North West Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North West Cambridgeshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2024 by Sam Carling of the Labour Party. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

North West Cambridgeshire
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of North West Cambridgeshire in the East of England
County	Cambridgeshire
Electorate	73,556 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Peterborough (part), Yaxley, Ramsey
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Sam Carling (Labour)
Created from	Huntingdon, Peterborough

Constituency profile

This seat includes a substantial part of the cathedral city of Peterborough, specifically the suburban areas to the south of the river Nene and west of the Soke Parkway, as well as several rural wards from the historic county of Huntingdonshire.

The London Road home of Peterborough United F.C. is located within the seat.

History

The seat was won upon its creation in 1997 by Sir Brian Mawhinney, former Conservative MP for Peterborough (which was gained at the same election by the Labour Party). He retired from the House of Commons in 2005 and was created Baron Mawhinney, of Peterborough in the county of Cambridgeshire. The Conservative Shailesh Vara represented the constituency from the 2005 general election until 2024. The seat changed hands to Labour's Sam Carling in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.^[2]

Withdrawn candidates in 2019

Liam Round was selected to be the Brexit Party candidate, but he withdrew on 10 November.^[3] Peterborough City Councillor Ed Murphy was chosen as the Labour Party candidate, but was deselected by the party on 14 November after it was alleged, but not proven, that he had published tweets vilifying Israel.^[4]

New political makeup

There are 33 council seats across the revised constituency, 25 Unitary Authority Councillors (Peterborough), 8 Huntingdonshire Councillors.

Conservative 17 (9 in Peterborough, 8 in Huntingdonshire); Labour 2 (both in Peterborough); Liberal Democrat 3 (all in Peterborough); Green 3 (all in Peterborough); Independent 9 (8 in Peterborough, 1 in Huntingdonshire).

Boundaries and boundary changes

1997–2010

• The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Bury, Earith, Elton, Farcet, Ramsey, Sawtry, Somersham, Stilton, Upwood and the Raveleys, Warboys, and Yaxley; and
• The City of Peterborough wards of Barnack, Fletton, Glinton, Northborough, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Stanground, and Wittering.^[5]

The constituency was formed primarily from northern, rural parts of the Huntingdon constituency, including Ramsey, together with parts of Peterborough, comprising residential areas to the south of the River Nene (wards of Fletton, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville and Stanground).

Map of boundaries 2010–2024

2010–2024

• The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Earith, Ellington, Elton and Folksworth, Ramsey, Sawtry, Somersham, Stilton, Upwood and the Raveleys, Warboys and Bury, and Yaxley and Farcet; and
• The City of Peterborough wards of Barnack, Fletton, Glinton and Wittering, Northborough, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Orton with Hampton, Stanground Central, and Stanground East.^[6]

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Cambridgeshire in 2005, the Boundary Commission for England made minor alterations to the existing constituencies to deal with population changes, including a small further gain from Huntingdon. There were also marginal changes to take account of the redistribution of City of Peterborough wards. These changes increased the electorate from 69,082 to 73,648.^[7] On the enumeration date of 17 February 2000, the electoral quota for England was 69,934 voters per constituency.^[7]

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency, previously the highest populated in the United Kingdom, was downsized. This was also due to population growth in the middle and south of Cambridgeshire, necessitating the creation of the new St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire seat, with the Huntingdon constituency absorbing many of Huntingdonshire District Council wards.^[8]

From the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency is composed of the following wards (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• Peterborough City Council: Barnack (one councillor), Fletton & Stanground (three councillors), Fletton & Woodston (three councillors), Glinton & Castor (two councillors), Hargate & Hempsted (three councillors), Hampton Vale (three councillors), Orton Longueville (three councillors), Orton Waterville (three councillors), Stanground South (three councillors) and Wittering (one councillor).^[8]
• Huntingdonshire District Council: Ramsey (three councillors), Stilton, Folksworth & Washingley (two councillors) and Yaxley (three councillors).^[8]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[9]	Party
part of Huntingdon and Peterborough prior to 1997
	1997	Brian Mawhinney	Conservative
	2005	Shailesh Vara	Conservative
	2024	Sam Carling	Labour

Elections

Election results 1997–2024

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: North West Cambridgeshire^[10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sam Carling	14,785	33.3	+9.6
	Conservative	Shailesh Vara	14,746	33.2	−26.8
	Reform UK	James Sidlow	8,741	19.7	+19.6
	Liberal Democrats	Bridget Smith	3,192	7.2	−3.8
	Green	Elliot Tong	2,960	6.7	+1.5
Majority			39	0.1
Turnout			44,424	58.5	−5.4
Registered electors			75,915
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+18.2

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[12]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	28,201	60.0
	Labour	11,169	23.7
	Liberal Democrats	5,173	11.0
	Green	2,464	5.2
	Brexit Party	25	0.1
Turnout		47,032	63.9
Electorate		73,556

General election 2019: North West Cambridgeshire^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Shailesh Vara	40,307	62.5	+3.9
	Labour	Cathy Cordiner-Achenbach	14,324	22.2	−8.3
	Liberal Democrats	Bridget Smith	6,881	10.7	+5.7
	Green	Nicola Day	3,021	4.7	+2.7
Majority			25,983	40.3	+12.2
Turnout			64,533	68.0	−0.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.1

General election 2017: North West Cambridgeshire^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Shailesh Vara	37,529	58.6	+6.1
	Labour	Iain Ramsbottom	19,521	30.5	+12.6
	Liberal Democrats	Bridget Smith	3,168	5.0	−0.7
	UKIP	John Whitby	2,518	3.9	−16.2
	Green	Greg Guthrie	1,255	2.0	−1.5
Majority			18,008	28.1	−4.3
Turnout			63,991	68.8	+2.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.2

General election 2015: North West Cambridgeshire^[15][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Shailesh Vara	32,070	52.5	+2.0
	UKIP	Peter Reeve[17]	12,275	20.1	+11.8
	Labour	Nick Thulbourn[17]	10,927	17.9	+1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Nicholas Sandford[18]	3,479	5.7	−16.2
	Green	Nicola Day[19]	2,159	3.5	New
	CPA	Fay Belham	190	0.3	New
Majority			19,795	32.4	+3.8
Turnout			61,100	66.6	+1.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2010: North West Cambridgeshire^[20][21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Shailesh Vara	29,425[22]	50.5	+4.3
	Liberal Democrats	Kevin Wilkins[23]	12,748	21.9	−1.0
	Labour	Chris York	9,877	16.9	−8.7
	UKIP	Robert Brown	4,826	8.3	+3.0
	English Democrat	Stephen Goldspink	1,407	2.4	New
Majority			16,677	28.6
Turnout			58,283	65.6	+2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: North West Cambridgeshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Shailesh Vara	22,504	45.8	−4.0
	Labour	Ayfer Orhan	12,671	25.8	−5.6
	Liberal Democrats	John Souter	11,232	22.9	+7.1
	UKIP	Robert Brown	2,685	5.5	+3.5
Majority			9,833	20.0	+1.6
Turnout			49,092	61.6	−0.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.8

General election 2001: North West Cambridgeshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian Mawhinney	21,895	49.8	+1.7
	Labour	Anthea Cox	13,794	31.4	−0.8
	Liberal Democrats	Alastair Taylor	6,957	15.8	+0.7
	UKIP	Barry Hudson	881	2.0	+1.4
	Independent	David Hall	429	1.0	New
Majority			8,101	18.4	+2.5
Turnout			43,956	61.7	−12.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: North West Cambridgeshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian Mawhinney	23,488	48.1
	Labour	Lee Steptoe	15,734	32.2
	Liberal Democrats	Barbara McCoy	7,388	15.1
	Referendum	Sandy Watts	1,939	4.0
	UKIP	William Wyatt	269	0.6
Majority			7,754	15.9
Turnout			48,818	74.2
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Cambridgeshire
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the East of England (region)
• Peterborough
• Huntingdon