Houghton and Sunderland South (UK Parliament constituency)

Houghton and Sunderland South (/ˈhoʊtən/) is a constituency^{[n 1]} in Tyne and Wear represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since its creation in 2010, the seat has been represented by Bridget Phillipson of the Labour Party,^{[n 2]} who currently serves as Secretary of State for Education under the government of Keir Starmer.

Houghton and Sunderland South
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary within the North East England
County	Tyne and Wear
Electorate	76,883 (2023)[1]
Current constituency
Created	2010
Member of Parliament	Bridget Phillipson (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Sunderland South, Houghton and Washington East

In the 2010 and 2015 general elections, it was the first constituency to declare its result, continuing the record of its predecessor seat, Sunderland South, in the four general elections from 1992 to 2005. However, in the 2017 and 2019 general elections, it was beaten by Newcastle upon Tyne Central.^[2] It regained the position as first constituency to declare in the 2024 election,^[3] while Newcastle ruled itself out of being the first prior to the polling date for various reasons.^[4]

Constituency profile

Houghton and Sunderland South is a medium density inland area,^{[n 3]} partly situated on the south banks of the River Wear, which is mostly populated by people of working age, and a minority of the population living in rural villages. The majority of the population historically relied on coal mining, steelworks and shipbuilding from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries on Wearside, with Tyne and Wear at the forefront of some of the earliest Labour Party activity, and several of its earliest Members of Parliament.

Boundaries

Houghton and Sunderland South was created for the 2010 general election when the Boundary Commission reduced the number of seats in Tyne and Wear from 13 to 12, with the constituencies in the City of Sunderland, in particular, being reorganised. The constituency was formed from the majority of the former Houghton and Washington East seat (Copt Hill, Doxford, Hetton, Houghton and Shiney Row wards) and parts of the former Sunderland South seat (St Chad's, Sandhill and Silksworth wards).

Map of boundaries 2010–2024

2010–2024: The City of Sunderland wards of Copt Hill, Doxford, Hetton, Houghton, St Chad's, Sandhill, Shiney Row, and Silksworth.^[5]

2024–present: The City of Sunderland wards of Copt Hill, Doxford, Hetton, Houghton, Sandhill, Shiney Row, Silksworth, St Anne's, and St. Chad's.^[6]

Expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range, by adding the City of Sunderland ward of St Anne's, transferred from the abolished Washington and Sunderland West.'^[7]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[8]	Party
	2010	Bridget Phillipson	Labour

Elections

Vote share in Houghton and Sunderland South elections 2010–2024

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Houghton and Sunderland South^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bridget Phillipson	18,837	47.1	+6.7
	Reform UK	Sam Woods-Brass	11,668	29.1	+13.4
	Conservative	Chris Burnicle	5,514	13.8	−19.1
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Edgeworth	2,290	5.7	−0.2
	Green	Richard Bradley	1,723	4.3	+1.6
Majority			7,168	18.0	+10.2
Turnout			40,032	52.1	−5.7
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Houghton and Sunderland South^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bridget Phillipson	16,210	40.7	−18.8
	Conservative	Christopher Howarth	13,095	32.9	+3.2
	Brexit Party	Kevin Yuill	6,165	15.5	New
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Edgeworth	2,319	5.8	+3.6
	Green	Richard Bradley	1,125	2.8	+1.0
	UKIP	Richard Elvin	897	2.3	−3.4
Majority			3,115	7.8	−22.0
Turnout			39,811	57.8	−3.1
	Labour hold		Swing	−11.0

General election 2017: Houghton and Sunderland South^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bridget Phillipson	24,665	59.5	+4.4
	Conservative	Paul Howell	12,324	29.7	+11.2
	UKIP	Michael Joyce	2,379	5.7	−15.8
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Edgeworth	908	2.2	+0.1
	Green	Richard Bradley	725	1.8	−1.0
	Independent	Michael Watson	479	1.2	New
Majority			12,341	29.8	−3.8
Turnout			41,480	60.9	+4.6
	Labour hold		Swing	−3.4

General election 2015: Houghton and Sunderland South^[12][13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bridget Phillipson	21,218	55.1	+4.8
	UKIP	Richard Elvin	8,280	21.5	+18.8
	Conservative	Stewart Hay[14]	7,105	18.5	−2.9
	Green	Alan Robinson	1,095	2.8	New
	Liberal Democrats	Jim Murray[15]	791	2.1	−11.8
Majority			12,938	33.6	+4.7
Turnout			38,489	56.3	+1.0
	Labour hold		Swing	−7.0

General election 2010: Houghton and Sunderland South^[16][17][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bridget Phillipson	19,137	50.3
	Conservative	Robert Oliver	8,147	21.4
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Boyle	5,292	13.9
	Independent	Colin Wakefield	2,462	6.5
	BNP	Karen Allen	1,961	5.2
	UKIP	Richard Elvin	1,022	2.7
Majority			10,990	28.9
Turnout			38,021	55.3
	Labour win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear
• History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Tyne and Wear
• List of parliamentary constituencies in North East England (region)

Notes

1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
3. However it borders the coastal constituencies of Easington and Sunderland Central.