Constituency profile

South Ribble

North West · County constituency

Mr Paul Foster MP
Sitting MP

Mr Paul Foster

Labour

First elected July 2024

Current PollCheck projection

Region & type
North West
County constituency
Last 5 GE winners
CCCCL
Conservative 4/5, Labour 1/5
EU referendum 2016
56.6% Leave
UK average 51.9%; +4.7pp above mean
Current outlook
Labour +1.8pp
vs Reform UK 28.6%
NorthernLeave-leaning

About the South Ribble constituency

South Ribble is a county constituency in the North West, spanning parts of South Ribble, Chorley and neighbouring councils. The sitting MP is Mr Paul Foster (Labour), first elected in July 2024.

At the 2024 general election, Labour won South Ribble with 42.5% of the vote, ahead of the Conservatives on 28.6%, a majority of 6,501 votes. Turnout was 63.6%.

If a general election were held today, PollCheck's projection at the current seven-poll average has Labour on 30.4% and Reform UK on 28.6% in South Ribble, a margin of 1.8 points. The projection updates automatically as new polls are added.

Demographically, South Ribble is a Leave-leaning area (an estimated 56.6% voted Leave in 2016). About 33.1% of residents hold a degree, 76.4% of homes are owner-occupied, and the seat has a median age of about 46 (2021 Census).

Across the last 5 general elections on record, the seat has been won by the Conservatives 4 times, Labour 1 time (earlier years may be on predecessor boundaries).

Who lives in South Ribble? Constituency demographics

From the 2021 Census and 2016 EU referendum estimates. Constituency-level data on 2024 boundaries.

Leave vote 2016
56.6%
UK average ~52%
Degree or above
33.1%
UK average ~34%
No qualifications
15.5%
UK average ~18%
Owner-occupied
76.4%
UK average ~63%
Renting (social + private)
22.7%
UK average ~36%
Median age
45.5
UK median ~40
Age 65+
26.8%
UK average ~19%
Age 18-34
25.0%
UK average ~28%

How did South Ribble vote in 2024 and how would it vote now?

2024 vote shares from the HoC Library. Current projection is at the 7-poll average.

2024 general election

Lab gain from Con · majority 6,501 votes (13.9pp) · turnout 63.6%

Current projection

If a general election were held today, at current poll average

Map of South Ribble

Switch between ward-level 2024 election winners and a demographic view. Ward winners are Britain Elects' / New Statesman modelled estimates with an average ~4pp margin of error per ward. The demographic view splits the seat into small neighbourhoods (around 1,500 residents each, from the 2021 Census). Hover any area for detail.

Council layer (not Westminster)

South Ribble within South Ribble and Chorley

South Ribble crosses multiple council boundaries: South Ribble (83%), Chorley (17%). The figures below come from the council elections held on Thursday 7 May 2026 in each constituent council where they were held; for councils not in the 2026 election cycle the most recent available ward result is shown instead.

Council overlap

CouncilShare of seatProjection
South Ribble
48 LSOAs
83%
Chorley
10 LSOAs
17%View projection ›

Recent council by-elections

Council ward by-elections held inside this seat, most recent first. The result column shows which party won; the share column shows the top three parties’ vote shares on the day.

DateWardResultTop 3 vote shares
18 Dec 2025Broad Oak
South Ribble
LD HOLDLD 66% Ref 21% Con 8%
28 Oct 2024Middleforth
South Ribble
Con GAIN from Lab

Most recent council ward results

Latest council winner per ward. Where the council held a May 2026 election, those results are shown; otherwise we show the most recent available ward result (via DCLEAPIL, 2014-2024), or, where the seat was uncontested at the last election, the current sitting councillor from OpenCouncilData. The "Shift since GE2024" column is only computed for May 2026 results - earlier council votes pre-date the GE, so no directional shift is shown.

Ward GE2024 winner Latest council winner Shift since GE2024 Turnout

Projection trajectory

PollCheck's projection for South Ribble at each of the last 60 GB polls. Hover the chart for the underlying poll details.

Who has won South Ribble at past general elections?

2024 result is on current boundaries. The 2019 row is the UK Parliament's notional recalculation onto the 2024 boundaries (directly comparable to 2024). The 2010, 2015 and 2017 rows are on the boundaries in force at the time and aren't directly comparable.

Year Result MP Lab Con LD Right (Ref/UKIP) Green Other Majority Turnout
2010Con gain from LabLorraine Fullbrook34.7%45.5%14.1%3.7% UKIP-2.0%5,55467.9%
2015Con holdSeema Kennedy35.1%46.4%4.4%14.1% UKIP--5,94568.5%+0.6
2017Con holdSeema Kennedy39.3%52.9%3.8%2.5% UKIP0.9%0.6%7,42172.4%+3.9
2019notionalConservative winnerKatherine Fletcher 2019 MP, pre-review boundary36.2%53.5%7.7%-2.5%0.1%8,51568.3%-4.1
2024Lab gain from ConPaul Foster42.5%28.6%6.4%19.3% Ref3.4%-6,50163.6%-4.7

Earlier years are on pre-2024 boundaries; comparable results on the new boundary will be added when sourced.

Constituencies most like South Ribble

Five seats with similar demographic profiles to South Ribble. Politics shown for context.

What would change this seat?

Move the sliders to set national vote shares. The per-seat projection updates live. Reset returns to the current 7-poll average.

Related

Sources

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