Leicester South constituency, shown within Leicester.

Leicester South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons.

Boundaries

The seat is centred on the southern part of Leicester covering both leafy suburbs such as Stoneygate and Knighton as well as inner city areas with a strong Asian community..

Westminster elections

The Member of Parliament since a 2004 by-election is Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats. He gained the seat which had previously been held by the Labour Party's Jim Marshall for two periods - from 1974 until a narrow defeat in 1983 and again from 1987 until his death in 2004.

MPs since 1970

• Unknown - 1974 Merlyn Rees Labour Party
• 1974 - 1983 - Jim Marshall Labour Party
• 1983 - 1987 Derek Spencer Conservative Party
• 1987 - 2004 - Jim Marshall Labour Party
• 2004 (by-election) - present Parmjit Singh Gill Liberal Democrats

Politics and History of the constituency

Leicester South has over the past few decades seen demographic changes which have altered the balance of the constituency. The seat saw close contests between the Conservatives and Labour in the 1980s, with Jim Marshall losing the seat by just 7 votes in the 1983 general election but regaining it in 1987. In subsequent elections the majority grew to the point where it was considered substantially safe.

Marshall died in 2004 and the resulting by-election was fiercely contested. Along with a by-election in Birmingham Hodge Hill held on the same day, the seat saw a fierce challenge by the Liberal Democrats, hoping to build on their previous by-election gain at Brent East, as well as competition for the anti-war vote from RESPECT The Unity Coalition. The seat was won by the Liberal Democrats' Parmjit Singh Gill with a majority of 1,654. It remains to be seen if he will be able to retain the seat in the May 2005 general election.