Manchester Rusholme is a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rusholme district of Manchester. It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system. Since 2024, it has been represented by the Labour Party's Afzal Khan, who was MP for Manchester Gorton from 2017 to 2024.
Constituency profile Manchester Rusholme is an urban constituency in Greater Manchester. It covers the areas of Manchester immediately to the south of the city centre, including Rusholme, Hulme, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Ardwick, Moss Side, Whalley Range, Fallowfield and part of Longsight. Manchester is a major city that grew from textile manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. The city has undergone strong economic development in the 21st century and is sometimes considered the United Kingdom's "second city".https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html , GaWC study. "Manchester is frequently lauded as the UK's 'second city' ... While the claim to the 'second city' title may stir debate, particularly among those from Birmingham, experts are in unanimous agreement that Manchester is forging ahead"
Manchester Rusholme is an inner-city constituency with dense terraced housing, and was home to much of the city's industry. It has a very large student population as the location of the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, which together have around 85,000 students. As a result, 29% of the constituency's population are between the ages of 18 and 24 compared to 8% nationally. There are high levels of deprivation here; Ardwick and Moss Side fall within the top 10% most-deprived areas in England. House prices are higher than the rest of North West England but lower than the national average.
In general, residents of Manchester Rusholme are very young and well-educated. Most are unmarried and few are homeowners. Household income is low, and a large proportion work in the health and education sectors. A high percentage of residents claim unemployment benefits and the child poverty rate is more than double the UK-wide figure.
The constituency is ethnically diverse. White people made up 41% of the population at the 2021 census. Asians were the largest ethnic minority group at 27%, mostly concentrated in Rusholme and Longsight, with Pakistanis being the largest Asian group. Black people were 18% and made up around half the population in Moss Side. There is also a large Arab community.
At the local city council, all seats in Manchester Rusholme are represented by the Green Party and the Labour Party. Voters overwhelmingly supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 71% voted to remain compared to the nationwide figure of 48%.
History
The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act for the 1918 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election. Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election. At the 2024 election, this seat had the lowest turnout out of all constituencies in the UK, at just 40%.
Boundaries
1918–1950 The constituency was created as Manchester, Rusholme Division, by the Representation of the People Act 1918, and was defined as consisting of three wards of the county borough of Manchester, namely Levenshulme, Longsight and Rusholme.Ninth Schedule, Part I: Parliamentary Boroughs, 1918 c.64 sch.9
The division consisted of areas that had been included with Manchester's municipal boundaries in 1890 and 1909.F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.II: Northern England, London, 1991 Since the previous redistribution of seats in 1885, they had formed part of the Stretford Division of Lancashire.
The seat was abolished by the Representation of the People Act 1948, with its area being redistributed between Manchester Ardwick (Longsight), Manchester Gorton (Levenshulme) and Manchester Withington (Rusholme) borough constituencies.First Schedule: Parliamentary Constituencies, 1948 c.65 sch.1
Current Further to the 2023 boundary review, the re-established seat is composed of the following City of Manchester wards from the 2024 general election (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
Ardwick, Fallowfield, Hulme, Moss Side, Rusholme and Whalley Range,
It comprises approximately equal parts transferred from Manchester Central (Ardwick, Hulme and Moss Side) and the abolished constituency of Manchester Gorton (Fallowfield, Rusholme and Whalley Range). Remaining parts of Manchester Gorton were included in the new constituency of Gorton and Denton.
Members of Parliament
ElectionMember Party 1918 Robert Burdon Stoker 1919 John Henry Thorpe 1923 Charles Masterman 1924 Sir Boyd Merriman 1933 Edmund Ashworth Radford 1944 Frederick Cundiff 1945 Lester Hutchinson 1949 1950 constituency abolished, replaced with 2024 constituency re-established Afzal Khan
Election results
Elections in the 2020s
Manchester Rusholme is one of only two constituencies in England or Wales where the Liberal Democrats did not stand a candidate (the other being Chorley, by convention to not stand against the Speaker). This was due to the nomination paper being rejected after the close of nominations. It also had the lowest turnout in the country at just 40% of registered electors voting in 2024.
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional result Party Vote % Labour 31,554 78.6 Conservative 3,653 9.1 Green 1,709 4.3 Brexit Party 1,621 4.0 Liberal Democrats 1,612 4.0Turnout40,14956.8Electorate70,692
Elections in the 1940s
General Election 1940: Another election was due to take place by 1940 but did not take place due to the outbreak of war. The following candidates had already been selected to fight this election: Conservative: Edmund Ashworth Radford Labour: Lester Hutchinson Liberal: Hilda BuckmasterThe Liberal Magazine 1939
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
References
External links
Manchester Rusholme UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK