Leyton and Wanstead (UK Parliament constituency)

Leyton and Wanstead is a constituency in Greater London created in 1997 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Calvin Bailey of the Labour Party.

Historic
Uniting for general elections areas from the boroughs of Redbridge and Waltham Forest in inner north-east London, the constituency covers Leyton, Wanstead & Leytonstone. The seat was created for the 1997 election succeeding the Leyton constituency, with parts of what had been the formerly safe Conservative Wanstead and Woodford constituency. It has an electorate of approximately 60,000.

1997–2017: The following electoral wards: 2017–2024: Following a review of ward boundaries which became effective in May 2017, the parts in the London Borough of Redbridge comprised the Wanstead Village ward, most of the Wanstead Park ward and part of the South Woodford ward.
 * Snaresbrook; and Wanstead in the London Borough of Redbridge:
 * Cann Hall; Cathall; Forest; Grove Green; Leyton; and Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest

Current
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency was expanded to include the whole of the Wanstead Park and South Woodford wards.

Following a local government boundary review in Waltham Forest which came into effect in May 2022, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:


 * The London Borough of Redbridge wards of: South Woodford; Wanstead Park; Wanstead Village.
 * The London Borough of Waltham Forest wards of: Cann Hall; Cathall; Forest; Grove Green; Hoe Street (small part); Leyton (most); Leytonstone.

History
The seat arose from the enacting of the recommendations of the fourth periodic review of Westminster constituencies of the Boundary Commission for England to take account of demographic population change and seek to equalise electorates whilst in preference retaining the historic connections with the local authorities of the United Kingdom. The constituency has consistently elected Labour Party MPs (Members of Parliament); the narrowest winning majority was 16%; the greatest, 49%, in 2017. Harry Cohen was MP for the Leyton area from 1983 and this seat from 1997. Cohen retired before the 2010 election, after which the seat was retained by John Cryer. At the time of the 2015 result, the seat was the 46th safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.
 * Political history

Constituency profile
This seat combines deprived and economic-cycle vulnerable areas around Leyton with the more affluent, resilient Wanstead area. It is an ethnically diverse area, with the biggest minority groups being Pakistani British and Caribbean British, although it has fewer ethnic minority constituents than in the London Borough of Newham.