The area has been held by the Labour Party since the 1935 election (including predecessor seats).
This seat's first MP was Shaun Woodward who had been MP for St Helens South from 2001 to 2010. He had first been elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Conservative MP for Witney, defecting to Labour in 1999. He was succeeded by Marie Rimmer at the 2015 election.The 2015 result made the seat the 24th safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[3]
Results of other parties
The 2015 general election saw (with 11.3%) more than the national average swing (+9.5%) to UKIP (narrowly placed third). Labour's candidate won more than fivefold those votes, scoring 59.8%.
The Liberal Democrats came second in 2010 with 22.2% of the vote; this has gradually declined and by the 2024 general election they came in sixth with 5.8%. Reform UK were runners-up in 2024, having increased its vote to 18.3% from 10.6% in 2019 (as the Brexit Party). The Conservatives were relegated to fourth place in 2024 by independent candidate James Tasker.[4]
Turnout
Turnout has ranged from 53.3% (2024) to 66.9% (2017).
The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley wards of: Prescot South; Whiston & Cronton (polling district WC5).
The Borough of St Helens wards of: Bold; Eccleston; Rainhill; Sutton; Thatto Heath; Town Centre; West Park.[5]
Following a local government boundary review in St Helens which came into effect in May 2022,[6][7] the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley wards of: Prescot South; Whiston & Cronton (polling district WC5).
The Borough of St Helens wards of: Bold & Lea Green; Eccleston; Rainhill; St Helens Town Centre; Peasley Cross & Fingerpost; Sutton North West; Sutton South East (nearly all); Thatto Heath; West Park.[8]
The majority of the Whiston & Cronton ward - excluding the town centre of Whiston - was included in the new constituency of Widnes and Halewood.
^A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.