Lincoln | |
Parliament: | uk |
Year: | 1265 |
Type: | Borough |
Elects Howmany: | Two until 1885, then one |
Electorate: | 74,128 (2023)[1] |
Region: | England |
Towns: | Lincoln |
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 1974 and 2017. The seat bucked the national Conservative victory in 1970 by electing a Labour MP, as it did in 2017.
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 a majority of 20.8%.
1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and the parish of Bracebridge.[2]
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.
2010–2024: The City of Lincoln, and the District of North Kesteven wards of Bracebridge Heath and Waddington East, and Skellingthorpe.
2024–present: Following a local government boundary review in the District of North Kesteven which came into effect in May 2023,[3] [4] the constituency now comprises the following:
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency (based on the ward structure which existed on 1 December 2020) is unchanged.[6]
The constituency, as its name suggests, covers the cathedral city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, and most of its directly adjoining villages.
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.
The seat includes the University of Lincoln. From 1945 to 1972 Lincoln was continuously held by the Labour Party, often as a safe seat. The city has good transport links with Nottingham, Hull and the smaller ancient market towns in Lincolnshire, such as Spalding, Market Rasen and Boston. Lincoln was a bellwether constituency from October 1974 to 2015, voting for the party which would form the government in each election. In 2017 Labour took the seat despite being the 2nd largest party nationwide.
Election | Member | Party | Member | Party | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1660 | Sir Thomas Meres < | -- 17 Sep 1634 to 9 Jul 1715 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1661 | |||||||||
1664 | |||||||||
1675 | |||||||||
1681 | |||||||||
1685 | Henry Monson < | -- 17 Sep 1653 to 6 Apr 1718 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1689, January | Sir Christopher Nevile < | -- c 1631 to 18 Nov 1692 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1689, May | Sir Edward Hussey, Bt < | -- c 1661 to 19 Feb 1725 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1690 | Sir John Bolles, Bt. < | -- Jul 1669 to 23 Dec 1714 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1695 | |||||||||
1698 | |||||||||
1701, January | |||||||||
1701, December | Sir Edward Hussey, Bt < | -- c 1661 to 19 Feb 1725 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1702 | Sir Thomas Meres < | -- 17 Sep 1634 to 9 Jul 1715 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1705 | Thomas Lister < | -- c 1658 to 8 Feb 1718 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1710 | |||||||||
1713 | |||||||||
1715 | Sir John Tyrwhitt, Bt < | -- c 1663 to Nov 1741 --> | Whig | ||||||
1722 | Sir John Monson < | -- c 1692 to 20 Jul 1748 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1727 | Charles Hall < | -- 6 May 1690 to 21 Aug 1743 --> | Tory | ||||||
1728 | Whig | ||||||||
1734 | Charles Monson < | -- c 1695 to 26 Aug 1764 --> | < | -- party --> | Tory | ||||
1741 | |||||||||
1747 | Tory | ||||||||
1754 | George Monson < | -- 18 Apr 1730 to 25 Sep 1776 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1761 | Tory | ||||||||
1768 | Constantine Phipps[15] | ||||||||
1774 | Robert Vyner < | -- 27 Jun 1717 to 19 Jul 1799 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1780 | |||||||||
1783 | John Fenton-Cawthorne[16] < | -- 5 Jan 1753 to 1 Mar 1831 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1784 | |||||||||
1790 | Robert Hobart[17] < | -- 6 May 1760 to 4 Feb 1816 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1796, 14 May | George Rawdon < | -- 9 Jan 1761 to 25 Mar 1800 --> | < | -- party --> | |||||
1796, 25 May | Richard Ellison < | -- 1754 to 7 Jul 1827 --> | Tory | ||||||
1800 | Tory[18] | ||||||||
1806 | |||||||||
1808 | |||||||||
1812 | 1812 | John Nicholas Fazakerley < | -- 7 Mar 1787 to 16 Jul 1852 --> | < | -- party --> | ||||
1814 | Coningsby Waldo-Sibthorpe < | -- 1781 to 9 Mar 1822 --> | Tory | ||||||
1818 | Whig | ||||||||
1820 | Bobus Smith < | -- 7 May 1770 to 10 Mar 1845 --> | Whig | ||||||
1822 | |||||||||
1826 | Whig | Charles Sibthorp < | -- died 14 Dec 1855 --> | Tory | |||||
1830 | Tory | ||||||||
1831 | George Heneage < | -- 22 Nov 1800 to 11 May 1864 --> | Whig | ||||||
1832 | Edward Bulwer[19] < | -- 25 May 1806 to 18 Jan 1873 --> | Whig[20] [21] | ||||||
1835 | Charles Sibthorp < | -- died 14 Dec 1855 --> | Conservative | ||||||
1841 | Conservative | ||||||||
1847 | Charles Seely[22] | Radical[23] [24] [25] [26] | |||||||
1848 by-election | Radical[27] [28] | ||||||||
1852 | George Heneage < | -- 22 Nov 1800 to 11 May 1864 --> | Whig[29] | ||||||
1856 by-election | Gervaise Sibthorp < | -- 1815 to 13 Oct 1861 --> | Conservative | ||||||
1859 | Liberal | ||||||||
1861 by-election | Charles Seely < | -- 1803 to 21 Oct 1887 --> | Liberal | ||||||
1862 by-election | Conservative | ||||||||
1865 | Edward Heneage[30] | Liberal | |||||||
1868 | Liberal | ||||||||
1874 | Conservative | ||||||||
1880 | Liberal | ||||||||
1884 by-election | Liberal |
Election | Member | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1885 | Joseph Ruston | Liberal | ||
1886 | Liberal Unionist | |||
1886 | Frederick Kerans | Conservative | ||
1892 | William Crosfield | Liberal | ||
1895 | Charles Seely | Liberal Unionist | ||
1906 | Charles Roberts | Liberal | ||
1918 | Alfred Davies | Coalition Conservative | ||
1924 | Robert Arthur Taylor | Labour | ||
1931 | Walter Liddall | Conservative | ||
1945 | George Deer | Labour | ||
1950 | Geoffrey de Freitas | Labour | ||
1962 by-election | Dick Taverne | Labour (until 1972)Lincoln Democratic Labour (from 1973) | ||
1973 by-election | ||||
February 1974 | Lincoln Democratic Labour Association | |||
October 1974 | Margaret Jackson later Beckett | Labour | ||
1979 | Kenneth Carlisle | Conservative | ||
1997 | Gillian Merron | Labour | ||
2010 | Karl McCartney | Conservative | ||
2017 | Karen Lee | Labour | ||
2019 | Karl McCartney | Conservative | ||
2024 | Hamish Falconer | Labour |
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;
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;
Seely stood as a 'Liberal Unionist in support of Free Trade'.