Carlisle is a constituency in Cumbria represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Julie Minns of the Labour Party.
Constituency profile
The Carlisle constituency is located in Cumbria. It includes the city of Carlisle and the rural areas to its north and east stretching to the border with Scotland. Other settlements include the small market towns of Brampton and Longtown. Carlisle is a historic city with a population of around 78,000, and was an important military stronghold as a result of its position close to the Anglo-Scottish border. The city is a major railway hub and, during the Industrial Revolution, was a densely-populated mill town.
House prices in the constituency are generally low and residents have lower levels of income, education and professional employment compared to national averages. Carlisle has high levels of deprivation whilst the rural areas surrounding the city are more affluent. White people make up 97% of the population.
With effect from 1 April 2023, the City of Carlisle council was abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of Cumberland. Consequently, the constituency now comprises the following with effect from the 2024 general election:
- The Cumberland wards of Belah, Belle Vue, Botcherby, Brampton, Castle, Corby and Hayton, Currock; Dalston and Burgh (small part), Denton Holme; Harraby North, Harraby South, Houghton and Irthington, Longtown, Morton, Stanwix Urban, Upperby. Wetheral (majority) and Yewdale.
The constituency was expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the parts of the former City of Carlisle local authority previously in the abolished constituency of Penrith and The Border - comprising the towns of Brampton and Longtown and surrounding villages and rural areas. To partly offset this, Dalston was included in the new constituency of Penrith and Solway.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1295–1640
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
| 1381|| John de Blennerhassett
|-
| 1384||John de Blennerhassett
|-
| 1386||Adam Denton|| Robert Bristowe
|-
| 1388 (Feb)|| Robert Carlisle|| William Aglionby
|-
| 1529||Edward Aglionby|| John Coldale
|-
| 1563 (Jan)|| Richard Assheton|| William Mulcaster|| Christopher Musgrave <br /> died and repl. 1576 by Thomas Tallentyne, <br /> who also died and was repl. Mar 1579 by Thomas Barne
- 1653: Carlisle was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament.
First Protectorate Parliament (One member only)
- 1654–1655: Colonel Thomas Fitch
Second Protectorate Parliament (One member only)
- 1656–1658: George Downing
Third Protectorate Parliament
- 1659: George Downing
- 1659: Thomas Craister
Long Parliament (restored)
- 1659–1660: Thomas Cholmley
- 1659–1660: Edward Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Escrick
MPs 1660–1885
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="3"|Election!!First member!!First party!!Second member
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|November 1786
|Edward Knubley||
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|1787
|Rowland Stephenson ||
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| 1790
|James Clarke Satterthwaite||
|Edward Knubley ||
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1791
|Wilson Braddyll ||
|rowspan="3"|John Christian Curwen|| rowspan="3"|Whig||Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1835
|William Marshall ||Whig||Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1848 by-election
|Philip Howard ||Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1852
|Joseph Ferguson ||Whig
|rowspan="3"|Sir James Graham, Bt|| rowspan="2"|Peelite
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1857
|William Nicholson Hodgson ||Conservative
|-
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1859
|rowspan="2"|Wilfrid Lawson ||rowspan="2"|Liberal
|Liberal
|-
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1861 by-election
|rowspan="3"|Edmund Potter ||rowspan="3"|Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1865
|William Nicholson Hodgson ||Conservative
|-
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1868
|rowspan="2"|Sir Wilfrid Lawson, Bt ||rowspan="2"|Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1874
|Robert Ferguson || Liberal
|-
| colspan="2"|
|1885
|colspan="4" |Representation reduced to one member
|}
MPs since 1885
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Election!!Member
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 2019 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 28,959 ||align=right| 56.5
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 17,669 ||align=right| 34.5
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 2,560 ||align=right| 5.0
|-
|
| UKIP ||align=right| 947 ||align=right| 1.8
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 823 ||align=right| 1.6
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 282 ||align=right| 0.6
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|51,240
|align=right|67.5
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|75,868
|}
Elections in the 2010s
This was the largest UKIP vote share at the 2019 general election.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 2005 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 17,803 ||align=right| 46.6
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 13,350 ||align=right| 34.9
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 5,915 ||align=right| 15.5
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 1,133 ||align=right| 3.0
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|38,201
|align=right|59.9
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|63,761
|}
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 1992 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 21,667 ||align=right| 45.3
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 19,746 ||align=right| 41.2
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 6,232 ||align=right| 13.0
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 230 ||align=right| 0.5
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|47,875
|align=right|78.5
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|61,008
|}
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Election in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
General election 1939–40:
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
- Conservative: Edward Spears
- Labour: Percy Barstow
- Liberal: Leslie H. Storey