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> United Kingdom > England > North East > North East
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| Established | February 23, 1950 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RBH May 01, 2021 06:19pm |
| Description |
Located to the north of Hartlepool and south of Sunderland at Seaham, the pit village of Easington lends it name to this small, coastal Labour-held seat. It witnessed widespread picketing and arrests during he 1984 miners' strike after just one worker crossed the lines. Many of its collieries survived until the 1990s. In 1997 Labour was ahead by a massive 71.6%. Even after 2001 this was Labour's third safest seat after Bootle and Sheffield Brightside, with a 66.5% majority. Unemployment rates are high. Almost 44% of those of working age have no qualifications. It also has the fourth highest proportion of people with carers for more than 20 hours per week. Almost a quarter of housing is still rented from the local authority. The area has become celebrated as the place where the film Billy Elliot was shot. Before that it was renowned for having been the seat of long-serving Labour stalwart, Emmanuel (Manny) Shinwell, who represented Easington from 1950-70 and Seaham (its predecessor) before that. In 1935 he took Seaham from the former Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald. The campaign which he won was a bitter one, reflecting much of the anger many in the party felt at MacDonald's role in the formation of the National Government. The current MP, John Cummings, has been in post since 1987. Prior to that he spent all his working life as a colliery electrician, having been educated at the local technical college.
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