Luton South and South Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Luton South and South Bedfordshire is a constituency in Bedfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Rachel Hopkins, a member of the Labour Party.

Prior to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was known as Luton South. The constituency will be contested under new name for the first time in 2024 general election.

Constituency profile
The constituency covers the southern and eastern areas of Luton, inclusive of the town centre and Luton Airport. It also comprises the rural country house estate of Luton Hoo, in addition to the late medieval Someries Castle, and the villages/hamlets, extending south to the border of Hertfordshire and the town of Harpenden. The areas of Luton it spans include Stopsley, Wigmore, Butterfield Green, Hart Hill, Wardown Park, Bury Park, Dallow, Farley Hill, New Town, and Stockwood Park.

Outside of the actual Borough of Luton, it also encompasses the small village of East Hyde on the Hertfordshire border, as well as Slip End and Caddington, which are near the M1 motorway.

Demographically, the constituency is mixed, with large southern Asian communities in the Bury Park and Farley Hill areas. The largest community is White British, though Africans and Afro-Caribbeans, as well as newer immigrant arrivals from Eastern Europe, form substantial parts of the population.

The town centre features The Mall Luton (the town's main shopping centre), the University of Bedfordshire Luton campus, and various amenities such as The Galaxy entertainment complex, and Luton railway station on the Midland Main Line. Luton Town FC, currently of the Premier League, is within the constituency, as would be their intended new home stadium at Power Court (to the immediate east of The Mall Luton). The railway station serving London Luton Airport, Luton Airport Parkway, is also within the constituency. A new rail link was constructed between this station and the airport, which opened on 10 March 2023.

Vauxhall still makes vehicles in this area, although the operations have reduced greatly since a large part of the facility closed in the early 2000s.

History
This seat was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of Luton East.

The constituency and its predecessors the Luton East and Luton constituencies were long considered a bellwether (they had elected an MP from the winning party in each election since the 1951 general election). Margaret Moran, who was the Labour MP from 1997, stood down at the 2010 general election after falsifying claims for her expenses.

Bellwether status ended in the 2010 general election, when the constituency elected a Labour MP while the Conservatives were the largest party in the House of Commons. As a result, its new MP Gavin Shuker became one of just two Labour MPs elected in 2010 in the East of England, alongside Kelvin Hopkins, the MP for the Luton North seat. Shuker and Hopkins served as MPs for the two divisions of Luton at the two subsequent elections with increasing majorities, although the majority in South has not been larger than that of North since 2001.

In the 2019 general election, Shuker stood as an independent but was defeated by the Labour Party candidate, Rachel Hopkins - the daughter of Kelvin, who did not stand in Luton North after losing the Labour whip in 2017.

1983–1997

 * The Borough of Luton wards of Biscot, Crawley, Dallow, Farley, High Town, Putteridge, Saints, South, and Stopsley; and
 * The District of South Bedfordshire wards of Caddington and Slip End.

''This was a new constituency incorporating the abolished constituency of Luton East. It also included the southernmost parts of the abolished constituency of Luton West and a small part from the south-east of the abolished constituency of South Bedfordshire.''

1997–2010

 * The Borough of Luton wards of Biscot, Crawley, Dallow, Farley, High Town, Putteridge, South, and Stopsley; and
 * The District of South Bedfordshire wards of Caddington and Slip End.

The Saints ward was transferred to Luton North.

2010–2024

 * The Borough of Luton wards of Biscot, Crawley, Dallow, Farley, High Town, Round Green, South, Stopsley, and Wigmore; and
 * The District of South Bedfordshire ward of Caddington, Hyde and Slip End.

Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.

NB: Following the conversion to unitary councils in Bedfordshire in 2009, the wards of the district of South Bedfordshire formed the majority of the Caddington ward of the Central Bedfordshire unitary authority, the former wards having been abolished with effect from May 2011.

Current (Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the renamed constituency was defined as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):


 * The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of Caddington; Eaton Bray.

The Luton Borough ward of Stopsley was transferred to Luton North, partly offset by the addition of Eaton Bray and the remainder of the Caddington ward from the abolished constituency of South West Bedfordshire (renamed Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard).
 * The Borough of Luton wards of: Biscot; Crawley; Dallow; Farley; High Town; Round Green; South; Wigmore.

Following local government boundary reviews in Central Bedfordshire and Luton  which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency will now comprise the following from the 2024 general election:


 * The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of Caddington; Eaton Bray.


 * The Borough of Luton wards of: Biscot; Beech Hill (majority); Central; Dallow; Farley; High Town; Round Green; South; Stopsley (part); Vauxhall; Wigmore; and very small parts of Barnfield, Challney and Saints wards.

Members of Parliament
Luton East, Luton West and Bedfordshire South prior to 1983

Elections in the 2010s
Incumbent MP Gavin Shuker (formerly Labour) unsuccessfully sought reelection as an Independent candidate. On 2 November 2019, the Liberal Democrats decided not to stand a candidate and endorsed Shuker.