Ipswich () is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since July 2024 by Jack Abbott of the Labour Party.
Constituency profile The Ipswich constituency is located in Suffolk and covers most of the large town of Ipswich, excluding some outer suburbs. Ipswich is a historic town based around the Port of Ipswich, which dates back to the 7th century. Ipswich is an important commercial centre for the largely agricultural county of Suffolk, and is the county's largest town. The constituency contains the main campus of the University of Suffolk, which has around 14,000 students. The constituency has high levels of deprivation, particularly in the centre and west of the town. The north and east of the town have higher levels of wealth; the suburb of California is especially affluent. 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 of the constituency are young and have low levels of education and homeownership. Household income is below average. Few residents work in professional occupations and a high proportion work in healthcare. White people made up 83% of the population at the 2021 census, an identical figure to the country as a whole. Ipswich is the only place in Suffolk to be represented by Labour Party councillors at the county council. At the borough council, most seats in the constituency are also represented by the Labour Party except the more affluent eastern suburbs, which elected Conservatives. An estimated 57% of voters in Ipswich supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the nationwide figure of 52%.
History The constituency was created as Parliamentary Borough in the fourteenth century, returning two MPs to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and from 1801 to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The constituency's parliamentary representation was reduced to a single seat with one MP under the Representation of the People Act 1918. Prior to the 1983 general election, when north-western areas were transferred to the Central Suffolk constituency, the Parliamentary and Municipal/County Boroughs were the same
Before the Reform Act 1832, the franchise in Ipswich was in the hands of the Ipswich Corporation and the Freemen. Ipswich was seen as a partisan seat with active Blue (Tory inclined) and Yellow (Whig inclined) factions dominating elections for both Parliament and the corporation and comparatively rare split tickets of one Whig and one Tory being returned to Parliament, although the identification of the local parties with national parties could at times be very blurred. In the mid eighteenth century the constituency had an electorate of around 700, which was a middle sized borough by the standards of the time – and a reputation of a borough that was likely to offer stiff opposition to government favoured candidates.Page 82,Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
Ipswich is a marginal seat, having changed hands eleven times since its creation as a single-member constituency in 1918. It has generally been favourable to Labour Party candidates, who succeeded at every postwar general election since the end of World War II except 1970, February 1974, 1987, 2010, 2015 and 2019. It was traditionally won by either party by fairly small margins; however, from 1997 until being gained by the Conservative Party in 2010, Labour won the contests with safer margins, and after the Conservatives increased their majority in 2015, Labour regained the seat in 2017 only to lose it again in 2019 when the Conservative candidate got more than half the votes cast when there were more than two candidates for the first time since 1918. This was turned around in 2024 when Labour won the seat once again with a healthy majority of 16.8%
Ipswich was the only seat won by a Labour candidate at the 2017 general election from a total of seven seats in Suffolk, the others being retained by Conservatives and more rural in comparison to Ipswich. Martin's 2017 election victory was one of thirty net gains made by the Labour Party.
Boundaries
Historic
1918–1983
The County Borough of Ipswich.
1983–2010
The Borough of Ipswich wards of Bixley, Bridge, Chantry, Gainsborough, Priory Heath, Rushmere, St Clement's, St John's, St Margaret's, Sprites, Stoke Park, and Town.
Current (from 2010)
The Borough of Ipswich wards of Alexandra, Bixley, Bridge, Gainsborough, Gipping, Holywells, Priory Heath, Rushmere, St John's, St Margaret's, Sprites, Stoke Park, and Westgate. Following a revision of the Borough of Ipswich wards, the constituency gained a small area from Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.
The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.
The present-day constituency consists of the Borough of Ipswich, with the exception of the Castle Hill, Whitehouse and Whitton wards, which are included in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.
Members of Parliament Freemen belonging to the Ipswich Corporation were entitled to elect two burgesses to the Parliament of England from the fourteenth century which continued uninterrupted after the parliament united with Scotland and Ireland, only becoming a single member constituency in 1918.
MPs 1386–1660
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1380 William Master ? 1385 William Master ? 1386 Geoffrey Starling Robert Waleys 1388 (Feb) Geoffrey Starling Robert Waleys 1388 (Sep) John Arnold Robert Waleys 1390 (Jan) Geoffrey Starling Robert Hethe 1390 (Nov) 1391 Geoffrey Starling Robert Andrew 1393 ?Geoffrey Starling ?Robert Andrew 1394 John Arnold Henry Wall 1395 Geoffrey Starling William Master 1397 (Jan) John Arnold John Bernard 1397 (Sep) William Debenham John Bernard 1399 John Arnold John Lewe 1401 1402 Richard Church John Starling 1404 (Jan) 1404 (Oct) 1406 Robert Lucas John Starling 1407 John Felbrigg John Bernard 1410 John Rous James Andrew 1411 John BernardJohn Starling 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) James Andrew John Starling 1414 (Apr) 1414 (Nov) William Debenham I John Rous 1415 1416 (Mar) 1416 (Oct) 1417 William Debenham II James Andrew 1419 William Debenham II James Andrew 1420 John Knepping John Wood 1421 (May) William Debenham II James Andrew 1421 (Dec) Thomas Kempstone II William Weatherfeld 1449 Richard Felaw 1455 Sir Gilbert Debenham 1460-1462 Richard Felaw 1510 Thomas Hall William Spencer 1512 Thomas Baldry Edmund Daundy 1515 Thomas Baldry Edmund Daundy 1523 Humphrey Wingfield Thomas Rush 1529 Thomas Rush Thomas Hayward, died and replaced Nov 1534 by Thomas Alvard (1493-1535) 1536 ? 1539 Robert Daundy William Sabine 1542 Ralph Goodwin John Sparrow 1545 William Reynball Richard Smart 1547 John Gosnold John Smith alias Dyer 1553 (Mar) John Smith alias Dyer Richard Bryde alias Byrde 1553 (Oct) John Gosnold John Sulyard 1554 (Apr) Clement Heigham Thomas Poley 1554 (Nov)Ralph Goodwin John Smith alias Dyer 1555 John Sulyard Richard Smart 1558 William Wheatcroft, repl. Nov 1558 by Edmund Withypoll Philip Williams 1558/9 Thomas Seckford I Robert Barker 1562/3 Thomas Seckford I Edward Grimston 1571 Edward Grimston John More 1572 Thomas Seckford I Edward Grimston 1584 (Nov) Sir John Heigham John Barker 1586 (Oct) John Barker John Laney 1588 (Oct) John Barker William Smarte 1593 Robert Barker Zachariah Lok 1597 (Oct) Michael Stanhope Francis Bacon 1601 (Oct) Michael Stanhope Francis Bacon 1604 Sir Henry Glenham Sir Francis Bacon 1614 Robert SnellingWilliam Cage 1621 Robert Snelling William Cage 1624 Sir Robert Snelling William Cage 1625 Sir Robert Snelling William Cage 1628 William Cage Edmund Day 1629–1640No Parliaments convened 1640 (Apr) John Gurdon William Cage 1640 (Nov) John Gurdon William Cage 1645 John Gurdon Francis Bacon 1648 John Gurdon Francis Bacon 1653Not represented in Barebones Parliament 1654 Nathaniel BaconFrancis Bacon 1656 Nathaniel BaconFrancis Bacon 1659 Nathaniel BaconFrancis Bacon
MPs 1660–1832 ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party Apr 1660 Nathaniel Bacon Francis Bacon Oct 1660 Sir Frederick Cornwallis, Bt Apr 1661 John Sicklemore William Blois Nov 1670 John Wright Jan 1674 Gilbert Lindfield Dec 1680 Sir John Barker, Bt Tory Mar 1685 Sir Nicholas Bacon Tory Jan 1689 Sir Peyton Ventris Whig May 1689 Sir Charles Blois, Bt Tory Oct 1695 Charles Whitaker Whig Nov 1696 Richard Phillips Tory Jul 1698 Sir Samuel Barnardiston, Bt Whig Jan 1701 Joseph Martin Whig Sir Charles Duncombe Tory Dec 1701 Charles Whitaker Whig Richard Phillips Tory Jul 1702 John Bence Tory May 1705 Henry Poley Tory Nov 1707 William Churchill Whig May 1708 Sir William Barker, Bt Tory Sep 1713 William Thompson Whig Apr 1714 Richard Richardson Tory Orlando Bridgeman Tory Jan 1715 William Thompson Whig William Churchill Whig Dec 1717 Francis Negus Whig Jan 1730 Philip Broke Tory Jan 1733 William Wollaston Whig Apr 1734 Samuel Kent Whig May 1741 Edward Vernon Tory Dec 1757 Thomas Staunton Whig Nov 1759 George Montgomerie Whig Mar 1761 Francis Vernon Whig Mar 1768 William Wollaston Whig Whig Apr 1784 William Middleton Tory John Cator declared void Whig Jun 1784 Charles Crickitt Tory Jun 1790 Sir John D'Oyly Whig May 1796 Sir Andrew Hamond Tory Feb 1803 William Middleton Oct 1806 Richard Wilson Whig Robert Stopford Whig May 1807 Sir Home Riggs Popham Tory Robert Alexander Crickitt Tory Oct 1812 John Round Tory Jul 1818 William Newton Tory Apr 1820 William Haldimand Whig Thomas Barrett-Lennard Whig Jun 1826 Robert Torrens Whig Feb 1827 Robert Dundas Tory Charles Mackinnon Tory May 1831 James Morrison Whig Rigby Wason Whig
MPs 1832–1918 ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1832 James Morrison Whig Rigby Wason Whig 1835 Fitzroy Kelly Conservative Robert Christopher Conservative June 1835 James Morrison Whig Rigby Wason Whig 1837 Thomas Milner Gibson Conservative Henry Tufnell Whig Feb. 1838 Fitzroy Kelly Conservative July 1839 Sir Thomas John Cochrane Conservative 1841 Rigby Wason Whig George Rennie Whig June 1842 John Cuffe Conservative Thomas Gladstone Conservative August 1842 John Neilson Gladstone Conservative Sackville Lane-Fox Conservative 1847 John Cobbold Conservative Sir Hugh Adair, Bt Whig 1859 Liberal 1868 Henry Wyndham West Liberal 1874 John Cobbold Conservative James Redfoord Bulwer Conservative 1876 Thomas Cobbold Conservative 1880 Jesse Collings Liberal December 1883 Henry Wyndham West Liberal April 1886 Sir Charles Dalrymple, Bt Conservative Hugo Chatteris Conservative 1895 Sir Daniel Ford Goddard Liberal 1906 Felix Cobbold Liberal January 1910 Silvester Horne Liberal May 1914 John Ganzoni Conservative
During the period between 1835 and 1842 there were five elections and all were found to have been corrupt. After the 1835 election, Dundas and Kelly were unseated on the charge of bribery. After the 1837 election, Tufnell was unseated on a scrutiny. Gibson, who was elected in 1838, resigned. Cochrane was elected in 1839, after which a petition was presented complaining of gross bribery – it was not progressed because a general election was expected. After the 1841 election, Wason and Rennie were unseated, being declared guilty of bribery by their agents.
MPs 1918–present ElectionMemberParty 1918 John Ganzoni Coalition Conservative 1922 Conservative 1923 Robert Jackson Labour 1924 Sir John Ganzoni, Bt Conservative 1938 by-election Richard Stokes Labour 1957 by-election Dingle Foot Labour 1970 Ernle Money Conservative October 1974 Kenneth Weetch Labour 1987 Michael Irvine Conservative 1992 Jamie Cann Labour 2001 by-election Chris Mole Labour 2010 Ben Gummer Conservative 2017 Sandy Martin Labour 2019 Tom Hunt Conservative 2024 Jack Abbott Labour Co-op
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s