Peckham is a borough constituency in South London which returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections are held using the first-past-the-post voting system.
It was created for the 1885 general election, abolished for the 1997 general election and, further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, re-established for the 2024 general election.
Between 1997 and 2024 the constituency was primarily replaced by the now abolished constituency of Camberwell and Peckham.
Constituency profile
Peckham is a constituency in Greater London in England, within the Borough of Southwark. It covers the neighbourhoods of Peckham, Walworth and parts of Camberwell.
Peckham is a densely-populated urban area located around south-east of the centre of London. The area was mostly rural until the Victorian era when it was absorbed into the expanding London conurbation. Much of Peckham and Walworth were redeveloped in the 1960s into large council estates and the area became typical of working-class London, with most residents living in blocks of flats or dense Victorian terraces. Today, the area has high levels of deprivation, especially in the constituency's north-east. House prices are generally lower than the London average, but due to the constituency's location close to the centre of the capital, the average price is still almost double the UK average.
Peckham has a large population of young adults and a very low proportion of retirees. Residents' household income is low compared to the rest of London and very few are homeowners. The child poverty rate is above-average. Residents are generally well-educated and a high proportion work in the health and public sectors. The percentage claiming unemployment benefits is high. White people made up 41% of the population at the 2021 census, around a third of whom were of non-British origin, including a large Spanish community. Black people made up 34% of residents, mostly of West African origin. Asians were 9% with a large population of Chinese origin.
At the local borough council, Peckham is represented by a mixture of Labour Party and Green Party councillors. Voters here strongly supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 69% voted to remain compared to the UK-wide figure of 48%.
History The constituency was, by the time of its abolition in 1997, a safe Labour seat. It was held for the last thirteen years of its existence by Harriet Harman, who held the successor seat of Camberwell and Peckham during the whole of its existence, and went on to become the deputy leader of the Labour Party.
The constituency shared boundaries with the Peckham electoral division for election of councillors to the Greater London Council at elections in 1973, 1977 and 1981.
Boundaries Historic 1885–1918: The wards of North Peckham and South Peckham. 1918–1950: The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell wards of Clifton, Goldsmith, Nunhead, Rye Lane, St Mary's, and The Rye. 1950–1974: The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell wards of Addington, Clifton, Coburg, Goldsmith, Marlborough, North Peckham, St George's, St Giles, St Mary's, The West, and Town Hall. 1974–1983: The London Borough of Southwark wards of Brunswick, Burgess, Consort, Faraday, Friary, Newington, and St Giles. 1983–1997: The London Borough of Southwark wards of Barset, Brunswick, Consort, Faraday, Friary, Liddle, Newington, and St Giles.
Current Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the re-established constituency is composed of the following wards of the London Borough of Southwark (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
Faraday; North Walworth; Nunhead & Queen's Road; Old Kent Road; Peckham; Rye Lane; St. Giles.
The contents reflect the new ward structure which became effective in May 2018. The re-established seat primarily comprises the majority of the abolished constituency of Camberwell and Peckham, together with parts of Bermondsey and Old Southwark (mainly North Walworth).
Members of Parliament ElectionMemberParty 1885 Arthur A. Baumann Conservative 1892 Sir Frederick Banbury Conservative 1906 Charles Clarke Liberal 1908 by-election Henry Gooch Conservative Dec. 1910Albion Richardson Liberal 1916 Coalition Liberal Jan 1922 National Liberal 1922 Collingwood Hughes Conservative 1924 Hugh Dalton Labour 1929 John Beckett Labour 1931 David Beatty Conservative 1936 by-election Lewis Silkin Labour 1950 Freda Corbet Labour Feb 1974 Harry Lamborn Labour 1982 by-election Harriet Harman Labour1997 constituency abolished: see Camberwell and Peckham & Southwark North and Bermondsey 2024 Miatta Fahnbulleh Labour Co-op
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional result Party Vote % Labour 31,552 70.8 Conservative 4,999 11.2 Liberal Democrats 4,626 10.4 Green 2,232 5.0 Brexit Party 1,011 2.3 Others 127 0.3Turnout44,54762.6Electorate71,176
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
See also Southwark local elections parliamentary constituencies in London
References
Bibliography British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974) Debrett's Illustrated Heraldic and Biographical House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1886 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1901 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1918
External links Peckham UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK