Battersea (UK Parliament constituency)

Battersea is a constituency[n 1] in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It has been represented since 2017 by Marsha de Cordova of the Labour Party.[n 2][n 3]

Battersea
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Battersea in Greater London
CountyGreater London
Population106,709 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate73,028 (December 2010)[2]
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentMarsha de Cordova (Labour)
SeatsOne
Created fromBattersea North and Battersea South
1885–1918
SeatsOne
Type of constituencyBorough constituency
Created fromMid Surrey
Replaced byBattersea North and Battersea South

The seat has had two periods of existence (1885–1918 and 1983 to date). In the first Parliament after the seat's re-creation it was Labour-represented, bucking the national result, thereafter from 1987 until 2017 the affiliation of the winning candidate was that of the winning party nationally – a 30-year bellwether.

In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted remain by an estimated 77%, the highest by a constituency with a Conservative MP at the time.[3]

Boundaries

1885–1918: Wards 2 and 3 of Battersea Parish, and that part of No. 4 Ward bounded on the south by Battersea Rise, and on the east by St John's Road.[4]

1983–2010: The London Borough of Wandsworth wards of Balham, Fairfield, Latchmere, Northcote, Queenstown, St John, St Mary's Park and Shaftesbury.

St John Ward was abolished for the 2002 Wandsworth elections.[5] [6] St John was thus not in use at the next general election in 2005.

For that general election, the seat included a small part of Wandsworth Town (the majority being in Tooting constituency) and most of Fairfield (a small part being in Putney).[7]

2010–present: The London Borough of Wandsworth wards of Balham, Fairfield, Latchmere, Northcote, Queenstown, St Mary's Park and Shaftesbury.

The seat covers the north-eastern third of the London Borough of Wandsworth. As drawn and redrawn since 1983, it includes central Wandsworth and in the same way as Chelsea on the opposite bank, it adjoins the Thames before it flows through central London.

It takes in all of the district of Battersea, including its large Battersea Park (which hosts frequent live entertainment events and seasonal festivals), riverside and London Heliport, and stretches eastwards to include Nine Elms. Surrounding Battersea Park, it includes Queenstown, large neighbourhoods of Battersea Town,[n 4] and, going westwards, it includes most of Wandsworth town, including the riverside, Town Hall and East Hill.[n 5] Battersea also stretches south between Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common to include Balham Ward and the eastern end of Balham (the west, for general elections, being placed since 1983 in Tooting).

Constituency profile

A largely residential and ethnically diverse inner-city district of south London, the seat of Battersea includes half of Clapham Common, along with parts of Balham and Wandsworth. The iconic Battersea Power Station along with Nine Elms and the Patmore Estate. Battersea Power Station dominates the skyline, while Clapham Junction continues to be the busiest railway interchange in the UK.

Thanks to the influx of commuters, the constituency's social and demographic profile has changed considerably over the last quarter of a century. At 57.4%, it has the highest proportion of people with a degree-level qualification or above amongst constituencies in England and Wales, according to Office for National Statistics 2011 Census figures. More than one in five has an associate professional and technical occupation.

A former bellwether seat, Battersea's winner came from the winning party from the 1987 to the 2015 general elections inclusive.

History

Major events
Battersea in the Metropolitan Board of Works area, showing "Borough of Battersea" boundaries used from 1885 to 1918 of Battersea itself

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the Constituency was to consist of-

  • "No. 2 Ward of Battersea Parish,
  • No. 3 Ward of Battersea Parish, and
  • So much of No. 4 Ward of Battersea Parish as lies to the north of a line drawn along the centre of Battersea Rise, and to the west of a line drawn along the centre of the St. John's Road."[8]

Battersea constituency was originally created in 1885. From 1892 to 1918 the seat was held by trade union leader John Burns who served as a Minister (of the Crown) in the Liberal Cabinets of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H. Asquith from 1905 until 1914.

