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Poplar and Limehouse (UK Parliament constituency)

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County
  
Greater London

Created
  
2010

Member of parliament
  
Jim Fitzpatrick

Electorate
  
74,919 (December 2010)

European Parliament constituency
  
London

Number of members
  
1

Poplar and Limehouse (UK Parliament constituency)

Created from
  
Poplar & Canning Town, Bethnal Green & Bow

Replaced by
  
Poplar and Canning Town, Bethnal Green and Bow

Poplar and Limehouse is a constituency created in 2010 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Jim Fitzpatrick, a member of the Labour Party.

Contents

History

Political history

The predecessors to this constituency (area electing MPs to the House of Commons) (see history of boundaries) since 1992 have elected Labour Party representatives. The 2010 majority of Jim Fitzpatrick was 12.9% over the runner up Conservative Party candidate.

The 2015 re-election of Fitzpatrick made the seat the 66th safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.

Boundaries

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which proposed the seat's creation for General Election 2010 since which it has electoral wards:

  • Blackwall and Cubitt Town, Bromley-by-Bow, East India and Lansbury, Limehouse, Mile End East, Millwall, St Katharine’s and Wapping, and Shadwell within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets

    • History of boundaries

  • Before 2010 this constituency would map into all but the north-east of the old Poplar and Canning Town constituency, plus the western end of Shadwell Ward and in the west the whole of St Katharine's & Wapping Ward, formerly parts of Bethnal Green and Bow.
  • The areas of the old constituency that were in the London Borough of Newham were removed and transferred to East Ham (5.1% of Poplar and Canning Town) and West Ham (24.9%).
    • Nomenclature

    Alternative names, including "Tower Hamlets South" and "Poplar and Millwall" were rejected following public consultation.

    Constituency profile

    The constituency and its predecessor seats covering the Isle of Dogs have consistently been won by Labour since the 1920s. The district has changed vastly over this time, and great wealth and considerable poverty now coexist side by side.

    Once home to shipping and heavy industry, the Docklands area was derelict for many years, before rejuvenation began in the late 1980s. Now the area around Canary Wharf is one of the country's largest financial districts and has several landmark skyscrapers, such as One Canada Square.

    The redevelopment of the Docklands has led to the creation of luxury housing in the constituency, which has altered the demographics somewhat. However, in parts of the Isle of Dogs and in the areas north, east and west of Poplar there are still areas of high deprivation.

    At the end of 2012, 6% of the population of the constituency were unemployment claimants, ranking sixth among London seats (the highest percentage was Tottenham at 7.9%), and above the London-wide average of 3.9%.

    Election results

    This constituency was fought for the first time at the 2010 general election.

    * Served as an MP in the 2005–2010 Parliament

    References

    Poplar and Limehouse (UK Parliament constituency) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA