Bishop Auckland is a constituency in County Durham that is represented in the House of Commons since 2024 by Sam Rushworth of the Labour Party.

Constituency profile

The constituency is located in an upland, western part of County Durham in the North East of England. The constituency includes as its major settlements the towns of Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Crook, Tow Law, Stanhope and Wolsingham, with their surrounding villages, dales and fields. The seat is named for the market town of Bishop Auckland which has a mixed modern and historic high street. It also includes the similarly sized Barnard Castle, together with large areas used for agriculture, particularly hill farming on the rolling landscape that cuts into the Pennines, with a substantial quantity of livestock. Most housing, many small towns and most facilities were built in the prosperous era of coal mining which brought thousands of workers to live in Bishop Auckland town and neighbouring settlements. Manufacturing, including food processing and packaging, public sector employment, retail and agriculture are the main employers. Within the seat are Auckland Castle and Park, Lartington Hall, Witton Castle, Raby Castle, Binchester Roman Fort (Vinovia), The Bowes Museum, the Weardale Railway and enclosures and industrial workings on Cockfield Fell.

History

From 1935 to 2017 inclusive, the seat's voters returned MPs from the Labour Party; the former Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Dalton, was the MP for Bishop Auckland from 1929 to 1931, and after regaining the seat in 1935, remained an MP until 1959. The 2019 result returned a Conservative; the party's results had shown an increase from election to election from 2001 onwards, going from 20% of the vote in the previous 1997 election to a majority of votes at 53% in 2019. However, this was reversed in 2024 when the Conservative vote dropped back down to 25.6% and Labour regained the seat.

Boundaries

1885–1918

''The constituency was created for the 1885 general election by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of eight new single-member divisions of the county of Durham, replacing the two 2-member seats of North Durham and South Durham. See map on Vision of Britain website. ''

1918–1950

Gained parts of Barnard Castle, offset by losses to the new constituencies of Sedgefield and Spennymoor.

1950–1955

The urban and rural districts of Barnard Castle transferred from the abolished constituency thereof.

1955–1974

As above, except the part of the Middridge ward transferred to the Rural District of Darlington by the County of Durham (Parish of Great Aycliffe) Confirmation Order 1952 (Statutory Instrument 1953/741).

1974–1983

Gained the rural district of Darlington (which contained the new town of Newton Aycliffe) from the abolished constituency of Sedgefield.

1983–1997

Rural areas around Darlington returned to the re-established Sedgefield constituency.

1997–2024

Gained Spennymoor from Sedgefield in exchange for Newton Aycliffe. Following a review of parliamentary representation in County Durham in 2007, the Boundary Commission for England made no changes to the Bishop Auckland constituency. In the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, the local authority districts in Durham were abolished and replaced with a single unitary authority; however, this did not affect the boundaries of the constituency.

2024–present

Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral divisions of the County of Durham (as they existed on 1 December 2020): The constituency experienced significant boundary changes with, Spennymoor and Tudhoe being transferred to the new constituency of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, and Crook, Tow Law and Weardale being added from the abolished constituency of North West Durham.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1880s

Sources