The constituency was split in 1918 into:

  • Battersea North, which included the cheap housing accompanying Battersea Power Station and railway-works focussed Nine Elms;[9] it saw gradual replacement in its lifespan to overcrowded terraces, and had only four years of a Conservative MP (from 1931).
  • Battersea South had average-middle income and few pockets of slum clearance. It saw 38 years of a Conservative MP, lastly from 1959 to 1964, without electing one during new latter-day Conservative governments which came to power in 1970 and 1979.

The two seats have been rejoined since 1983, such that some areas of Battersea South became part of the adjoining Tooting seat. Alf Dubs (Labour), before the election the incumbent for Battersea South, won Battersea in 1983. Conservative John Bowis won in the next elections, 1987 and 1992. Martin Linton, a Labour politician, took it back in 1997 and held the seat until 2010.

Minor events including in the split of this constituency period

In 2001, the candidate T.E Barber used the candidate description "No fruit out of context party", and advocated the end of, amongst other crimes against food, pineapples on pizza.[10]

In the book Things Can Only Get Better: Eighteen Miserable Years in the Life of a Labour Supporter, John O'Farrell describes his experiences of being the secretary of Queenstown Branch of the Battersea Labour party, during which time the branch suffered a net loss at every local election and lost in 1987 their MP, Alf Dubs.

Benefiting from an exclusivity arrangement, the old Battersea North was one of two seats in London to have had a Communist MP: Shapurji Saklatvala represented the area from 1922 to 1929. A wealthy aristocratic Indian, he was among the five Communists elected to the national chamber in its history and was the third of the young Socialist Labour/Communist/Labour parties from an ethnic minority background. At first, Saklatvala had local Labour party support and was also a member of that party but then stood as a Communist in 1924 with local Labour party backing. The head office of the less radical Labour party mandated an official Labour candidate stand against him in 1929. The Battersea Labour Club (a drinking club not directly connected with the political party) had a notice on its notice board up until the 1980s banning Communists from admission to the club.

Members of Parliament
First electedMember[11]Party
1885 Octavius Vaughan Morgan Liberal
    1892 John Burns Independent Labour
    1895 (new party) Liberal-Labour
see Battersea North and Battersea South for 1918–1983
1983 Alf Dubs Labour
1987 John Bowis Conservative
1997 Martin Linton Labour
2010 Jane Ellison Conservative
2017 Marsha de Cordova Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: Battersea[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Marsha de Cordova 27,290 45.5 Decrease0.4
Conservative Kim Caddy 21,622 36.1 Decrease5.4
Liberal Democrats Mark Gitsham 9,150 15.3 Increase7.3
Green Lois Davis 1,529 2.5 Increase0.9
Brexit Party Jake Thomas 386 0.6 New
Majority 5,668 9.5 Increase5.0
Turnout 59,977 75.6 Increase4.6
Registered electors 79,309
Labour hold Swing Increase2.5
General election 2017: Battersea[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Marsha de Cordova 25,292 45.9 +9.1
Conservative Jane Ellison 22,876 41.5 −10.9
Liberal Democrats Richard Davis 4,401 8.0 +3.6
Independent Chris Coghlan 1,234 2.2 New
Green Lois Davis 866 1.6 −1.7
UKIP Eugene Power 357 0.6 −2.5
Socialist (GB) Daniel Lambert 32 0.1 New
Majority 2,416 4.4 N/A
Turnout 55,058 71.0 +4.0
Registered electors 77,574
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +10.0
See also: Opinion polling for the United Kingdom general election, 2017 § Battersea
General election 2015: Battersea[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jane Ellison 26,730 52.4 +5.1
Labour Will Martindale 18,792 36.8 +1.7
Liberal Democrats Luke Taylor 2,241 4.4 −10.3
Green Joe Stuart 1,682 3.3 +2.2
UKIP Christopher Howe 1,586 3.1 +2.1
Majority 7,938 15.6 +3.4
Turnout 51,031 67.0 +1.3
Registered electors 76,111
Conservative hold Swing +1.6
General election 2010: Battersea[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jane Ellison 23,103 47.3 +7.3
Labour Martin Linton 17,126 35.1 −4.1
Liberal Democrats Layla Moran 7,176 14.7 −0.1
Green Guy Evans 559 1.1 −3.1
UKIP Christopher MacDonald 505 1.0 +0.2
Hugh Salmon for Battersea Party Hugh Salmon 168 0.3 New
Independent Tom Fox 155 0.3 New
Majority 5,977 12.2 N/A
Turnout 48,792 65.7 +6.5
Registered electors 74,311
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +6.5

