Great Yarmouth is a constituency in Norfolk represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Rupert Lowe. Elected for Reform UK, Lowe had the whip suspended in March 2025 following allegations of bullying and threats of physical violence against Reform UK party chairman Zia Yusuf. He currently sits as the sole MP for Restore Britain.
The constituency covers the area in and around Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. Despite its rural area, there is a substantial amount of industry in the constituency.
Constituency profile Great Yarmouth is a coastal constituency located in Norfolk and is coterminous with the local government borough of the same name. The constituency lies on land bounded between the North Sea and the wetlands of the Broads National Park. It covers the connected towns of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea and the villages of Caister-on-Sea, Belton, Hemsby and Martham. Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea are seaside resort towns which have also been centres for the fishing and natural gas industries. The area is popular with tourists and contains several holiday caravan parks. The two towns have high levels of deprivation, with many parts falling within the 10% most-deprived areas in England. The surrounding villages are comparatively wealthier. House prices in the constituency are lower than the national average and considerably lower than the rest of the East of England.
In general, residents are older and have very low levels of education, income and professional employment compared to the rest of the country. White people made up 95% of the population at the 2021 census. At the local council level, the central parts of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea are represented by the Labour Party whilst the suburbs and villages mostly elected Conservatives. Voters in the constituency overwhelmingly supported leaving the European Union; an estimated 72% voted in favour of Brexit, making it one of the top 10 most Brexit-supporting constituencies out of 650 nationwide.
From 1979 to 2019 the constituency was a bellwether in general elections as it always voted in an MP for the party forming the Government.
History The Parliamentary Borough of Great Yarmouth had been represented by two members of parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801. The borough was unaffected by the Great Reform Act 1832, but it was disenfranchised for corruption by the Reform Act 1867, when its voters were absorbed into the North Division of the Parliamentary County of Norfolk.
The seat was re-established as a single-member Borough by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and remained unchanged until the Representation of the People Act 1948, which came into effect for the 1950 general election. This abolished the Parliamentary Borough and replaced it with the County Constituency of Yarmouth, which incorporated the County Borough and surrounding rural areas.
Further to the local government reorganisation of 1974, which was reflected in the redistribution of seats which came into effect for the 1983 general election, the constituency was formally renamed Great Yarmouth and its boundaries coincided with those of the local authority of the Borough of Great Yarmouth. It has remained unchanged since then.
Boundaries and boundary changes
Historic
1885–1918 The Municipal Borough of Great Yarmouth, including the parish of Gorleston, and part of the parish of Runham.
1918–1950 The County Borough of Great Yarmouth.
1950–1974 The County Borough of Great Yarmouth; and The Rural District of Blofield and Flegg except the civil parishes of Great and Little Plumstead, Postwick, and Thorpe-next-Norwich (later renamed Thorpe St Andrew).
The parts of the Rural District of Blofield and Flegg had previously been included in the abolished Eastern Division of Norfolk.
1974–1983 The County Borough of Great Yarmouth; and the Rural District of Blofield and Flegg. The remaining parishes of the Rural District of Blofield and Flegg were transferred from the abolished constituency of Central Norfolk.
Current (from 1983) The Borough of Great Yarmouth.
Thorpe St Andrew was transferred to Norwich North and remaining western parts to the new constituency of Mid Norfolk. Gained a small area from the abolished Suffolk constituency of Lowestoft, including Bradwell, which had been transferred to Norfolk as a result of the local government reorganisation of 1974, as laid out in the Local Government Act 1972.
The boundaries were unchanged by the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies.
Members of Parliament Great Yarmouth borough Great Yarmouth was a 2-seat constituency until 1868 when it was disenfranchised. It was recreated for the 1885 general election as a single-seat constituency.
MPs 1295–1640
YearFirst memberSecond member1309 Nicholas Fastolf 1314Nicholas Fastolf 1321 John Perbroun 1324 John Perbroun 1361 Hugh Fastolf 1366 Hugh Fastolf 1373 Hugh Fastolf 1377 (January) Hugh Fastolf 1377 (October) Hugh Fastolf 1385 Ralph Ramsey 1386 Ralph Ramsey John Beketon 1388 (February) Ralph Ramsey John Ellis 1388 (September) Ralph Ramsey John Hacon 1390 (January)Ralph Ramsey John Ellis 1390 (November) 1391 Ralph Ramsey John Hacon 1393 John Hacon John Ellis 1394 1395 Ralph Ramsey Hugh Fenn 1397 (January) Richard Cley Hugh Fenn 1397 (September) Ralph Ramsey William Oxney 1399 John Beketon Hugh Fenn 1401 1402 1404 (January) Roger Adams Geoffrey Pamping 1404 (October) 1406 Robert Ellis Henry Rafman 1407 Robert Clere Peter atte Fenn 1410 William Parker Alexander atte Gapp 1411 Nicholas Cates Peter Atte Fenn 1413 (February) 1413 (May) William Oxney Alexander atte Gapp 1414 (April) 1414 (November) Geoffrey Pamping Robert Ellis 1415 1416 (March) 1416 (October) 1417 Henry S[pitling] Richard [?Ellis] 1419 William Colkirk John Cranley 1420 Thomas Dengaine Robert Ellis 1421 (May) Thomas Covehithe Robert Ellis 1421 (December) Richard Ellis Robert Cupper 1455 Richard Southwell 1478 John Paston 1491 Robert Crowmer 1504 Thomas More 1510–1523No names known 1529 Humphrey Wingfield John Ladde, died and replaced 1353 or 1354 by Philip Bernard 1536 ?? 1539 ?? 1542 Sir Humphrey Wingfield William Burgh 1545 Sir William Woodhouse Robert Eyre 1547 Sir William Woodhouse Robert Eyre 1553 (March) Sir William Woodhouse Nicholas Firmage 1553 (October) Robert Eyre Simon More 1554 (April) William Bishop John Echard 1554 (November) Thomas Hunt William Mayhew 1555 Nicholas Fen Cornelius Bright 1558 Sir Thomas Woodhouse William Barker 1558–59 Sir Thomas Woodhouse William Barker 1562 William Grice Thomas Timperley 1571 William Barker William Grice 1572 William Grice John Bacon, died and replaced Feb 1576 by Edward Bacon 1584 William Grice Thomas Damet 1586 William Grice Thomas Damet 1588 John Stubbe or Stubbs Roger Drury 1593 Thomas Damet John Felton 1597 Henry Hobart John Felton 1601 Henry Hobart Thomas Damet 1604–1611 Thomas Damet John Wheeler 1614 Theophilus Finch George Hardware 1621–1622 Benjamin Cooper Edward Owner 1624 Benjamin Cooper George Hardware 1625 Sir John Corbet Edward Owner 1626 Sir John Corbet Thomas Johnson 1628 Sir John Corbet Sir John Wentworth 1629–1640 No Parliaments convened
MPs 1640–1868 ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640 Miles CorbetParliamentarian Edward OwnerParliamentarianNovember 1640December 1648Owner not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge1653Great Yarmouth was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament1654Colonel William GoffeThomas Dunn1656Charles George CookWilliam BurtonJanuary 1659May 1659Great Yarmouth was unrepresented in the restored RumpApril 1660 Sir John Potts Sir William D'Oyly 1661 Sir William Coventry 1678 Sir Thomas Medowe February 1679 Richard Huntington August 1679 George England 1681 Sir James Johnson 1685 Sir William Cook John Friend Tory 1689 George England Samuel Fuller 1698 John Nicholson January 1701 Samuel Fuller November 1701 John Burton John Nicholson 1702 Benjamin England 1708 Roger Townshend Richard Ferrier Tory 1709 Nathaniel Symonds 1710 George England 1715 Horatio Townshend 1722 Hon. Charles Townshend Horatio Walpole 1723 William Townshend 1734 (Sir) Edward WalpoleKnighted (KB), 1753 1738 Roger Townshend Patriot Whig 1747 Hon. Charles Townshend 1756 Charles Townshend 1768 Hon. Richard Walpole 1784 Captain Sir John JervisRear-Admiral from 1787 Henry Beaufoy 1790 Charles Townshend 1795 Brigadier Stephens Howe ToryMay 1796 Lord Charles Townshend killed by brother, 1796 ToryOctober 1796 Major-General William Loftus Tory Henry Jodrell Tory 1802 Captain Sir Thomas TroubridgeRear-Admiral from 1804 Thomas Jervis 1806 Hon. Edward Harbord Tory Dr Stephen Lushington Tory 1808 Giffin Wilson Whig 1812 William Loftus Tory Edmund Lacon Tory 1818 Thomas Anson Whig Charles Rumbold Whig 1819 Hon. George Anson Whig 1835 Thomas Baring Conservative W. Mackworth Praed Conservative 1837 Charles Rumbold Whig William Wilshere Whig 1847 The result of the 1847 election was declared void on petition, and a by-election was held Lord Arthur Lennox Conservative Octavius Coope Conservative 1848 Joseph Sandars Conservative Charles Rumbold Whig 1852 Sir Edmund Lacon ConservativeMarch 1857The result of the 1857 election was declared void on petition, and writ for a by-election was issued. No by-election was necessary as only two candidates were nominated, and they were returned unopposed. William McCullagh Independent Whig Edward Watkin RadicalAugust 1857 Adolphus William Young Whig John Mellor Whig 1859 Sir Edmund Lacon, Bt Conservative Sir Henry Stracey, Bt Conservative 1865 James Goodson Conservative1868 Constituency disfranchised for corruption
MPs 1885–1950 1885: Constituency revived, electing only a single member
ElectionMemberParty 1885 Sir Henry Tyler Conservative 1892 James Marshall Moorsom Liberal 1895 Sir John Colomb Conservative 1906 (Sir) Arthur Fell Conservative 1922 Arthur Harbord Liberal 1924 Sir Frank Meyer Conservative 1929 Sir Arthur Harbord Liberal 1931 Liberal National 1941 by-election Percy Jewson Liberal National 1945 Ernest Kinghorn Labour1950 Great Yarmouth borough abolished:new county constituency named Yarmouth
Yarmouth County Constituency MPs 1950–1974 ElectionMemberParty 1950 Ernest Kinghorn Labour 1951 Anthony Fell Conservative 1966 Hugh Gray Labour 1970 Anthony Fell Conservative1983 Constituency renamed Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth County Constituency MPs since 1983 ElectionMemberParty 1983 Michael Carttiss Conservative 1997 Tony Wright Labour 2010 Sir Brandon Lewis Conservative2024Rupert LoweReform UK20252026
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Election in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
* Wilson – who stood as a 'Patriotic Trade Unionist's and Seamen's' candidate – supported the Coalition Government and was supported by the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union. He claimed to have been adopted by both the Liberal Party and National Democratic and Labour Party, but only appeared on the former's official list. ** Dawson initially was endorsed by the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers who then repudiated him.
Election results 1885–1918 Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; Unionist: Arthur Fell Liberal:
Election results 1832–1868 Elections in the 1830s
Wilshere resigned, causing a by-election.