Tooting (UK Parliament constituency)

Tooting
Tooting
Borough constituency; for the House of Commons
	Boundary of Tooting in Greater London
County	Greater London
Electorate	76,986 (2023)
Current constituency
Created	1974
Member of Parliament	TBC (TBC)
Seats	One
Created from	Wandsworth Central; Battersea South (reduced in 1974, abolished 1983); Streatham (small parts of, with regular interchanges since)

Tooting is a constituency^{[n 1]} created in 1974 in Greater London. It is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2016 by Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan, a member of the Labour Party.

Boundaries

Historic

Map of current boundaries

1974–1983: The London Borough of Wandsworth wards of Bedford, Furzedown, Graveney, Springfield, and Tooting.

1983–2010: As above plus Earlsfield, and Nightingale

2010–2024: As above minus Springfield, plus Wandsworth Common.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 United Kingdom general election will be unchanged.^[2]

Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2022,^[3]^[4] the constituency now comprises the following wards of the London Borough of Wandsworth from the 2024 general election:

Balham (part); Furzedown; South Balham; Tooting Bec; Tooting Broadway; Trinity; Wandle; Wandsworth Common; and a small part of Wandsworth Town.^[5]

Tooting is the south-eastern third of the London Borough of Wandsworth. In addition to Tooting, it includes the districts of Earlsfield, Furzedown and Streatham Park and part of Balham.^{[n 2]} The constituency includes part of Wandsworth Common, a rectangular open space that lends its name to one of the seven wards.^[6]

Tooting since 2010 is bordered to the west by Putney and Wimbledon; to the other three compass points by Mitcham and Morden, Streatham and Battersea.

History

The constituency was created for the February 1974 election from areas which, prior to that election, were within Battersea South, Streatham and Wandsworth Central.

Political history

Held by Labour since its creation, Tooting was a target seat for the Conservatives at the 2010 general election after the party made gains in local elections. However, Sadiq Khan was able to retain the seat for Labour. The Conservatives have generally performed best in the northern half of the seat (Bedford, Earlsfield, Nightingale, Wandsworth Common), whereas Labour are strongest in the southern half, which covers Tooting ward itself, Graveney and Furzedown.

The 2015 general election result gave the seat the twenty-fourth-most marginal majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.^[7] Had the majority obtained by Allin-Khan at her 2016 by-election win been part of the 2015 results, the seat would have been the 136th safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.^[7]

In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted remain by 74.7%.^[8]

Local government indications

As in the other two constituencies located in the London Borough of Wandsworth, voters have in part supported the Conservatives at local level; however, the southern area has strong enough Labour support to have consistently returned at least seven Labour councillors since 1992.

Prominent frontbenchers

Sadiq Khan, a solicitor by profession, was the Minister of State for Transport and Minister of State for Communities in the government of Gordon Brown. In opposition after 2010, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. He was the Labour Party's candidate in the 2016 London mayoral election, and was subsequently elected as Mayor of London. Following his election, Khan announced his intention to resign as MP for Tooting, and on 9 May 2016 he was appointed to the ancient office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of The Three Chiltern Hundreds, triggering a by-election.^[9]

Constituency profile

The modern Tooting constituency is a simplified name, as it contains much of Balham, Wandsworth Common and Earlsfield, yet the southernmost parts of the area that self-identifies as Tooting are actually in the London Borough of Merton and so in the Mitcham and Morden seat.

Transport links to Central London are good, and the population has expanded steadily due to the area's popularity with commuters looking for affordable property.

Unemployment benefit claimants and registered jobseekers, in November 2012 were lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 3.2% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.^[10]

Members of Parliament

	Member	Party	Notes
February 1974	Tom Cox	Labour
2005	Sadiq Khan	Labour	Elected Mayor of London, May 2016
2016 by-election	Rosena Allin-Khan	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Tooting ^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rosena Allin-Khan	29,209	55.2	+2.5
	Conservative	Ethan Brooks	9,722	18.4	-9.8
	Green	Nick Humberstone	5,672	10.7	+6.7
	Liberal Democrats	Judith Trounson	4,438	8.4	-5.8
	Reform UK	Andrew Price	2,546	4.8	+4.0
	Workers Party	Tarik Hussain	807	1.5	+1.5
	Rejoin EU	Jas Alduk	370	0.7	+0.7
	Independent	Davinder Singh Jamus	179	0.3	+0.3
Majority			19,487	36.8	+12.3
Turnout			52,943	69.6	-6.4
Registered electors			76,082
	Labour hold		Swing	+6.2

