Stretford and Urmston (UK Parliament constituency)

Stretford and Urmston is a constituency^{[n 1]} in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since a 2022 by-election by Andrew Western, a Labour MP.

Stretford and Urmston
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Stretford and Urmston in North West England
County	Greater Manchester
Electorate	73,212 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Stretford, Urmston, Davyhulme, Partington
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Andrew Western (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Davyhulme, Stretford

History

Stretford and Urmston was created in 1997 from significant parts of the former constituencies of Davyhulme – a Conservative-held marginal whose last member was the Conservative Winston Churchill (grandson of the former Prime Minister) – and safely Labour Stretford, whose last member was Tony Lloyd (Labour).

The constituency was first represented by Beverley Hughes, who stood down at the 2010 general election.^[2] Kate Green, a Labour front-bencher, held the seat from 2010 until she resigned in November 2022 after being nominated as Greater Manchester's deputy mayor for policing and crime, taking over from Beverley Hughes once again.^[3][4]

Boundaries

Map of current boundaries

1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford wards of Bucklow, Clifford, Davyhulme East, Davyhulme West, Flixton, Longford, Park, Stretford, Talbot, and Urmston.

2010–2023: The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford wards of Bucklow-St. Martins, Clifford, Davyhulme East, Davyhulme West, Flixton, Gorse Hill, Longford, Stretford, and Urmston.

2023–present: Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023,^[5][6] the constituency now comprises the following wards of Metropolitan Borough of Trafford:

• Bucklow-St. Martins; Davyhulme; Flixton; Gorse Hill & Cornbrook; Longford; Lostock & Barton; Old Trafford; Stretford & Humphrey Park; Urmston.^[7]

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.^[8]

Constituency profile

This is one of three seats in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford and covers its north and west. As of 2000, the total electorate for the constituency was 72,414.^[9]

The Conservatives are traditionally strongest in the affluent suburbs of Davyhulme and Flixton, whereas Urmston is often a marginal battle between them and Labour. But in the 2018 and 2019 Local Elections, Labour won every ward in the constituency for the first time ever, gaining Flixton and both Davyhulme wards. These were crucial seats in terms of giving them control of Trafford Council in May 2019. The rest of the wards, which include Stretford and its suburbs, and the areas of Carrington and Partington (Bucklow-St Martins) are strongly Labour. There is significant commercial activity in the north-east of the seat along the ship canal at Trafford Park, which also includes the Trafford Centre, opened in 1998 and is one of the largest shopping centres in the UK.

The seat is also home to Manchester United's Old Trafford football ground as well as the cricket ground of the same name.

The constituency is of approximately average scale in area for Greater Manchester, featuring several green spaces, and is convenient for workers in both the cities of Salford and Manchester. It is the only borough in Greater Manchester to retain state-funded grammar schools, two of which, Stretford Grammar and Urmston Grammar, are in this seat, with the others being in Altrincham in the neighbouring seat.

As to other parties, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP were the only parties to have achieved the retention of deposit threshold of 5% of the vote until 2024, when candidates for Reform UK, the Workers Party, and the Green Party all passed it.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 higher the regional average of 4.4%, at 4.6% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian. This in turn was higher than the national average at the time of 3.8%^[10]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[11]	Party
	1997	Beverley Hughes	Labour
	2010	Kate Green	Labour
	2022 by-election	Andrew Western	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Stretford and Urmston^[12][13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Andrew Western	22,642	49.2	−11.1
	Conservative	Mark Cornes	6,492	14.1	−13.4
	Reform UK	Charlotte Faulkner	5,485	11.9	+8.4
	Workers Party	Khalila Chaudry	4,461	9.7	N/A
	Green	Dan Jerrome	4,398	9.6	+6.9
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Clayton	2,216	4.8	−1.1
	Rejoin EU	Jim Newell	308	0.7	N/A
Majority			16,150	35.1	+2.3
Turnout			46,002	61.2	−8.0
Registered electors			75,153
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.1

Changes in vote share from the 2019 general election*

By-election 2022: Stretford and Urmston^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Andrew Western	12,828	69.6	+9.3
	Conservative	Emily Carter-Kandola	2,922	15.9	–11.7
	Green	Dan Jerrome	789	4.3	+1.6
	Liberal Democrats	Anna Fryer	659	3.6	–2.4
	Reform UK	Paul Swansborough	650	3.5	N/A
	Rejoin EU	Jim Newell	237	1.3	N/A
	Independent	Hazel Gibb	183	1.0	N/A
	Freedom Alliance	Christina Glancy	76	0.4	N/A
	SDP	Julien Yvon	74	0.4	N/A
Majority			9,906	53.7	+21.0
Turnout			18,418	25.8	–43.6
	Labour hold		Swing	+10.5

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Stretford and Urmston^[15][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kate Green	30,195	60.3	–6.5
	Conservative	Mussadak Mirza	13,778	27.5	±0.0
	Liberal Democrats	Anna Fryer	2,969	5.9	+3.9
	Brexit Party	Gary Powell	1,768	3.5	N/A
	Green	Jane Leicester	1,357	2.7	+1.4
Majority			16,417	32.8	–6.5
Turnout			50,067	69.4	–0.6
	Labour hold		Swing	–3.3

General election 2017: Stretford and Urmston^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kate Green	33,519	66.8	+13.8
	Conservative	Lisa Cooke	13,814	27.5	–0.3
	UKIP	Andrew Beaumont	1,094	2.2	–8.7
	Liberal Democrats	Anna Fryer	1,001	2.0	–0.9
	Green	Michael Ingleson	641	1.3	–3.4
	CPA	Rose Doman	122	0.2	N/A
Majority			19,705	39.3	+14.1
Turnout			50,191	70.0	+3.2
	Labour hold		Swing	+7.0

General election 2015: Stretford and Urmston^[18][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kate Green	24,601	53.0	+4.4
	Conservative	Lisa Cooke	12,916	27.8	–0.9
	UKIP	Kalvin Chapman	5,068	10.9	+7.5
	Green	Geraldine Coggins	2,187	4.7	+2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Louise Ankers	1,362	2.9	–14.0
	Whig	Paul Bradley-Law	169	0.4	N/A
	Population Party UK	Paul Carson	83	0.2	N/A
Majority			11,685	25.2	+5.3
Turnout			46,386	66.8	+2.7
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.6

General election 2010: Stretford and Urmston^[20][21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kate Green	21,821	48.6	–2.4
	Conservative	Alex Williams	12,886	28.7	–1.7
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Cook	7,601	16.9	+2.9
	UKIP	David Owen	1,508	3.4	+1.2
	Green	Margaret Westbrook	916	2.0	N/A
	Christian	Samuel Jacob	178	0.4	N/A
Majority			8,935	19.9	–0.7
Turnout			44,910	64.1	+2.6
	Labour hold		Swing	–0.7

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Stretford and Urmston^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Beverley Hughes	19,417	51.0	–10.1
	Conservative	Damian Hinds	11,566	30.4	+3.3
	Liberal Democrats	Faraz Bhatti	5,323	14.0	+4.0
	Respect	Mark Krantz	950	2.5	N/A
	UKIP	Michael McManus	845	2.2	N/A
Majority			7,851	20.6	–13.4
Turnout			38,101	61.5	+6.7
	Labour hold		Swing	–6.7

General election 2001: Stretford and Urmston^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Beverley Hughes	23,836	61.1	+2.6
	Conservative	Jonathan D. Mackie	10,565	27.1	–3.4
	Liberal Democrats	John R. Bridges	3,891	10.0	+1.8
	Independent	Katie Price	713	1.8	N/A
Majority			13,271	34.0	+6.0
Turnout			39,005	54.8	–14.9
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Stretford and Urmston^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Beverley Hughes	28,480	58.5
	Conservative	John Gregory	14,840	30.5
	Liberal Democrats	John R. Bridges	3,978	8.2
	Referendum	Caroline Dore	1,397	2.9
Majority			13,640	28.0
Turnout			48,695	69.7
	Labour win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester

Notes

1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)