Stafford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Leigh Ingham from the Labour Party.
The seat since its resurrection in 1983 has been of a bellwether being held always by the incumbent government.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Stafford as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.
1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Stafford, the Rural District of Gnosall, the Rural District consisting of the civil parishes of Blymhill and Weston-under-Lizard, the Rural District of Stafford except the detached part of the civil parish of Colwich, and part of the Rural District of Cannock.
1983–1997: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castletown, Church Eaton, Common, Coton, Doxey, Eccleshall, Forebridge, Gnosall, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Swynnerton, Tillington, Weeping Cross, and Woodseaves, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Loggerheads, Madeley, and Whitmore.
1997–2010: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castletown, Common, Coton, Doxey, Forebridge, Haywood, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Acton Trussell, Bishopswood and Lapley, Penkridge North East, Penkridge South East, and Penkridge West.
2010–2024: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Castletown, Common, Coton, Doxey, Haywood and Hixon, Highfields and Western Downs, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Penkridge North East and Acton Trussell, Penkridge South East, Penkridge West, and Wheaton Aston, Bishopswood and Lapley.
From 1997 to 2024, the constituency formed the southerly part of the Borough of Stafford, including the eponymous town itself plus the Penkridge area. in the District of South Staffordshire.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of: Loggerheads; Maer & Whitmore.
- The Borough of Stafford wards of: Baswich; Common; Coton; Doxey & Castletown; Eccleshall; Forebridge; Gnosall & Woodseaves; Highfields & Western Downs; Holmcroft; Littleworth; Manor; Penkside; Rowley; Seighford & Church Eaton; Weeping Cross & Wildwood.
The constituency was subject to significant changes due to the re-organisation of seats within Staffordshire. The parts in the South Staffordshire District, including Penkridge, together with areas to the east of Stafford, were included in the newly created constituency of Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge. To compensate, the boundaries were extended to the north and west, to include Eccleshall, Gnosall and the two Newcastle-under-Lyme wards, previously part of the abolished Stone constituency. The boundaries now resemble those in place from 1983 to 1997.
Constituency profile
The town has historical significance, featuring the Elizabethan Ancient High House, a museum with changing exhibitions and Stafford Castle. In terms of industry and commerce, the physics and engineering niche of large power station transformers are produced in the seat whereas the area to the north is famous for fine china, the Staffordshire Potteries from the companies Aynsley, Burleigh, Doulton, Dudson, Heron Cross, Minton, Moorcroft, Twyford, and Wedgwood. The area is also well known for the Staffordshire Hoard, Alton Towers and has a Building Society based in the town.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.
History
Stafford, as a parliamentary borough, first existed between the Model Parliament in 1295 and 1950.
The current constituency was recreated for the 1983 general election.
;Prominent members
The town was represented in Parliament by leading playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan at the end of the 18th century.
;Political history
Taken together with the Stafford and Stone seat which existed during the 33-year gap mentioned above, since 1910 when the last Liberal served the seat, the Conservative party has had five members and the Labour party three (this total includes the present member). In summary:
- Labour saw a bellwether result in their 1945 landslide victory, but Conservative Hugh Fraser regained the seat at the next election in 1950 in the successor seat which he held until his death in 1984.
- Effects from the creation of the Stone constituency in 1997 made Stafford somewhat more marginal: sitting Stafford MP Bill Cash followed some of his electors into the Stone constituency, which he won, and after a 47-year lack of a member, Labour's David Kidney gained the constituency in his party's landslide victory in 1997. The defeated Conservative candidate in 1997 was David Cameron, who in the next election was elected as the MP for the safe seat of Witney, and became the Conservative Party leader in 2005, and Prime Minister in 2010.
Members of Parliament
Stafford parliamentary borough
MPs 1295–1640
- Constituency created (1295)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
| 1295|| William Reynor|| John Beyton
|-
|1337|| Hugh Snel||
|-
|1353|| Hugh Snel
|-
|1388 (Feb)||John Newton||Nicholas Snell||
|-
| 1510–1523|| colspan = "2"|No names known
|-
| 1529|| Thomas Stanford, died <br /> and replaced by 1553 by Sampson Erdeswick|| John Bickley|| William Stamford
|-
| 1562–3|| William Twyneho|| Henry Goodere
|-
| 1614|| Sir Walter Devereux || Thomas Gibbs!!First party!!!!Second member
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1711
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| rowspan="2" | Henry Vernon
| rowspan="2" | <!-- party -->
|-
| 1712
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| rowspan="2" | 1st Viscount Chetwynd
| rowspan="2" | <!-- party -->
|-
| 1715
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| William Chetwynd
| <!-- party -->
|-
|1722
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| rowspan="3" | Thomas Foley
| rowspan="3" | <!-- party -->
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| John Dolphin
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1724 by-election
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Francis Elde
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1725
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Richard Brinsley Sheridan
| Whig
|-
| 1837 by-election
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Robert Farrand
| Conservative
|-
|1847
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| David Urquhart
| Conservative
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Thomas Sidney
| Conservative
|-
|1852
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="3" | John Ayshford Wise
| rowspan="2" | Whig
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Arthur Otway
| Whig
|-
|1857
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Viscount Ingestre
| Conservative
|-
|1859
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Liberal
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Thomas Salt
| rowspan="2" |Conservative
|-
| 1860 by-election
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Thomas Sidney
| Liberal
|-
|1865
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Michael Bass
| Liberal
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Walter Meller
| rowspan="2" | Conservative
|-
|1868
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Henry Pochin
| Liberal
|-
| 1869 by-election
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Thomas Salt
| rowspan="2" | Conservative
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Hon. Reginald Talbot
| Conservative
|-
|1874
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Alexander Macdonald
| rowspan="2" | Liberal-Labour
|-
|1880
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2" | Charles McLaren
| rowspan="2" | Liberal
|-
| 1881 by-election
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Thomas Salt
| Conservative
|-
|1885
|colspan="6"| Representation reduced to one member
|}
MPs 1885–1918
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Member
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
<!-- this section is transcluded on Electoral history of David Cameron -->:
<section begin="General Election 1997"/>
<section end="General Election 1997"/>
Elections in the 1980s
- Death of Sir Hugh Fraser 6 March 1984
Election in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
thumb|120px|Charles Shaw
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1870s
- The 1868 election was declared void on petition "on account of corrupt practices", causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
- Caused by Carnegie's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury