West Lancashire.
Labour Party MP Ashley Dalton holds the seat on 50.5% of the vote.
2 Jun 2026
Ashley Dalton's most significant recent act was resigning as a Health Minister in March 2026 to focus on her role as a local MP after disclosing she has incurable breast cancer -- a decision she framed around her constituents' right to active representation. She has since returned to the backbenches, where she immediately pushed for ministerial intervention over plans to axe A&E services at a Lancashire hospital, signalling that her local advocacy has intensified rather than diminished since leaving government.
On assisted dying, Dalton is a clear outlier within Labour. She voted against the Terminally Ill Adults Bill at Second Reading, Report Stage, and Third Reading -- one of a minority of Labour MPs to oppose the legislation throughout -- and sits 48 percentage points below her party's average on assisted dying access, the sharpest deviation in her profile. Otherwise she votes with Labour 98.7% of the time. Her participation rate of 61% is below the Commons average, though her period in government and her health treatment provide context for that figure. Her 243 contributions span 83 debates, with health and social care dominating -- a focus that predates her own diagnosis and reflects a consistent policy interest.
Her former role as a Health Minister explains why health accounts for 65 of her recorded speech contributions, and her cancer diagnosis has since made her a more prominent voice on NHS provision. Local news coverage over the past 90 days skews heavily towards crime stories unrelated to Dalton herself; coverage directly involving her centres on health and constituency advocacy, with broadly positive sentiment. No committee memberships are currently recorded.
Ward-level direction-of-travel: who controls what, who flipped recently, who holds the line.
| Ward | Latest winner | Votes | Council | Last cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aughton Holborn | Anne Marie Hughes | 1,162 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Burscough Bridge Rufford | Alison Jones | 827 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Burscough Town | Jess Riding | 938 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Old Skelmersdale | Ella Worthington | 883 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Ormskirk East | Michael John Crompton | 1,151 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Ormskirk West | Charles Robert Berry | 1,105 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Rural North East | Katie Juckes | 1,093 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Rural South | Linda Marjorie Webster | 842 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Rural West | Gareth Oakes | 1,191 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Skelmersdale North | Lizzie Urquhart | 780 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Skelmersdale South | Nigel Hudson | 581 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Tanhouse Skelmersdale Town Centre | Aaron Body | 713 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
| Up Holland | Richard Lee | 1,028 | West Lancashire Ref | May 2026 |
Source · Democracy Club · DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The seat’s population is concentrated in Skelmersdale (33,961), with Ormskirk (29,608) as the second pole. Total population across named built-up areas: 100,444.
Source · ONS Built-Up Areas · Census 2021
| Settlement | Pop. | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Skelmersdale | 33,961 | large town |
| Ormskirk | 29,608 | large town |
| Rural & dispersed | 11,357 | town |
| Burscough | 9,622 | town |
| Orrell | 7,570 | town |
| Parbold | 2,497 | village |
Headline indicators.
| Indicator | Local | National | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate | 54.1% | 57.1% | -5% |
| Owner-occupied | 69.7% | 63.1% | +10% |
| Private rented | 14.4% | 20.0% | -28% |
| Social rented | 15.8% | 16.8% | -6% |
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 | £283m |
| Taxpayers | 50,000 |
| Median per taxpayer | £2,650 |
| Mean per taxpayer | £5,710 |
Source · HMRC SPI · ±8% confidence
Where the money flows back in.
This constituency is served by West Lancashire. 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley DaltonWON | Lab | 22,305 | 50.5 |
| Mike Prendergast | Con | 8,680 | 19.6 |
| Simon Evans | Ref | 7,909 | 17.9 |
| Charlotte Houltram | Grn | 3,263 | 7.4 |
| Graham Smith | LD | 2,043 | 4.6 |
Turnout 44,200
Prior contests.
| Year | Winner | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ruth Ashley Charman Dalton | Lab | 62.3 |
| 2019 | Rosie Cooper | Lab | 52.1 |
| 2017 | Rosie Cooper | Lab | 58.9 |
| 2015 | Rosie Cooper | Lab | 49.3 |
| 2010 | Cooper, Rosie | Lab | 45.1 |
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