Islington North (/ˈɪzlɪŋtənnɔːrθ/) is a constituency[a] in Greater London established for the 1885 general election. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1983 by Jeremy Corbyn, who was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2015 to 2020. Since 2020, Corbyn has represented the seat as an independent, having been suspended for remarks he made after an investigation of antisemitism in the party. He won the independent seat in Islington North in the 2024 general election.[2]
Constituency profile
The seat includes the densely populated and multicultural neighbourhoods of Finsbury Park, Highbury, Canonbury, Archway, Tufnell Park and the northern part of Holloway. Electoral Calculus categorises the seat as being part of the “Strong Left” demographic, those who have very economically left wing and socially liberal views, and have an internationalist outlook including strong opposition to Brexit. For reference, only 21.6% of Islington North voted for Brexit back in 2016, indicating that it is a heavily pro-Remain area.[3]
In addition to this, despite high incomes and house prices, around 52% of the constituency is deprived, in terms of employment, income and education, mirroring the national average, according to the site. For general statistics, the average age is 42.5, at least 36% of the local population owns a car, whilst 31% own a home, which are both considerably low in comparison to the rest of the UK, and the gross household income is £52,102.[4] Arsenal Football Club is also located in the seat.
At the next redistribution of seats by the Representation of the People Act 1948 the constituency was again defined as Tollington, Tufnell and Upper Holloway wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington, with boundaries as they existed at the end of 1947.[6][8]
1974–1983
In 1965 local government in Greater London was reorganised, with the formation of London boroughs. The changes were reflected in parliamentary boundaries from 1974. The London Borough of Islington was divided into three constituencies. Islington North was defined as comprising seven wards: Highview, Hillmarton, Hillrise, Junction, Parkway, St. George's and Station.[6][9]
1983–1997
In 1983 the parliamentary representation of Islington was reduced to two constituencies. The new, enlarged, Islington North was formed from ten wards of the borough as they existed in February 1983. These were Gillespie, Highbury, Highview, Hillrise, Junction, Mildmay, Quadrant, St. George's, Sussex and Tollington wards.[10]
1997–2010
In 1997 there were only slight boundary changes, with the constituency defined as the same ten wards with their boundaries as they existed on 1 June 1994.[11]
From 2010 until 2022, the constituency comprised the following eight electoral wards: Finsbury Park, Highbury East, Highbury West, Hillrise, Junction, Mildmay, St. George's and Tollington.[13]
Following a review of local authority ward boundaries which came into effect on 4 May 2022, the seat now comprises the following eight London Borough of Islington wards: Arsenal; Finsbury Park; Highbury; Hillrise; Junction; Mildmay; Tollington; Tufnell Park.
These boundaries have been considerably changed since 1970, when Islington returned three MPs and shared another with Hackney. This reflects the depopulation of central London on a lowering of adult occupancy of households and the local authority has replaced tower blocks. The core of the constituency was the area north of Seven Sisters Road and Camden Road. At 7.35 square kilometres (2.84 sq mi), it is the smallest UK Parliamentary constituency.[15] At the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies begun in 2012 the seat was approximately 1,300 electors below the electoral quota and the highest concentration of elector density nationally. The criteria of successive reviews emphasise equal electorates as well as restricting seats to one or, if unavoidable, two local authority areas.[16]
Political history
The constituency has elected a Labour Party candidate at each election since a by-election in 1937. Since then the smallest majority was 10.4% of the vote, in a by-election in 1969, on a very low turnout.
The MP since 1983, Jeremy Corbyn, had his smallest majority (15.3%) in 1983 and his largest (60.5%) in 2017. In the ten elections since Corbyn began representing the constituency, the Conservatives have finished in second place five times while the Liberal Democrats have also been runners up on five occasions. The 2015 result made the seat the 26th safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[17]
In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted remain by 78.4%. This was the fifth highest support for remain for a constituency.[18]
A short film was made about the 1969 by-election. This highlighted the importance of the local Irish community, the poor local housing conditions (the opening line talks of "a crowded, crumbling constituency") and the relatively low turn-outs at previous elections. The film is now available through British Pathé Archive.[44]
Michael O'Halloran, elected Labour MP for Islington North in 1969, was the subject of an investigation in the early-1970s by The Sunday Times newspaper. They highlighted his background with a local building company and the local Irish community and queried the tactics of his supporters during his selection as candidate.
O'Halloran defected to the SDP in September 1981, as did both of the other Islington MPs. However the Boundary Commission cut the number of constituencies in Islington from three to two. O'Halloran sought selection as the SDP candidate for the revised Islington North constituency but the local SDP association selected John Grant, then-SDP (elected as Labour) MP for Islington Central, as their official candidate. In February 1983, O'Halloran resigned his membership of the SDP and sat in Parliament as an "Independent Labour" member, supporting the Parliamentary Labour Party. Despite this, he failed to regain the Labour Party nomination for the 1983 general election and he was defeated by the new Labour candidate, Jeremy Corbyn, and finished in fourth place with 11.1% of the vote.
Corbyn defeated Paul Boateng for the Labour Party selection. Boateng subsequently became the first Black Cabinet Minister in the UK.
^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – London". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
^"Jeremy Corbyn wins independent seat in Islington North". The Guardian. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
^"The Electoral Calculus' profile of Islington North". Electoral Calculus. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^"The Electoral Calculus' profile of Islington North". Electoral Calculus. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^Redistribution Of Seats Act, 1885. Sixth Schedule. Divisions Of Boroughs. Number, Names, Contents, And Boundaries Of Divisions.
^ abcdYoungs Jr., Frederic A. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. 743, 746, 749. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
^Representation Of The People Act 1918. Ninth Schedule. Redistribution Of Seats.
^Representation Of The People Act 1948, First Schedule. Parliamentary Constituencies.
^The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970 (S.I. 1970/1674).
^The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/417).
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/1626)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives (United Kingdom). Retrieved 27 May 2013.
^"Standard Area Measurements (2019) for Electoral Areas in the United Kingdom". geoportal.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/1681)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives (United Kingdom). Retrieved 27 May 2013.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 3 London region.
^Parliamentary constituencies, UK Parliament; Accessed 12 August 2015.
^"Statement of Person Nominated and Notice of Poll: Islington North Constituency". Haringey Council. 7 June 2024.
^"General Election 2019 candidates". London Borough of Islington. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
^"Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
^"Election results". London Borough of Islington. Retrieved 7 May 2018.[permanent dead link]
^"Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Islington Council". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
^General Election – Campaign News Archived 2015-01-20 at the Wayback Machine Socialist Party of Great Britain, 15 January 2015.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Islington Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2012.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^William Wolff (25 February 1974). "Why the Big Guns failed to fire". Daily Mirror. p. 15.
^"1969 By Election Results". British Elections Ephemera Archive. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
^"1958 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
^British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F. W. S. Craig.
^ abcdefghBritish Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, F. W. S. Craig.
^"Islington". London Standard. 6 July 1892. p. 5. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
^"North Islington Elections (1969)". 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
Bibliography
Iain Dale, ed. (2003). The Times House of Commons 1929, 1931, 1935. Politico's (reprint). ISBN 1-84275-033-X.
The Times House of Commons 1945. 1945. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
The Times House of Commons 1950. 1950. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
The Times House of Commons 1955. 1955. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
External links
Politics Resources (election results from 1922 onwards)
Electoral Calculus (election results from 1955 onwards)
Islington North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
Islington North UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK