Harrow West

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Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1945 onwards

title: "Harrow West" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["parliamentary-constituencies-in-london", "politics-of-the-london-borough-of-harrow", "constituencies-of-the-parliament-of-the-united-kingdom-established-in-1945"] description: "Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1945 onwards" topic_path: "politics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrow_West" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1945 onwards ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK constituency main"]

Field	Value
name	Harrow West
parliament	uk
image
caption	Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
image2	[[File:Harrow West 2023 Constituency.svg
caption2	Location within Greater London
year	1945
type	Borough
towns	Harrow, Wealdstone, Headstone, Rayners Lane, South Harrow
previous	Harrow and Hendon
next5	Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (as to Pinner), since 2010
electorate	74,060 (2023){{cite web
url	https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2023-review/the-2023-review-of-parliamentary-constituency-boundaries-in-england-volume-two-constituency-names-designations-and-composition/2023-volume-two-constituency-names-designations-and-composition-london/#lg_harrow-west-bc-74060
title	The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – London
publisher	Boundary Commission for England
access-date	19 June 2024
df	dmy
mp	Gareth Thomas
party	Labour
region	England
county	Greater London
european	London
elects_howmany	One
::

|name = Harrow West |parliament = uk |image = |caption = Interactive map of boundaries from 2024 |image2 = [[File:Harrow West 2023 Constituency.svg|233px]] |caption2 = Location within Greater London |year = 1945 |abolished = |type = Borough |towns=Harrow, Wealdstone, Headstone, Rayners Lane, South Harrow |previous = Harrow and Hendon |next5 = Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (as to Pinner), since 2010 |electorate = 74,060 (2023){{cite web |url= https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2023-review/the-2023-review-of-parliamentary-constituency-boundaries-in-england-volume-two-constituency-names-designations-and-composition/2023-volume-two-constituency-names-designations-and-composition-london/#lg_harrow-west-bc-74060 |title= The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – London |publisher=Boundary Commission for England |access-date=19 June 2024 |df=dmy |mp = Gareth Thomas |party = Labour |region = England |county = Greater London |european = London |elects_howmany = One

Harrow West is a constituency in Greater London created in 1945 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Until 1997, it only returned Conservative MPs; since then, it has elected the Labour Co-operative MP Gareth Thomas on a fluctuating majority. Since 2010, this has been bolstered by the loss of Pinner from the seat and the gain of a favourable ward for Labour from Harrow East.

Constituency profile

The area covers the largely Georgian conservation area on a stand-alone, partly park-lined hill which hosts the famous Harrow School; it also includes the urban Harrow town centre, as well as suburban streets of homes with good-sized gardens and well-kept small parklands. The seat has fast London Underground links to the city centre and rail services, few dual carriageways and few high speed roads. In 1981, 13.3% of the constiuency were non-White.

Political history

;Summary of results The Labour Party have held the seat since 1997, with the Conservative Party second-placed in each election. The 2015 result made the seat the 215th safest of the party's 232 seats (by majority percentage), and thus the 18th most marginal seat. Thomas's majority has ranged from 2.3% in 1997 to 26.4% in 2017.

Unlike Harrow East, it had always been won by the Conservative Party until Labour's landslide in 1997, when a swing of 17.5% was the eighth-highest swing in that election; it was the safest Tory seat lost to Labour. Its electorate produced another better than average result for Labour in 2001, with a swing from the Conservatives to Labour of 5.4%, bettered in only four seats out of 650. The 2005 challenge by future Conservative MP Mike Freer produced a pro-Conservative swing of 4.5%.

The 2010 inceptive seat saw a notional swing to the Tories in line with that nationally of 5.7%; in overall outcome the incumbent Labour MP's swing increased. The Harrow West and East seats now present as less marginal than they were in previous decades.

After a 1.1% swing to the Tories in 2015, the seat swung to Labour in 2017 by around 11%, with a local record number of votes for their incumbent candidate. At 34.4%, the Conservative vote share was the lowest in the seat's history, but the party received more votes in 2017 than in 2001 and 2010.

;Other parties UKIP, Liberal Democrat and Green Party candidates won less than 5% of the vote in 2015 and 2017, therefore forfeiting their deposits.

Boundaries

The constituency was created for the 1945 general election when the Harrow constituency was split into the new seats of Harrow East and Harrow West. It was reduced in size for the 1950 general election, when a third Harrow seat, Harrow Central, was created. The Boundary Commission review before the 1983 general election saw the London Borough of Harrow contained in two seats, resulting in Harrow West gaining parts of the abolished Harrow Central.

