Waveney (UK Parliament constituency)

Waveney was a constituency of in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament that existed from 1983 to 2024. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency reverted to its previous name of Lowestoft. Other than the town of Bungay, the abolished seat of Waveney has little in common with the new ‘Waveney Valley’ constituency, which covers a predominantly rural area bridging Norfolk and Suffolk.

Constituency profile
The seat was based around the coastal town of Lowestoft and included several smaller market towns and seaside resorts in northeast Suffolk. Electoral Calculus described the seat as a "Somewhere", characterised by older, less educated voters and support for Brexit.

Lowestoft was generally Labour-voting, because of its recent history as a declining seaside resort, fishing and industrial town. However, the constituency also includes the small towns of Beccles and Bungay. The Green Party overtook the Conservatives in the overlapping East Suffolk Council in 2023 for the first time.

This corner of Suffolk arguably has stronger connections with Norfolk – Norwich is an easier centre to reach than Ipswich – and there have been unsuccessful proposals to alter the county boundary to reflect this.

History
The seat was created for the 1983 general election following the implementation of the third periodic review of Westminster constituencies, broadly replacing Lowestoft, which the first victor of the new seat had served since 1959.

Political history
Waveney was a bellwether since its creation, swinging heavily in line with the mood of the nation. Labour's big majority in 1997 reflected the large overall majority in the Commons, and by the 2010 election it had become touted by one published analysis as the seat that the Conservatives needed to win to secure an overall majority. Fittingly, 2010 saw a marginal majority and the national result was a hung parliament with the Conservative Party the largest party. 2010 here was the Labour Party's second highest share of the vote in the narrow, traditional grouping of East Anglia (Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex).

Prominent frontbenchers
Waveney had been held for many years by James Prior, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1970–1972), Leader of the House of Commons (1972–1974), Secretary of State for Employment (1979–1981), then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland during the Thatcher ministry, with an economic politics considered more centre-ground, then known as forming the wets' ideology.

Bob Blizzard served as a senior Government Whip from 2008 until 2010 when he lost at the election that May.

Boundaries and boundary changes
1983–1997


 * The District of Waveney.

The constituency was formed from the abolished constituency of Lowestoft, with the exception of a small part in the north which was now part of Norfolk.1997–2010


 * The District of Waveney except the wards of Blything, Halesworth, and Southwold.

Three wards transferred to Suffolk Coastal.

2010–2024


 * The District of Waveney wards of Beccles North, Beccles South, Bungay, Carlton, Carlton Colville, Gunton and Corton, Harbour, Kessingland, Kirkley, Lothingland, Normanston, Oulton, Oulton Broad, Pakefield, St Margaret's, The Saints, Wainford, Whitton, and Worlingham.

Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.