Worcester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1885 it has elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election; from 1295 to 1885 it elected two MPs.
Boundaries 1918–1950: The County Borough of Worcester.
1950–1983: The County Borough of Worcester, the Borough of Droitwich, and the Rural District of Droitwich.
1983–1997: The City of Worcester, and the District of Wychavon wards of Drakes Broughton, Inkberrow, Lenches, Pinvin, Spetchley, and Upton Snodsbury.
1997–present: The City of Worcester.
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.
The constituency covers the city of Worcester, with (since the 1997 redistribution) exactly the same boundaries as the city. It borders the Mid Worcestershire constituency to the east, and West Worcestershire to the west.
History A safe Conservative seat for many years (the Conservatives even narrowly held the seat in the 1945 Labour landslide), Worcester was represented by the high-profile Conservative cabinet minister Peter Walker for three decades, from a by-election in 1961 until he stood down in 1992. Peter Luff held the seat for the Conservatives until 1997, when he moved to the redrawn Mid Worcestershire constituency.
Mike Foster of the Labour Party gained the seat at the 1997 general election. This can be put down to a combination of Labour's landslide victory nationally, but also to the fact that boundary changes meant the constituency was now solely an urban area, rather than also containing much of the surrounding countryside.
Peter Walker's son, Robin Walker, was elected as the Conservative MP at the 2010 general election. The constituency is marginal and was selected as a "target" by the Labour Party in 1997, and by the Conservative Party in 2010. Robin Walker announced in March 2023 that he would not seek reelection and stood down from parliament at the dissolution in advance of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, when it was gained by Labour's Tom Collins.
Many political commentators and journalists look on Worcester as having the demographic statistics which most closely mirror those in the United Kingdom as a whole. As such the term "Worcester woman" has come into use as a description for a typical swing voter.
Members of Parliament Constituency created in 1295
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386 Richard MaisemoreRobert Stevens1388 (February)Roger LichfieldJohn Bredon1388 (September)John ColeJohn Somery1390 (January) Roger LichfieldThomas Belne1390 (November)Richard MaisemoreJohn Bredon1391 Thomas Belne Richard Maisemore1393 Thomas Belne John Hereford1394 Thomas BelneJohn Barrel1395 Thomas BelneJohn Cooper1397 (January)Thomas BelneJohn Bredon1397 (September)1399 Thomas BelneJohn Bredon1401 John BarrelRichard Halle1402 Thomas BelneJohn Bredon1404 (January)Richard HalleJohn Malley1404 (October)1406 Richard HalleRichard Oseney1407 Thomas BelneJohn Malley1410 John WestonThomas Belne14111413 (February)1413 (May)John WestonJohn Wood1414 (April)1414 (November)John WestonRichard Norton1415 John WoodJohn Weston1416 (March)John Wood Ralph Merston1416 (October)1417 John BoyleGeoffrey Friar1419 John WestonWilliam Boughton1420 John Forthey William Ward1421 (May)John FortheyRobert Nelme1421 (December)John FortheyGeoffrey Friar1510-1523No names known1529 Hugh Dee, died and replaced after 1530 by ?Thomas Hill John Braughing1536 Thomas Hill ?1539 ?1542 John BraughingThomas Sheldon1545 Richard CalowhillThomas Sheldon1547 John Braughing died and replaced by January 1552 by Thomas WyldeRobert Youle1553 (March)William RobinsonEdward BrogdenBragden biography History of Parliament Online (biography gives other versions of his surname: Bragdan and Brockenden)1553 (October) Sir John BourneJohn Emery1554 (April) John AinsworthThomas Hill1554 (November)Robert YouleEdward Brogden1555 Robert Youle William Adyes1558 Robert Youle Thomas Wylde1559 Richard Bullingham Guthlac Edwards1562–63 William GibbesJohn More1571 Francis Streate Richard Bullingham1572 Christopher DeightonThomas Walsgrove alias Fleet1584 Richard NashWalter Jones1586 Ralph WyatWalter Jones1588 