Blyth and Ashington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Created as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. It is currently held by Ian Lavery of the Labour Party, who previously held the abolished constituency of Wansbeck from 2010 to 2024.
Constituency profile The Blyth and Ashington constituency is located in Northumberland and contains the towns of Blyth, Ashington, Bedlington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. The towns are varied in character; Blyth is a port town with a history of shipbuilding and Ashington was an important centre for coal mining. Bedlington is a historic market town and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea was traditionally a seaside resort town with a large fishing industry.Hodgson, John. 1832. A History of Northumberland, in Three Parts: Part II Volume II (Newcastle upon Tyne: Charles Henry Cook)
Compared to national averages, residents of the constituency are less wealthy and less likely to be degree-educated or work in professional jobs. House prices are very low, and 97% of the population are White. At the most recent county council election in 2025, most seats in the constituency were won by Reform UK candidates, although independent councillors were elected in Bedlington. An estimated 61% of voters supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the national figure of 52%.
Boundaries Further to the 2023 boundary review, the constituency was defined as composing the following electoral divisions of the County of Northumberland from the 2024 general election (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
Ashington Central; Bedlington Central; Bedlington East; Bedlington West; Bothal; Choppington; College; Cowpen; Croft; Haydon; Hirst; Isabella; Kitty Brewster; Newbiggin Central and East; Newsham; Plessey; Seaton with Newbiggin West; Sleekburn; South Blyth; Stakeford; and Wensleydale.
The seat comprises the majority of the abolished constituency of Wansbeck, excluding the town of Morpeth(now part of North Northumberland), together with the town of Blyth from the abolished constituency of Blyth Valley.
Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2025, the constituency now comprises the following electoral divisions of Northumberland:
Ashington Central; Bebside and Kitty Brewster; Bedlington Central; Bedlington East; Bedlington West; Bothal; Choppington and Hepscott (part - including Choppington); College with North Seaton; Cowpen; Croft; Haydon; Hirst; Isabella; Newbiggin-by-the-Sea; Newsham; Plessey; Seaton with Spital; Sleekburn; South Blyth; Stakeford; and Wensleydale.
Members of Parliament
Wansbeck prior to 2024
ElectionMemberParty 2024 Ian Lavery Labour
Elections Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional resulthttps://electionresults.parliament.uk/elections/2023 Party Vote % Labour 20,500 47.7 Conservative 14,382 33.5 Brexit 3,921 9.1 Liberal Democrats 2,761 6.4 Green 1,248 2.9 CPA 178 0.4Turnout42,99057.0Electorate75,452
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Northumberland List of parliamentary constituencies in North East England (region)
References
External links Blyth and Ashington UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK