Harrow West (UK Parliament constituency)

Harrow West is a constituency^{[n 1][n 2]} in Greater London created in 1945 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Until 1997, it only returned Conservative MPs; since then, it has elected the Labour Co-operative MP Gareth Thomas on a fluctuating majority. Since 2010, this has been bolstered by the loss of Pinner from the seat and the gain of a favourable ward for Labour from Harrow East.

Harrow West
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Harrow West in Greater London
County	Greater London
Electorate	69,135 (December 2010)^[1]
Major settlements	Harrow, Wealdstone, Headstone, Rayners Lane, South Harrow
Current constituency
Created	1945
Member of Parliament	Gareth Thomas (Labour Co-op)
Seats	One
Created from	Harrow and Hendon
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of:	Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (as to Pinner), since 2010

Constituency profile

 

1945 to 1950

 

Map that gives each named seat and any constant electoral success for national (Westminster) elections for Middlesex, 1955 to 1974.

The area covers the largely Georgian conservation area on a stand-alone, partly park-lined hill which hosts the famous Harrow School; it also includes the urban Harrow town centre, as well as suburban streets of homes with good-sized gardens and well-kept small parklands. The seat has fast London Underground links to the city centre and rail services, few dual carriageways and few high speed roads.

Political history

Summary of results

The Labour Party have held the seat since 1997, with the Conservative Party second-placed in each election. The 2015 result made the seat the 215th safest of the party's 232 seats (by majority percentage), and thus the 18th most marginal seat.^[2] Thomas's majority has ranged from 2.3% in 1997 to 26.4% in 2017.

Unlike Harrow East, it had always been won by the Conservative Party until Labour's landslide in 1997, when a swing of 17.5% was the eighth-highest swing in that election; it was the safest Tory seat lost to Labour.^[3] Its electorate produced another better than average result for Labour in 2001, with a swing from the Conservatives to Labour of 5.4%, bettered in only four seats out of 650. The 2005 challenge by future Conservative MP Mike Freer produced a pro-Conservative swing of 4.5%.^[3]

The 2010 inceptive seat saw a notional swing to the Tories in line with that nationally of 5.7%; in overall outcome the incumbent Labour MP's swing increased. The Harrow West and East seats now present as less marginal than they were in previous decades.

After a 1.1% swing to the Tories in 2015, the seat swung to Labour in 2017 by around 11%, with a local record number of votes for their incumbent candidate. At 34.4%, the Conservative vote share was the lowest in the seat's history, but the party received more votes in 2017 than in 2001 and 2010.

Other parties

UKIP, Liberal Democrat and Green Party candidates won less than 5% of the vote in 2015 and 2017, therefore forfeiting their deposits.

Boundaries

 

Map of present boundaries

Years	Local authority	Wards
1945–1950	Urban District of Harrow	Harrow-on-the-Hill and Greenhill, Headstone, Pinner North, Pinner South, Roxeth, West Harrow; part of Harrow Weald.
1950–1955	Urban District of Harrow	Pinner North and Hatch End, Pinner South, Roxbourne, Roxeth.
1955–1983	Municipal Borough of Harrow	Headstone, Pinner North and Hatch End, Pinner South, Roxbourne, Roxeth.
1983–2010	London Borough of Harrow	Harrow on the Hill, Hatch End, Headstone North, Headstone South, Pinner, Pinner West, Rayners Lane, Ridgeway, Roxbourne, Roxeth.
2010–present	London Borough of Harrow	Greenhill, Harrow on the Hill, Headstone North, Headstone South, Marlborough (an easterly projection centred on Harrow and Wealdstone station and its compact urban hub), Rayners Lane, Roxbourne, Roxeth, West Harrow.

The constituency was created for the 1945 general election when the Harrow constituency was split into the new seats of Harrow East and Harrow West. It was reduced in size for the 1950 general election, when a third Harrow seat, Harrow Central, was created. The Boundary Commission review before the 1983 general election saw the London Borough of Harrow contained in two seats, resulting in Harrow West gaining parts of the abolished Harrow Central.

Labour's union leader Tony McNulty lost the neighbouring Harrow East in 2010 to Blackman, who held on in 2015 and 2017. However, Harrow West's Gareth Thomas retained his seat with a reduced majority.

2010 boundaries

Reviewing such representation in North London, the Boundary Commission for England (de facto), as is custom agreed by Parliament, altered the area's limits to avoid malapportionment, as London's housing and rates of occupancy have altered. The western border district, town or neighbourhood of Pinner went to a new cross-Borough seat, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, making its source, based on a ward breakdown of the last result, and mirrored by local election results, a stronger seat for Labour; this was coupled with the inclusion of Marlborough ward which had returned many Labour councillors since World War II.

Proposed

 

Harrow West in 2023

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following wards of the London Borough of Harrow (as they existed on 4 May 2022):

Greenhill; Harrow on the Hill; Headstone; Marlborough; North Harrow; Rayners Lane; Roxbourne; Roxeth; Wealdstone North; Wealdstone South; West Harrow.^[4]

Wealdstone will be transferred in from Harrow East. Other minor changes to align boundaries with new ward structure.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member^[5]	Party
	1945	Norman Bower	Conservative
	1951 by-election	Sir Albert Braithwaite	Conservative
	1960 by-election	Sir John Page	Conservative
	1987	Robert Hughes	Conservative
	1997	Gareth Thomas	Labour, then Labour Co-op

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Abbas Merali^[6]
	Labour Co-op	Gareth Thomas^[7]
	Reform UK	Michael Beavis^[8]
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Noyce

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Harrow West^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Gareth Thomas	25,132	52.4	8.4
	Conservative	Anwara Ali	16,440	34.3	0.1
	Liberal Democrats	Lisa-Maria Bornemann	4,310	9.0	6.5
	Green	Rowan Langley	1,109	2.3	1.0
	Brexit Party	Richard Jones	931	1.9	New
Majority			8,692	18.1	8.3
Turnout			47,922	66.1	6.0
Registered electors			72,477
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	4.2

General election 2017: Harrow West^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Gareth Thomas	30,640	60.8	13.8
	Conservative	Hannah David	17,326	34.4	7.8
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Noyce	1,267	2.5	0.8
	Green	Rowan Langley	652	1.3	1.5
	UKIP	Rathy Alagaratnam	470	0.9	3.4
Majority			13,314	26.4	21.6
Turnout			50,355	72.1	5.2
Registered electors			68,797
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	10.8

General election 2015: Harrow West^[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Gareth Thomas	21,885	47.0	3.4
	Conservative	Hannah David	19,677	42.2	5.4
	UKIP	Ali Bhatti	2,047	4.3	2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Noyce	1,567	3.3	12.9
	Green	Rowan Langley	1,310	2.8	1.4
	Independent	Kailash Trivedi	117	0.2	New
Majority			2,208	4.8	2.0
Turnout			46,603	66.9	0.7
Registered electors			69,644
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	1.1

Note: From 2010 historically Conservative-strong Pinner formed part of the new seat Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner. The 2010 changes are not based on the 2005 result as the constituency underwent major changes.

General election 2010: Harrow West^[13][14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Gareth Thomas	20,111	43.6	−5.0
	Conservative	Rachel Joyce	16,968	36.8	+6.4
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Noyce	7,458	16.2	−2.5
	UKIP	Herbert Crossman	954	2.1	+0.8
	Green	Rowan Langley	625	1.4	New
Majority			3,143	6.8	+2.6
Turnout			46,116	67.6	+3.2
Registered electors			68,554
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	−5.7 (nominal, instead   seen, on new definition)

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Harrow West^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Gareth Thomas	20,298	42.5	−7.1
	Conservative	Mike Freer	18,270	38.3	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Noyce	8,188	17.1	+4.2
	UKIP	Janice Cronin	576	1.2	+0.1
	Independent	Berjis Daver	427	0.9	New
Majority			2,028	4.2	-9.0
Turnout			47,759	64.3	+1.3
Registered electors			74,133
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	−4.5

General election 2001: Harrow West^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Gareth Thomas	23,142	49.6	+8.1
	Conservative	Daniel Finkelstein	16,986	36.4	−2.8
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Noyce	5,995	12.9	−2.6
	UKIP	Peter Kefford	525	1.1	New
Majority			6,156	13.2	+10.9
Turnout			46,648	63.0	−9.8
Registered electors			74,083
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	+5.4

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Harrow West^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gareth Thomas	21,811	41.5	+19.0
	Conservative	Robert Hughes	20,571	39.2	−16.0
	Liberal Democrats	Pash Nandhra	8,127	15.5	−4.67
	Referendum	Herbert Crossman	1997	3.8	New
Majority			1,240	2.3	N/A
Turnout			52,506	72.8	-5.9
Registered electors			72,146
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-17.5

General election 1992: Harrow West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Hughes	30,240	55.2	0
	Labour	Claude Moraes	12,343	22.5	+5.0
	Liberal Democrats	C. Noyce	11,050	20.2	-7.0
	Liberal	G. Aitman	845	1.5	New
	Natural Law	J. Argyle	306	0.6	New
Majority			17,897	32.7	+4.7
Turnout			54,784	78.7	+4.2
Registered electors			69,616
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Harrow West^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Hughes	30,456	55.2	+2.2
	SDP	Stuart Bayliss	15,012	27.2	-5.0
	Labour	Colin Bastin	9,665	17.5	+3.7
Majority			15,444	28.0	+7.2
Turnout			55,133	74.5	+2.1
Registered electors			74,041
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.6

General election 1983: Harrow West^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	28,056	53.0	-5.0
	SDP	Stuart Bayliss	17,035	32.2	New
	Labour	Albert Toms	7,811	14.8	-9.3
Majority			11,021	20.8	-13.2
Turnout			52,902	72.3	-6.4
Registered electors			73,151
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	26,007	58.06	+6.07
	Labour	Marie Catterson^[22]	10,794	24.10	-0.43
	Liberal	Ronald Dick^[22]	7,350	16.41	-7.07
	National Front	Timothy Bennett^[22]	646	1.44	New
Majority			15,213	33.96	+6.49
Turnout			44,797	78.72	+4.27
Registered electors			56,907
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	21,924	51.99	+0.44
	Labour	M.P. Reynolds	10,342	24.53	+2.08
	Liberal	R.E. Bell	9,903	23.48	-2.52
Majority			11,582	27.46	+1.91
Turnout			42,169	74.45	-8.34
Registered electors			56,641
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	23,950	51.55	-7.98
	Liberal	R.E. Bell	12,081	26.00	+12.98
	Labour	L. Wagner	10,430	22.45	-4.99
Majority			11,869	25.55	-6.54
Turnout			46,461	82.79	+10.04
Registered electors			56,122
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1970: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	24,867	59.53	+6.40
	Labour	Timothy P C Daniel	11,462	27.44	-1.43
	Liberal	Jeffrey F Smith	5,440	13.02	-4.98
Majority			13,405	32.09	+7.83
Turnout			41,769	72.75	-7.40
Registered electors			57,418
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	22,660	53.13	-0.78
	Labour	Christopher Hubert Beaumont	12,313	28.87	+3.88
	Liberal	Harry Charles Seigal	7,676	18.00	-3.10
Majority			10,347	24.26	-4.65
Turnout			42,649	80.15	+0.32
Registered electors			53,210
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1964: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	23,132	53.91	-17.01
	Labour	Kenneth W Childerhouse	10,725	24.99	-4.09
	Liberal	Arnold E. Bender	9,055	21.10	N/A
Majority			12,407	28.92	-12.93
Turnout			42,912	79.83	+0.59
Registered electors			53,756
	Conservative hold		Swing

1960 Harrow West by-election^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Page	18,526	55.77	-15.15
	Liberal	John M. Wallbridge	7,100	21.38	New
	Labour	Philip J. Jenkins	6,030	18.15	-10.93
	New Conservative	John E. Dayton	1,560	4.70	New
Majority			11,426	34.39	-7.45
Turnout			33,216	61.60	-17.64
Registered electors			53,756
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Albert Braithwaite	30,512	70.92	+0.29
	Labour	Philip J. Jenkins	12,512	29.08	-0.29
Majority			18,000	41.84	+0.58
Turnout			43,024	79.24	-1.95
Registered electors			54,295
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1955: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Albert Braithwaite	31,321	70.63	+3.16
	Labour	Richard Leonard	13,024	29.37	-3.16
Majority			18,297	41.26	+6.33
Turnout			44,345	81.19	-2.57
Registered electors			54,616
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1951: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Albert Braithwaite	26,549	67.47	+8.93
	Labour	Leslie Littlewood	12,802	32.53	+3.02
Majority			13,747	34.93	+5.90
Turnout			39,351	83.76	-2.94
Registered electors			46,979
	Conservative hold		Swing

1951 Harrow West by-election^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Albert Braithwaite	22,826	72.00	+13.46
	Labour	Leslie Littlewood	8,877	28.00	-13.46
Majority			13,949	44.00	+14.97
Turnout			31,703	68.00	-18.70
Registered electors			46,599
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1950: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Norman Bower	23,744	58.54	+8.69
	Labour	Leslie Littlewood	11,971	29.51	-3.52
	Liberal	Philip Montague Syrett	4,846	11.95	-0.88
Majority			11,773	29.03	+12.21
Turnout			40,561	86.70	+8.09
Registered electors			46,781
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Harrow West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Norman Bower	28,617	49.85
	Labour	Joan Thompson	18,961	33.03
	Liberal	Hubert Winthrop Young	7,364	12.83
	Common Wealth	Hugh Lawson	2,462	4.29
Majority			9,656	16.82
Turnout			57,404	78.61
Registered electors			73,024
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in London

Notes

1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. 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.

References

1. . 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
2. "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. from the original on 29 September 2018.
3. "Highest constituency swings in each general election since 1951". www.election.demon.co.uk.
4. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 3 London region.
6. Harrow West Conservatives [@HarrowWestCA] (29 November 2023). "Congratulations to Abbas Merali, our PCC and commiserations to the other candidates. Let's turn Harrow West blue!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. Gareth Thomas [@Gareth Thomas MP] (1 August 2022). Thomas MP/status/1554175380382269442 "Always an honour. Thank you to Harrow West Labour Party Members and affiliates for unanimously re-selecting me as our Parliamentary candidate.🌹 Onwards to the next election and to a Labour Government!" (Tweet) – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
8. "Find My PPC" (PDF). Reform UK. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
9. Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll harrow.gov.uk
10. "Harrow West parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
11. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
12. "Election results for Harrow West, 7 May 2015". 1 January 2004.
13. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
14. "BBC News – Election 2010 – Constituency – Harrow West". news.bbc.co.uk.
15. Changes based upon 2005 notional results
16. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
17. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
19. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
20. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
21. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
22. Election Expenses. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 1980. p. 14. ISBN 0102374805.
23. . Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
24. . Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2015.

External links

• (Election results from 1922 onwards)
• Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)

51°35′06″N 0°21′50″W / 51.585°N 0.364°W / 51.585; -0.364