Walter JonesJohn Walsgrove alias Fleet1593 Walter JonesRowland Berkeley1597 Rowland BerkeleyWilliam Bagnall1601 Rowland BerkeleyChristopher Deighton 1604 John Coucher Christopher Deighton, died and replaced 1605 by Rowland Berkeley 1614 John Coucher Thomas Chettle 1621 John Coucher Robert Berkeley 1624 John Coucher Robert Berkeley 1625 Walter Devereux Henry Spelman 1626 John Spelman John Haselock 1628 John Coucher John Haselock 1640 (April) John Coucher John Nash 1640 (November) John Coucher John Nash, secluded 1648 1654 William Collins Edward Elvines (Alderman) 1656 William Collins Edmund Giles 1659 William Collins Thomas Street
MPs 1660–1885 ElectionFirst memberPartySecond memberParty1660 Thomas Street Thomas Hall 1661 Sir Rowland Berkeley 1679 Sir Francis Winnington 1681 Henry Herbert, later Baron Herbert 1685 William Bromley Bridges Nanfan 1689 Sir John Somers 1693 by-election Samuel Swift 1694 petition Charles Cocks 1695 Samuel Swift 1701 Thomas Wylde 1718 by-election Samuel Sandys, later Baron Sandys 1727 Sir Richard Lane 1734 Richard Lockwood 1741 Thomas Winnington 1744 by-election Sir Henry Harpur 1746 by-election Thomas Vernon 1747 Thomas Geers Winford 1748 Robert Tracy 1754 Henry Crabb-Boulton 1761 John Walsh 1773 by-election Thomas Bates Rous Tory1774, March by-election Nicholas Lechmere Tory1774, Octoberrowspan="2" Thomas Bates Rous Tory1780 William Ward, later Viscount Dudley 1784 Samuel Smith 1789 by-election Edmund Wigley 1790 Edmund Lechmere 1796 Toryrowspan="4" Abraham Robarts Whig1802 Joseph Scott Whig1806Henry Bromley Whig1807 by-electionrowspan="2" William Gordon Tory1816 by-electionrowspan="2" Viscount Deerhurst Tory1818rowspan="2" Thomas Henry Hastings Davies Whig1826rowspan="2" George Richard Robinson Whig1835rowspan="4" Joseph Bailey Conservative1837 Thomas Henry Hastings Davies Whig1841 Sir Thomas Wilde Whig1846 by-election Sir Denis Le Marchant, Bt Whig1847rowspan="2" Osman Ricardo Whig Francis Rufford Conservative1852 William Laslett Radical1859rowspan="2" Liberal Liberal1860 by-electionrowspan="2" Richard Padmore Liberal1865rowspan="3" Alexander Clunes Sheriff Liberal1868 William Laslett Conservative1874rowspan="3" Thomas Rowley Hill Liberal1878 by-election John Derby Allcroft Conservative1880 Aeneas John McIntyre Liberal1885Representation reduced to one member
MPs since 1885 ElectionMemberPartyNotes 1885 George Allsopp Conservative Brewer, of Samuel Allsopp & Sons 1906 George Henry Williamson Conservative Election overturned on petition in 1906, writ suspended until 1908 1908 by-election Edward Goulding Conservative Made a baronet in 1915, later ennobled as Baron Wargrave 1922 Richard Robert Fairbairn Liberal contested the seat 8 times, but won only once 1923 Crawford Greene Conservative 1945 George Ward Conservative Ennobled in 1960 as Viscount Ward of Witley 1961 by-election Peter Walker Conservative Cabinet minister 1970–1974, 1979–1990 1992 Peter Luff Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire 1997–2015 1997 Mike Foster Labour Under-Secretary of State for International Development 2008–2010 2010 Robin Walker Conservative son of Peter Walker, MP for Worcester 1961–1992 2024 Tom Collins Labour
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
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 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: Crawford Greene Liberal: Richard FairbairnThe Liberal Magazine, 1939 Labour: James FergusonReport of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1870s
Caused by Sheriff's death.
Elections in the 1860s
Caused by Laslett's resignation
Elections in the 1850s
Caused by Rufford's resignation.
Elections of the 1840s
Caused by Wilde's appointment as Attorney General for England and Wales
Elections of the 1830s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire List of parliamentary constituencies in West Midlands (region) Worcester woman
Notes
References
External links Worcester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Worcester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK Worcester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK