Post by greenhert on May 16, 2020 21:48:52 GMT
Ipswich has existed as a constituency since 1386, and had two MPs until 1918. Its most significant boundary change was in 1983 when its northern wards were transferred to Central Suffolk (they are now in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich).
Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, is one the oldest towns in the UK and the oldest continuously inhabited town settled by the English. Via the River Gipping, it served as a trading post for the Hanseatic League during mediaeval times and in the 17th century was a key embarkation point for Puritans emigrating to America in the 17th century (the East Anglian accent still persists today to an extent in the eastern United States accent). During the Industrial Revolution, one prominent East Anglian family, the Ransomes, contributed to its key industries, which were focused mainly on machinery; the first motorised lawnmowers were built here. Today Ipswich's most prominent features are its waterfront and the University of Suffolk; also because of its excellent railway links it is a key transport hub in East Anglia and very useful for commuters. Demographically Ipswich's qualification levels are below both the regional and national average, although this is very unevenly distributed with St Margaret's ward having more than quadruple the proportion of degree holders of Sprites ward, where the Chantry council estate is. Overall the proportion of owner-occupiers is 54.7%, with owner-occupation and qualification levels being considerably higher north of the River Gipping and Ipswich railway station than south of either. Ipswich is also the only constituency in Suffolk with any significant BAME population.
Ipswich leans towards Labour but is a key marginal nonetheless. When it had two MPs, it usually had split representation with 1 Conservative MP and 1 Liberal MP; since its representation was reduced to one MP in 1918 no Liberals have been elected. It elected its first Labour MP, Robert Jackson, in 1923, although he was unseated by the Conservatives' John Ganzoni the following year. A Liberal intervention in 1929 did not help Mr Jackson regain the seat. When Mr Ganzoni was elevated to the peerage as 1st Baron Belstead in 1938, Labour recaptured the seat in the resulting by-election. In a 1957 by-election, Dingle Foot, brother of future Labour leader Michael Foot and also Liberal MP for Dundee from 1931-45, held the seat for Labour; in 1970 he was unseated by the Conservatives' Ernle Money, a local barrister (his son Horatio is a Suffolk-based barrister as well) by just 13 votes. Mr Money held on in February 1974 by just 259 votes, first-time incumbency benefitting him, but he was unseated in October 1974 by Labour's Ken Weetch. Mr Weetch bucked national trends three times consecutively-in 1979 he held the seat on a swing of 1.3% to Labour, in 1983 he kept the pro-Conservative swing as low as 1.5% (and the Liberals polled only 14.2% that year), in 1987 he was unseated by the Conservatives' Michael Irvine, whose father Sir Arthur Irvine was Labour MP for Liverpool Edge Hill from 1947-79. Labour only narrowly recaptured the seat in 1992 by 265 votes; in 2010 Ipswich experienced its largest swing in modern history, 8.1% to the Conservatives, enough for Ben Gummer (son of the then outgoing Suffolk Coastal MP Selwyn Gummer, who was raised to the peerage as Baron Deben later that year) to capture the seat. Ben Gummer was surprisingly unseated in 2017 despite Ipswich voting to Leave by a decisive margin of 56.5% to 43.5%; his role in the Conservatives' general election manifesto that year contributed to his defeat by Labour's Sandy Martin. This seat's current Conservative MP, Tom Hunt, unseated Mr Martin in 2019 and with the first Conservative vote share of >50% since 1935 (50.3%). Locally, the Ipswich constituency is mostly Labour with Bixley being the only genuinely safe Conservative ward and St Margaret's ward being reliably Liberal Democrat, although Holywells ward leans toward the Conservatives as well.
Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, is one the oldest towns in the UK and the oldest continuously inhabited town settled by the English. Via the River Gipping, it served as a trading post for the Hanseatic League during mediaeval times and in the 17th century was a key embarkation point for Puritans emigrating to America in the 17th century (the East Anglian accent still persists today to an extent in the eastern United States accent). During the Industrial Revolution, one prominent East Anglian family, the Ransomes, contributed to its key industries, which were focused mainly on machinery; the first motorised lawnmowers were built here. Today Ipswich's most prominent features are its waterfront and the University of Suffolk; also because of its excellent railway links it is a key transport hub in East Anglia and very useful for commuters. Demographically Ipswich's qualification levels are below both the regional and national average, although this is very unevenly distributed with St Margaret's ward having more than quadruple the proportion of degree holders of Sprites ward, where the Chantry council estate is. Overall the proportion of owner-occupiers is 54.7%, with owner-occupation and qualification levels being considerably higher north of the River Gipping and Ipswich railway station than south of either. Ipswich is also the only constituency in Suffolk with any significant BAME population.
Ipswich leans towards Labour but is a key marginal nonetheless. When it had two MPs, it usually had split representation with 1 Conservative MP and 1 Liberal MP; since its representation was reduced to one MP in 1918 no Liberals have been elected. It elected its first Labour MP, Robert Jackson, in 1923, although he was unseated by the Conservatives' John Ganzoni the following year. A Liberal intervention in 1929 did not help Mr Jackson regain the seat. When Mr Ganzoni was elevated to the peerage as 1st Baron Belstead in 1938, Labour recaptured the seat in the resulting by-election. In a 1957 by-election, Dingle Foot, brother of future Labour leader Michael Foot and also Liberal MP for Dundee from 1931-45, held the seat for Labour; in 1970 he was unseated by the Conservatives' Ernle Money, a local barrister (his son Horatio is a Suffolk-based barrister as well) by just 13 votes. Mr Money held on in February 1974 by just 259 votes, first-time incumbency benefitting him, but he was unseated in October 1974 by Labour's Ken Weetch. Mr Weetch bucked national trends three times consecutively-in 1979 he held the seat on a swing of 1.3% to Labour, in 1983 he kept the pro-Conservative swing as low as 1.5% (and the Liberals polled only 14.2% that year), in 1987 he was unseated by the Conservatives' Michael Irvine, whose father Sir Arthur Irvine was Labour MP for Liverpool Edge Hill from 1947-79. Labour only narrowly recaptured the seat in 1992 by 265 votes; in 2010 Ipswich experienced its largest swing in modern history, 8.1% to the Conservatives, enough for Ben Gummer (son of the then outgoing Suffolk Coastal MP Selwyn Gummer, who was raised to the peerage as Baron Deben later that year) to capture the seat. Ben Gummer was surprisingly unseated in 2017 despite Ipswich voting to Leave by a decisive margin of 56.5% to 43.5%; his role in the Conservatives' general election manifesto that year contributed to his defeat by Labour's Sandy Martin. This seat's current Conservative MP, Tom Hunt, unseated Mr Martin in 2019 and with the first Conservative vote share of >50% since 1935 (50.3%). Locally, the Ipswich constituency is mostly Labour with Bixley being the only genuinely safe Conservative ward and St Margaret's ward being reliably Liberal Democrat, although Holywells ward leans toward the Conservatives as well.
