Britain’s weirdest constituency: what will happen in Sheffield Hallam?

This is our first big piece of local coverage ahead of the general election. In the coming weeks we’ll be looking at some of the other key constituencies in and around Sheffield — if you haven’t yet, subscribe now to receive all of it.

If you live in Sheffield Hallam constituency, there’s a fair chance you’ve been approached for a vox pop by a broadsheet newspaper recently. The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times — all have come to visit in the last month or two, eager to hear what voters have to say. If you’re looking for an unusual constituency to spice up your coverage, Hallam will always catch your eye. It’s just quite… weird.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying to work out what’s going to happen here, spending time with the two main contenders for the seat.

Hallam — which stretches from Stannington to Dore, and includes Crookes, Fulwood and Ecclesall — has always done things differently. While Margaret Thatcher was reviled across the rest of South Yorkshire, the constituency gave her its strong backing. Then, as the country at large swung towards New Labour in 1997, Hallam’s Labour vote actually dropped. Previous Tory and Labour voters both threw themselves behind a new loyalty — the Lib Dems.

The Lib Dems kept a tight grip on the area, with more than 50% of the vote, for several elections — first with Richard Allan, and then Nick Clegg. But at the end of the coalition years, Labour support soared, with (now mayor) Oliver Coppard contesting the seat in 2015. He didn’t quite manage it, but two years later Nick Clegg was ejected anyway. In the most recent election, Labour’s majority was wafer-thin: just 712 votes, or 1.2% of the vote. It’s now the only Labour/Lib Dem marginal in the country.

Vote shares for the three biggest parties in Sheffield Hallam, 1979 – 2019

Here’s another statistic that tells you just how unusual Sheffield Hallam is: Labour’s Olivia Blake won in 2019 with just 34.6% of the vote. That was the lowest vote share for a winner anywhere in Britain, as the Conservatives still took a big chunk of the votes. But on one view, Hallam should still be a Tory seat.