Lincoln is a constituency in Lincolnshire, England represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Hamish Falconer of the Labour Party.
Since the split of the City of York seat with effect from the 2010 general election, Lincoln has been the oldest constituency in continuous existence in the UK – established in 1265. Lincoln was a bellwether between October 1974 and 2017. The seat bucked the national Conservative victory in 1970 by electing a Labour MP, as it did in 2017. In 2019 and 2024, Lincoln followed the national result, electing a Conservative MP in 2019 and a Labour MP in 2024.
The seat has been considered, relative to others, an ultra-marginal seat, as well as a swing seat. From 2005 until 2024, its winner's majority had not exceeded 6.9% of the vote since the 12.5% majority won in 2005 and the seat had changed hands three times since then. However, in 2024, Hamish Falconer secured the seat with a majority of 20.8%.
Constituency profile
Lincoln is a constituency in Lincolnshire, covering the city of Lincoln and the nearby villages of Bracebridge Heath, Waddington and Skellingthorpe. Lincoln is a historic cathedral city that dates back to at least the Roman era when it was known as Lindum Colonia, from which the modern name originates. The city is known for its cathedral, once the tallest building in the world, and its university which has around 20,000 students. The city has average levels of wealth; there are high levels of deprivation in the St Giles and Ermine estates which have a high quantity of council housing, whilst the west of the city and the outlying villages are more affluent. House prices in Lincoln are lower than the national and East Midlands averages.
In general, residents of Lincoln are young and have average levels of education. Household income and homeownership rates are low, The city's rate of child poverty is higher than the national figure. The city is politically mixed at the local council level; the west of the city is represented by Labour Party councillors, the east by Liberal Democrats, the south around Bracebridge by Reform UK and the outlying villages mostly by Conservatives. An estimated 58% of voters in Lincoln supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the nationwide figure of 52%.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Lincoln, and the Urban District of Bracebridge.
1950–1974: The County Borough of Lincoln.
1974–1983: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.
1983–1997: The City of Lincoln, and the District of North Kesteven wards of Bracebridge Heath, North Hykeham Central, North Hykeham North, North Hykeham South, Skellingthorpe, and Waddington West.
1997–2010: The City of Lincoln, and the District of North Kesteven ward of Bracebridge Heath.
2010–2023: The City of Lincoln, and the District of North Kesteven wards of Bracebridge Heath and Waddington East, and Skellingthorpe.
2023–present: Following a local government boundary review in the District of North Kesteven which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following:
- The City Of Lincoln.
- In the District of Kesteven: the Bracebridge Heath ward; the majority of the Skellingthorpe & Eagle ward; and the majority of the Waddington Rural ward.
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.
The constituency, as its name suggests, covers the cathedral city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, and most of its directly adjoining villages.
History
Lincoln first sent Members to Parliament in 1265, thirty years before the first all-over coverage of cities and qualifying towns was introduced in the Model Parliament, and has done so ever since, although no records exist from before the end of the 13th century. The early elections were held at the Guildhall and the burgesses elected were usually officials of the borough.
The representation, originally two Members ("burgesses"), was reduced to one Member in 1885.
The seat was represented for five years by former Cabinet minister Margaret Jackson, later Margaret Beckett. Lincoln became the oldest constituency in the country in 2010 when the City of York constituency was divided.
Members of Parliament
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! colspan="2" | Member
! Party
|-
| 1307 (January)
| rowspan="152" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Hugh Skarlet
| rowspan="152" | Independent
|-
| 1307 (June)
| Henry de Windsor
|-
| 1372
|-
| 1373
|-
| 1381
| Robert Sutton
|-
| 1377 (July)
| rowspan="2" | John Sutton
|-
| 1384 (August)
|-
| 1384 (November)
| rowspan="3" | Robert Sutton
|-
| 1510
| Robert Alanson
|-
| Richard Ellison
|-
| 1806
| rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| William Monson
| rowspan="4" | Independent
|-
| 1807
| John Savile
|-
| 1812
| Sir Henry Sullivan
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1814
| John Nicholas Fazakerley
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Coningsby Waldo-Sibthorp
| Tory
|-
| 1832
| Edward Bulwer-Lytton
|-
| 1835
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Charles Sibthorp
| rowspan="2" | Conservative
| rowspan="2" | Radical
|-
| 1848 by-election
| Thomas Hobhouse
|-
| 1852
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | George Heneage
| rowspan="2" | Whig
|-
| 1857
|-
| 1856 by-election
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Gervaise Sibthorp
| rowspan="2" | Conservative
|-
| 1859
|-
| 1861 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Charles Seely
| Liberal
|-
| 1862 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| John Bramley-Moore
| Conservative
|-
| 1865
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Edward Heneage
| rowspan="2" | Liberal
|-
| 1868
| John Hinde Palmer
|-
| 1874
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Edward Chaplin
| Conservative
|-
| 1880
| rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| John Hinde Palmer
| rowspan="3" | Liberal
|-
| 1884 by-election
| rowspan="3" | Joseph Ruston
|-
| 1885
|-
| 1886 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Liberal Unionist
|-
| 1886
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Frederick Kerans
| Conservative
|-
| 1892
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| William Crosfield
| Liberal
|-
| 1895
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Charles Seely
| Liberal Unionist
|-
| 1906
| rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="4" | Charles Roberts
| rowspan="4" | Liberal
|-
| 1906
|-
| 1910 (January)
|-
| 1910 (December)
|-
| 1918
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Alfred Davies
| rowspan="2" | Coalition Conservative
|-
| 1922
|-
| 1924
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Robert Arthur Taylor
| Labour
|-
| 1929
| rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="3" | Walter Liddall
| rowspan="3" | Conservative
|-
| 1931
|-
| 1935
|-
| 1945
| rowspan="9" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| George Deer
| rowspan="9" | Labour
|-
| 1950
| rowspan="4" | Geoffrey de Freitas
|-
| 1951
|-
| 1955
|-
| 1959
|-
| 1962 by-election
| rowspan="6" | Dick Taverne
|-
| 1964
|-
| 1966
|-
| 1970
|-
| 1973 by-election
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Democratic Labour
|-
| February 1974
|-
| October 1974
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Margaret Jackson
| Labour
|-
| 1979
| rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="4" | Kenneth Carlisle
| rowspan="4" | Conservative
|-
| 1983
|-
| 1987
|-
| 1992
|-
| 1997
| rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="3" | Gillian Merron
| rowspan="3" | Labour
|-
| 2001
|-
| 2005
|-
| 2010
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Karl McCartney
| rowspan="2" | Conservative
|-
| 2015
|-
| 2017
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Karen Lee
|Labour
|-
| 2019
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Karl McCartney
| Conservative
|-
| 2024
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Hamish Falconer
| Labour
|}
Elections
thumb|centre|upright=2.5|Lincoln election results 1983-2024
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
Election in the 1940s
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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
- Conservative: Walter Liddall
- Labour: George Deer
- Liberal:
- British Union: E. H. Adams
Elections in the 1930s
- Caused by Palmer's death.
Elections in the 1870s
- Caused by Seely's election being declared void on petition, due to bribery by his agent, on 10 March 1848.