Dagenham and Rainham

Not to be confused with Gillingham and Rainham.

Dagenham and Rainham
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Location within Greater London
CountyGreater London
Electorate73,627 (2023)[1]
Current constituency
Created2010
Member of ParliamentMargaret Mullane (Labour Party)
SeatsOne
Created fromDagenham, Hornchurch, Barking

Dagenham and Rainham is a parliamentary constituency[n 1] in Greater London that was created in 2010. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom since 2024 by Margaret Mullane and was previously represented from 2010 by Jon Cruddas, both members of the Labour Party.

Constituency profile

Dagenham and Rainham is a mostly suburban constituency located on the outskirts of Greater London. It contains part of the town of Dagenham and the neighbourhoods of Rainham, Becontree Heath and South Hornchurch. The area has an industrial heritage and the population grew rapidly in the interwar period. The Ford Dagenham automotive factory located in the constituency once employed over 40,000 people.[2] High levels of deprivation are present in the constituency,[3] particularly in Dagenham and Becontree Heath.[4]

Residents of the constituency have low levels of education and professional employment compared to the rest of the country. Average income and house prices are similar to nationwide figures but considerably lower than London averages.[3] At the 2021 census, White people made up 58% of the population, similar to the London average. Asians and Black people were 18% each.[5] The increase in ethnic diversity in the area is recent; the proportion of White British people in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham fell by 31.4 percentage points between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, the largest change in the country.[6] At the local borough council level, Dagenham and Becontree Heath are represented by Labour Party councillors, Rainham by Conservatives and South Hornchurch by a local residents' association. Voters in the constituency overwhelmingly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 70% voted in favour of Brexit, making it one of the top 25 most Brexit-supporting constituencies out of 650 nationwide.[3]

History

Before 1945 the Dagenham area was part of the Romford constituency. The MP for the latter seat since 1935, Labour's John Parker, continued to represent Dagenham until 1983. Parker was the last serving MP to have been elected before the Second World War, and with 48 years in Parliament, was the longest-serving Labour MP in history, a record he held until December 2017. The seat was first contested in the 2010 general election which resulted from the Boundary Commission's report that recommended merging the majority of the former constituencies of Dagenham and Hornchurch and added to existing electoral wards a small part of River ward was also transferred from Barking.

In 2010 Labour's Jon Cruddas took the seat gaining a marginal 5.9% win, facing a strong nominal (ward-by-ward) Lab–Con swing measured against the previous forerunner seats and candidates. BNP candidate Michael Barnbrook came third with 11.2% of the vote, his party's second-best showing in the election. In 2015, Cruddas, incumbent won an 11.6% majority; the runner-up party changed to being UKIP closely followed by the Conservative candidate.

In 2019, Cruddas' majority was cut to just 293 votes, the lowest Labour majority in Dagenham ever, which has been represented by Labour MPs since 1945.

The electoral wards in both boroughs were redrawn in 2022 and subsequently the constituency no longer aligns with ward boundaries.

Boundaries

2010–2024: The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham wards of Alibon, Beam, Chadwell Heath, Eastbrook and Rush Green, Goresbrook, Heath, Parsloes, Valence, Village, and Whalebone, and the London Borough of Havering wards of Beam Park, Elm Park, Hacton (part), Rainham & Wennington, and South Hornchurch.

2024–present: The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham wards of Alibon (part), Beam, Chadwell Heath (part), Eastbrook & Rush Green, Goresbrook (part), Heath, Parsloes (part), Valence (part), Village, and Whalebone, and the London Borough of Havering wards of Beam Park, Elm Park, Hacton (part), Rainham and Wennington, and South Hornchurch.[7]

Chadwell Heath ward was moved to Ilford South. To compensate, the Barking and Dagenham ward of Valence and parts of the Havering wards of St Andrew's and Hacton (mainly to the west of Abbs Cross Lane and South End Road) were transferred in from the Barking and Hornchurch and Upminster constituencies respectively.[8]

Members of Parliament

Election Member [9] Party
2010 Jon Cruddas Labour
2024 Margaret Mullane Labour

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Dagenham and Rainham[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret Mullane 16,571 42.6 −2.1
Reform UK Kevin Godfrey 9,398 24.2 +17.6
Conservative Sam Holland 6,926 17.8 −25.3
Green Kim Arrowsmith 4,184 10.8 +9.2
Liberal Democrats Francesca Flack 1,033 2.7 −0.4
Independent Terence London 755 1.9 +1.4
Majority 7,173 18.5 +16.9
Turnout 38,867 50.8 −8.9
Registered electors 76,478
Labour hold Swing −9.8

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[11]
Party Vote %
Labour 19,676 44.7
Conservative 18,970 43.1
Brexit Party 2,913 6.6
Liberal Democrats 1,338 3.0
Green 674 1.5
Others 421 1.0
Turnout 43,992 59.7
Electorate 73,627
General election 2019: Dagenham and Rainham[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Cruddas 19,468 44.5 −5.6
Conservative Damian White 19,175 43.8 +3.9
Brexit Party Tom Bewick 2,887 6.6 N/A
Liberal Democrats Sam Fisk 1,182 2.7 +1.7
Green Azzees Minott 602 1.4 +0.2
Independent Ron Emin 212 0.5 N/A
Independent Terry London 209 0.5 +0.3
Majority 293 0.7 −9.5
Turnout 43,735 61.6 −3.4
Registered electors 71,045
Labour hold Swing −4.7
General election 2017: Dagenham and Rainham[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Cruddas 22,958 50.1 +8.7
Conservative Julie Marson 18,306 39.9 +15.6
UKIP Peter Harris 3,246 7.1 −22.8
Green Denis Breading 544 1.2 −0.7
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Fryer 465 1.0 −0.7
BNP Paul Sturdy 239 0.5 +0.2
Concordia Terence London 85 0.2 N/A
Majority 4,652 10.1 −1.4
Turnout 45,843 64.9 +2.6
Registered electors 70,616
Labour hold Swing −3.4
General election 2015: Dagenham and Rainham[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Cruddas 17,830 41.4 +1.1
UKIP Peter Harris 12,850 29.8 +26.3
Conservative Julie Marson 10,492 24.4 −10.0
Green Kate Simpson[17] 806 1.9 +1.2
Liberal Democrats Denise Capstick[18][19] 717 1.7 −6.9
BNP Tess Culnane 151 0.4 −10.8
Independent Terry London 133 0.3 N/A
English Democrat Kim Gandy 71 0.2 N/A
Majority 4,980 11.6 +5.6
Turnout 43,050 62.3 −1.1
Registered electors 69,128
Labour hold Swing −12.6
General election 2010: Dagenham and Rainham[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Cruddas* 17,813 40.3 −9.3
Conservative Simon Jones 15,183 34.3 −0.3
BNP Michael Barnbrook 4,952 11.2 +6.0
Liberal Democrats Joseph Bourke 3,806 8.6 +1.0
UKIP Craig Litwin 1,569 3.5 +0.7
Independent Gordon Kennedy[21] 308 0.7 N/A
Christian Paula Watson[22] 305 0.7 N/A
Green Debbie Rosaman 296 0.7 N/A
Majority 2,630 5.9 −9.0
Turnout 44,232 63.4 +7.1
Registered electors 69,764
Labour hold Swing −4.5
* Served as MP for Dagenham in the 2005–2010 Parliament
2005 notional result
Party Vote %
Labour 19,756 49.6
Conservative 13,802 34.7
Liberal Democrats 3,036 7.6
Others 3,226 8.1
Turnout 39,820 56.3
Electorate 70,745

See also

Notes

  1. ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)

References

  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – London". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  2. ^ Ford UK – History of Ford in Britain Archived 17 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c "Seat Details - Dagenham and Rainham". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  5. ^ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Forest Heath (East of England) was the only local authority to see an increase in White British between 2001 and 2011 (by 0.8 percentage points). The proportion of White British decreased in the remaining local authorities in England and Wales, with the largest decrease in Barking and Dagenham at 31.4 percentage points." 2011 Census statistics Archived 2013-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "New Seat Details – Dagenham and Rainham". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  8. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 3 London region.
  9. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 1)
  10. ^ "Statement of Person Nominated and Notice of Poll: Dagenham and Rainham Constituency" (PDF). Barking and Dagenham Council. 7 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ "2015 general elections". Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  18. ^ "List of selected candidates". Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  19. ^ "Denise Capstick, Dagenham & Rainham". Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ^ Gordon Kennedy. "Just Vote Them Out". Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  22. ^ "Dagenham and Rainham". Christian Party. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.

51°32′N 0°10′E / 51.53°N 0.17°E / 51.53; 0.17

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