Southwark, and the three parliamentary constituencies that have traditionally overlapped with it, has a reputation as a Labour stronghold. But the party’s dominance is a fairly recent occurrence. Over the last century, all three major parties have held seats at one time or another.
Constituency boundary changes ahead of the 2024 general election mean the borough of Southwark will have five different parliamentary constituencies falling within its borders. But for the last century, there have been three. Their names have been chopped and changed but they are now known as Peckham, Bermondsey and Old Southwark, and Dulwich and West Norwood.
Since 1900, these three constituencies have witnessed plenty of dramatic political moments. The Bermondsey by-election was among the dirtiest in British political history, numerous famous political careers began in Southwark, and one Dulwich MP would eventually be exposed as a spy.
Bermondsey and Old Southwark
The modern boundaries of Southwark’s modern constituencies were first established in 1885. Although the borders have changed several times since then, the three constituencies’ shapes were roughly approximate to what they are today.
The constituency of Bermondsey flip-flopped between the Liberal and Conservative parties between 1885 and 1918. The Liberal Party’s success reflected the working-class support for liberal policies focused on social reform and workers’ rights. But the Conservatives remained a powerful force nationally and locally.
The constituency briefly split between Bermondsey West and Rotherhithe for the 1918 election before rejoining in 1950. After 1924, the area, with its strong working-class demographic, would stay red for an astonishing 73 years.
The pre-war period saw the emergence of one of Bermondsey’s most famous politicians. Elected MP for Bermondsey West in 1922, Alfred Salter, along with his wife Ada, significantly improved Bermondsey in the early twentieth century. As a dedicated doctor, he provided affordable healthcare and championed public health reforms, addressing diseases like tuberculosis and diphtheria.
Rotherhithe, like Peckham, briefly went Conservative in 1931 when Norah Runge was elected. This was amid the crisis of The Great Depression, which saw the Labour Party collapse due to internal divisions over economic policy.
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In 1946, Labour MP Bob Mellish was elected in Rotherhithe and would go on to serve as MP for the reconstituted Bermondsey constituency until 1982. Born in Deptford, the son of a docker, he was a local man, charged with representing an area struggling with the decline of its key industry – the docks. He had a hard man reputation, with his tough attitude seeing him appointed Chief Whip on two occasions.
1983 saw the Bermondsey by-election, now known as the ‘Battle for Bermondsey’. The election descended into a political punch-up with real blood being spilt – that of vilified Labour candidate, left-winger Peter Tatchell.
Bob Mellish resigning due to disillusionment with the party’s leftward shift under Michael Foot. Peter Tatchell, representing the newly-emerged leftist faction, faced opposition from Labour traditionalists. Simon Hughes, representing the Liberal-SDP alliance, and Robert Hughes of the Tories, entered the fray. Tatchell’s campaign, advocating for progressive policies, faced fierce opposition, including homophobic attacks and physical violence.
In one of the great electoral shocks of modern British politics, the Labour stronghold fell to the Liberal-SDP alliance. Locals were not sure it would last but Sir Simon Hughes established himself as a highly capable politician, ensuring he remained in post until the election of former Newington ward Labour councillor Neil Coyle in 2015.
Many say Labour’s return to power in Bermondsey and Old Southwark showed how local demographics were changing. Whereas past voters were aware of Simon Hughes’ work in the area, the population had become more transient. A large student community had built up and rising house prices were pushing out long-established families. As a result, people were more likely to vote on national lines and, after the Lib Dems’ disastrous stint in government as part of the coalition, Labour became the obvious choice for many.
Camberwell and Peckham
From 1885 to 1908, Peckham consistently voted for Conservative candidates. Back then, it was a rich, semi-rural suburb, often inhabited by rich factory owners who hoped that voting Tory would secure their commercial interests.
But in the following decades, the area’s demographic makeup changed dramatically. More and more people living in Peckham were being employed in local manufacturing and retail industries. Unsurprisingly, these new working-class residents were more likely to vote Labour.
The arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948 marked the beginning of a significant wave of Caribbean immigration to the UK. Many settled in south London, including Brixton and Peckham. These were also working-class people so Labour’s hold on the area only strengthened.
A significant milestone in Peckham’s political history was the election of Harriet Harman as the Labour MP for Peckham in 1982. Harriet Harman entered Parliament in a 1982 by-election for the Peckham constituency, succeeding Harry Lamborn after his death. Her election came at a time of significant political and economic turmoil in the UK, with the Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher implementing policies that deeply affected working-class communities like Peckham.
