Tamworth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It has been represented by Chris Pincher since 2010. A former member of the Conservative party, he had the whip removed in July 2022, and sits as an Independent. Boundaries 1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Birmingham, the Sessional Divisions of Birmingham and Solihull, part of the Sessional Divisions of Atherstone and Coleshill, and part of the Municipal Borough of Tamworth. 1918–1945: The Municipal Borough of Sutton Coldfield, the Rural Districts of Meriden and Solihull, and part of the Rural District of Tamworth. 1997–2010: The Borough of Tamworth, and the District of Lichfield wards of Bourne Vale, Fazeley, Little Aston, Mease Valley, Shenstone, Stonnall, and Tame. 2010–present: The Borough of Tamworth, and the District of Lichfield wards of Bourne Vale, Fazeley, Little Aston, Mease and Tame, Shenstone, and Stonnall. History The present Tamworth Constituency replaced the old South East Staffordshire constituency for the 1997 general election. A previous Tamworth constituency existed from 1563 until it was abolished for the 1945 general election. It elected two MPs until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one MP by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Political history Since its 1997 recreation the seat has been a bellwether, reflecting the largest party in terms of seats in the House of Commons with the largest share of the vote for the candidate locally. However, the seat has heavily trended towards the Conservatives in the most recent general elections, with majorities in excess of 10,000 in both 2015 and 2017 and almost 20,000 in 2019. Prominent members The Prime Minister and leader of the breakaway Tory group, the Peelites, Sir Robert Peel, represented the area for a long period 1830–1850, as did his father, brother and son at different periods. His father and son, also named Robert, also shared the baronetcy gained by his father, which gave them the automatic right to the style "Sir". Constituency profile The constituency is convenient for all of the West Midlands conurbation and has considerable local employment. Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.9% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian. Members of Parliament MPs before 1660 MPs 1660–1885 1885–1945 Tamworth was reduced to having one member in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1945. MPs 1997–present Elections Elections