Lewisham Deptford

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2010 wards and boundaries of Lewisham Deptford Parliament constituency (red) shown within the London Borough of Lewisham (orange)

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Lewisham town centre

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Goldsmiths' College in New Cross

Lewisham Deptford was a parliamentary constituency Template:Refn represented in the House of Commons Template:Refn of the United Kingdom.

Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. Subject to moderate boundary changes, it was reformed as a re-established Lewisham North constituency, to be first contested in the 2024 general election.

History

This seat was created in 1974. It remained largely urban in its constituent areas which have been altered on reform by the Boundary Commission very lightly overall. The area of Deptford wholly within the seat was a major London dockyard and in its early history contained chandleries, repair yards, connected with the Royal Navy, later having a high concentration of London's expansive import and export wharves and warehouses; this extended well within the 2010-drawn confines of the seat towards New Cross which had major railway yards.

Political history

The seat has been won by three Members of Parliament, all of which were and remained during their public service members of the Labour Party. The 2015 result made the seat the 23rd safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority and the 9th safest in the capital.^[1]

In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted remain by 75.4%.^[2]

Constituency profile

This constituency covered Lewisham's northern tip – a short stretch alongside the Thames – along with the Deptford and New Cross districts, and the centre of Lewisham itself. These are historically some of the more deprived in London with high crime rates and social problems.^[3] However, in the 21st century, counter to this, more upmarket housing developments are springing up as former industrial sites are cleared away. To the South East of the seat, Lewisham town centre adjoins Ladywell.

The area is relatively affordable, given the short commuting distance to Central London and Canary Wharf, via the Docklands Light Railway and South East Main Line. Goldsmiths, University of London and wider halls of residence make this a popular living area for those staying and studying in Greater London, giving a substantial student minority to the electorate.^[3]

At the Western extremity of the seat, just inside the current boundaries, is The Den, home to Millwall FC. Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Lewisham Deptford has been one of Labour's safest London seats since its 1974 creation – it was the party's 25th safest in Britain at the 2001 election – though social change in the last decade has seen things become a little more competitive; the most popular opposition in 2005 and 2010 was formed by the active Liberal Democrat party in the area. In terms of share of the vote, it received the 44th largest Labour vote in 2010, of the 650 constituencies.^[4]

Boundaries

1974–1983: The London Borough of Lewisham wards of Brockley, Deptford, Drake, Grinling Gibbons, Ladywell, Marlowe, and Pepys.

1983–2010: The London Borough of Lewisham wards of Blythe Hill, Crofton Park, Drake, Evelyn, Grinling Gibbons, Ladywell, Marlowe, and Pepys.

2010–2024: The London Borough of Lewisham wards of Brockley, Crofton Park, Evelyn, Ladywell, Lewisham Central, New Cross, Telegraph Hill and part of Hither Green ward.

The constituency covered the northern and north-western parts of the London Borough of Lewisham.

The Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which redrew this seat in 2010 also resulted in the creation of a new cross-borough constituency of Lewisham West and Penge which took electoral wards from the London Boroughs of Lewisham and Bromley.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member^[5]	Party	Notes
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Feb 1974	John Silkin	Labour	Government Chief Whip 1966–69. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1976–79. Died in April 1987; seat remained vacant until general election in June.
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	1987	Dame Joan Ruddock	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	2015	Vicky Foxcroft	Labour