is a
Constituency represented in the
House Of Commons of the
Parliament Of The United Kingdom . It elects one
Member Of Parliament (MP) by the
First Past The Post system of election.
The contituency of
Berwick-upon-Tweed is located in the
County of
Northumberland . It includes at its northern-most point the town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed itself and stretches south, to cover the towns of
Alnwick and
Amble . The Northumberland coast forms its eastern boundary. Its length is roughly 50 miles (80 km), with an area of 2,310 square kilometres.
Predominantly
Rural in character, this constituency is the most northerly in
England , and the most sparcely populated, having only 57,000 electors.
Following their review of parliamentary representation in Northumberland, the
Boundary Commission For England have made only minor changes to the existing Berwick constituency. A proposal to re-name the historic seat "Berwick-upon-Tweed and Mid Northumberland" was rejected for whilst being geographically accurate it was thought unwieldly.
The electoral wards used to form the slightly modified constituency are;
Rural in nature, sparce of population and with agriculture as a major employer, Berwick-upon-Tweed is at first sight a typical Conservative seat. However, it has been under the aegis of Liberal (later Liberal Democrat) Alan Beith since 1973, and previously the area has been notable for its
Liberal leanings - both
Sir William Beveridge (influential in the formation of the
National Health Service ) and
Edward Grey (Foreign Secretary at the start of
World War I , best remembered for the "''lamps are going out all over Europe ...''" remark ) have served this constituency.
Beith was first elected in a
By-election , required as a result of the resignation of the then holder Anthony 'Lord' Lambton (Conservative), who had been caught up in a scandal involving
Call Girl s,
Marijuana and a
Tabloid newspaper.
In 1923
Mabel Philipson , a former
Music-hall Actress , took over the seat as a Conservative, when her husband was forced to resign. In doing so she became only the third
Female member to take the oath since this had become legally possible five years previously.
The seat has sent members to Parliament since
1482 when it was enfranchised by
Henry VIII . It initially sent two members, this was reduced to one in
1885 .
Notable
Members Of Parliament before
1885 include:
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Liberal Democrats (UK)
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Alan Beith
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19,052 percentage =528 change =+14
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Conservative Party (UK)
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Mike Elliott
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10,420 percentage =289 change =+08
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Labour Party (UK)
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Glen Reynolds
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6,618 percentage =183 change =+06
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Liberal Democrats (UK)
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+03
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Liberal Democrats (UK)
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Alan Beith
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18,651 percentage = 514 change = +59
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Conservative Party (UK)
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Glen Sanderson
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10,193 percentage = 281 change = +40
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Labour Party (UK)
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Martin Walker
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6,435 percentage = 177 change = -85
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United Kingdom Independence Party
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John Pearson
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1,029 percentage = 28 change = +20
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Liberal Democrats (UK)
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Alan Beith
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19,007 percentage = 455 change = +11
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Labour Party (UK)
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Paul Brannen
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10,965 percentage = 262 change = +34
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Conservative Party (UK)
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Nick Herbert
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10,058 percentage = 241 change = -87
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Referendum Party
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Ned Lambton
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1,423 percentage = 34 change = +34
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United Kingdom Independence Party
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Ian Dodds
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352 percentage = 08 change = +08
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Mark Todd , the grandson of Alfred John Kennett Todd, currently serves as MP for
Derbyshire South
