St Helens South and Whiston (UK Parliament constituency)

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Infobox UK constituency main St. Helens South and Whiston is a constituency created in 2010 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Marie Rimmer of the Labour Party.^{[n 1]}

History

Creation

Following the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies the Boundary Commission for England expanded and renamed the St Helens South seat, covering the south of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens and three wards of the Knowsley borough which were in the neighbouring seat of Knowsley South (abolished).

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was subject to minor boundary changes, with parts of Whiston and Cronton ward being included in the new constituency of Widnes and Halewood, first contested at the 2024 United Kingdom general election.^[1]

Results of the winning party

The predecessor seat of St Helens South was held by the Labour Party since the 1935 election.

This seat's first MP was Shaun Woodward who had been MP for St Helens South from 2001 to 2010. He had first been elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Conservative MP for Witney, defecting to Labour in 1999. He was succeeded by Marie Rimmer at the 2015 election. The 2015 result made the seat the 24th safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.^[2]

Results of other parties

The 2015 general election saw (with 11.3%) more than the national average swing (+9.5%) to UKIP (narrowly placed third). Labour's candidate won more than fivefold those votes, scoring 59.8%.

The Liberal Democrats came second in 2010 with 22.2% of the vote; this has gradually declined and by the 2024 general election they came in sixth with 5.8%. Reform UK were runners-up in 2024, having increased its vote to 18.3% from 10.6% in 2019 (as the Brexit Party). The Conservatives were relegated to fourth place in 2024 by independent candidate James Tasker.^[3]

Turnout

Turnout has ranged from 53.3% (2024) to 66.9% (2017).

Boundaries

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2010–2024

The following electoral wards:

From Knowsley: Prescot East, Whiston North and Whiston South
From St Helens: Bold, Eccleston, Rainhill, Sutton, Thatto Heath, Town Centre and West Park.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley wards of: Prescot South; Whiston & Cronton (polling district WC5).

The Borough of St Helens wards of: Bold; Eccleston; Rainhill; Sutton; Thatto Heath; Town Centre; West Park.^[4]

Following a local government boundary review in St Helens which came into effect in May 2022,^[5]^[6] the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley wards of: Prescot South; Whiston & Cronton (polling district WC5).

The Borough of St Helens wards of: Bold & Lea Green; Eccleston; Rainhill; St Helens Town Centre; Peasley Cross & Fingerpost; Sutton North West; Sutton South East (nearly all); Thatto Heath; West Park.^[7]

The majority of the Whiston & Cronton ward - excluding the town centre of Whiston - was included in the new constituency of Widnes and Halewood.

Members of Parliament

St Helens South prior to 2010

Election		Member^[8]	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	2010	Shaun Woodward	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	2015	Marie Rimmer	Labour