Between 1950 and 1979, Rugby was a consistent Labour-Conservative marginal, often bucking the national swing (for example, William Price held the seat for Labour with an increased majority in 1970 while the Wilson government was defeated).
1885–1918: When first created in 1885, the Rugby division consisted of the Petty Sessional Divisions of Rugby, Southam, Burton Dassett and Kington, and Kenilworth except the parishes of Lillington and Milverton. The division as recommended by the Boundary Commissioners had a population of 49,291 in the 1881 Census.[3]
1945–1950: When changes were made to constituency boundaries in 1945 to split up some extremely large constituencies, Rugby was affected by the recommendations made as a result of the growth in electorate in the Coventry constituency. It gained some areas to the east of Coventry which had already been added to Rugby Rural District but were previously part of Nuneaton division. This change added about 2,000 voters.[5]
1950–1983: The constituency was considerably reduced in area in boundary changes which came into effect in 1950, being reduced to simply the Municipal Borough of Rugby and the Rural District of Rugby.[6] No alteration in boundaries was made as part of the First Periodical Review of Boundaries in 1954,[7] and in the Second Periodical Review which came into effect in 1974, the definition remained the same although changes in local government boundaries under The West Midlands Order 1965 and The Coventry Order 1965 meant that a minor change was made.[8]
The Third Periodical Review of constituency boundaries expanded the Rugby constituency to the west. The constituency lost 6,545 of its 60,909 electors, in and around the villages of Ansty and Wolvey, to Nuneaton. It then gained 16,600 electors from Kenilworth, resulting in its renaming as Rugby and Kenilworth.[9]
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into force for the 2024 general election, the constituency saw very small changes to align boundaries with those of revised wards in the Borough of Rugby; it is defined as being composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
The Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth ward of Bulkington.
The Borough of Rugby wards of: Admirals and Cawston; Benn; Bilton; Clifton, Newton and Churchover; Coton and Boughton; Eastlands; Hillmorton; New Bilton; Newbold and Brownsover; Paddox; Revel and Binley Woods; Rokeby and Overslade; Wolston and the Lawfords; Wolvey and Shilton.[12]
The constituency consists of Census Output Areas of two local government districts with similar characteristics and that forming the bulk has a working population whose income is slightly above to the national average and lower than average reliance upon social housing.[13] At the end of 2012 the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 2.3% of the population claiming jobseekers allowance, compared to the regional average of 4.4%.[14]
The borough contributing to the bulk of the seat has a quite low 17.5% of its population without a car, 19.6% of the population without qualifications contrasted with a high 28.2% with level 4 qualifications or above by way of illustration. In terms of tenure 69.5% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage as at the 2011 census across the district.[15]
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
^"County of Warwick" in "Report of the Boundary Commissioners for England Wales, 1885" (C.-4287), vol I p. 165-7.
^"39. County of Warwick" in "Report of the Boundary Commission (England and Wales)", Cd. 8757, vol II.
^"Report in regard to the division of abnormally large Constituencies named in the Second Schedule to the Act", Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 6634, p. 35-37.
^Initial Report of the Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 7260, p. 48.
^"First Periodical Report", Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 9311, p. 37.
^F. W. S. Craig, "Boundaries of British Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972", Political Reference Publications, Chichester, 1972, p. 144.
^"The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", Parliamentary Research Services, 1983, pp. 114, 214.
^Colin Rallings, Michael Thrasher, "Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", University of Plymouth, 2007, p. 139.