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Tooting^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rosena Allin-Khan	30,811	52.7	-6.9
	Conservative	Kerry Briscoe	16,504	28.2	-4.8
	Liberal Democrats	Olly Glover	8,305	14.2	+8.9
	Green	Glyn Goodwin	2,314	4.0	+2.5
	Brexit Party	Adam Shakir	462	0.8	New
	SDP	Roz Hubley	77	0.1	New
Majority			14,307	24.5	-2.0
Turnout			58,473	76.0	+1.3
Registered electors			76,933
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.1

General election 2017: Tooting^[13]^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rosena Allin-Khan	34,694	59.6	+12.4
	Conservative	Dan Watkins	19,236	33.1	-8.8
	Liberal Democrats	Alex Glassbrook	3,057	5.3	+1.4
	Green	Esther Obiri-Darko	845	1.5	-2.6
	UKIP	Ryan Coshall	339	0.6	-2.3
Majority			15,458	26.5	+21.2
Turnout			58,171	74.7	+5.0
Registered electors			77,971
	Labour hold		Swing	+10.6

Tooting by-election 2016^[15]^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rosena Allin-Khan	17,894	55.9	+8.7
	Conservative	Dan Watkins	11,537	36.1	-5.8
	Green	Esther Obiri-Darko	830	2.6	-1.5
	Liberal Democrats	Alex Glassbrook	820	2.6	-1.4
	UKIP	Elizabeth Jones	507	1.6	-1.3
	CPA	Des Coke	164	0.5	New
	Monster Raving Loony	Alan "Howling Laud" Hope	54	0.2	New
	English Democrat	Graham Moore	50	0.2	New
	Immigrants Political Party	Akbar Ali Malik	44	0.1	New
	One Love	Ankit Love	32	0.1	New
	Independent	Zirwa Javaid	30	0.1	New
	Independent	Zia Samadani	23	0.1	New
	Give Me Back Elmo	Bobby Smith	9	0.0	New
	Independent	Smiley Smillie	5	0.0	New
Majority			6,357	19.8	+14.5
Turnout			32,048	42.5	-27.2
Registered electors			74,701
	Labour hold		Swing	+7.3

General election 2015: Tooting^[17]^[18]^[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sadiq Khan	25,263	47.2	+3.7
	Conservative	Dan Watkins	22,421	41.9	+3.4
	Green	Esther Obiri-Darko	2,201	4.1	+2.9
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Ling^[20]	2,107	3.9	−10.9
	UKIP	Przemek Skwirczyński	1,537	2.9	+1.7
Majority			2,842	5.3	+0.3
Turnout			53,529	69.7	+1.1
Registered electors			76,782
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.1

General election 2010: Tooting^[21]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sadiq Khan	22,038	43.5	+0.8
	Conservative	Mark Clarke	19,514	38.5	+8.0
	Liberal Democrats	Nasser Butt	7,509	14.8	−4.8
	UKIP	Strachan D. McDonald	624	1.2	+0.2
	Green	Roy Vickery	609	1.2	−2.9
	Independent	Susan John-Richards	190	0.4	New
	Christian	Shereen Paul	171	0.3	New
Majority			2,524	5.0	-7.9
Turnout			50,655	68.6	+9.3
Registered electors			73,840
	Labour hold		Swing	−3.6

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Tooting^[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sadiq Khan	17,914	43.1	−11.0
	Conservative	James Bethell	12,533	30.2	+3.8
	Liberal Democrats	Stephanie M. Dearden	8,110	19.5	+4.6
	Green	Siobhan M. Vitelli	1,695	4.1	-0.5
	Respect	Ali J. Zaidi	700	1.7	New
	UKIP	Strachan D. McDonald	424	1.0	New
	Independent	Ian K. Perkin	192	0.5	New
Majority			5,381	12.9	−14.8
Turnout			41,568	59.0	+4.1
Registered electors			70,510
	Labour hold		Swing	−7.4

General election 2001: Tooting^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cox	20,332	54.1	−5.6
	Conservative	Alexander Nicoll	9,932	26.4	−0.7
	Liberal Democrats	Simon James	5,583	14.9	+5.5
	Green	Matthew Ledbury	1,744	4.6	+3.5
Majority			10,400	27.7	−4.9
Turnout			37,591	54.9	−14.4
Registered electors			68,447
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.5

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Tooting^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cox	27,516	59.7	+11.5
	Conservative	James B.B. Hutchings	12,505	27.1	−13.0
	Liberal Democrats	Simon James	4,320	9.4	+2.0
	Referendum	Angela M. Husband	829	1.8	New
	Green	John Rattray	527	1.1	−0.3
	Independent	Peter Boddington	161	0.3	New
	Independent	Jan Koene	94	0.2	New
	Rainbow Dream Ticket	Daniel Bailey-Bond	83	0.2	New
	Natural Law	Peter Miller	70	0.2	0.0
Majority			15,011	32.6	+24.5
Turnout			46,105	69.4	-5.4
Registered electors			66,536
	Labour hold		Swing	+12.30

General election 1992: Tooting^[26]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cox	24,601	48.2	+4.0
	Conservative	Martin Winter	20,494	40.1	−1.2
	Liberal Democrats	Robert J. Bunce	3,776	7.4	−5.8
	Liberal	Carmel Martin	1,340	2.6	New
	Green	Paul J. Owens	694	1.4	+0.1
	Natural Law	Farrakh Anklesalria	119	0.2	New
	Christian Democrat	Michael N. Whitelaw	64	0.1	New
Majority			4,107	8.1	+5.1
Turnout			51,088	74.8	+3.6
Registered electors			68,306
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.6

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Tooting^[27]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cox	21,457	44.2	+1.5
	Conservative	Martin Winter	20,016	41.3	+4.3
	SDP	Jeremy Ambache	6,423	13.2	−4.9
	Green	Monica Vickery	621	1.3	+0.8
Majority			1,441	3.0	-2.8
Turnout			48,517	71.2	+3.7
Registered electors			68,116
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.9

General election 1983: Tooting^[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cox	19,640	42.7	−6.7
	Conservative	Robin D.R. Harris	16,981	37.0	−1.8
	SDP	Julia Neuberger	8,317	18.1	+8.7
	National Front	Peter Berbridge	355	0.8	−1.1
	Ecology	Elizabeth M. Shaw	255	0.5	New
	Communist	Robert E. Lewis	181	0.4	−0.3
	Ethnic Minority	H. Patel	146	0.3	New
	Workers Revolutionary	Corin Redgrave	72	0.2	New
Majority			2,659	5.7	-8.8
Turnout			45,947	67.5	−3.0
Registered electors			68,083
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.2

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Tooting
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cox	18,642	51.9	−2.4
	Conservative	Richard Ritchie	13,442	37.4	+6.1
	Liberal	Richard Fife	2,917	8.1	−5.5
	National Front	Peter Berbridge	682	1.9	New
	Communist	Robert Lewis	233	0.7	−0.1
Majority			5,200	14.5	-8.5
Turnout			35,916	70.5	+7.1
Registered electors			50,962
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.2

General election October 1974: Tooting
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cox	18,530	54.3	+6.0
	Conservative	A.C. Elliot	10,675	31.3	−1.3
	Liberal	R.F.J. Heron	4,644	13.6	−4.7
	Communist	Robert E. Lewis	268	0.8	−0.1
Majority			7,855	23.0	+7.3
Turnout			34,117	63.4	−9.4
Registered electors			53,793
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.6

General election February 1974: Tooting
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Tom Cox	18,795	48.3
	Conservative	A.C. Elliot	12,687	32.6
	Liberal	R.F.J. Heron	7,108	18.3
	Communist	Robert E. Lewis	337	0.9
Majority			6,108	15.7
Turnout			38,927	72.8
Registered electors			53,443
	Labour win (new seat)

Notes

References

External links

Politics Resources (Election results from 1922 onwards)
Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)
Labour Party in Wandsworth
Conservative Party in Wandsworth
Liberal Democrats in Wandsworth
Election Maps (Constituency maps)
Tooting UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
Tooting UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

51°26′17″N 0°09′54″W / 51.438°N 0.165°W / 51.438; -0.165

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