Lowestoft () is a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Lowestoft in Suffolk. It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. It has been represented since 2024 by Jess Asato of the Labour Party.
The constituency was originally created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election when it was succeeded by the constituency of Waveney. Waveney was abolished in the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, and Lowestoft re-established for the 2024 general election.2023 review Eastern Boundary Commission for England
Constituency profile Lowestoft is a constituency located in Suffolk. It is centred on the large town of Lowestoft, the United Kingdom's most easterly settlement, which has a population of around 72,000. The constituency also includes the nearby small market town of Beccles and the villages of Worlingham and Kessingland. Lowestoft was traditionally reliant on the fishing and tourism industries but is now an important centre for the energy sector, with North Sea oil, gas and offshore wind farms providing employment for the town.Offshore industry timeline, Great Yarmouth Council. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Lowestoft delivers gas platform, associated British Ports, 11 May 2000. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Lowestoft transport strategy , Suffolk County Council, 29 June 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2013. Like many towns on England's east coast, Lowestoft is highly-deprived, with most of it falling within the top 10% most-deprived areas in the country. Beccles and the constituency's villages have average levels of wealth. House prices are considerably lower than the East of England and nationwide averages.
Lowestoft has a large retiree population and its residents generally have low levels of education and household income. Few residents work in professional occupations and a high proportion work in the retail, manufacturing and service sectors. The percentage of residents claiming unemployment benefits is higher than average, and the constituency's child poverty rate is high. White people made up 97% of the population at the 2021 census. Most of the constituency is represented by Conservatives at the local council level, with some Labour Party councillors elected in Lowestoft town centre and Green Party representatives elected in Beccles. Voters in Lowestoft strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 64% voted in favour of Brexit compared to the nationwide figure of 52%.
History The "Northern or Lowestoft Division" was one of five single-member county divisions of the Parliamentary County of Suffolk created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 to replace the existing two 2-member divisions for the 1885 general election. It was formed from parts of the Eastern Division of Suffolk. It became a county constituency from the 1950 general election and was abolished for the 1983 general election, being replaced by the county constituency of Waveney.
It was more often won by the Conservative Party than not, although its representatives include two from the Liberal Party and one from the Labour Party.
Boundaries and boundary changes
Historic
1885–1918 The Borough of Southwold; The Sessional Divisions of Beccles, Bungay, Lothingland, and Mutford; Part of the Sessional Division of Blything; and The part of the Borough of Great Yarmouth in the county of Suffolk.
As Great Yarmouth formed a separate Parliamentary Borough, only non-resident freeholders of the Borough were entitled to vote in this constituency.
The constituency established in 1885, which was formally named "The Northern or Lowestoft Division of Suffolk" (and was sometimes referred to simply as "Suffolk North"), also included the town of Halesworth and the rural areas in between.
Throughout its first existence, the Lowestoft constituency covered the North-Eastern corner of Suffolk and, although encompassing some rural areas, drew the majority of its voters from the towns of Lowestoft, a resort and fishing port, and Beccles; it also included the smaller towns of Bungay and Southwold, with its brewing interests. Southwold is now in the Suffolk Coastal constituency.
1918–1950 The Boroughs of Beccles, Lowestoft, and Southwold; The Urban Districts of Bungay and Oulton Broad; The Rural Districts of Mutford and Lothingland, and Wangford; and The Rural District of Blything parishes of Benacre, Covehithe, Easton Bavents, Frostenden, Henstead, Reydon, South Cove, and Wrentham.
In the boundary changes of 1918, Halesworth was transferred to the neighbouring Eye division. The constituency became simply the "Lowestoft Division of East Suffolk" or East Suffolk, Lowestoft.
1950–1983 The Boroughs of Beccles, Lowestoft, and Southwold; The Urban Districts of Bungay and Halesworth; and The Rural Districts of Lothingland and Wainford.
At the 1950 general election, Halesworth was once more placed in the revised Lowestoft County Constituency, but it otherwise underwent only minor changes to reflect local government rationalisations. The boundaries were not altered in the boundary review implemented in 1974.
The constituency was revised in 1983 and renamed Waveney, as its new boundaries were now identical with those of the local government district of that name. The new constituency was very similar to the old Lowestoft one except a small area in the north, including Bradwell (comprising about 10,000 voters), which had been transferred from Suffolk to Norfolk as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, and was now transferred to the county constituency of Great Yarmouth.
Current The re-established constituency, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, is composed of the following wards of the District of East Suffolk (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
Beccles & Worlingham; Carlton & Whitton; Carlton Colville; Gunton & St. Margarets; Harbour & Normanston; Kessingland; Kirkley & Pakefield; Lothingland; Oulton Broad.
The bulk of the existing Waveney seat, including Lowestoft, Somerleyton and Beccles, was included in the re-established seat, whereas Bungay and The Saints were transferred to the newly created constituency of Waveney Valley.
Members of Parliament MPs 1885–1983
East Suffolk prior to 1885
ElectionMemberPartyNotes1885 Sir Savile Crossley Liberal1886 Liberal Unionist1892 Harry Foster Conservative1900 Francis Lucas Conservative1906 Edward Beauchamp LiberalJan 1910 Harry Foster ConservativeDec 1910 Edward Beauchamp Liberal 1916 Coalition Liberal Jan 1922 National Liberal1922 Gervais Rentoul ConservativeChairman of the 1922 Committee (1923–1932)1934 by-election Pierse Loftus Conservative1945 Edward Evans Labour1959 Jim Prior ConservativeMinister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1970–1972)Leader of the House of Commons (1972–1974)Secretary of State for Employment (1979–1981)Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1981–1984)Contested Waveney following redistribution1983 Constituency abolished, became Waveney
MPs since 2024
Waveney prior to 2024
ElectionMemberParty 2024 Jess Asato Labour
Elections Elections in the 2020s
* Incumbent MP for Waveney
Elections in the 2010s 2019 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 27,648 60.9 Labour 12,798 28.2 Green 2,362 5.2 Liberal Democrats 2,333 5.1 Others 245 0.5Turnout45,38661.4Electorate73,967
Election results 1885–1918 Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
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; Liberal: Edward Beauchamp Unionist:
Election results 1918–1950 Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
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; Conservative: Pierse Loftus Labour: A D Belden Liberal:
Elections in the 1940s
Election results 1950–1983 Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Suffolk List of parliamentary constituencies in the East of England (region)
References
External links Robert Waller, The Almanac of British Politics (1st edition, London: Croom Helm, 1983) Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979) The Constitutional Year Book, 1913
Lowestoft UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK