Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)

Belfast South was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons from 1985 to 1918 and from 1922 to 2024. From the 2024 general election, it was succeeded by the constituency of Belfast South and Mid Down.

History

Template:More citations needed section In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Belfast South tended to elect 'rebel unionists' such as William Johnston, who defied a ban on Orange marches, and Thomas Sloan, founder of the Independent Orange Order.

Belfast South contained some of Belfast's most expensive residential districts as well as Queen's University Belfast. The overall tenor of the constituency is middle-class – young, trendy and cosmopolitan towards the city centre, with Northern Ireland's biggest concentrations of both students and ethnic minorities, and further out from the city centre it is settled and prosperous. Despite this, significant pockets of inner-city working class areas such as the Markets and a number of isolated suburban estates exist in the constituency.

There had been particularly rapid demographic change in Belfast South from around the year 2000. The 2011 census revealed that Belfast South consisted of a slightly larger Catholic population than Protestant and while the constituency traditionally has had a unionist majority, the nationalist vote surpassed this in more recent elections. There have also been strong votes for other parties such as the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, Green Party, the Conservatives and the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition. The constituency has witnessed a steady series of candidates backed by groups who aspire to support the British Labour Party despite its prior ban on membership and organisation in Northern Ireland, though their results have been minimal. Until the 1990s the main focus of attention had been on contests between unionist candidates.

In the February 1974 general election the seat was won by Robert Bradford of the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party on a united anti-Sunningdale Agreement slate with the Ulster Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party. He defeated Rafton Pounder, the sitting Unionist MP who defended his seat as a Pro-Assembly Unionist. Bradford held the seat for the next seven years, though in February 1978 he and the rump of Vanguard reunited with the Ulster Unionists. At the end of 1981 Bradford was assassinated by the IRA in a Belfast community centre while hosting a political surgery.

The subsequent by-election garnered much interest as it was expected that the Democratic Unionist Party would take the seat, building on their steady rise which had seen them gain both Belfast North and Belfast East at the previous general election. However, the DUP came third, behind the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, and the UUP's candidate Martin Smyth won the seat, holding it until 2005. The by-election was extremely significant at the time in that it was the first at which the DUP tide ebbed.

In January 2005 Smyth announced that he would retire at the 2005 general election, raising speculation both as to whom the Ulster Unionists would field in succession to him and what effect a different candidate would have upon their share of the vote. The UUP selected Assembly member Michael McGimpsey, albeit with a highly controversial and bitter selection. McGimpsey was repudiated by many prominent Unionists, including both Smyth and former UUP leader James Molyneaux. The DUP selected Jimmy Spratt and offered an electoral pact to the UUP that would give each party a free run at one out of South Belfast and Fermanagh and South Tyrone. This offer was rejected by the UUP.

In the event, the DUP and UUP both fielded candidates which split the vote. The nationalist vote mainly went for the SDLP over Sinn Féin, with the result that the SDLP took the seat despite a majority of votes cast for unionist candidates.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the 2010 general election, Sinn Féin opted not to stand against the SDLP to avoid splitting the nationalist vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The SDLP won the seat with a majority of 6,000. This was the seat in which the Alliance Party had their second-best showing, polling 15% of the votes. Alasdair McDonnell retained the seat in May 2015, with only 24.5% of the vote, as Sinn Féin opted to stand. This is the smallest proportion of the vote a winning candidate has ever achieved in a UK general election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the 2017 general election the seat was won by Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with Alasdair McDonnell losing his seat along with all other SDLP MPs in Northern Ireland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was won back for the SDLP by Claire Hanna in 2019, with Sinn Féin again opting not to stand.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was the first time since 1987 that the winning candidate in the constituency had a majority of the vote.

Boundaries

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the parliamentary borough of Belfast was expanded. The 2-seat borough constituency of Belfast in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom was divided into four divisions: East, South, West, and North.

The city boundaries were expanded under the Belfast Corporation Act 1896.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918, the parliamentary borough was extended to include the whole city and the number of divisions increased from 4 to 9. The Cromac and Ormeau divisions largely replaced the South division.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> These boundaries were in effect at the 1918 general election.

The Government of Ireland Act 1920 established the Parliament of Northern Ireland, which came into operation in 1921. The representation of Northern Ireland in the Parliament of the United Kingdom was reduced from 30 MPs to 13 MPs, taking effect at the 1922 United Kingdom general election. These changes saw a 4-seat Belfast South constituency in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and Belfast South re-established as a one-seat constituency at Westminster.

1885–1918	Cromac Ward (except so much as is comprised in the East division), St. George's Ward (except so much as is comprised in West division), and in the parish of Shankill, County of Antrim, the Townland of Malone Lower, and so much of the Townland of Malone Upper as is included in the parliamentary borough.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1922–1950	The divisions of Cromac (Cromac and Windsor wards) and Ormeau (Ormeau ward)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1950–1974	In the county borough of Belfast, the wards of Cromac, Ormeau and Windsor.<ref>First Schedule, Part IV (Northern Ireland), (b) Borough constituencies, Template:Cite web</ref>
1974–1983	In the county borough of Belfast, the wards of Cromac, Ormeau and Windsor; In the rural district of Lisburn, the electoral divisions of Ardmore, Dunmurry, Finaghy, and Upper Malone; and in the rural district of Hillsborough, the electoral divisions of Breda and Edenderry.<ref>Schedule, Part II (b) Borough constituencies, Template:Cite web</ref>
1983–1997	In Belfast, the wards of Ballynafeigh, Cromac, Donegall, Finaghy, Malone, Ormeau, Rosetta, St George's, Stranmillis, university, Upper Malone, Willowfield, and Windsor.<ref>Schedule, Part II (b) Borough constituencies, Template:Cite web</ref>
1997–2010	In Belfast, the wards of Ballynafeigh, Blackstaff, Botanic, Finaghy, Malone, Musgrave, Ravenhill, Rosetta, Shaftesbury, Stranmillis, Upper Malone, Windsor and Woodstock, and in Castlereagh, the wards of Beechill, Cairnshill, Galwally, Knockbracken, Minnowburn and Newtownbreda.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
2010–2024	In Belfast, the wards of Ballynafeigh, Blackstaff, Botanic, Finaghy, Malone, Musgrave, Ravenhill, Rosetta, Shaftesbury, Stranmillis, Upper Malone, Windsor and Woodstock and in Castlereagh, the wards of Beechill, Cairnshill, Carryduff East, Carryduff West, Galwally, Hillfoot, Knockbracken, Minnowburn, Newtownbreda and Wynchurch.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was proposed to be replaced by Belfast South and Mid Down.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref> The redrawn constituency contained 90.8% of the population of the former Belfast South.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This seat was first contested at the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

Members of Parliament

The Member of Parliament for Belfast South at the time of its abolition was Claire Hanna of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, who defeated Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party in the 2019 general election.

Election	Member	Party
1885	William Johnston	Template:Party name with colour
1886		Template:Party name with colour
1891		Template:Party name with colour
1902	Thomas Sloan	Template:Party name with colour
1910	James Chambers	Template:Party name with colour
1917	William Arthur Lindsay
1918	constituency abolished
1922	constituency recreated
1922	Thomas Moles	Template:Party name with colour
1929	William Stewart
1938		Template:Party name with colour
1945	Conolly Gage	Template:Party name with colour
1952	David Campbell
1963	Rafton Pounder
February 1974	Robert Bradford	Template:Party name with colour
1977		Template:Party name with colour
1982	Martin Smyth
2003		Template:Party name with colour
2004		Template:Party name with colour
2005	Alasdair McDonnell	Template:Party name with colour
2017	Emma Little-Pengelly	Template:Party name with colour
2019	Claire Hanna	Template:Party name with colour

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

Template:Election box begin Template:Election box winning candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box majority Template:Election box turnout Template:Election box registered electors Template:Election box gain with party link Template:Election box end This seat saw the largest SDLP vote share and the largest increase in vote share for the party at the 2019 general election. This came as Sinn Féin did not contest the seat. It also saw the only fall in vote share for Alliance.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Template:Election box begin Template:Election box winning candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box majority Template:Election box turnout Template:Election box registered electors Template:Election box gain with party link Template:Election box end

The SDLP won the lowest winning share of the vote in modern British history.

Elections in the 1990s

1997 Changes are compared to the 1992 notional results shown below. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box winning candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box majority Template:Election box end

Elections in the 1980s

Template:Election box begin Template:Election box winning candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box majority Template:Election box turnout Template:Election box registered electors Template:Election box hold with party link Template:Election box end Note: The by-election was caused by the decision of all Unionist MPs to resign their seats and seek re-election on a platform of opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box winning candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box majority Template:Election box turnout Template:Election box registered electors Template:Election box hold with party link Template:Election box end

Further reading

• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918 – 1949
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950 – 1970
• The Liberal Year Book For 1917, Liberal Publication Department
• The Constitutional Year Book For 1912, Conservative Central Office
• The Constitutional Year Book For 1894, Conservative Central Office

External links

• Politics Resources (Election results from 1922 onwards)
• Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)
• 2017 Election House of Commons Library 2017 Election report
• A Vision Of Britain Through Time (Constituency elector numbers)
• BBC News, Election 2005
• BBC News, Vote 2001
• Guardian Unlimited Politics
• Template:Rayment-hc
• Politicsresources.net – Official Web Site ✔ Template:Webarchive (Election results from 1951 to the present)
• Belfast South UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK