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Leicester South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons.
Boundaries The seat is centred on the southern part of Leicester covering leafy suburbs such as Stoneygate and Knighton, as well as inner city areas with a strong Asian community and deprived outer estates such as Saffron and Eyres Monsell. The constituency encompasses the council wards of Spinney Hills, Stoneygate, Knighton, Freemen, Aylestone, Eyres Monsell and virtually all of Castle. History The constituency was first created in 1918, abolished in 1950, and reconstituted in 1974. Leicester South has over the past few decades seen demographic changes which have altered the balance of the constituency. The seat saw close contests between the Conservatives and Labour in the 1980s, with Labour MP Jim Marshall losing the seat by just 7 votes to the Conservatives in the 1983 general election but regaining it in 1987. In subsequent elections the majority grew to the point where it was considered substantially safe. Marshall died in 2004 and the resulting by-election was fiercely contested. Along with a by-election in Birmingham Hodge Hill held on the same day, the seat saw a fierce challenge by the Liberal Democrats, hoping to build on their previous by-election gain at Brent East, as well as competition for the anti-war vote from RESPECT The Unity Coalition. The seat was won by the Liberal Democrats' Parmjit Singh Gill with a majority of 1,654. Sir Peter Soulsby, who had contested the seat for Labour at the byelection, won the seat at the 2005 election. Members of Parliament Elections See also | ||||||||
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