Manchester Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Manchester Central (Jamaica Parliament constituency).

Manchester Central is a parliamentary constituency^{[n 1]} in Greater Manchester created in 1974. The seat has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2012 by Lucy Powell of the Labour Party and Co-operative Party.^{[n 2]} Powell currently serves as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council.

Manchester Central
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Manchester Central in North West England
County	Greater Manchester
Electorate	75,311 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Ardwick, Ancoats, Deansgate, Manchester City Centre, Openshaw, Moston, Failsworth
Current constituency
Created	1974 (1974)
Member of Parliament	Lucy Powell (Labour Co-op)
Created from	Manchester Exchange and Manchester Cheetham

Constituency profile

The seat covers the city centre and all its major attractions and both of Manchester's large universities, and fringe areas such as Hulme and Ancoats which have undergone extensive regeneration since the 1990s, an example of which is the New Islington development. Flats in the city centre can sell for several million pounds while there are more deprived areas to the east, including Beswick. There is a high proportion of graduates and students in the city centre, and the constituency as a whole has the highest proportion of Chinese people in the country.^[2]

This constituency has always (since its 1974 creation) been a safe Labour seat. The current MP Lucy Powell won the seat in a by-election in November 2012 on a turnout of just 18%, the lowest since the Second World War.^[3] Twelve candidates stood, considerably more than the six who stood in the 1979 by-election.

History

Creation

The main forerunner to the seat was Manchester Cheetham, entirely taken into this area; three of five wards of former seat Manchester Exchange completed the first set of boundaries of the seat. The seat (including predecessor seats) has been held by the Labour Party since 1945.

Political history

Labour candidates have won Manchester Central by a decidedly non-marginal majority since its 1974 creation.^[4] The current MP Lucy Powell won the seat at a by-election in November 2012 on a turnout of 18%; the lowest since the Second World War.^[3]

Results of other parties

The 2015 general election saw greater-than-national-average swing of +3.4% (by a swing of +6.2%) to the Green Party candidate, achieving third place. Followed next by UKIP in 2015 by number of votes cast (prior to the 2016 UK EU membership referendum, votes cast for the Liberal Democrats – who for two periods had been the runner-up party in Manchester Central – for the first time placed its candidate in fifth place. The Conservative Party returned to second place in 2015 through candidate Xingang Wang (achieving 13.5% of the vote); its second place of 1979 was through its best polling to date of 22.1% of the vote. The maximal second place to date was 2010, through Liberal Democrat candidate, Marc Ramsbottom, taking 26.6% of the vote.

Turnout

Turnout has changed from a national low within the 2010 general election (of 46.7%) to 55.1% of electors. The greatest turnout was in 1987, with 63.9%.

Boundaries

Map of present boundaries

Historic

Manchester Central in Lancashire, boundaries used 1974–1983

1974–1983: The County Borough of Manchester wards of Beswick, Cheetham, Collegiate Church, Harpurhey, and Miles Platting.^[5]

1983–1997: The City of Manchester wards of Ardwick, Beswick and Clayton, Bradford, Central, Cheetham, Hulme, and Newton Heath.

1997–2010: As above, less Cheetham, plus Moss Side, and Whalley Range.

2010–2024: The City of Manchester wards of Ancoats & Clayton, Ardwick, Bradford, City Centre, Hulme, Miles Platting & Newton Heath, Moss Side, and Moston using the 2004–2018 boundaries.

Current

Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The City of Manchester wards of: Ancoats & Beswick; Cheetham; Clayton & Openshaw; Deansgate; Miles Platting & Newton Heath; Piccadilly.

• The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham wards of: Failsworth East; Failsworth West.^[6]

The content of the constituency was subject to major changes, losing about half its electorate, mainly to the re-established constituency of Manchester Rusholme, including the districts of Ardwick, Hulme and Moss Side. Moston was transferred to Blackley and Middleton South (formerly Blackley and Broughton) in exchange for Cheetham, and the two Failsworth wards were transferred from Ashton-under-Lyne.

Members of Parliament

Election	Member[7]	Party		Notes
Feb 1974	Harold Lever		Labour	MP for Manchester Exchange from 1945 and for Manchester Cheetham from 1950. Resigned July 1979 on being raised to the peerage
1979 by-election	Bob Litherland		Labour
1997	Tony Lloyd		Labour	MP for Stretford from 1983. Resigned October 2012 to run for Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner. MP for Rochdale from 2017 to 2024
2012 by-election	Lucy Powell		Labour Co-op

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Manchester Central ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Lucy Powell	20,184	50.8	−14.6
	Green	Ekua Bayunu	6,387	16.1	+13.2
	Reform UK	David Brown	4,760	12.0	+7.6
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Northwood	3,051	7.7	+1.7
	Conservative	Scott Smith	2,823	7.1	−13.9
	Workers Party	Parham Hashemi	1,888	4.8	N/A
	SDP	Sebastian Moore	240	0.6	N/A
	Independent	Sabeena Khan	202	0.5	N/A
	Communist Future	Catriona Rylance	131	0.3	N/A
	Independent	Albati Kalonda	59	0.1	N/A
Majority			13,797	34.7	–9.7
Turnout			39,725	46.7	–7.1
Registered electors			85,049
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	13.9

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[9]
Party		Vote	%
	Labour	26,470	65.4
	Conservative	8,500	21.0
	Liberal Democrats	2,449	6.0
	Brexit Party	1,795	4.4
	Green	1,159	2.9
	Others	107	0.3
Turnout		40,480	53.8
Electorate		75,311

General election 2019: Manchester Central^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Lucy Powell	36,823	70.4	–7.0
	Conservative	Shaden Jaradat	7,734	14.8	+0.6
	Liberal Democrats	John Bridges	3,420	6.5	+3.1
	Brexit Party	Sarah Chadwick	2,335	4.5	N/A
	Green	Melanie Horrocks	1,870	3.6	+1.9
	Socialist Equality	Dennis Leech	107	0.2	N/A
Majority			29,089	55.6	–7.6
Turnout			52,289	56.9	+1.8
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	–3.8

General election 2017: Manchester Central^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Lucy Powell	38,490	77.4	+16.1
	Conservative	Xingang Wang	7,045	14.2	+0.7
	Liberal Democrats	John Bridges	1,678	3.4	–0.7
	UKIP	Kalvin Chapman	1,469	3.0	–8.1
	Green	Rachael Shah	846	1.7	–6.8
	Pirate	Neil Blackburn	192	0.4	–0.4
Majority			31,445	63.2	+14.4
Turnout			49,720	55.1	+2.4
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	+7.7

General election 2015: Manchester Central^[12][13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Lucy Powell	27,772	61.3	+8.6
	Conservative	Xingang Wang	6,133	13.5	+1.7
	UKIP	Myles Power	5,033	11.1	+9.6
	Green	Kieran Turner-Dave	3,838	8.5	+6.2
	Liberal Democrats	John Reid	1,867	4.1	–22.5
	Pirate	Loz Kaye	346	0.8	N/A
	TUSC	Alex Davidson	270	0.6	N/A
	Communist League	John Davies	72	0.2	N/A
Majority			21,639	47.8	+21.7
Turnout			45,331	52.7	+6.0
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	+3.4

By-election 2012: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Lucy Powell	11,507	69.1	+16.4
	Liberal Democrats	Marc Ramsbottom	1,571	9.4	–17.2
	Conservative	Matthew Sephton	754	4.5	–7.3
	UKIP	Christopher Cassidy	749	4.5	+3.0
	Green	Tom Dylan	652	3.9	+1.6
	BNP	Eddy O'Sullivan	492	3.0	–1.1
	Pirate	Loz Kaye	308	1.9	N/A
	TUSC	Alex Davidson	220	1.3	N/A
	Respect	Catherine Higgins	182	1.1	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Howling Laud Hope	78	0.5	N/A
	People's Democratic Party	Lee Holmes	71	0.4	N/A
	Communist League	Peter Clifford	64	0.4	N/A
Majority			9,936	59.7	+33.6
Turnout			16,648	18.2	−28.5
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing

General election 2010: Manchester Central^[14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Lloyd	21,059	52.7	−6.6
	Liberal Democrats	Marc Ramsbottom	10,620	26.6	+5.6
	Conservative	Suhail Rahuja	4,704	11.8	+1.3
	BNP	Tony Trebilcock	1,636	4.1	N/A
	Green	Gayle O'Donovan	915	2.3	−1.9
	UKIP	Nicola Weatherill	607	1.5	+0.6
	Socialist Labour	Ron Sinclair	153	0.4	−0.2
	Independent	John Cartwright	120	0.3	N/A
	Workers Revolutionary	Jonty Leff	59	0.1	N/A
	Socialist Equality	Robert Skelton	54	0.1	N/A
Majority			10,430	26.1	−12.2
Turnout			39,927	46.7	+4.9
	Labour hold		Swing	−6.1

This was the lowest turnout for any constituency in the whole of the United Kingdom in 2010

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Tony Lloyd	16,993	58.1	−10.6
	Liberal Democrats	Marc Ramsbottom	7,217	24.7	+9.0
	Conservative	Tom Jackson	2,504	8.6	−0.4
	Green	Steven Durrant	1,292	4.4	+0.5
	National Front	Richard Kemp	421	1.4	N/A
	Independent Progressive Labour	Damien O'Connor	382	1.3	N/A
	UKIP	John Whittaker	272	0.9	N/A
	Socialist Labour	Ronald Sinclair	183	0.6	−1.3
Majority			9,776	33.4	−19.6
Turnout			29,264	42.0	+2.9
	Labour hold		Swing	−9.8

General election 2001: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Lloyd	17,812	68.7	−2.3
	Liberal Democrats	Phylip Hobson	4,070	15.7	+3.4
	Conservative	Aaron Powell	2,328	9.0	−2.8
	Green	Vanessa Hall	1,018	3.9	N/A
	Socialist Labour	Ron Sinclair	484	1.9	−0.5
	ProLife Alliance	Terrenia Brosnan	216	0.8	N/A
Majority			13,742	53.0	−5.7
Turnout			25,928	39.1	−12.5
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	−3.9

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Lloyd	23,803	71.0	−1.7
	Liberal Democrats	Alison Firth	4,121	12.3	+2.5
	Conservative	Simon McIlwaine	3,964	11.8	−4.7
	Socialist Labour	Francis Rafferty	810	2.4	N/A
	Referendum	John Maxwell	742	2.2	N/A
	Communist League	Timothy Rigby	97	0.3	−0.2
Majority			19,682	58.7
Turnout			33,537	52.6	−4.3
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.5

General election 1992: Manchester Central^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bob Litherland	23,336	72.7	+4.5
	Conservative	Peter Davies	5,299	16.5	−2.3
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Clayton	3,151	9.8	−3.2
	Natural Law	Vivienne Mitchell	167	0.5	N/A
	Communist League	Andrew Buchanan	167	0.5	N/A
Majority			18,037	56.2	+6.8
Turnout			32,120	56.9	−7.0
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.4

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bob Litherland	27,428	68.2	+2.9
	Conservative	Matthew Banks	7,561	18.8	−2.4
	SDP	Barry McColgan	5,250	13.0	+1.2
Majority			19,867	49.4	+5.3
Turnout			40,239	63.9	+3.3
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.7

General election 1983: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bob Litherland	27,353	65.3	−6.7
	Conservative	David Eager	8,868	21.2	+1.4
	SDP	Altaf Ahmad	4,956	11.8	+5.1
	National Front	Alfred Coles	729	1.7	−0.1
Majority			18,485	44.1	−4.6
Turnout			41,906	60.6	−2.9
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

Manchester Central by-election 1979

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bob Litherland	7,494	70.7	−0.1
	Liberal	Anthony Parkinson	1,502	14.2	+8.9
	Conservative	Stephen Lea	1,275	12.0	−10.1
	Independent Labour	Syed Ala-Ud-Din	187	1.8	N/A
	Ecology	John Foster	129	1.2	N/A
	Democratic Monarchist, Public Safety, White Resident.	Bill Boaks	12	0.1	N/A
Majority			5,992	56.5	+7.8
Turnout			10,599	33.8	−29.9
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1979: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harold Lever	14,117	70.8	+1.5
	Conservative	Herbert Cummins	4,413	22.1	+2.6
	Liberal	Gordon Wilmott	1,052	5.3	−5.9
	National Front	Derek Benthall	365	1.8	N/A
Majority			9,704	48.7	−1.1
Turnout			19,947	63.7	+10.3
	Labour hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harold Lever	14,753	69.3	+7.6
	Conservative	Robert Jackson	4,142	19.5	−1.2
	Liberal	Patrick Coleman	2,382	11.2	−6.3
Majority			10,611	49.8	+8.8
Turnout			21,277	53.4	−8.4
	Labour hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Manchester Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harold Lever	15,075	61.7
	Conservative	Christopher Horne	5,071	20.7
	Liberal	Michael Steed	4,281	17.5
Majority			10,004	41.0
Turnout			24,427	61.8
	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)
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.