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: Battersea[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin Linton 16,569 40.4 −9.9
Conservative Dominic Schofield 16,406 40.0 +3.5
Liberal Democrats Norsheen Bhatti 6,006 14.6 +2.5
Green Hugo Charlton 1,735 4.2 New
UKIP Terry Jones 333 0.8 New
Majority 163 0.4 −13.3
Turnout 41,049 59.0 +4.5
Registered electors 69,548
Labour hold Swing −6.7
General election 2001: Battersea[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin Linton 18,498 50.3 −0.4
Conservative Lucy Shersby 13,445 36.5 −2.9
Liberal Democrats Siobhan Vitelli 4,450 12.1 +4.7
Independent Thomas Barber 411 1.1 New
Majority 5,053 13.8 +2.5
Turnout 36,804 54.5 −16.3
Registered electors 67,495
Labour hold Swing +2.1

Elections in the 1990s
General election 1997: Battersea[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin Linton 24,047 50.7 +9.5
Conservative John Bowis 18,687 39.4 −11.1
Liberal Democrats Paula Keaveney 3,482 7.4 +0.4
Referendum Mark Slater 804 1.7 New
UKIP Ashley Banks 250 0.5 New
Rainbow Dream Ticket Joseph Marshall 127 0.3 New
Majority 5,360 11.3 N/A
Turnout 47,397 70.8 −5.8
Registered electors 66,895
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +10.2
General election 1992: Battersea[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Bowis 26,390 50.5 +6.3
Labour Alf Dubs 21,550 41.2 −1.2
Liberal Democrats Roger O'Brien 3,659 7.0 −4.9
Green Ian Wingrove 584 1.1 −0.1
Natural Law William Stevens 98 0.2 New
Majority 4,840 9.3 +7.5
Turnout 52,281 76.6 +5.9
Registered electors 68,218
Conservative hold Swing +3.7

Elections in the 1980s
General election 1987: Battersea[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Bowis 20,945 44.2 +7.8
Labour Alf Dubs 20,088 42.4 −1.4
SDP David Harries 5,634 11.9 −5.6
Green Sonia Willington 559 1.2 +0.3
Workers Revolutionary Anthony Bell 116 0.3 New
Majority 857 1.8 N/A
Turnout 47,342 70.7 +4.1
Registered electors 66,979
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.6
General election 1983: Battersea[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alf Dubs 19,248 43.8 −6.4
Conservative Rupert Allason 15,972 36.4 −2.4
SDP M. Harris 7,675 17.5 +9.4
National Front Michael Salt 539 1.2 −1.0
Ecology Sonia Willington 377 0.9 New
Campaign for Black & White Unity T. Jackson 86 0.2 New
Community K. Purie-Harwell 22 0.1 ±0.0
Majority 3,276 7.4 -4.0
Turnout 43,919 66.6 −3.1
Registered electors 65,938
Labour win (new seat)

1979 notional Battersea result (new seat created post-election)
General election 1979: Battersea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 14,909 50.2 N/A
Conservative 11,505 38.8 N/A
Liberal 2,412 8.1 N/A
National Front 667 2.2 N/A
Workers Party 104 0.4 N/A
Workers Revolutionary 47 0.2 N/A
Community Party 30 0.1 N/A
Majority 3,404 11.4 N/A
Turnout 29,674 69.7 N/A
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
General election December 1910: Battersea and Clapham, Battersea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Lib-Lab John Burns 7,836 52.8 +1.1
Conservative John Lane Harrington 6,544 44.0 -4.3
Ind. Labour Party Charles Nathaniel Lowe Shaw 477 3.2 New
Majority 1,292 8.8 +5.4
Turnout 18,927 78.5 -8.8
Registered electors 18,927
Lib-Lab hold Swing +2.6
General election January 1910: Battersea and Clapham, Battersea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Lib-Lab John Burns 8,540 51.7 -4.4
Conservative Arthur Benn 7,985 48.3 +4.4
Majority 555 3.4 -8.8
Turnout 18,927 87.3 +1.6
Registered electors 18,927
Lib-Lab hold Swing -4.4

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1906: Battersea[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Lib-Lab John Burns 7,387 56.1 +5.0
Conservative Arthur Benn 5,787 43.9 −5.0
Majority 1,600 12.2 +10.0
Turnout 13,174 85.7 +6.2
Registered electors 15,369
Lib-Lab hold Swing +5.0
General election 1900: Battersea[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Lib-Lab John Burns 5,860 51.1 -0.1
Conservative Richard Charles Garton 5,606 48.9 +0.1
Majority 254 2.2 -0.2
Turnout 11,466 79.5 +3.6
Registered electors 14,420
Lib-Lab hold Swing -0.1

Elections in the 1890s
John Burns
General election 1895: Battersea[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Lib-Lab John Burns 5,010 51.2 -6.9
Conservative Charles Ridley Smith 4,766 48.8 +6.9
Majority 244 2.4 N/A
Turnout 9,776 75.9 -2.2
Registered electors 12,880
Lib-Lab gain from Independent Labour Swing -6.9
General election 1892: Battersea[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Labour John Burns 5,616 58.1 New
Conservative Walter Moresby Chinnery 4,057 41.9 -6.8
Majority 1,559 16.2 N/A
Turnout 9,673 78.1 +6.4
Registered electors 12,381
Independent Labour gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1886: Battersea[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Octavius Morgan 3,683 51.3 -3.3
Conservative Edward Cooper Willis 3,497 48.7 +3.3
Majority 186 2.6 -6.6
Turnout 7,180 71.7 -6.2
Registered electors 10,019
Liberal hold Swing -3.3
1886 Battersea by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Octavius Morgan Unopposed
Registered electors 10,019
Liberal hold

Morgan sought re-election after questions arose about a government contract his firm held.

General election 1885: Battersea[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Octavius Morgan 4,259 54.6
Conservative John Edward Cooke 3,547 45.4
Majority 712 9.2
Turnout 7,806 77.9
Registered electors 10,019
Liberal win (new seat)

See also

Notes
  1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. The London Borough of Wandsworth has had a Conservative Party majority of councillors in control since 1978.
  3. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
  4. Queenstown Road Battersea is passed through by the South West Main Line. Nine Elms constitutes a large 2010s mixed use neighbourhood including the landmark converted Battersea Power Station by the River Thames. The United States Embassy is part of the redevelopment.
  5. Specifically: "Fairfield" Ward, Wandsworth

References
  1. "Battersea: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  2. "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  3. "Revised estimates of leave vote in Westminster constituencies". Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  4. "Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
  5. Minors, Michael (1998). London Borough Council elections 7 May 1998 : including the Greater London Authority referendum results (PDF). London: London Research Centre. Demographic and Statistical Studies. ISBN 1852612762. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  6. Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project – 2002 – Wandsworth". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. Fifth periodical report : presented to Parliament pursuant to section 3(5) of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (PDF). London: Stationery Office. 2007. ISBN 9780101703222. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  8. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Sixth Schedule
  9. Booth Poverty Map For prostitution and other "Lowest class: Vicious and semi-criminal" classification see Cumberland Street written notes: Archived 2007-08-24 at the Wayback Machine and a small cluster of mean streets by the railways in Nine Elms
  10. Boothroyd, David (n.d.). "United Kingdom Parliamentary Election results 1997–: London Boroughs". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 7 December 2000. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  11. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
  12. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
  13. "Battersea parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  14. "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  15. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. Council, Wandsworth. "Battersea Constituency – Parliamentary election results May 2015 – Wandsworth Council". www.wandsworth.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  17. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885–1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
Further reading
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