Loughborough is a constituency in Leicestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jeevun Sandher of the Labour Party. The constituency is a considered a bellwether, as it has reflected the national result at every general election since February 1974.
Constituency profile
Loughborough is a constituency in Leicestershire. It is centred on the town of Loughborough, which has a population of around 66,000. Other settlements include the small market town of Shepshed and the villages of Quorn and Barrow upon Soar. Loughborough is a market town known for its university, which has around 19,000 students. The university is notable for its focus on sports, making the town home to many athletes. The town of Loughborough has average levels of wealth and the surrounding villages and rural areas are generally affluent. House prices are higher than the rest of the East Midlands but below the national average.
In general, residents of the constituency are young and well-educated. Rates of homeownership and household income are average. A high proportion of residents work in professional occupations, with many in the education and manufacturing sectors. The child poverty rate is average and a low percentage of residents claim unemployment benefits. White people made up 83% of the population at the 2021 census. Asians were 11% of residents, with Indians being the largest Asian group. Most of Loughborough is represented by Labour Party councillors at the local council level. Some Conservatives were elected in Shepshed and the villages; at the county council, which held elections in 2025, these areas elected Reform UK representatives. An estimated 52% of voters in the constituency supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, marginally higher than the nationwide figure of 48%.
1983–1997: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Ashby, Barrow upon Soar and Quorndon, Birstall Goscote, Birstall Greengate, Birstall Netherhall, Birstall Riverside, Birstall Stonehill, Garendon, Hastings, Hathern, Lemyngton, Nanpantan, Mountsorrel and Rothley, Outwoods, Sileby, Southfields, Storer, The Wolds, Thurcaston, Woodhouse and Swithland, and Woodthorpe.
1997–2010: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Ashby, Barrow upon Soar and Quorndon, Garendon, Hastings, Hathern, Lemyngton, Nanpantan, Outwoods, Shepshed East, Shepshed West, Sileby, Southfields, Storer, The Wolds, and Woodthorpe.
2010–2024: The Borough of Charnwood wards of Barrow and Sileby West, Loughborough Ashby, Loughborough Dishley and Hathern, Loughborough Garendon, Loughborough Hastings, Loughborough Lemyngton, Loughborough Nanpantan, Loughborough Outwoods, Loughborough Shelthorpe, Loughborough Southfields, Loughborough Storer, Quorn and Mountsorrel Castle, Shepshed East, Shepshed West, Sileby, and The Wolds.
Current
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency was reduced to bring the electorate within the permitted range with the transfer of Sileby ward (as it existed on 1 December 2020) to the newly created constituency of Melton and Syston.
Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following wards of the Borough of Charnwood from the 2024 general election:
- Barrow upon Soar; Dishley, Hathern & Thorpe Acre; Loughborough Ashby; Loughborough East; Loughborough Nanpantan, Loughborough Outwoods & Shelthorpe; Loughborough Southfields; Loughborough Storer; Loughborough Woodthorpe; Quorn & Mountsorrel Castle, Shepshed East, Shepshed West; The Wolds; and a small part of Sileby & Seagrave.
History
Loughborough was originally part of a larger constituency, Leicestershire, which was split into two districts in the Reform Act 1832.
In the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 Leicestershire was divided into five parts, Eastern (Melton), Mid [or] (Loughborough), Western (Bosworth) and Southern (Harborough), each returning one member; the last part was a borough constituency for Leicester, which returned two MPs.
In 1983 the Leicestershire coalfield, an area loyal to Labour, was removed from the constituency and replaced by much of the Soar Valley, a rural area that tended to vote Conservative. Opencast coal mining is still relevant to the west of the seat only at Measham, one of the few high-profile excavations planned by Coalfield Resources PLC (formerly UK Coal). In 1995 the Soar Valley was moved to the newly created Charnwood constituency, approximately reinstating the pre-1983 version of the seat.
The last time that Loughborough was not represented by an MP from a governing political party was prior to the February 1974 general election; since that time the constituency has been a bellwether.
Members of Parliament
North Leicestershire prior to 1885
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"| Election!! Member!! Party
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1885
| Edward Johnson-Ferguson
| Liberal
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1886
| Edwin de Lisle
| Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1892
| Edward Johnson-Ferguson
| Liberal
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1900
| Maurice Levy
| Liberal
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1918
|rowspan="2" | Oscar Guest
| Coalition Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Jan 1922
| National Liberal
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Nov 1922
|rowspan="2" | Edward Spears
| National Liberal
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1923
| Liberal
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1924
| Frank Rye
| Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1929
| Ernest Winterton
| Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1931
| Lawrence Kimball
| Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1945
| Mont Follick
| Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1955
| John Cronin
| Labour
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1979
| Stephen Dorrell
| Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1997
| Andy Reed
| Labour Co-operative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 2010
| Nicky Morgan
| Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 2019
| Jane Hunt
| Conservative
|-
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|2024
|Jeevun Sandher
|Labour
|}
Elections
thumb|centre|upright=2.5|Loughborough election results 1983-2024
Elections in the 2020s
{| 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| 26,088 ||align=right| 50.6
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 19,997 ||align=right| 38.8
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 3,935 ||align=right| 7.6
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 1,342 ||align=right| 2.6
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 235 ||align=right| 0.5
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|51,597
|align=right|69.8
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|73,902
|}
Elections in the 2010s
{| 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| 19,261 ||align=right| 41.2
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 17,445 ||align=right| 37.3
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 8,354 ||align=right| 17.9
|-
|
| UKIP ||align=right| 1,112 ||align=right| 2.4
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 588 ||align=right| 1.3
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|46,760
|align=right|63.0
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|74,192
|}
Elections in the 2000s
The 2005 general election saw Andy Reed returned with a decreased majority after his share of the vote dropped by 8.3%. Loughborough was the 126th target seat of the Conservative Party and their share of the vote increased slightly but the Liberal Democrats had the largest increase. The swing of 5.0% from Labour to Conservative was higher than the national swing of 3.0% and turnout was above average.
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" | %
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 23,412 ||align=right| 46.8
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 19,920 ||align=right| 39.8
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 5,635 ||align=right| 11.3
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 1,081 ||align=right| 2.2
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|50,048
|align=right|76.8
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|65,156
|}
Elections in the 1980s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 1979 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 27,186 ||align=right| 52.0
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 17,103 ||align=right| 32.7
|-
|
| Liberal ||align=right| 7,496 ||align=right| 14.3
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 477 ||align=right| 0.9
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|52,262
|align=right|
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|
|}
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
thumb|120px|Mont Follick
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
thumb|120px|Sir Maurice Levy