She became a prominent figure in British politics, known for her advocacy of women’s rights, social justice, and community issues. Her long tenure and active engagement with local concerns helped maintain and strengthen Labour’s support in the area. Harman’s work in the constituency and her high-profile roles in the Labour Party, including serving as Deputy Leader, brought national attention to Peckham. In 1997, the Camberwell and Peckham constituency was established.
However, the safety of the seat has led to accusations of Labour complacency in the area. In particular, Harman has been accused of not being visible enough in the area she represented. In 2008, she made national headlines when she was spotted wearing a stab-proof jacket during a police walkabout in the area.
Defending herself, she denied she felt unsafe in her own area, explaining: “It was just a courtesy, there was no security issue whatsoever, it was almost like wearing the kit when you go out with the team.”
In 2022, Southwark News reported that Harriet Harman did not have a permanent constituency office where local residents could come to meet her and share their concerns and thoughts. Following her announcement in 2021, that she would stand down at the next election, many of the candidates vying to replace her pledged to establish constituency offices.
Nonetheless, Harman is widely respected in the Commons and has earned the Mother of the House title as she is the longest continually running MP. The south London MP said she made it her mission to elevate more women to positions of power in Parliament and within her party with initiatives such as all-women shortlists. The initiative helped to raise the proportion of female MPs within the party to 45 per cent, according to the Labour Women’s Network.
In November 2022, Miatta Fahnbulleh was named as the Labour candidate taking over from Harriet Harman. Already working behind the scenes as an advisor to the shadow treasury, she has been tipped as one-to-watch if Labour wins the general election.
Dulwich and West Norwood
Today, Dulwich and West Norwood is represented by Labour MP Helen Hayes. But, sitting at Southwark’s extreme south, the area is among the borough’s wealthiest, except arguably the neighbourhoods around London Bridge and West Bermondsey.
The constituency’s unique feel has translated to politics, with Dulwich’s electoral history diverging significantly from that of Bermondsey and Old Southwark and Peckham. When it was created in 1885, Dulwich was essentially a suburban constituency. Between 1885 and 1935, constituents voted Conservative in all nineteen elections. In 1892 a Liberal candidate estimated Dulwich had around 4,000 working-class voters out of 10,500 and observed that although it had a reputation as a ‘villa constituency’ there were many voters living in less impressive houses
Among the Tory MPs from 1885 and 1935 were Sir Frederick Hall, a key recruiter during Lord Kitchener’s famous call to arms at the outbreak of World War I. Bonar Law, elected as MP for Dulwich in 1906, would become Prime Minister in 1922.
As was the case for the entire UK, the 1945 election was a watershed moment for Dulwich. Riding a groundswell of post-war support, Labour candidate Wilfrid Vernon turned Dulwich red – for the first time in its history. His victory was by the narrowest of margins – gaining 10,266 votes to the Conservatives’ 10,055.
His maiden speech was among the most bizarre in Hansard’s records. Speaking on November 25, 1945, he advocated for retraining bombers to join a world police force, suggested moving heavy industry underground to be safer from attack, and suggested moving the House of Commons to “Northern Rhodesia or Tanganyika, or Arctic Canada”.
In February 1952, he was interrogated by MI5 officer Jim Skardon and admitted having been part of a pre-war Soviet espionage ring. Fortunately for Vernon, he was not exposed at the time. But he did lose his seat to the Conservatives in 1951, once again by a tight margin of 691 votes.
Between 1945 and 1992, Dulwich remained a marginal seat. Labour MP Samuel Stilkin was in post between 1964 and 1983, when it changed hands to Conservative MP Geral Bowden. But the election of the famous Tessa Jowell in 1992 marked a new era of relative Labour stability, although nobody knew it then. In 1997, Dulwich became subsumed by the new Dulwich and West Norwood constituency.
As MP, Jowell championed numerous local initiatives aimed at improving public services and quality of life for her constituents. She was instrumental in securing funding for local schools, enhancing educational opportunities, and supporting youth programs. Her efforts in healthcare were notable, particularly her advocacy for mental health services, reflecting her commitment to vulnerable populations. The Tessa Jowell Health Centre is named after her.
Nationally, Tessa Jowell is best remembered for her role as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, where she was a driving force behind London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
Helen Hayes MP was elected in 2015. Following the EU referendum, floundering Tory support suffered a significant hit. Dulwich and West Norwood voted to remain in the European Union by an estimated 78%. This was the third-highest result in the UK, behind Gibraltar and the neighbouring constituency of Vauxhall. The Conservatives have struggled to regain support in an area where many feel betrayed. In 2019, Green candidate Jonathan Bartley beat the Conservative Jane Lyons to second place by 51 votes.
