Birkenhead.
Labour Party MP Mick Whitley holds the seat on 52.1% of the vote.
1 Jun 2026
The data available for Mick Whitley, Labour MP for Birkenhead since 2019, is strikingly thin -- and the news coverage that does exist is almost entirely about a different person. Every significant news story attached to this briefing concerns Alison McGovern, who appears to have succeeded Whitley as Birkenhead's MP and has since been appointed Minister for Local Government and Homelessness. This suggests Whitley may no longer be serving in this role, though the circumstances of that transition are not captured in the available data.
With zero recorded division votes and no speech data, it is impossible to construct any meaningful parliamentary record for Whitley from the information provided. No committee memberships, no rebel votes, no stance profile, and no deviations from party average are recorded. Whether this reflects a gap in data collection, his departure from the Commons, or some other circumstance cannot be determined from what is available here.
Constituents seeking to understand their current representation should note that Alison McGovern appears, based on the news record, to be the active MP for Birkenhead -- attending local groundbreaking ceremonies, drawing senior Labour endorsements, and holding ministerial office covering housing and local government. The news sentiment data for the constituency over the past 90 days centres on culture and community issues, with some crime coverage. This briefing cannot provide a reliable account of Mick Whitley's recent parliamentary activity due to the absence of usable data.
Ward-level direction-of-travel: who controls what, who flipped recently, who holds the line.
| Ward | Latest winner | Votes | Council | Last cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bebington(3 seats) | Lamb · Walsh · Grier | 9,905 | Wirral Lab | May 2023 |
| Bidston St James(3 seats) | Kenny · McManus · Grey | 4,054 | Wirral Lab | May 2023 |
| Birkenhead Tranmere(3 seats) | Onwuemene · Tomeny · Cleary | 5,013 | Wirral Lab | May 2023 |
| Claughton(3 seats) | Davies · Wood · Foulkes | 5,728 | Wirral Lab | May 2023 |
| Oxton(3 seats) | Brame · Redfern · Kelly | 7,398 | Wirral Lab | May 2023 |
| Prenton(3 seats) | Cooke · Gorman · Graham | 6,943 | Wirral Lab | May 2023 |
| Rock Ferry(3 seats) | McDonald · Basnett · Murphy | 4,026 | Wirral Lab | May 2023 |
Source · Democracy Club · DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The seat’s population is concentrated in Birkenhead (89,890), with Bebington (15,037) as the second pole. Total population across named built-up areas: 104,927.
Source · ONS Built-Up Areas · Census 2021
| Settlement | Pop. | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Birkenhead | 89,890 | city |
| Bebington | 15,037 | large town |
Headline indicators.
| Indicator | Local | National | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate | 53.3% | 57.1% | -7% |
| Owner-occupied | 55.3% | 63.1% | -12% |
| Private rented | 22.8% | 20.0% | +14% |
| Social rented | 21.8% | 16.8% | +30% |
Ethnicity.
Source · Census 2021
Population by age & sexCensus 2021 · 18 bands · click to expand
Source · Census 2021 (ONS) · % of usual residents; tick marks the median seat per band
Income tax contribution.
| Total income tax | £224m |
| Taxpayers | 51,000 |
| Median per taxpayer | £2,520 |
| Mean per taxpayer | £4,360 |
Source · HMRC SPI · ±8% confidence
Where the money flows back in.
This constituency is served by Wirral. Each council’s service spend, peer rank and supplier list lives on its own page — open from the meta block above or the compass strip below.
Move the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings — the household lens.
Headline rate.
By category.
Source · data.police.uk · 3-month rate per 1,000 pop
2024 — full result.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alison McGovernWON | Lab | 22,468 | 52.1 |
| Jo Bird | Grn | 8,670 | 20.1 |
| Tony Stanley | Ref | 6,142 | 14.2 |
| Sarah Payne | Con | 3,238 | 7.5 |
| Stuart Kelly | LD | 2,292 | 5.3 |
| Catherine Evans | Ind | 324 | 0.8 |
Turnout 43,134
Prior contests.
| Year | Winner | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Mick Whitley | Lab | 59.0 |
| 2017 | Frank Field | Lab | 76.9 |
| 2015 | Frank Field | Lab | 67.6 |
| 2010 | Field, Frank | Lab | 62.5 |
Sources, methods & last update
2023 boundary review
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Census 2021
National avg over 575 seats
±8% confidence
LSOA-aggregated · rolling 12mo