The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency)

Political history

The seat saw a first winning candidate from the Labour Party relatively early in its history, in 1923. The seat alternated between the two largest modern parties eight times between 1923 and 1979.

In more recent history, reflecting the growing population of Telford and the rich iron smelting, railway and mining industries as major historic employers in the area, the seat was more Labour-leaning than the national average but still marginal, being represented by a Conservative for the first eight years of the Thatcher ministry and then (from 1987) returning a Labour member, who was moved to a new Telford seat in 1997, and another Labour member until 2005, followed by the present Conservative who was elected that year. The current Conservative majority is 18,726 votes.

Most prominent members in Parliament

Gerald Fowler (Labour) reached the frontbenches of government as the Minister for Education and Science from 1969 to 1970, again in 1974 and 1976 and as Minister for the Privy Council Office from 1974 to 1976.

Anthony Trafford (Conservative) went on after serving as MP to serve as a health minister, from the House of Lords in 1989.

Bruce Grocott (Labour) went on, after serving as MP for the newly created neighbouring seat from 1997 to 2001, to serve as the Government's Chief Whip in the House of Lords for six years.

Map of current boundaries

1918–1950: The Borough of Wenlock, the Urban Districts of Dawley, Newport, Oakengates, and Wellington, and the Rural Districts of Newport, and Shifnal and Wellington.

1950–1983: The Urban Districts of Dawley, Newport, Oakengates, and Wellington, and the Rural Districts of Shifnal and Wellington.

1983–1997: The District of The Wrekin wards of Arleston, Brookside, College, Cuckoo Oak, Dawley Magna, Donnington, Donnington Wood, Dothill, Ercall, Hadley, Haygate, Hollinswood/Randlay, Ironbridge (The Gorge), Ketley, Ketley Bank, Langley, Lawley, Leegomery, Lilleshall, Madeley, Malinslee, Park, Priorslee, Stirchley, Wombridge, Woodside, Wrockwardine, and Wrockwardine Wood.

1997–2010: The District of The Wrekin wards of Arleston, Church Aston, College, Donnington, Donnington Wood, Dothill and Park, Edgmond, Ercall, Ercall Magna, Hadley, Haygate, Ketley, Leegomery, Lilleshall, Newport East, Newport North, Newport West, and Wrockwardine, and the District of Bridgnorth wards of Albrighton, Idsall, Manor, and Sheriffhales.

2010–present: The Borough of Telford and Wrekin wards of Apley Castle, Arleston, Church Aston and Lilleshall, College, Donnington, Dothill, Edgmond, Ercall, Ercall Magna, Hadley and Leegomery, Haygate, Muxton, Newport East, Newport North, Newport South, Newport West, Park, Shawbirch, and Wrockwardine, and the District of Bridgnorth wards of Albrighton South, Donington and Albrighton North, Shifnal Idsall, Shifnal Manor, and Shifnal Rural.

When originally constituted, the constituency, with a population of 71,352, was the largest division of Shropshire created in the 1918 boundary changes.^[2]

In the Third Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission, which took effect for the 1983 general election, the constituency was redefined after major local government changes. This redefinition resulted in a quarter of the electorate being removed to Shropshire North and Ludlow.^[3]

Parliament approved major boundary changes which took effect at the 1997 general election, which created a new constituency containing and named after the town of Telford, before which Telford had been one of the largest elements of The Wrekin. The new Telford constituency took 62.9% of the electorate of The Wrekin leaving the remaining 37.1% to constitute a revised constituency of The Wrekin that incorporated areas previously within Shropshire North and Ludlow from two sides.^[4]

The area almost encircles Telford, a 'New Town', encompassing much of the rural parts of the Telford and Wrekin borough, in which most of the constituency is. Its major settlements include: Wellington, Newport and Shifnal, as well as the suburban northern reaches of Telford (including Donnington). A small but significant area relates to the former Bridgnorth local government district (now part of the unitary Shropshire) and contains RAF Cosford and a number of commuter villages along the M54 motorway: the civil parishes of Sheriffhales, Shifnal, Tong, Boscobel, Albrighton, Donington and Boningale make up the non-Telford and The Wrekin-administered portion. Boundary changes to realign the constituency boundaries to fit with the borough's most recent ward revisions resulted in the removal of Ketley (to the constituency of Telford) for the 2010 general election.^[5]

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The County of Shropshire electoral divisions of: Albrighton; Cheswardine; Hodnet; Shifnal North; Shifnal South and Cosford.
• The Borough of Telford and Wrekin wards of: Admaston & Bratton; Apley Castle; Arleston; Church Aston & Lilleshall; College; Donnington; Dothill; Edgmond & Ercall Magna; Ercall; Hadley & Leegomery; Haygate; Muxton; Newport North & West; Newport South & East; Park; Shawbirch; Wrockwardine.^[6]

The wards of Hodnet and Cheswardine will be added from the North Shropshire constituency and there will be a small adjustment in the Telford and Wrekin Borough.

In its initial proposals, the boundary commission put forward the new name for the constituency of "Wellington and Newport"; this met with opposition locally and was dropped in the revised proposals.^[7]

Following a local government boundary review in Telford and Wrekin which came into effect in May 2023,^[8][9] the constituency will now comprise the following from the next general election:

• The County of Shropshire electoral divisions of: Albrighton; Cheswardine; Hodnet; Shifnal North; Shifnal South and Cosford.
• The Borough of Telford and Wrekin wards of: Admaston & Bratton; Apley Castle; Arleston & College; Church Aston & Lilleshall; Donnington (nearly all); Edgmond; Ercall; Ercall Magna; Hadley & Leegomery; Haygate & Park; Lawley (small part); Muxton; Newport East; Newport North; Newport South; Newport West; Shawbirch & Dothill; Wrockwardine.^[10]

The constituency is in the east of Shropshire, specifically around The Wrekin hill, therefore in undulating country within fast road (and some rail) commuters' reach of the West Midlands, Stafford and Stoke on Trent.

Unemployment claimants were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 3.1% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.^[11]

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2017: The Wrekin^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Pritchard	27,451	55.4	5.7
	Labour	Dylan Harrison	17,887	36.1	10.1
	UKIP	Denis Allen	1,656	3.3	13.5
	Liberal Democrats	Rod Keyes	1,345	2.7	1.6
	Green	Pat McCarthy	804	1.6	1.6
	Independent	Fay Easton	380	0.8	New
Majority			9,564	19.3	4.4
Turnout			49,523	72.2	3.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	2.2

General election 2015: The Wrekin^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Pritchard	22,579	49.7	2.0
	Labour	Katrina Gilman	11,836	26.0	1.1
	UKIP	Jill Seymour	7,620	16.8	12.3
	Liberal Democrats	Rod Keyes	1,959	4.3	13.1
	Green	Cath Edwards[19]	1,443	3.2	New
Majority			10,743	23.7	3.1
Turnout			45,437	68.9	1.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	1.55

General election 2010: The Wrekin^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Pritchard	21,922	47.7	5.6
	Labour Co-op	Paul Kalinauckas	12,472	27.1	12.4
	Liberal Democrats	Alyson Cameron-Daw	8,019	17.4	2.4
	UKIP	Malcolm Hurst	2,050	4.5	0.9
	BNP	Susan Harwood	1,505	3.3	New
Majority			9,450	20.6	18.6
Turnout			45,968	70.1	3.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	8.9

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: The Wrekin^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Pritchard	18,899	41.9	3.5
	Labour	Peter Bradley	17,957	39.9	7.2
	Liberal Democrats	Bill Tomlinson	6,608	14.7	3.3
	UKIP	Bruce Lawson	1,590	3.5	0.4
Majority			942	2.0	N/A
Turnout			45,054	67.0	3.9
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	5.4

General election 2001: The Wrekin^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Bradley	19,532	47.1	0.2
	Conservative	Jacob Rees-Mogg	15,945	38.4	1.8
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Jenkins	4,738	11.4	1.4
	UKIP	Denis Brookes	1,275	3.1	New
Majority			3,587	8.7	2.0
Turnout			41,490	63.1	13.5
	Labour hold		Swing	0.95

Elections in the 1990s

Note: although The Wrekin was a Labour-held seat in the previous Parliament, boundary changes removed many Labour-leaning areas that now fall in the neighbouring seat of Telford, which Bruce Grocott decided to contest in 1997 instead of the new Wrekin seat. These changes made it notionally a Conservative seat, hence this is a gain rather than a hold.

General election 1992: The Wrekin^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bruce Grocott	33,865	48.3	5.5
	Conservative	Elizabeth Holt	27,217	38.8	1.8
	Liberal Democrats	Anthony West	8,032	11.5	5.1
	Green	Robert Saunders	1,008	1.4	New
Majority			6,648	9.5	7.3
Turnout			70,122	77.1	1.2
	Labour hold		Swing	3.6

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: The Wrekin^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bruce Grocott	27,681	42.8	6.1
	Conservative	Warren Hawksley	26,225	40.6	1.6
	SDP	George Cook	10,737	16.6	7.8
Majority			1,456	2.2	N/A
Turnout			64,643	78.3	2.8
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	2.3

General election 1983: The Wrekin^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Warren Hawksley	22,710	39.0	6.6
	Labour	Bruce Grocott	21,379	36.7	7.5
	SDP	Mark Biltcliffe	14,208	24.4	New
Majority			1,331	2.3	0.9
Turnout			58,297	75.5	2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.45

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

1941 The Wrekin by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Colegate	9,946	53.2	4.7
	Ind. Conservative	Noel Pemberton Billing	7,121	38.1	New
	Independent	Arthur Patrick Kennedy	1,638	8.8	New
Majority			2,825	15.1	0.7
Turnout			18,705
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1939/40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Conservative: James Baldwin-Webb
• Labour: Ivor Owen Thomas

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: The Wrekin^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Edith Picton-Turbervill	14,569	44.4	0.0
	Unionist	Thomas Oakley	11,707	35.6	20.1
	Liberal	W. E. Boyes	6,575	20.0	New
Majority			2,862	8.8	N/A
Turnout			32,851	76.7	2.5
Registered electors			42,823
	Labour gain from Unionist		Swing	10.1

General election 1924: The Wrekin^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Thomas Oakley	14,003	55.7	8.9
	Labour	Henry Nixon	11,132	44.4	8.8
Majority			2,871	11.3	N/A
Turnout			25,135	74.2	8.2
Registered electors			33,866
	Unionist gain from Labour		Swing	2.5

General election 1923: The Wrekin^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Henry Nixon	11,657	53.2	5.6
	Unionist	Arthur Nicholas Fielden	10,274	46.8	5.6
Majority			1,383	6.4	N/A
Turnout			21,931	66.0	1.8
Registered electors			33,253
	Labour gain from Unionist		Swing	5.6

The Wrekin by-election, November 1920^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Parliamentary Group	Charles Townshend	14,565	57.9	17.2
	Labour	Charles Duncan	10,600	42.1	3.7
Majority			3,965	15.8	13.5
Turnout			25,165	78.3	7.3
Registered electors			32,053
	Ind. Parliamentary Group hold		Swing

Elections in the 1910s

• Parliamentary constituencies in Shropshire

52°42′58″N 2°27′14″W / 52.716°N 2.454°W / 52.716; -2.454