Historic

::data[format=table]

Years	Local authority	Wards
1945–1950	Urban District of Harrow	Harrow-on-the-Hill and Greenhill, Headstone, Pinner North, Pinner South, Roxeth, West Harrow; part of Harrow Weald.
1950–1955	Urban District of Harrow	Pinner North and Hatch End, Pinner South, Roxbourne, Roxeth.
1955–1983	Municipal Borough of Harrow	Headstone, Pinner North and Hatch End, Pinner South, Roxbourne, Roxeth.
1983–2010	London Borough of Harrow	Harrow on the Hill, Hatch End, Headstone North, Headstone South, Pinner, Pinner West, Rayners Lane, Ridgeway, Roxbourne, Roxeth.
2010–2024	London Borough of Harrow	Greenhill, Harrow on the Hill, Headstone North, Headstone South, Marlborough (an easterly projection centred on Harrow and Wealdstone station and its compact urban hub), Rayners Lane, Roxbourne, Roxeth, West Harrow.
::

2010 boundaries

Reviewing such representation in North London, the Boundary Commission for England (de facto), as is custom agreed by Parliament, altered the area's limits to avoid malapportionment, as London's housing and rates of occupancy have altered. The western border district, town or neighbourhood of Pinner went to a new cross-Borough seat, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, making its source, based on a ward breakdown of the last result, and mirrored by local election results, a stronger seat for Labour; this was coupled with the inclusion of Marlborough ward which had returned many Labour councillors since World War II.

Current

Following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following wards of the London Borough of Harrow:

Greenhill, Harrow on the Hill, Headstone, Marlborough, North Harrow, Rayners Lane, Roxbourne, Roxeth, Wealdstone North, Wealdstone South, and West Harrow.

Wealdstone was transferred in from Harrow East. Other minor changes to align boundaries with new ward structure.

Members of Parliament

::data[format=table] | Election | h|1|date=March 2012}} | Party | |---|---|---| | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | 1945 | Norman Bower | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | 1951 by-election | Sir Albert Braithwaite | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | 1960 by-election | Sir John Page | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | 1987 | Robert Hughes | | Labour Party (UK)}}" | | 1997 | Gareth Thomas | ::

Election results

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Har_W_Election_Results.png" caption="Election results 1945-2024"] ::

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

::data[format=table]

2019 notional result	Party	Vote	%
	Labour	26,437	53.1
	Conservative	17,339	34.8
	Liberal Democrats	4,107	8.2
	Green	1,028	2.1
	Brexit Party	882	1.8

Turnout	49,793	67.2
Electorate	74,060
::

Note: From 2010 historically Conservative-strong Pinner formed part of the new seat Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner. The 2010 changes are not based on the 2005 result as the constituency underwent major changes. |title= General election 2010: Harrow West |party = Labour Co-operative |candidate = Gareth Thomas |votes = 20,111 |percentage = 43.6 |change = −5.0 |reg. electors = 68,554 |winner = Labour and Co-operative |swing = −5.7 (nominal, instead +seen, on new definition)

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

|title=General election 1945: Harrow West}} |party = Conservative Party (UK) |candidate = Norman Bower |votes = 28,617 |percentage = 49.85 |change = |party = Labour Party (UK) |candidate =Joan Thompson |votes = 18,961 |percentage = 33.03 |change = |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Hubert Winthrop Young |votes = 7,364 |percentage = 12.83 |change = |party = Common Wealth Party |candidate = Hugh Lawson |votes = 2,462 |percentage = 4.29 |change = |votes = 9,656 |percentage = 16.82 |change = |votes = 57,404 |percentage = 78.61 |change = |reg. electors = 73,024 |winner = Conservative Party (UK)

Notes

References

Norris, Pippa. (1992-01-01). "Race and parliamentary representation". British Elections and Parties Yearbook.
"Labour Members of Parliament 2015".
"Highest constituency swings in each general election since 1951".
"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023".
{{Rayment-hc. h. 1. (March 2012)
"STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED AND NOTICE OF POLL".
"Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". [[UK Parliament]].
[https://www.harrow.gov.uk/downloads/file/26709/statement-of-persons-nominated-and-notice-of-poll-harrow-west Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll] harrow.gov.uk
"Harrow West parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
"Election Data 2015". [[Electoral Calculus]].
(1 January 2004). "Election results for Harrow West, 7 May 2015".
"Election Data 2010". [[Electoral Calculus]].
"BBC News – Election 2010 – Constituency – Harrow West".
Changes based upon 2005 notional results
"Election Data 2005". [[Electoral Calculus]].
"Election Data 2001". [[Electoral Calculus]].
"Election Data 1997". [[Electoral Calculus]].
"Election Data 1992". [[Electoral Calculus]].
"Election Data 1987". [[Electoral Calculus]].
"Election Data 1983". [[Electoral Calculus]].
(1980). "Election Expenses". [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]].
"1960 By Election Results".
"1951 By Election Results".

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