Red wall (British politics)

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The red wall is a term used in British politics to describe the UK Parliament constituencies in the Midlands and Northern England that have historically supported the Labour Party. The term was coined by the pollster James Kanagasooriam in a 2019 article for the Financial Times. At the 2019 general election, many of these parliamentary seats were won by the Conservative Party, with the media describing the red wall as having "turned blue". At the 2021 Hartlepool by-election, the Conservatives won for the first time in decades in another red wall seat. The 2021 Batley and Spen by-election was also for a red wall seat; Labour held the seat, albeit with a reduced majority. In the 2022 Wakefield by-election, Labour regained their first red wall seat; this was also their first gain in any by-election since 2012. At the 2024 general election, Labour regained almost all of these seats, with the media describing the red wall as having been "rebuilt".

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