Berwick-upon-Tweed () is a parliamentary constituency in Northumberland represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a Conservative.
It was a parliamentary borough in the county of Northumberland of the House of Commons of England from 1512 to 1706, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by the bloc vote system.
It has been a county constituency since 1885, electing one MP under the first-past-the-post system.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be expanded to include the town of Morpeth from the (to be abolished) constituency of Wansbeck. Accordingly, it will renamed North Northumberland.
Profile
The constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed is in the county of Northumberland. It includes as its northernmost point the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed and stretches south to include the towns of Alnwick and Amble — the Northumberland coast forms its long eastern boundary. Its length is roughly 50 miles (80 km) and its area is 2,310 square kilometres.
Predominantly rural in character, this constituency is the most northerly in England and is relatively sparsely populated.
History
Berwick had been intermittently represented in Scottish Parliaments but it is thought that it was first enfranchised as an English borough between 1491 and 1512.
It was unaffected by the Reform Act 1832 and continued to elect two MPs until it was abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. The 1885 Act re-constituted the constituency as one of four divisions of Northumberland, each electing one MP.
Boundaries
1832–1885
The contents of the parliamentary borough, as defined by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, were:The Parish of Berwick, and the Respective Townships of Tweedmouth and Spittal.
1885–1918
The contents of the county division, as defined by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, were:The Sessional Divisions of Bamburgh, Coquetdale East (part), Coquetdale North, Glendale, and Norhamshire and Islandshire; and the Municipal Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
1918–1950
the Municipal Borough of Berwick upon Tweed
the Urban Districts of Alnwick, Amble and Rothbury
the Rural Districts of Alnwick, Belford, Glendale, Norham and Islandshires, and Rothbury.
Gained small areas to south from Wansbeck (Amble) and Hexham (Rothbury).
1950–1983
the Municipal Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed; the Urban Districts of Alnwick and Amble; the Rural Districts of Alnwick, Belford, Glendale, Norham and Islandshires, and Rothbury.
No change (the Urban District of Rothbury had been absorbed into the Rural District).
1983–present
the District of Alnwick
the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed
in the Borough of Castle Morpeth, the wards of Chevington, Ellington, Hartburn, Longhorsley, Lynemouth and Ulgham.
Contents changed following reorganisation of local authorities in 1974. The seat was expanded southwards, adding the (rural) wards in Castle Morpeth Borough, previously part of the abolished constituency of Morpeth.
2007 boundary review
In the fifth periodic boundary review of parliamentary representation in Northumberland, which came into effect for the 2010 general election, the contents of the existing Berwick constituency were unchanged and the Boundary Commission for England made only minor changes to take account of ward boundary changes. A proposal to rename the historic seat "Berwick-upon-Tweed and Mid Northumberland" was rejected: whilst it is geographically accurate, it was thought unwieldy.
In 2009, a further government reorganisation resulted in the abolition of all local government boroughs and districts in Northumberland and the establishment of the county as a unitary authority. However, this has not affected the current constituency boundaries.
Political history
Rural in nature, sparse of population and with agriculture as a major source of employment, Berwick-upon-Tweed has never elected a Labour candidate, one of two constituencies in the north east of England not to have done so. The closest Labour have ever come to winning the seat was at the 1966 general election, where they finished just 4,373 votes behind incumbent Conservative MP Antony Lambton.