Manchester Openshaw (UK Parliament constituency)

Manchester Openshaw
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
Manchester Openshaw in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983
1955–1983
Seats	one
Created from	Manchester Gorton and Droylsden
Replaced by	Manchester Central and Oldham West

Manchester Openshaw was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Openshaw district of Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The constituency was created for the 1955 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election.

Boundaries

1955–1974: The county borough of Manchester wards of Bradford, Newton Heath and Openshaw, and the urban district of Failsworth.

1974–1983: The county borough of Manchester wards of Bradford and Newton Heath, and the urban district of Failsworth.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1955	William Williams	Labour
	1963 by-election	Charles Morris	Labour
1983		constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1955: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Williams	24,638	59.7
	Conservative	Harold Day	16,596	40.3
Majority			8,042	19.4
Turnout			41,234	72.7
	Labour win (new seat)

General election 1959: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Williams	24,975	60.2	+0.5
	Conservative	Michael Schofield	16,537	39.8	−0.5
Majority			8,438	20.4	+1.0
Turnout			41,512	76.0	+3.3
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

1963 Manchester Openshaw by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Morris	16,101	65.9	+5.7
	Conservative	Gerald Fitzsimmons	7,139	29.2	−10.6
	Communist	Eddie Marsden	1,185	4.9	New
Majority			8,962	36.7	+16.3
Turnout			24,425
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1964: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Morris	22,589	59.6	−0.6
	Conservative	Gerald Fitzsimmons	13,387	35.3	−4.5
	Communist	Eddie Marsden	1,947	5.1	New
Majority			9,202	24.3	+3.9
Turnout			37,923	71.3	−4.7
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1966: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Morris	22,103	64.9	+5.3
	Conservative	Robert Chronnell	10,465	30.7	−4.6
	Communist	Eddie Marsden	1,479	4.3	−0.8
Majority			11,638	34.2	+9.9
Turnout			34,047	65.9	−5.4
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Morris	19,397	60.2	−4.7
	Conservative	BM Allanson	12,296	38.1	+7.4
	Communist	Bernard Panter	552	1.7	−2.6
Majority			7,101	22.1	−12.1
Turnout			32,245	63.9	−2.0
	Labour hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Morris	16,478	53.5	−6.7
	Conservative	Aubrey Rosen	9,021	29.3	−8.8
	Liberal	Arthur Wood	4,467	14.5	New
	National Front	John Hulse	541	1.8	New
	Communist	Phillip Widdall	312	1.0	−0.7
Majority			7,457	24.2	+2.1
Turnout			30,819	73.0	+9.1
	Labour hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Morris	16,109	57.6	+4.1
	Conservative	Geoffrey Green	7,596	27.1	−2.2
	Liberal	Arthur Wood	3,980	14.2	−0.3
	Communist	Phillip Widdall	300	1.1	+0.1
Majority			8,513	30.4	+6.2
Turnout			27,985	65.7	−7.3
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.1

General election 1979: Manchester Openshaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Morris	17,099	62.1	+4.5
	Conservative	Peter Hilton	9,955	36.2	+9.1
	National Front	Alfred Coles	296	1.1	New
	Communist	Phillip Widdall	174	0.6	−0.5
Majority			7,144	26.0	−4.4
Turnout			27,524	72.8	+7.1
	Labour hold		Swing

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "O"