Leeds South (UK Parliament constituency)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox UK constituency main Leeds South is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency existed from 1885 to 1983 and was recreated in 2024 following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.

In the 2024 general election, the seat was won by Hilary Benn of the Labour Party, who serves as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the government of Keir Starmer. Benn had represented Leeds Central, the main predecessor of Leeds South, since 1999.

Leeds South was the seat of the former Leader of the Labour Party, the late Hugh Gaitskell, and the former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.

History

The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in the general election of that year. Leeds had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North, Leeds South and Leeds West. The constituencies of Morley, Otley and Pudsey were also created in 1885.

The constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election. It was then split between the re-established constituency of Leeds Central, which included just over half of the seat's boundaries, and the new constituency of Morley and Leeds South, which took slightly under half of the seat's boundaries. After the 1983 general election Leeds was represented by the constituencies of Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North East, Leeds North West, Leeds West and Morley and Leeds South. There were also constituencies of Elmet (created 1983) and Pudsey.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election, formed primarily from the (abolished) constituency of Leeds Central, but excluding the city centre, and including a small part of Leeds East and a very small part of Morley and Outwood. The notional 2019 result for the new seat was Labour.

Boundaries

1885–1983

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of East Hunslet, South, and West Hunslet, and part of Bramley ward.

1918–1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Holbeck and West Hunslet, and part of New Wortley ward.

1950–1951: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck South, Hunslet Carr and Middleton, and West Hunslet.

1951–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, East Hunslet, Holbeck, Middleton, and West Hunslet.

2024–present

The City of Leeds wards of Beeston & Holbeck, Burmantofts & Richmond Hill, Hunslet & Riverside, Middleton Park, and Temple Newsam (part).

The part ward of Temple Newsam was transferred from Leeds East, with the bulk of the remainder comprising approximately 72% of the electorate of the abolished Leeds Central seat.

Leeds South saw the lowest turnout of any constituency at the 2024 election, with just 42% of eligible voters casting a ballot.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1885–1983

Leeds prior to 1885

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1885	Sir Lyon Playfair	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1892	John Lawson Walton	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1908	William Middlebrook	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1922	Henry Charleton	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1931	Noel Whiteside	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1935	Henry Charleton	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1945	Hugh Gaitskell	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1963	Merlyn Rees	Labour
	1983	Constituency abolished

MPs since 2024

Leeds Central prior to 2024

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2024	Hilary Benn	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hilary Benn	Template:Replace	54.0
		Ed Carlisle	5,838	18.4
		Karen Cooksley	4,172	13.2
		Daniel Whetstone	1,874	5.9
		George Sykes	1,340	4.2
		Muhammad Azeem	719	2.3
		Janet Bickerdike	341	1.1
	Independent	Niko Omilana	277	0.9
Majority			11,279	35.6
Turnout			31,678	41.7
Registered electors			75,953
	hold		Swing	−9.5

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result
Party		Vote	%
	Labour	25,263	58.4
	Conservative	11,377	26.3
	Brexit Party	2,771	6.4
	Liberal Democrats	1,922	4.4
	Green	1,635	3.8
	Others	281	0.6
Turnout		43,249	57.9
Electorate		74,726

Election results 1885–1983

Elections in the 1880s

File:Lyon Playfair.jpg

Lyon Playfair

General election 1885: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lyon Playfair	Template:Replace	64.5
		Stuart Cunningham Macaskie	2,869	35.5
Majority			2,339	29.0
Turnout			8,077	73.9
Registered electors			10,931
	win (new seat)

Playfair was appointed Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 12 Feb 1886: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

General election 1886: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lyon Playfair	Template:Replace	61.5
		Thomas Hirst Bracken	2,924	38.5
Majority			1,741	23.0
Turnout			7,589	69.4
Registered electors			10,931
	hold		Swing	−3.0

Elections in the 1890s

File:1895 John Lawson Walton.jpg

Walton

General election 1892: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lyon Playfair	Template:Replace	59.4
		Reginald Neville	3,294	40.6
Majority			1,535	18.8
Turnout			8,123	71.9
Registered electors			11,290
	hold		Swing	−2.1

By-election, 22 Sep 1892

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Walton	Template:Replace	56.0
		Reginald Neville	3,466	44.0
Majority			948	12.0
Turnout			7,880	69.8
Registered electors			11,290
	hold		Swing	−3.4

• Caused by Playfair's elevation to the peerage.

General election 1895: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Walton	Template:Replace	47.6
		Reginald Neville	4,447	46.0
		Alfred Shaw	622	6.4
Majority			161	1.6
Turnout			9,677	81.2
Registered electors			11,921
	hold		Swing	−8.6

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Walton	Template:Replace	51.2
		Reginald Neville	4,718	48.8
Majority			234	2.4
Turnout			9,670	71.9
Registered electors			13,442
	hold		Swing	+0.4

File:John Lawson Walton.jpg

Walton

General election 1906: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Walton	Template:Replace	50.2
		Albert E. Fox	4,030	32.6
		Henry Cameron-Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy	2,126	17.2
Majority			2,170	17.6
Turnout			12,356	81.7
Registered electors			15,119
	hold		Swing	+15.3

File:51 William Middlebrook.jpg

Middlebrook

1908 Leeds South by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Middlebrook	Template:Replace	41.7
		Reginald Neville	4,915	38.9
		Albert E. Fox	2,451	19.4
Majority			359	2.8
Turnout			12,640	82.5
Registered electors			15,321
	hold		Swing	+2.4

