Hackney North and Stoke Newington (UK Parliament constituency)

Constituency profile

The constituency has always elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1950. While well connected to Central London, including the City of London, the seat generally has moderate incomes rather than high, and a narrow majority of wards had a relatively high ranking when placed in the Index of Multiple Deprivation, compiled in 2000. In line with most of Greater London since 2000 many parts, especially Stamford Hill, Upper Clapton, Lower Clapton have become marginal in terms of local councillors and these districts, with to a lesser extent the eponymous Hackney and Stoke Newington, are in the process of becoming re-gentrified with ongoing increases in land value, proximity to the London 2012 venues and a council that successfully reduced the level of crime by about 30 per cent within a four-year period. Demographically, almost 60 per cent of households are singletons and households have a higher than average level of unemployment. Through all this change, under incumbent Diane Abbott, the seat has become a safe seat for Labour. Prior to her promotion to the Shadow Cabinet, Abbott for many years was Labour's regular commentator opposite Michael Portillo on the light-hearted political round-up series This Week, and still appears on the show periodically.

History

The seat was created in 1950 and has gone through many changes: in January 2006 the boundary moved again, this time to correspond with the local government ward boundaries.

Following major electoral reform at the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, part of the Third Reform Act, the seat of Hackney was divided into two and Hackney North was formed, this time to return only one Member of Parliament, commencing with the 1885 general election.

The Stoke Newington constituency was created at the 1918 general election by the division of the Hackney North constituency by the Representation of the People Act, 1918, known generally as Fourth Reform Act; an Act most importantly remembered for the first time extending suffrage to women. The constituency was identical in area to the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington.

Following a decrease in the population the two constituencies were merged by the Representation of the People Act, 1948, retaining David Weitzman as MP and becoming the current constituency in the 1950 general election.

The seat's narrowest majority of 18.3% was in 1979 and its greatest, 48.3%, was in 1997 — correlating with poor and landslide ratings nationally for the Labour Party, see chart at List of United Kingdom general elections. The 2015 result made the seat the 18th safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority and seventh safest in London.

Boundaries

1950-1955: The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney wards of Leaside, Maury, Southwold, Springfield, and Stamford, and the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington.

1955-1974: The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney wards of Northfield, Northwold, Rectory, and Springfield, and the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington.

1974-1983: The London Borough of Hackney wards of Brownswood, Clissold, Defoe, New River, Northfield, Northwold, and Springfield.

1983-2010: The London Borough of Hackney wards of Brownswood, Clissold, Eastdown, Leabridge, New River, North Defoe, Northfield, Northwold, Rectory, South Defoe, and Springfield.

2010-present: The London Borough of Hackney wards of Brownswood, Cazenove, Clissold, Dalston, Hackney Downs, Leabridge, Lordship, New River, Springfield, and Stoke Newington Central.

The constituency covers the northern part of the London Borough of Hackney.

The seat is bordered by the constituencies of Hackney South and Shoreditch, Islington North, Tottenham, and Walthamstow.