1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, so much of the municipal borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme as was not already included in the parliamentary borough, the local government district of Tunstall, and so much of the parish of Wolstanton as lay south of a line drawn along the centre of the road leading west from Chatterley railway station to the boundary of Audley parish.[2]
1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Urban Districts of Audley and Wolstanton United.
1950–1983: The Municipal Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Rural District of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
1983–2010: The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Audley and Bignall End, Bradwell, Chesterton, Clayton, Cross Heath, Halmerend, Holditch, Keele, May Bank, Porthill, Seabridge, Silverdale, Thistleberry, Town, Westlands and Wolstanton.
2010–2024: The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Audley and Bignall End; Bradwell; Chesterton; Clayton; Cross Heath; Halmerend; Holditch; Keele; Knutton and Silverdale; May Bank; Porthill; Seabridge; Silverdale and Parksite; Thistleberry; Town; Westlands; and Wolstanton.[3]
Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for the 2010 general election. The contents were changed to reflect the revised ward structure in the Borough, but the parliamentary boundaries were unchanged.
Current
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies (in effect since 2024 general election), the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of: Audley; Bradwell; Clayton; Crackley & Red Street; Cross Heath; Holditch & Chesterton; Keele; Knutton; Madeley & Betley; May Bank; Silverdale; Thistleberry; Town; Westbury Park & Northwood; Westlands; Wolstanton.[4]
Minor boundary change including the addition of the village of Madeley from the (abolished constituency of Stone, in order to bring the electorate within the permitted range.
From its creation in 1354, Newcastle-under-Lyme returned two MPs to the House of Commons. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the constituency's representation was cut to one member.
Prominent frontbenchers or members
Before the 20th century the constituency was often influenced and represented by members of the Leveson, Leveson-Gower[n 3] and related Egerton family who owned in this constituency the Trentham estate[n 4] - their most important MP was the Viscount Trentham who obtained a Dukedom (1st Duke of Sutherland).
Josiah Wedgwood of the pottery family was repeatedly elected to the seat from 1906. In 1919, he shifted his allegiance from the Liberal Party (the Lloyd George Coalition Liberals allying with the Conservatives) to the Labour Party; he was among many Liberals and their supporters deserting the party in or around 1918 due to the steering of David Lloyd George to the right and inviting Conservatives into government with him. He was ennobled to join the Lords in 1942, as 1st Baron Wedgwood, and campaigned in the United States for that country to join World War II and for Indian Independence.
Results
Since Wedgwood joined the Independent Labour Party in 1919, the seat elected the Labour candidate at each election for the next hundred years, a total of 29 elections in succession. Labour came close to losing the seat in 1969, 1986, 2015 and 2017, and eventually lost the seat in 2019; the first time a member of the Conservative Party had represented the seat since it had been a dual-member borough before the 1885 general election which followed the Reform Act 1884 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
The 2015 result was the 9th-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[5] Its 2017 general election result was the fifth-closest result overall and the second closest to being taken by the Conservatives, a winning margin of 30 votes (behind Dudley North, where the result was a Labour majority of 22 votes).[6]
In 2019, it was finally won by the Conservatives for the first time since it became a single-member seat, by over 7,000 votes. It was one of the twelve Staffordshire seats (100%) won (held or gained) by Conservative candidates. However, Labour regained the seat at the 2024 election with a majority of just over 5,000.
Results of candidates of other parties
In 2015 one of four other parties' candidates standing, UKIP's Wood, won more than 5% of the vote in 2015 therefore keeping his deposit, the party which campaigned consistently for the public vote for leaving the European Union in 2016. In 2017 the three largest British parties fielded candidates only — Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates in order of votes won.
Turnout since 1945
Turnout has ranged from 87.6% in 1950 to 58.4% in 2024.
2017 election issues
In the 2017 election, 1,500 eligible voters were turned away while 2 ineligible voters were able to vote.[7] An independent report by Andrew Scallan found a "complex picture of administrative mistakes around registration and postal voting processes", and because of the small margin of victory (30 votes) concluded that "it is impossible to have absolute confidence that the result... reflects the will of the electorate."[8]
2024 election
On 31 May Aaron Bell announced that he would not be standing again for Newcastle-under-Lyme at the 2024 General Election. He announced the news on Facebook with an open letter in which he said 'It is with a heavy heart that I have decided not to contest the forthcoming general election for personal and family reasons'.[9]
Members of Parliament
MPs 1353–1509
Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.
1410 ? possibly John Delves was an MP representing the county or a borough
1411 Thomas Thicknesse and William Bowyer
1413 (1) ? possibly Newport, or Robert Bapthorpe was an MP representing the county or a borough
1413 (2) William de Lee and Hugh Wyldeblood
1416 William Skytteby, Thomas Chamberleyn
1419 John Biddulph (Bedulf), John Miners
1420 Hugo de Stanford and John Hardhed
1421 John Biddulph (Bydulf) and Thomas Baron
1421 Hugh Stanford and Thomas Lee
1422 John Myners and Hugh Stanford
1423-1424 Hugh Stanford and William Sandbache
1425 John Wood and William Hextall
1426 Robert Wodehous and Henry Lilie
1427-1428 John Wood and Thomas Lee
1429-1430 William Egerton and William Hextall
1431 John Wood and Roger Legh
1432 James Leveson and John Wood
1433 John Wood and Thomas Podmore
1435 Richard Bruyn and William Hextall
1437 Thomas Preston and Nicholas Repynghale
1442 John Nedham and William Cumberford of Cumberford
1447 John Nedham and John Cudworth
1449 John Nedham and Thomas Everdon
1449-1450 Ralf Wolseley and Thomas Mayne
1450-1451 Thomas Colclogh and Richard Mosley
1453-1434 Thomas Colcloghe and John Spenser
1455-1456 John Spenser and Richard Mosley
1467-1468 James Norys and Robert Hille
1472-1475 William Paston and John Wood
1477-1478 William Yonge and Reynold Bray
1491-1492 Richard Harpur and Richard Blunt
1495-1496 ? Sir Reynold Bray
1497 County or a borough - ?Richard Wrottesley, ?Humphrey Peshale,?Thomas Welles
1504 unknown
Burgesses in the English Parliament 1510-1707
As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given.
The Roman numerals after some names are those used in The House of Commons 1509-1558 and The House of Commons 1558-1603 to distinguish a member from another politician of the same name.
Elected
Assembled
Dissolved
First member
Second member
1510
21 January 1510
23 February 1510
John Welles
William Pury
1512
4 February 1512
4 March 1514
John Welles
Thomas Rider
1515
5 February 1515
22 December 1515
John Welles
Thomas Rider
1523
15 April 1523
13 August 1523
unknown
unknown
1529
3 November 1529
14 April 1536
John Persall
Richard Grey
1536
8 June 1536
18 July 1536
unknown
unknown
1539
28 April 1539
24 July 1540
unknown
unknown
1542
16 January 1542
28 March 1544
Harry Broke
John Smith
1545
23 November 1545
31 January 1547
Humphrey Welles
Harry Broke
1547
4 November 1547
15 April 1552
James Rolston
William Layton (died) Alexander Walker in place of Layton
1553
1 March 1553
31 March 1553
Roger Fowke
John Smyth
1553
5 October 1553
5 December 1553
Roger Fowke
James Rolston
1554
2 April 1554
3 May 1554
James Rolleston
Francis Moore
1554
12 November 1554
16 January 1555
Sir Ralph Bagnall
Richard Smyth
1555
21 October 1555
9 December 1555
Sir Richard Bagnall (properly Sir Nicholas Bagenal)
Richard Smyth
14 January 1558
20 January 1558
17 November 1558
Richard Hussey
Thomas Egerton
5 January 1559
23 January 1559
8 May 1559
Sir Nicholas Bagenal
Walter Blount
1562 or 1563
11 January 1563
2 January 1567
Sir Ralph Bagnall
John Long
1571
2 April 1571
29 May 1571
Sir Ralph Bagnall
Ralph Bourchier
12 April 1572
8 May 1572
19 April 1583
Ralph Bourchier
Thomas Grimsdiche
16 November 1584
23 November 1584
14 September 1585
Peter Warburton
Walter Chetwynd
28 September 1586
13 October 1586
23 March 1587
James Colyer
Walter Chetwynd
10 October 1588
4 February 1589
29 March 1589
Thomas Humphrey
Francis Angier
1593
18 February 1593
10 April 1593
John James
Thomas Fitzherbert
16 October 1597
24 October 1597
9 February 1598
Sir Walter Leveson
John Bowyer
1 October 1601
27 October 1601
19 December 1601
Edward Mainwaring
Thomas Trentham
1603 [sic]
19 March 1604
9 February 1611
Sir Walter Chetwynd
John Bowyer (replaced in by-election 1605 by Rowland Cotton)
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Wedgwood was issued with a Coalition Coupon but did not accept it. He was also adopted by the local Liberal association, but considered himself an independent candidate.
Christy resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds due to holding a government contract,[43] causing a by-election in which he stood.
By-election, 15 December 1847: Newcastle-under-Lyme[32]
^Date when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament by force.
^Date when the members of the nominated or Barebones Parliament were selected at a "Convention". The parliamentary borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme was not represented in this body.
^Date when the members of the First Protectorate Parliament were elected. The parliamentary borough was represented in this body.
^Date when the members of the Second Protectorate Parliament were elected. The parliamentary borough was entitled to be represented in this body.
^The Rump Parliament was recalled and subsequently Pride's Purge was reversed, allowing the full Long Parliament to meet until it agreed to dissolve itself.
^The MPs of the last Parliament of England and 45 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Scotland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain which assembled on 23 October 1707 (see below for the members in that Parliament).
^ abcdefghijklmnoCraig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.