010 Under the fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England decided to reduce the number of seats in Merseyside from 16 to 15, leading to significant changes. The two Knowsley seats were abolished, with a single Knowsley constituency created. Parts of Knowsley North and Sefton East were added to the new constituency of Sefton Central, which replaced Crosby, and parts of Knowsley South were added to the new constituency of Garston and Halewood, which replaced Liverpool, Garston. Name (1997–2010)Boundaries 1997-2010Name (2010–2024)Boundaries 2010–2024 Birkenhead BC Bootle BC Crosby BC Knowsley North and Sefton East CC Knowsley South CC Liverpool, Garston BC Liverpool, Riverside BC Liverpool, Walton BC Liverpool, Wavertree BC Liverpool, West Derby BC St Helens North BC St Helens South BC Southport BC Wallasey BC Wirral South CC Wirral West CC Birkenhead BC Bootle BC Garston and Halewood BC Knowsley BC Liverpool, Riverside BC Liverpool, Walton BC Liverpool, Wavertree BC Liverpool, West Derby BC Sefton Central CC Southport BC St Helens North BC St Helens South and Whiston BC Wallasey BC Wirral South CC Wirral West CC
Results history Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019
2024 The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Merseyside in the 2024 general election were as follows:Merseyside has three cross-county constituencies. Southport as an electorate predominantly within Merseyside, and so included within the below vote shares. Ellesmere Port and Bromsborough and Widnes and Halewood have majority electorates within Cheshire, and are hence excluded from the vote share PartyVotes%Change from 2019SeatsChange from 2019Labour324,45756.8%8.4%162Reform80,96114.2%9.500Conservative60,90310.7%9.5%01Greens54,8719.6%6.9%00Liberal Democrats31,9825.6%000Others17,6813.1%1.500Total570,855100.016
Percentage votes Election year19831987199219972001200520102015201720192024Labour39.947.451.461.958.753.852.361.771.265.256.8Reform - - - - - - - - -4.714.2Conservative35.028.929.019.720.119.421.118.121.420.210.7Green Party -*****0.33.61.52.79.6Liberal Democrat123.723.316.914.417.822.920.85.54.35.65.6UKIP - - -***3.210.31.1**Other1.40.32.73.93.43.92.20.80.51.63.1 11983 & 1987 - SDP–Liberal Alliance
* Included in Other
Seats Election year19831987199219972001200520102015201720192024Labour1111121515151314141416Conservative54400010110Liberal Democrat112111111000Total1717171616161515151516 11983 & 1987 - SDP–Liberal Alliance
Maps 1983 to 2019
2024 to present (including three cross-county constituencies)
Historic representation by party A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.
1983 to 2010
Constituency19838619878890909119929719972001200507Liverpool Mossley HillAlton→BirkenheadFieldBootleRobertsCarrBentonCrosbyThorntonCurtis-ThomasKnowsley N / Knowsley N & Sefton E (1997)Kilroy-SilkHowarthKnowsley South HughesO'HaraLiverpool GarstonLoydenM. EagleLiverpool Broadgreen / Liverpool Wavertree (1997)FieldsKennedyLiverpool RiversideParryEllmanLiverpool WaltonHefferKilfoyleLiverpool West DerbyWareing→SouthportPercivalFearn→BanksFearnPughSt Helens NorthEvansWattsSt Helens SouthBerminghamWoodwardWallaseyChalkerA. EagleWirral SouthPorterChapmanWirral WestHuntHesford
2010 to present
Constituency2010201520171819192019222024BirkenheadField→→WhitleyMcGovernBootleBentonDowdKnowsleyHowarth MidgleyGarston & Halewood1 / Liverpool Garston (2024)M. EagleLiverpool RiversideEllman→JohnsonLiverpool WaltonRotheramCardenLiverpool WavertreeBerger→→BarkerLiverpool West DerbyTwiggByrneSt Helens NorthWattsMcGinn→ BainesSt Helens South & WhistonWoodwardRimmerSefton CentralEstersonSouthport2PughMoore HurleyWallaseyA. EagleWirral South1McGovernN/AWirral WestMcVeyGreenwood Patrick 1parts transferred in 2024 to seats which lie mostly in Cheshire
2contains some areas of Lancashire
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in the North West (region) List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies
Notes
References