Cleethorpes (UK Parliament constituency)

Cleethorpes was a constituency created in 1997,Template:Refn represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Martin Vickers of the Conservative Party.Template:Refn

Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to boundary changes which will entail the loss of the centre of Cleethorpes to the new constituency of Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, offset by the addition of the town of Brigg from the disappearing seat of Brigg and Goole. As a consequence, it will be renamed Brigg and Immingham, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.

Political history

Cleethorpes is historically considered as a bellwether seat, having been won by the party that went on to become the largest in the House of Commons at the seven elections contested from and including 1997 (Labour-won in 1997, 2001 and 2005 and Conservative-won in 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019). However, this status may be under threat in the future, as the Conservatives won by a margin of over 20,000 votes in 2019 – what is considered a safe seat. The seat also swung heavily out of step with the nation as a whole from 2010 onwards, including swinging towards the Conservatives moderately in 2017, an election where Labour made significant gains.

Constituency profile

The seat as it stands since the 2010-implemented boundary reforms forms a broad c-shape as it follows the estuarine south coast of the Humber estuary, ranging from silt to sand along its shore. It is a large part-rural, part-urban seat predominantly on flat alluvial clay in northern Lincolnshire. As well as the eponymous town itself, the constituency includes similarly commercial Barton-upon-Humber and industrial, container ship docks-hosting Immingham, as well as many smaller settlements. It surrounds on three sides the seat of Great Grimsby which covers the town of Grimsby and its short shoreline on the Humber; its other present neighbours are Brigg & Goole, Gainsborough and Louth & Horncastle seats.

The Labour vote tends to be stronger around Cleethorpes town itself, in the wards of Croft Baker and Sidney Sussex as well as in Immingham, while the Conservative vote is much stronger across Humberston, Waltham, the rural villages and in parts of Barton.

Boundaries

Template:Maplink 1997–2010: The Borough of North East Lincolnshire wards of Cleethorpes Park, Croft Baker, Haverstoe, Humberston, Immingham, and Wold Parishes, and the Borough of North Lincolnshire wards of Ferry and Wold.

2010–2024: The Borough of North East Lincolnshire wards of Croft Baker, Haverstoe, Humberston and New Waltham, Immingham, Sidney Sussex, Waltham, and Wolds, and the Borough of North Lincolnshire wards of Barton and Ferry.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1997	Shona McIsaac	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2010	Martin Vickers	Conservative
	2024	Constituency abolished

Election results 1997–2024

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Cleethorpes

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Shona McIsaac	Template:Replace	51.6
		Michael Brown	16,882	33.4
		Keith Melton	5,746	11.4
		John Berry	894	3.5
Majority			9,176	18.2
Turnout			49,580	73.4
	gain from		Swing

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Cleethorpes

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Shona McIsaac	Template:Replace	49.6
		Stephen Howd	15,412	36.3
		Gordon Smith	5,080	12.0
		Janet Hatton	894	2.1
Majority			5,620	13.3
Turnout			42,418	62.0
	hold		Swing

General election 2005: Cleethorpes

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Shona McIsaac	Template:Replace	43.3
		Martin Vickers	16,247	37.3
		Geoff Lowis	6,437	14.8
		William Hardie	2,016	4.6
Majority			2,642	6.0
Turnout			43,589	61.6
	hold		Swing	−3.6

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Cleethorpes

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Martin Vickers	Template:Replace	42.1
		Shona McIsaac	14,641	32.6
		Malcolm Morland	8,192	18.2
		Stephen Harness	3,194	7.1
Majority			4,298	9.5
Turnout			44,966	64.0
	gain from		Swing	+7.8

General election 2015: Cleethorpes

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Martin Vickers	Template:Replace	46.6
		Peter Keith	13,133	29.1
		Stephen Harness	8,356	18.5
		Roy Horobin	1,346	3.0
		Carol Thornton	1,013	2.2
		Malcolm Morland	215	0.5
Majority			7,893	17.5
Turnout			45,089	63.9
	hold		Swing	+4.0

General election 2017: Cleethorpes

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Martin Vickers	Template:Replace	57.1
		Peter Keith	16,921	35.4
		Tony Blake	2,022	4.2
		Roy Horobin	1,110	2.3
		Loyd Emmerson	470	1.0
Majority			10,400	21.7
Turnout			47,844	65.5
	hold		Swing	+2.1

General election 2019: Cleethorpes

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Martin Vickers	Template:Replace	69.0
		Ros James	10,551	22.8
		Roy Horobin	2,535	5.5
		Jodi Shanahan	1,284	2.8
Majority			21,418	46.2
Turnout			46,339	62.9
	hold		Swing	+12.25

See also

• parliamentary constituencies in Humberside

External links

• Cleethorpes UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Cleethorpes UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK