Darlington (UK Parliament constituency)

Darlington is the parliamentary constituency for the eponymous market town in County Durham in the North East of England. It is currently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Lola McEvoy of the Labour Party, who was first elected in 2024.

The constituency was created for the 1868 election. Darlington grew in population during the late 19th century as a centre for railway manufacturing. The town has high levels of deprivation, with much of it falling within the 10% most-deprived areas in England, although the south-western suburbs of Hummersknott and Blackwell are affluent.

On average, residents of Darlington have lower levels of income, education and professional employment compared to nationwide figures, and house prices are low. At the 2021 census, White people made up 94% of the population. At the local borough council, most of the town is represented by Labour Party councillors, whilst Conservatives and Greens were elected in the rural areas and the wealthy south-west of the town. An estimated 57% of voters in Darlington favoured leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, above the nationwide figure of 52%. However, this was amended under the Boundary Act 1868, with the boundary defined as being coterminous with the Municipal Borough of Darlington.

See map on Vision of Britain website.

1885–1918

As defined in 1868 with minor amendments.

1918–1983

The County Borough of Darlington.

The boundaries were adjusted in 1918, 1950 and 1973 to reflect changes to the boundaries of the county borough.

1983–2010

The Borough of Darlington wards of Bank Top, Central, Cockerton East, Cockerton West, college, Eastbourne North, Eastbourne South, Harrowgate Hill, Haughton East, Haughton West, Hummersknott, Lascelles, Lingfield, Mowden, Northgate North, Northgate South, North Road, Park East, Park West, and Pierremont.

No change to boundaries.

2010–2024

The Borough of Darlington wards of Bank Top, Central, Cockerton East, Cockerton West, College, Eastbourne, Faverdale, Harrowgate Hill, Haughton East, Haughton North, Haughton West, Hummersknott, Lascelles, Lingfield, Mowden, Northgate, North Road, Park East, Park West, and Pierremont.

Minor change to reflect new ward boundaries.

2024–present

Following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises the following:

The Borough of Darlington wards of: Bank Top & Lascelles; Brinkburn & Faverdale; Cockerton; College; Eastbourne; Harrowgate Hill; Haughton & Springfield; Heighington & Coniscliffe; Hummersknott; Mowden; North Road; Northgate; Park East; Park West; Pierremont; Red Hall & Lingfield; Stephenson; Whinfield.

The constituency was expanded slightly to bring the electorate within the permitted range, by adding the rural ward of Heighington & Coniscliffe from the abolished constituency of Sedgefield.

Political history

The seat has been held by all three major parties in its long existence, but has been a marginal constituency between the Labour and Conservative parties in the years since the Second World War. Labour held the seat for 27 years from 1992 with their candidate Jenny Chapman winning the seat in 2010 with a 3,388 majority down from 10,404 in the previous election. In 2015, her majority over the Conservatives fell to 3,158. In the 2019 general election Conservative Peter Gibson defeated Chapman with a 3,294 majority before being defeated himself in 2024 by Lola McEvoy of Labour by a margin of 2,298