Wigan is a constituency in Greater Manchester, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The seat has been represented by Lisa Nandy of the Labour Party since 2010. Nandy currently serves as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under the government of Keir Starmer.
History
right|thumb|260px|Wigan in Lancashire, boundaries used 1974–1983
Wigan was incorporated as a borough on 26 August 1246, after the issue of a charter by Henry III. In 1295 and January 1307 Wigan was one of the significant places called upon to send a representative, then known as a 'burgess', to the Model Parliament. However, for the remainder of the medieval period the seat was not summoned to send an official despite being one of only four boroughs in Lancashire possessing Royal Charters; the others were Lancaster, Liverpool and Preston. This changed in the Tudor period with Henry VIII's grant of two Members of Parliament to the town.
Following the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, single-member constituencies were imposed nationwide, meaning the seat saw a reduction of the number of its members.
The death of Roger Stott in office in 1999 made him the fourth Wigan MP in the twentieth century to die in office (uniquely for a constituency in the United Kingdom); the others were John Parkinson, Ronald Williams and William Foster.
Political history
Wigan is considered a safe seat given that it has been held by the Labour Party since 1918, with vote shares ranging from 46.7% in 2019 to 72.9% in 1966.
Prominent frontbenchers
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Member of Parliament!!Notability
|-
| William Ewart ||
- Carried the Hanging in Chains Act 1834, abolishing hanging in chains
- Carried a bill in 1837 to abolish capital punishment for cattle-stealing and similar offences
- Carried the Public Libraries Act 1850, establishing free libraries supported out of public rates
- Instrumental in the passage of the Metric Weights and Measures Act 1864
|-
| Algernon Egerton || Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1874–80)
|-
| Alan Fitch || Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (1968–70)
|-
|Roger Stott ||
- Joint Chairman of the Council for Arab-British Understanding
- Parliamentary Private Secretary to James Callaghan (1976–79)
|-
| Lisa Nandy ||
- Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under Keir Starmer
- 2020 Labour Party leadership election contender who placed third.
|}
Boundaries
1832–1918: The Township of Wigan.
- In 1835 Wigan became a Municipal borough, using the then current Parliamentary boundaries of the Township.
- In 1888 Wigan Municipal Borough became the County Borough of Wigan on the same boundaries.
- In 1904 Pemberton Urban District was dissolved, with the area covered by it becoming part of the County Borough of Wigan. However, for Parliamentary purposes, that area remained part of South-West Lancashire, Ince Division until the Parliamentary boundaries were redefined in 1918.
1918–1983: The County Borough of Wigan
- In 1974 the County Borough of Wigan was abolished and superseded by the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, covering a far greater area. However, the boundary of the Parliamentary Constituency of Wigan remained unchanged until 1983, when it was expanded to cover the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough.
1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Aspull-Standish, Beech Hill, Ince, Langtree, Newtown, Norley, Swinley, Whelley.
- In 2004, new ward boundaries in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan came in to effect. However, the Parliamentary boundaries remained unchanged until they were reviewed and adjusted to line up with the new ward boundaries in 2010.
2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan wards of Aspull, New Springs and Whelley; Douglas; Ince; Pemberton; Shevington with Lower Ground; Standish with Langtree; Wigan Central; Wigan West.
Constituency profile
The seat is productive and has excellent links to Manchester, as well as close links to the M6, which lies just within its western border. However, over the past century, Wigan has witnessed a fall in manufacturing, particularly in the production of textiles, which have been unable to compete with the Indian subcontinent and the Far East. Another industry which has suffered is coal mining, which had been a large employer in this part of Lancashire up until the mid-20th century. There are some industrial areas remaining in and around the town centre. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal flows through the town, including the famous Wigan Pier area.
As of May 2018, the rate of JSA and Universal Credit claimants was 3.9%, higher than the national average of 2.8% and regional average of 3.7%, based on a statistical compilation by the House of Commons Library. The constituency also includes more desirable semi-rural residential villages to the north of Wigan town centre, such as Standish, which are relatively more affluent.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1295–1640
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
| 1295|| William le Teinterer|| Henry le Bocher
|-
| 1306–7 (Jan)|| Simon Payer|| John de Mersee
|-
| 1307–1545|| colspan="2"|No Members returned to Parliament
|-
| 1545|| Thomas Chaloner|| John Eston
|-
| 1547 (Nov)|| Alexander Barlowe|| Thomas Carus
|-
| 1553 (Oct)|| Alexander Barlowe|| Gilbert Gerard
|-
| 1562–3 (Mar)|| William Gerard II|| John Ratcliffe|| Sir Richard Molyneux
|-
| 1621|| Sir Thomas Gerard, 1st Baronet (died and <br /> replaced 1621 by George Garrard)|| Roger Downes
|-
| 1624|| Sir Anthony St John|| Francis Downes
|-
| 1625|| Francis Downes|| Edward Bridgeman
|-
| 1626||Sir Anthony St John|| Sir William Pooley
|-
| 1628|| Edward Bridgeman|| Sir Anthony St John
|-
| 1629–1640|| colspan="2"|No Parliaments convened
|}
MPs 1640–1885
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!!!First member!!First party!!!!Second member
|-
| 1782
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| John Cotes
|rowspan="3"| Tory
| Tory
|-
| 1835
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| John Hodson Kearsley
| Conservative
|-
| 1841
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|rowspan="2"| Peter Greenall
|rowspan="2"| Conservative
| Conservative
|-
| 1854
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| Joseph Acton
| Whig
|-
| 1857
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| Francis Powell
| Conservative
|style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|rowspan="4"| Henry Woods
|Whig
|-
| 1859
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| Hon. James Lindsay
| Conservative
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| Liberal
|-
| 1866
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| Nathaniel Eckersley
| Conservative
|-
| 1868
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| John Lancaster
| Liberal
|-
| 1874
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| Lord Lindsay
| Conservative
|rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|rowspan="4"| Thomas Knowles
|rowspan="4"| Conservative
|-
| 1881
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| Francis Powell
| Conservative
|-
| 1881
|colspan="3"|Writ suspended following corrupt election – seat vacant
|-
|December 1882
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|rowspan="2"| Hon. Algernon Egerton
|rowspan="2"| Conservative
|-
| 1883
| style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
| Nathaniel Eckersley
| Conservative
|-
|1885
|colspan="6"| Representation reduced to one member
|}
MPs since 1885
{|class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|Election!!Member
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
Elections in the 1940s
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- Unionist: Reginald Neville
- Labour: Henry Twist
Elections in the 1890s
- Caused by the previous election being declared void on petition.
thumb|Poster printed during the [[1881 Wigan by-election campaign, announcing a public meeting calling for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts.]]