Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)

Barrow and Furness 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 seat of Barrow & Furness, tucked away in the west of Cumbria beyond the Lake District, is the location for one of Britain's most important industrial centres. The largest town in the constituency, Barrow-in-Furness, grew on the back of the ship building industry and is now the site of the BAE Systems nuclear submarine and ship building operation. This reliance on a single industry associated with controversial defence policies has, in the past, proved politically volatile in a constituency the Labour party would consider its own backyard. Labour Cabinet member Albert Booth represented Barrow from 1966 but suffered a shock defeat in 1983. Many put this down to widespread fears of job losses because the Labour party was then signed up to doing away with all its nuclear capabilities ' including the submarines. The Conservative party Member of Parliament through the eighties was a Manchester lawyer, Cecil Franks.

As Labour moved back towards the retention of Britain's nuclear capability and following massive job losses in the town's ship building industry, Labour's fortunes revived in Barrow. John Hutton took seat back for Labour in 1992 and has retained it ever since. In 2001 he had the support of more than half of all those who voted. There are other industries in the constituency including engineering and chemicals and more than a quarter of all jobs are in manufacturing. Surrounding this industrial mass is some wild and beautiful countryside, a sweeping mix of moors, hills, peaks and coast, including the towns of Ulverston and Dalton-in-Furness

Boundaries

This constituency contains the southern half of the Furness peninsula, South Cumbria. This is in the north-west of England.

Member of Parliament

Its MP is John Hutton, a former lecturer, elected in 1992. He represents the Labour party. Since 1999 he has been Minister of State for Health.

Election results

Politics and history of the constituency