Northern Ireland is divided into 18 parliamentary constituencies: 4 borough constituencies in Belfast and 14 county constituencies elsewhere. Section 33 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 provides that the constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly are the same as the constituencies that are used for the United Kingdom Parliament.[1] Parliamentary constituencies are not used for local government, which is instead carried out by 11 district councils; these often have different boundaries.
Each constituency returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons at Westminster and five Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the devolved Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont. Six MLAs were returned per constituency until the Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 reduced the number to five, effective from the 2017 Assembly election.[2]
Democratic Unionist Sinn Féin Social Democratic and Labour Ulster Unionist Alliance Party
Name[nb 1] | Electorate[3] | Majority[nb 2] | Member of Parliament | Unionist % | Nationalist % | Other % | Map | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belfast East BC | 66,245 | 1,819 | Gavin Robinson | 55.1 | 0.0 | 44.9 | ||
Belfast North BC | 72,225 | 1,943 | John Finucane | 43.1 | 47.1 | 9.8 | ||
Belfast South BC | 69,984 | 15,401 | Claire Hanna | 27.2 | 58.4 | 14.3 | ||
Belfast West BC | 65,644 | 14,672 | Paul Maskey | 13.5 | 65.7 | 20.9 | ||
East Antrim CC | 64,830 | 6,706 | Sammy Wilson | 62.8 | 8.1 | 29.1 | ||
East Londonderry CC | 69,246 | 9,607 | Gregory Campbell | 49.3 | 35.7 | 15.1 | ||
Fermanagh & South Tyrone CC | 72,848 | 57 | Michelle Gildernew | 43.2 | 50.1 | 6.3 | ||
Foyle CC | 74,346 | 17,110 | Colum Eastwood | 12.4 | 82.0 | 5.5 | ||
Lagan Valley CC | 75,735 | 6,499 | Jeffrey Donaldson | 64.9 | 6.3 | 28.8 | ||
Mid Ulster CC | 70,449 | 9,537 | Francie Molloy | 30.4 | 60.2 | 9.4 | ||
Newry & Armagh CC | 81,226 | 9,287 | Mickey Brady | 30.0 | 61.8 | 8.3 | ||
North Antrim CC | 77,134 | 12,721 | Ian Paisley, Jr. | 65.9 | 19.5 | 14.7 | ||
North Down CC | 67,099 | 2,968 | Stephen Farry | 45.2 | 0.0 | 54.8 | ||
South Antrim CC | 71,711 | 2,689 | Paul Girvan | 64.3 | 16.7 | 19.1 | ||
South Down CC | 79,175 | 1,620 | Chris Hazzard | 21.9 | 64.1 | 13.9 | ||
Strangford CC | 66,928 | 7,071 | Jim Shannon | 62.6 | 6.8 | 30.5 | ||
Upper Bann CC | 82,887 | 8,210 | Carla Lockhart | 53.4 | 33.8 | 12.9 | ||
West Tyrone CC | 66,259 | 7,478 | Órfhlaith Begley | 28.7 | 60.4 | 11.0 |
Data from the BBC Election Website. For full official results see the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland.
Where a cell is marked → (with a different colour of frame to the preceding cell) it indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party affiliation. Changes are dated in the header row: either a general election (four-figure year, bold, link) or by-election or change in affiliation (two-figure year, italic, link or details appear on hover).
Constituency | 1801 | 1802 | 1806 | 07 | 1807 | 1812 | 14 | 16 | 1818 | 19 | 1820 | 22 | 1826 | 1830 | 1831 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim | Staples | O'Neill | |||||||||||||
MacNaghten | F. Seymour-Conway | H. H. Seymour | R. Seymour-Conway | MacNaghten | G. Chichester | → | |||||||||
Belfast | J. May | S. May | Michel | A. Chichester | G. Chichester | A. Chichester | |||||||||
Carrickfergus | Dalway | S. Chichester | Craig | A. Chichester | G. Chichester | A. Chichester | Hill | ||||||||
Lisburn | Hatton | F. Seymour-Conway | Moore | Foster | H. B. Seymour | Meynell |
Constituency | 1801 | 01 | 1802 | 1806 | 07 | 1807 | 09 | 1812 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 1818 | 1820 | 23 | 1826 | 1830 | 1831 | 31 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coleraine | W. Jones | * | W. Jones | J. Beresford | G. Beresford | J. Beresford | Brydges | Copeland | ||||||||||
Londonderry City | Alexander | Hill* | Ferguson | |||||||||||||||
County Londonderry | C. Stewart | A. Stewart | A. R. Stewart | T. Jones | ||||||||||||||
vacant | Hill | G. Beresford | Ponsonby | Dawson | Bateson |
* Sir George Hill, 2nd Baronet, was elected to sit as MP for both Coleraine and Londonderry City in the 1806 general election and chose to continue to sit for Londonderry City, hence the 1807 by-election, in which Walter Jones was restored to his seat.
Constituency | 1801 | 01 | 02 | 1802 | 03 | 1806 | 07 | 1807 | 09 | 1812 | 1818 | 1820 | 25 | 1826 | 1830 | 1831 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dungannon | J. Knox | C. Hamilton | * | C. Hamilton | * | J. Hamilton | Cl. Hamilton | Scott | Holford | T. Knox jnr | J. J. Knox | |||||
Tyrone | Lowry-Corry | John Stewart | T. Knox snr | John Stewart | H. Lowry-Corry | |||||||||||
James Stewart | T. Knox jnr | W. Stewart | H. Stewart |
* At both the 1802 and 1806 elections, George Knox was returned for both Dungannon and Dublin University and chose to sit for the university seat.
Constituency | 1801 | 1802 | 1806 | 1807 | 1812 | 15 | 16 | 1818 | 19 | 1820 | 1826 | 1830 | 1831 | 31 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Armagh | Duigenan | Webber | Foster | Stuart | Goulburn | Chetwynd-Talbot | Brydges | |||||||
County Armagh | Acheson snr | Richardson | Caulfeild | Acheson jnr | ||||||||||
Cope | Caulfeild | W Brownlow | Caulfeild | C Brownlow* | ||||||||||
Newry | Moore | Corry | F Needham | FJ Needham | Knox |
* Charles Brownlow was initially elected as a Tory but at some point changed his affiliation to sit with the Whigs.
Constituency | 1801 | 01 | 1802 | 05 | 1806 | 1807 | 12 | 1812 | 15 | 17 | 1818 | 1820 | 21 | 1826 | 1830 | 1831 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Down | R Stewart | Meade | Hill | |||||||||||||
Savage | Ward | R Stewart | Forde | F Stewart | ||||||||||||
Downpatrick | C Rowley | SC Rowley | Hawthorne | Ruthven* | Croker | Hawthorne | Annesley | Maxwell | Ruthven |
* The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith suggests that after the 1806 election there was a petition, which led to Edward Southwell Ruthven (Whig) being unseated and John Wilson Croker (Tory) being declared duly elected. Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922, edited by BM Walker, does not make any reference to such a petition.
Constituency | 1801 | 1802 | 02 | 03 | 06 | 06 | 1806 | 07 | 1807 | 1812 | 1818 | 1820 | 23 | 1826 | 28 | 1830 | 1831 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enniskillen | Hamilton | Beresford | Burroughs | King | Fremantle | Sneyd | Bennet | Pochin | Magenis | AH Cole | |||||||
Fermanagh | Archdall snr | Archdall jnr | |||||||||||||||
JW Cole | GL Cole | Lowry-Corry | WW Cole |
Conservative Whig Peelite Liberal
Constituency | 1832 | 1835 | 35 | 1837 | 38 | 41 | 1841 | 45 | 45 | 1847 | 52 | 1852 | 52 | 53 | 1857 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim | J. O'Neill | Alexander | E. Pakenham | ||||||||||||
G. Chichester | Irving | H. B. Seymour | E. C. Macnaghten | Macartney | |||||||||||
Belfast | A. Chichester | McCance | Dunbar | Gibson | J. Tennent | R. Tennent | Davison | ||||||||
J. Tennent | → | G. Chichester | Dunbar | Johnson | A. Chichester | → | Cairns | ||||||||
Carrickfergus | C. Dobbs | Kirk | Stapleton-Cotton | W. Dobbs | |||||||||||
Lisburn | Meynell | H. B. Seymour | J. Tennent | Smyth | Richardson |
Constituency | 1859 | 60 | 63 | 63 | 1865 | 66 | 1868 | 69 | 73 | 1874 | 78 | 1880 | 85 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim | T. Pakenham | G. H. Seymour | H. Seymour | Chaine | Sinclair | ||||||||
Upton | E. O'Neill | E. MacNaghten | |||||||||||
Belfast | Davison | Getty | Johnston | Ewart | |||||||||
Cairns | Lanyon | McClure | Corry | ||||||||||
Carrickfergus | Torrens | Dalway | Greer | ||||||||||
Lisburn | Richardson | Barbour | Verner | Wallace |
Constituency | 1832 | 33 | 1835 | 1837 | 1841 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 1847 | 52 | 1852 | 1857 | 57 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coleraine | Beresford* | Copeland | Litton | Boyd | Naas | Boyd | |||||||
Londonderry City | Ferguson | ||||||||||||
County Londonderry | Jones | Greer | |||||||||||
R. Bateson | R. Bateson jnr | T. Bateson | Clark |
Constituency | 1859 | 60 | 62 | 1865 | 1868 | 72 | 1874 | 78 | 1880 | 81 | 84 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coleraine | Boyd | Bruce | Taylor | Bruce | ||||||||
Londonderry City | Ferguson | McCormick | Hamilton | Dowse | Lewis | |||||||
County Londonderry | Dawson | Smyth | McClure | |||||||||
Heygate | Law | Porter | Walker |
*unseated on petition
Constituency | 1832 | 1835 | 1837 | 38 | 39 | 1841 | 1847 | 51 | 1852 | 1857 | 1859 | 1865 | 1868 | 73 | 1874 | 1880 | 80 | 81 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dungannon | J. Knox | T. Knox | T. Knox jnr | W. Knox | T. Dickson | J. Dickson | ||||||||||||
Tyrone | H. T. Lowry Corry | → | → | H. W. Lowry Corry | Litton | T. Dickson | ||||||||||||
Stewart | Hamilton | Alexander | Hamilton | → | → | Ellison-Macartney |
Conservative Whig Peelite Liberal
Constituency | 1832 | 1835 | 1837 | 40 | 1841 | 1847 | 51 | 1852 | 55 | 1857 | 1859 | 64 | 1865 | 67 | 1868 | 71 | 73 | 1874 | 75 | 1880 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Armagh | Dobbin | Curry | Rawdon | Moore | Bond | Miller | Bond | Miller | Vance | Beresford | ||||||||||
County Armagh | Acheson | Caulfeild | Close | Stronge | Close | |||||||||||||||
Verner | W. Verner jnr | E. Verner | Richardson | |||||||||||||||||
Newry | Hill | Brady | Ellis | F. J. Needham | → | Hallewell | Kirk | Quinn | Innes | Kirk | F. C. Needham | Whitworth | Thomson |
Conservative Whig Peelite Liberal
Constituency | 1832 | 1835 | 36 | 1837 | 1841 | 45 | 1847 | 51 | 1852 | 1857 | 1859 | 1865 | 67 | 1868 | 1874 | 78 | 1880 | 84 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Down | A. M. Hill | A. W. B. Hill | Hill-Trevor | A. W. Hill | ||||||||||||||
Stewart | D. S. Ker | Forde | Crawford | Vane-Tempest-Stewart | R. W. Ker | |||||||||||||
Downpatrick | Maxwell | D. Ker | D. S. Ker | R. Ker | Hardinge | R. Ker | D. S. Ker | Keown | Mulholland |
Constituency | 1832 | 34 | 1835 | 1837 | 40 | 1841 | 44 | 1847 | 51 | 1852 | 54 | 1857 | 59 | 1859 | 1865 | 1868 | 1874 | 1880 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enniskillen | A. Cole | H. Cole | Whiteside | J. Cole | Crichton | L. Cole | ||||||||||||
Fermanagh | Archdall | M. Archdale | W. Archdale | |||||||||||||||
W. Cole | Brooke | H. Cole | Crichton |
Conservative Party Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Russellite Unionist Independent Unionist
Conservative Party Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Irish Parliamentary Party (1885-90, 1900-22) / Irish National League (1890-1900) Irish National Federation Healyite Nationalist Nationalist Party
Constituency | 1885 | 86 | 1886 | 91 | 1892 | 1895 | 00 | 1900 | 1906 | 06 | 09 | Jan 1910 | Dec 1910 | 17 | 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mid Armagh | McKane | Corry | → | Barton | Lonsdale | Lonsdale | |||||||||
North Armagh | Saunderson | → | Moore | Allen | |||||||||||
South Armagh | Blane | McHugh | J. Campbell | McKillop | O'Neill | Donnelly |
Conservative Party Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Independent Unionist Liberal Unionist Irish Parliamentary Party (1885-90, 1900-22) / Irish National League (1890-1900) Irish National Federation Nationalist Party Labour Unionist
Conservative Party Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Russellite Unionist Irish Parliamentary Party (1885-90, 1900-22) / Irish National League (1890-1900) Irish National Federation Nationalist Party
Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Russellite Unionist Irish Parliamentary Party (1885-90, 1900-22) / Irish National League (1890-1900) Irish National Federation
Constituency | 1885 | 1886 | 1892 | 1895 | 98 | 1900 | 03 | 1906 | Jan 1910 | Dec 1910 | 16 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Fermanagh | Redmond | Dane | Archdale | Mitchell | Fetherstonhaugh | Archdale | |||||
South Fermanagh | H. Campbell | McGilligan | Jordan | → | Crumley |
Conservative Party Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Liberal Unionist Liberal Party Irish Parliamentary Party (1885-90, 1900-22) / Irish National League (1890-1900) Irish National Federation
Constituency | 1885 | 1886 | 1892 | 1895 | 99 | 1900 | 1906 | Jan 1910 | Dec 1910 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Londonderry City | Lewis | J. McCarthy | Ross | Knox | Moore | Hamilton | Hogg | Dougherty | |||||
North Londonderry | Mulholland | Atkinson | Barrie | ||||||||||
South Londonderry | Healy | Lea | Gordon | → | Henry |
Conservative Party Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Russellite Unionist Liberal Unionist Liberal Party Irish Parliamentary Party (1885-90, 1900-22) / Irish National League (1890-1900) Irish National Federation Nationalist Party
Constituency | 1885 | 1886 | 90 | 91 | 1892 | 1895 | 1900 | 02 | 1906 | 06 | 07 | Jan 1910 | Dec 1910 | 11 | 16 | 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Tyrone | Reynolds | → | Doogan | → | Kettle | Redmond | Harbison | |||||||||
Mid Tyrone | Kenny | → | Murnaghan | → | Brunskill | McGhee | ||||||||||
North Tyrone | E. Hamilton | F. Hamilton | Hemphill | Dodd | Barry | Russell | ||||||||||
South Tyrone | O'Brien | Russell | → | → | Horner | Coote |
Irish Unionist then Ulster Unionist Independent Unionist Labour Unionist Sinn Féin
Ulster Unionist Ulster Progressive Unionist Independent Unionist New Party Northern Ireland Labour Independent Labour Federation of Labour Irish Labour Nationalist Party
Constituency | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 29 | 1929 | 31 | 1931 | 34 | 1935 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 43 | 43 | 1945 | 46 | 48 | 49 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim (Two members) |
Craig | McConnell | Campbell | Haughton | ||||||||||||||
O'Neill | ||||||||||||||||||
Armagh | Allen | Harden | ||||||||||||||||
Belfast East | Dixon | Harland | Cole | |||||||||||||||
Belfast North | McConnell | Somerset | Neill | |||||||||||||||
Belfast South | Moles | Stewart | → | Gage | ||||||||||||||
Belfast West | Lynn | Allen | → | Browne | Beattie | → | → | → | ||||||||||
Down (Two members) |
Reid | Little | → | Mullan | ||||||||||||||
Simms | Vane-Tempest-Stewart | Smiles | ||||||||||||||||
Fermanagh and Tyrone (Two members) |
Harbison | Pringle | Harbison | Healy | Cunningham | |||||||||||||
Healy | Falls | Devlin | Stewart | Mulvey | ||||||||||||||
Londonderry | Macnaghten | Ross | ||||||||||||||||
Queen's University of Belfast | Whitla | Sinclair | Savory |
Periodic boundary reviews commenced in 1947.[4][5] The elections at which these were implemented are tagged with diamond suit characters, ♦.
The 1st Periodic Review boundary map can be viewed on the ARK elections website. Changes in the 2nd review were relatively minor.[6]
Unionist parties |
Ulster Unionist Protestant Unionist (pre-1971) / Democratic Unionist (post-1971) Vanguard Unionist / United Ulster Unionist (Mid Ulster, 1975-83) Conservative Party Independent Unionist Ulster Popular Unionist |
---|---|
Nationalist parties |
Independent Republican Unity Nationalist Party Anti H-Block (pre-1982) / Sinn Féin (post-1982) Republican Labour Social Democratic and Labour |
Other |
Constituency | 1950 ♦ | 51 | 1951 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 1955 | 57 | 59 | 1959 | 63 | 1964 | 1966 | 69 | 1970 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | Feb 1974 ♦ | Oct 1974 | 75 | 77 | 78 | 1979 | 80 | 81 | 81 | 82 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antrim N | H. O'Neill | P. O'Neill | Clark | Paisley | → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Antrim S | Savory | Cunningham | Molyneaux | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Armagh | Harden | Armstrong | Maginnis | McCusker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Belfast E | McKibbin | McMaster | Craig | → | Robinson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Belfast N | Hyde | Mills | → | → | Carson | McQuade | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Belfast S | Gage | Campbell | Pounder | Bradford | → | Smyth | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Belfast W | Teevan3 | Beattie | McLaughlin | Kilfedder | Fitt | → | → | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Down N | Smiles | Ford | Currie | Kilfedder | → | → | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Down S | Orr | Powell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferm. & S Tyr. | Healy | Grosvenor1 | Hamilton | McManus | West | Maguire | Sands | Carron | → | ||||||||||||||||||||
Londonderry | Ross | Wellwood | Chichester-Clark | Ross | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mid Ulster | Mulvey | O'Neill | Forrest2 | → | Devlin | → | Dunlop | → |
Notes:
3rd and 4th Review boundary maps can be viewed on the ARK elections website: 1983, 1997.
Democratic Unionist Sinn Féin Social Democratic and Labour Ulster Unionist Alliance Party Independent Ulster Popular Unionist UK Unionist Party
1Paisley Jr was suspended from the DUP between July and November 2018.
The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland submitted their final proposals in respect of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies (the 2018 review) in September 2018. Although the proposals were immediately laid before Parliament they were not brought forward by the Government for approval. Accordingly, they did not come into effect for the 2019 election which took place on 12 December 2019, and which was contested using the constituency boundaries in place since 2010.
Under the terms of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, the Sixth Review was based on reducing the total number of MPs from 650 to 600 and a strict electoral parity requirement that the electorate of all constituencies should be within a range of 5% either side of the electoral quota.
On 24 March 2020, the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Chloe Smith, issued a written statement to Parliament setting out the Government's thinking with regard to parliamentary boundaries. Subsequently, the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020 was passed into law on 14 December 2020. This formally removed the duty to implement the 2018 review and set out the framework for future boundary reviews. The Act provided that the number of constituencies should remain at the current level of 650, rather than being reduced to 600, while retaining the requirement that the electorate should be no more than +/- 5% from the electoral quota.
The Act specified that the next review should be completed no later than 1 July 2023 and the Boundary Commission formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021. The Commission calculated that the number of seats to be allocated to Northern Ireland will be unchanged, at 18.
See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.