Bootle (UK Parliament constituency)

History

The constituency was originally a Conservative seat, being represented by Conservative Party leader Andrew Bonar Law from 1911 until 1918 when property qualifications for the vote were abolished. A Liberal seat in the 1920s, it then became a Conservative - Labour marginal in the 1930s. The Labour Party has held it continually since the 1945 general election which saw two decades of steep decline in the profitability of Liverpool Docks, manufacturing and shipbuilding which employed many workers. In each general election from 1997 until 2010 it was the safest seat for any party in Britain.

In 1990, there were two by-elections in Bootle. The first followed the death of Allan Roberts on 21 February, and was held on 24 May. That by-election is remembered because Jack Holmes, the candidate of the continuing Social Democratic Party (representing the part of the SDP which did not merge with the Liberal Democrats) was humiliatingly beaten by Screaming Lord Sutch of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. The victorious Labour candidate, Michael Carr, died on 20 July 1990 after just 57 days in office.

The second by-election, held on 8 November 1990, was won by Labour's Joe Benton. Benton held in subsequent elections with large majorities. In the 2005 election the seat both was the safest seat and also had the highest winning share of the vote. In June 2014, Benton announced he would retire at the 2015 general election after 25 years as the seat's MP.

After the 2015 general election, Bootle is the fifth-safest seat in the United Kingdom, with a winning vote share of 74.5% and a majority of 63.6%

Constituency profile

The seat has some small neighbourhoods with middle-to-high incomes, but generally residents have some of the lowest UK incomes and there is a higher-than-average proportion of social housing. The constituency has long been one of the safest seats in the United Kingdom and since 1983 has given majorities in excess of 50% to the Labour Party candidate at General Elections.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Bootle-cum-Linacre and Liverpool, the civil parishes of Childwall, Fazakerley, Walton-on-the-Hill, and Wavertree, and parts of the civil parishes of Toxteth Park and West Derby.

1918-1950: The County Borough of Bootle.

1950-1955: The County Borough of Bootle, and the Urban District of Litherland.

1955-1974: The County Borough of Bootle.

1974-1983: The County Borough of Bootle, and the Urban District of Litherland.

1983-1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Church, Derby, Ford, Linacre, Litherland, Netherton, Orrell, and St Oswald.

1997-2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Derby, Ford, Linacre, Litherland, Netherton, Orrell, and St Oswald.

2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Church, Derby, Ford, Linacre, Litherland, Netherton and Orrell, St Oswald, and Victoria.

The constituency covers the southern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside. This comprises Bootle itself plus other localities including Crosby, Waterloo, Seaforth, Litherland, Netherton, Orrell and Ford.

Boundary changes that came into force as a result of the 2010 general election being called saw the constituency grow to also include parts of the old Crosby constituency, with the electoral wards of Church and Victoria being added. Although these areas are more affluent than some parts of Bootle, it has not changed the seat from being anything other than a safe Labour one.

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;