From 2019 to 2024, Leigh was held by James Grundy of the Conservative Party. Before this, the seat was represented by Andy Burnham of the Labour Party, who served as the MP from 2001, and Shadow Home Secretary in Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet until October 2016.[n 2] Burnham stood down following his victory at the 2017 Greater Manchester mayoral election, and was succeeded by the Labour and Cooperative Party's Jo Platt who was MP from 2017 to 2019. Burnham, who was re-elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2021 with an increased majority, still resides in the Leigh constituency.
Leigh was a marginal seat in the south of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and on the border with Warrington, with virtually all wards held by the Labour Party at local level, although also containing the more Conservative-inclined area of Lowton East. In line with the wider borough of Wigan it voted by a majority to Leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, but has slightly lower levels of deprivation than the town of Wigan itself,[3] and is mostly made of skilled working-class families in residential areas, with some light industry, all factors in the swing towards the Conservatives in 2019. Leigh, Tyldesley and Golborne are former mill and mining towns undergoing urban regeneration. Pennington Flash in between Lowton and Leigh is an important local nature reserve and area of natural regeneration in a former mining area.
Boundaries
Following the review of parliamentary representation in Greater Manchester in 2009, the Boundary Commission for England recommended alterations to constituencies in the Wigan area. The electoral wards used in the altered Leigh constituency were:
The constituency was created in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as a result of the South West Lancashire constituency being divided into eight single member seats. Between 1922 and December 2019, candidates belonging to the Labour Party had continuously served the seat, which for the political party made it one of their longest held constituencies. One recent Labour incumbent was Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary from September 2015 to October 2016.
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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected:
^A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
^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.
References
^"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.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"The figure reported by the BBC for Burnham (24,295) was incorrect".
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results April 1983". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results April 1979". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results October 1974". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results February 1974". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results '970". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results 1966". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results 1964". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results 1959". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results 1955". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results 1951". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results '950". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^"UK General Election results 1945". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
^ abcdeCraig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.