Birmingham Selly Oak is a

constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

in the West Midlands, represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

of the

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

since

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Alistair Carns Alistair Scott Carns, (born 27 March 1980) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and former regular Royal Marines officer and a current reserve officer, who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Selly Oak since 20 ...

of the Labour Party.

Boundaries

The seat includes many

students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school ...

and

staff Staff may refer to: Pole * Walking staff, an instrument used for balance when walking * Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting ** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon * Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position * Staff (railway signalling) ...

from the nearby

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

. Half of the university's Selly Oak campus is located within the constituency. The

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...

factory and

Cadbury World Cadbury World is a visitor attraction in Bournville, Birmingham, England, featuring a self-guided exhibition tour, created and run by the Cadbury Company. The tour tells the history of chocolate, and of the Cadbury business. A second location ...

are also within its boundaries. 1955–1974: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of

Balsall Heath Balsall Heath is an inner-city area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has a diverse cultural mix of people and is the location of the Balti Triangle. History The name is first found as Bordeshale in 1275, which is derived from the ...

, Moseley and King's Heath, and

Selly Oak Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harbor ...

. 1974–1983: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of

King's Norton Kings Norton, alternatively King's Norton, is an area of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands, England. Historically in Worcestershire, it was also a Birmingham City Council ward within the borough of Birmingham. The district lie ...

Moseley Moseley ( ') is an affluent suburb in south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. It is located within the eponymous Moseley ward of the constituency of Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley (UK Parliament constituency), Hall Green and ...

, and Selly Oak. 1983–1997: The City of Birmingham wards of Bournville, King's Norton, Moseley, and Selly Oak ''(as they existed on 1 February 1983)''. 1997–2010: The City of Birmingham wards of Bournville, King's Norton, Moseley, and Selly Oak ''(as they existed on 1 June 1994)''. 2010–2018: The City of Birmingham wards of Billesley,

Bournville Bournville () is a 19th century model village on the southwest side of Birmingham, England, founded by the Quaker Cadbury family for employees at its Cadbury's factory, and designed to be a "garden" (or "model") village where the sale of alc ...

, Brandwood, and Selly Oak. ''Major changes, with King's Norton transferred to

Birmingham Northfield Birmingham Northfield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Laurence Turner, a Labour politician. It represents the southernmost part of the city of Birmingham. Boundaries 1950–1955: The Coun ...

and Moseley to Birmingham Hall Green. Billesley and Brandwood were transferred from Birmingham Hall Green.'' 2018–2024: Following a local government boundary review, which did not effect the parliamentary boundaries, the contents of the constituency were as follows with effect from May 2018: * The City of Birmingham wards of Bournbrook & Selly Park, Druids Heath & Monyhull, Highter’s Heath, and Stirchley, most of Billesley and Bournville & Cotteridge, the majority of Brandwood & King’s Heath, and a small part of Weoley & Selly Oak. 2024–present: Further to the

2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies was the most recent cycle of the process to redraw the Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency map for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The new constituency b ...

which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency comprises: * The City of Birmingham wards of Billesley; Bournbrook & Selly Park; Bournville & Cotteridge; Druids Heath & Monyhull; Highter’s Heath; Stirchley; part of Brandwood & King’s Heath; and a small area of Weoley & Selly Oak. ''Minor differences reflecting the revised ward structure.''

History

Since its creation in 1955 the constituency has switched hands three times between Labour and the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

. The seat has progressively swung towards Labour from being a safe Conservative seat; this has been attributed to housing redevelopments that took place in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, it has acquired a reputation for electing outspoken MPs, first with the victory of

Anthony Beaumont-Dark Sir Anthony Michael Beaumont-Dark (11 October 1932 – 2 April 2006) was a British politician. Early life and education He was born in Birmingham on 11 October 1932 to Leonard Cecil Dark and Madeline (née Beaumont), who retired to Mundesley, No ...

of the Conservatives in 1979, and then with his defeat by Lynne Jones of the Labour Party in 1992.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Notes

References

External links

Birmingham city council constituency page
(boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at ''MapIt UK''

(boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at ''MapIt UK''

(boundaries from June 2024) at ''MapIt UK'' {{coord, 52.42, -1.91, type:adm2nd_dim:9000_region:GB, display=title

Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1955 Selly Oak