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Middlebrook	Template:Replace	67.3
		William Nicholson	4,366	32.7
Majority			4,603	34.6
Turnout			13,335	84.8
	hold		Swing	+15.9

General election December 1910: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Middlebrook	Template:Replace	48.2
		William Nicholson	3,804	30.3
		John Badlay	2,706	21.5
Majority			2,260	17.9
Turnout			12,574	80.0
	hold		Swing

General Election 1914–15:

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: William Middlebrook
• Unionist:
• Labour:

File:William Middlebrook.jpg

Middlebrook

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link coalition 1918Template:Election box end 1918 * Brook was supported by the three local branches of National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers and Comrades of the Great War.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 14 December 1918: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Frank Fountain	5,510	31.5
		James A Brook*	1,377	7.9
Majority			5,099	29.1
Turnout			17,496	48.8
Registered electors			35,843
	hold		Swing	+1.2

General election 1922: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Charleton	Template:Replace	53.7
		William Middlebrook	11,380	46.3
Majority			1,830	7.4
Turnout			24,590	69.8
Registered electors			35,252
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+18.3

General election 1923: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Charleton	Template:Replace	44.2
		Reginald Neville	7,679	29.0
		Granville Gibson	7,083	26.8
Majority			4,026	15.2
Turnout			26,467	74.1
Registered electors			35,719
	hold		Swing	+5.0

General election 1924: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Charleton	Template:Replace	46.3
		B.T. Graham Ford	11,008	39.9
		Frank Geary	3,801	13.8
Majority			1,791	6.4
Turnout			27,608	76.5
Registered electors			36,085
	hold		Swing	−4.4

General election 1929: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Charleton	Template:Replace	52.5
		B.T. Graham Ford	9,433	27.5
		Ernest Kilburn Scott	6,884	20.0
Majority			8,610	25.0
Turnout			34,360	76.2
Registered electors			45,084
	hold		Swing	+9.3

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Noel Whiteside	Template:Replace	42.12
		Henry Charleton	14,156	40.07
		Frederick L. Boult	6,291	17.81
Majority			725	2.05
Turnout			35,328	77.56
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

General election 1935: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Charleton	Template:Replace	46.03
		Noel Whiteside	14,207	42.96
		Wilfred Townend	3,642	11.01
Majority			1,016	3.07
Turnout			33,072	73.68
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

• Labour: Hugh Gaitskell
• Conservative: Donald Kaberry
• Liberal: J. Alun Williams
• British Union: John Angus Macnab

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hugh Gaitskell	Template:Replace	61.03
		Arthur Maxwell Ramsden	7,497	25.56
		William Barford	3,933	13.41
Majority			10,402	35.47
Turnout			29,329	75.95
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hugh Gaitskell	Template:Replace	61.11
		B.H. Wood	14,436	29.61
		Edgar Meeks	4,525	9.28
Majority			15,359	31.50
Turnout			48,756	84.61
	hold		Swing

General election 1951: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hugh Gaitskell	Template:Replace	65.06
		Winifred D. Brown	16,493	34.94
Majority			14,219	30.12
Turnout			47,205	82.19
	hold		Swing

General election 1955: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hugh Gaitskell	Template:Replace	65.15
		Winifred D. Brown	13,817	34.85
Majority			12,016	30.30
Turnout			39,650	72.85
	hold		Swing

File:Hugh Gaitskell 1958.jpg

Hugh Gaitskell

General election 1959: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hugh Gaitskell	Template:Replace	58.6
		John Francis William Addey	12,956	31.0
		John Brian Meeks	4,340	10.4
Majority			11,486	27.6
Turnout			41,738	79.0
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

1963 Leeds South by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Merlyn Rees	Template:Replace	62.93
		John Udal	5,996	20.09
		Brian Walsh	4,399	14.74
		Bert Ramelson	670	2.24
Majority			12,789	42.84
Turnout			29,850
	hold		Swing

General election 1964: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Merlyn Rees	Template:Replace	63.12
		Percival Arthur Woodward	12,123	34.26
		Bert Ramelson	928	2.62
Majority			10,997	28.86
Turnout			35,390	72.00
	hold		Swing

General election 1966: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Merlyn Rees	Template:Replace	68.76
		Percival Arthur Woodward	9,813	29.12
		Bert Ramelson	714	2.12
Majority			13,358	39.64
Turnout			33,698	68.11
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Merlyn Rees	Template:Replace	59.82
		Gavin K. Macpherson	9,311	28.51
		Stephen Cooksey	3,810	11.67
Majority			10,225	31.31
Turnout			32,657	65.95
	hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Merlyn Rees	Template:Replace	55.24
		Denis Pedder	9,505	24.57
		Peter David Harmer	7,810	20.19
Majority			11,860	30.67
Turnout			38,680	73.95
	hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Merlyn Rees	Template:Replace	64.44
		Thomas Neil Metcalfe Stow	6,388	19.01
		John Adams	5,563	16.55
Majority			15,265	45.43
Turnout			33,604	63.76
	hold		Swing

General election 1979: Leeds South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Merlyn Rees	Template:Replace	65.02
		R. Ratcliffe	8,058	23.40
		F. Hurst	3,568	10.36
		B. Spink	416	1.21
Majority			14,330	41.62
Turnout			35,430	68.70
	hold		Swing

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in West Yorkshire
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the Yorkshire and the Humber (region)

External links

• Leeds South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK