Bootle is a constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, since 2015 by Peter Dowd of the Labour Party.
Constituency profile
The Bootle constituency is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton within the county of Merseyside. It is part of Liverpool's urban area and lies to the north of the city centre. Within the constituency are the towns of Bootle, Litherland and Waterloo. Like much of Merseyside, the Bootle area has a maritime history, a large Irish-descended population, and has experienced economic decline with the decrease in importance of the Port of Liverpool.
Compared to national averages, residents of the constituency are more religious and have lower levels of wealth, education and professional employment. House prices are very low and there is a large proportion of social housing. White people make up 95% of the population. At the local council, almost all of the seats in the Bootle constituency are represented by Labour Party councillors. It is estimated that voters in the constituency were evenly split in the 2016 referendum on European Union membership, with 50% supporting and 50% opposing Brexit. In June 2014, Benton announced that he would retire at the 2015 general election.
The 2015 result made the seat the fifth-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority (with a winning vote share of 74.5% and a majority of 63.6%). Bootle remained a safe seat into the 2020s, becoming the safest seat for Labour by this metric in 2024 (despite a decrease of the vote share by 10.7%) with a winning vote share of 68.7%; this gave Labour a 56.5% majority over Reform UK.
Boundaries
right|thumb|260px|Bootle in Lancashire, boundaries used 1974–1983
1885–1918: The Boroughs of Bootle-cum-Linacre and Liverpool, the parishes of Childwall, Fazakerley, Walton-on-the-Hill, and Wavertree, and parts of the parishes of Toxteth Park and West Derby.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Bootle.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Bootle, and the Urban District of Litherland.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Bootle.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Bootle, and the Urban District of Litherland.
1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Church, Derby, Ford, Linacre, Litherland, Netherton, Orrell, and St Oswald.
1997–2010: As above less Church ward.
2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton wards of Church, Derby, Ford, Linacre, Litherland, Netherton and Orrell, St Oswald, and Victoria.
Boundary changes that came into force as a result of the 2010 general election being called saw the constituency grow to also include parts of the old Crosby constituency, with the electoral wards of Church and Victoria being added. Although these areas are more affluent than some parts of Bootle, it has not made the seat any less safe for Labour.
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.
The constituency covers the southern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside. This comprises Bootle itself plus other localities including Crosby, Waterloo, Seaforth, Litherland, Netherton, Orrell and Ford.
Members of Parliament
{|class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|Election!!Member
!Party
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1885 || Thomas Sandys || Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1911 by-election || Bonar Law || Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1918 || Sir Thomas Royden, Bt. || Coalition Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1922 || James Burnie || Liberal
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1924 || Vivian Henderson || Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1929 || John Kinley || Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1931 || Chichester Crookshank || Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1935 || Eric Errington || Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1945 || John Kinley || Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1955 || Simon Mahon || Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1979 || Allan Roberts || Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1990 by-election (May) || Michael Carr || Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 1990 by-election (Nov) || Joe Benton || Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " | || 2015 || Peter Dowd || Labour
|}
Elections
thumb|centre|upright=2.5|Election results 1950–2024
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
thumb|120px|Bonar Law
General Election 1914–15:
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;
- Unionist: Bonar Law
- Liberal: