Bradford East is a constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Imran Hussain of the Labour Party, until his suspension and the withdrawal of the whip on 23 July 2024, as a result of his voting to scrap the two child benefit cap. He now sits as an independent MP until the whip is re-established.

Constituency profile

Bradford East covers the north east and east parts of Bradford and has a significant number of non-white residents. Residents are poorer than the UK average.

History

The constituency had existed from 1885 to 1974. Following a 2007–2009 review of parliamentary boundaries in West Yorkshire by the Boundary Commission for England, the Bradford North constituency was abolished and Bradford East created for the 2010 general election.

Boundaries

Municipal boundaries of Bradford

Bradford was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1847, covering the parishes of Bradford, Horton and Manningham. It became a county borough with the passing of the Local Government Act 1888. The county borough was granted city status by Letters Patent in 1897. Bradford was expanded in 1882 to include Allerton, Bolton and Undercliffe, Bowling, Heaton, Thornbury and Tyersal. In 1899 it was further expanded by adding North Bierley, Eccleshill, Idle, Thornton, Tong and Wyke. Clayton was added in 1930. From 1974, the county borough was merged with the Borough of Keighley, the Urban Districts of Baildon, Bingley, Denholme, Cullingworth, Ilkley, Shipley and Silsden, along with part of Queensbury and Shelf Urban District and part of Skipton Rural District to create the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford.

Parliamentary boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Bradford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was divided into three single-member constituencies from the 1885 general election. Bradford East was the eastern third of Bradford and was approximately rectangular in shape. It consisted of the wards of Bradford Moor, East, East Bowling, South, and West Bowling. It bordered Pudsey to the east, Elland in the south, Bradford Central to the west and Shipley in the north. 1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Bradford wards of Bradford Moor, East Bowling, Tong, and West Bowling. It was located in the south-east corner of the city of Bradford. 1950–1955: The constituency was expanded to the south-west, to include territory formerly in the Bradford South seat. The Bradford Moor area, in the north of the old East division, was transferred to Bradford Central. The wards allocated to the East division from 1950 were East Bowling, Little Horton, North Bierley East, Tong, and West Bowling. 1955–1974: The 1955 redistribution removed the western part of the old East division and expanded the seat north. North Bierley East and West Bowling wards were transferred to Bradford South. The East seat from 1955 comprised the wards of East Bowling, Exchange, Listerhills, Little Horton, South, and Tong. In 1974 the Bradford East seat was abolished. The Bowling area became part of Bradford North; Tong joined Bradford South; and Little Horton became part of Bradford West. 2010-2024: Bradford East was recreated as the successor seat to Bradford North, which was created for the 1918 general election. The report into the boundary review says; The wards in this new constituency were entirely within the Bradford city boundaries: 2024-present: As above, apart from the loss of a small part of the Bowling and Barkerend ward (polling district 5F) to Bradford South.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1885–1974

MPs since 2010

Elections

The original constituency had its first contest at the 1885 general election and its last at the 1970 general election.

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Election in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Election in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Election in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1880s

Sources