Birkenhead: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Alison McGovern (Labour) is the MP for Birkenhead, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. Alison McGovern took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 22,468 votes (52.1%), ahead of Jo Bird (Green Party) on 8,670. 43,134 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 78,091, 55.2% of those registered. The majority was 13,798.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set Birkenhead apart: the 30th highest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (31.0%), and the 54th lowest employment rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (66.4%).
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 66.4% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 7.1 points. 31.0% were economically inactive.
The median price paid for a home was £180,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £125,000. It ranks 64th lowest of 575 constituencies. 1,140 sales were registered in the period, against 1,347 in the year to March 2025.
6,420 children in Birkenhead were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 31.0% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 23.6% in 2021/22 to 24.8% in 2024/25.
Workplaces in Birkenhead accounted for 38,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 3,625 local units for March 2026.
The ONS estimates 109,787 people lived in Birkenhead in mid-2024, up 4.5% on 2014. 20,282 were aged 65 or over and 20,702 were under 16.
Birkenhead counted 47,940 households on Census day 2021; 21.3% of adults were retired and 23.1% of those in work were mostly working from home.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £36,419 for jobs in Birkenhead and £36,512 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £35,582. The residents' figure ranks 215th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 3,260, or 4.7% of the working-age population. September 2025 had 3,290.
MP
Alison McGovern, Labour
- MP for Birkenhead since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 6 May 2010
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Alison McGovern on this site
In Parliament
What Alison McGovern said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 20 October 2026 to 21 October 2026). Hansard search returns 608 spoken contributions by Alison McGovern since 4 July 2024.
I meet Members of Parliament, from all parties, regularly. I am always happy to agree to meetings with Members of Parliament, and I am sure that my ministerial colleagues feel likewise.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank my hon. Friend for asking me a question that is actually within my direct responsibilities, which does make my life slightly easier. The issue that he raises regarding the suitability of location is very important.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The hon. Lady makes an excellent point. The research is good, and the crisis we are seeing in some hospitals as we turn the ship around is because we have not grappled with the issue of social care.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I would like to thank my hon. Friend for his question and, through him, to pass on my concerns to the family he mentions. I will write to him on what the CQC is doing.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I refer the shadow Minister to the Fonagy review. It details the causes, which started before covid, of the rise in mental distress for young people.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 26 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alison McGovern | Labour | 22,468 | 52.1% | −7.9 |
| Jo Bird | Green Party | 8,670 | 20.1% | +17.1 |
| Tony Stanley | Reform UK | 6,142 | 14.2% | +10.9 |
| Sarah Payne | Conservative | 3,238 | 7.5% | −8.1 |
| Stuart Kelly | Liberal Democrat | 2,292 | 5.3% | +1.3 |
| Catherine Evans | Freedom Alliance | 324 | 0.8% |
Result summary as published: Lab hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 52.1% | Green Party 20.1% | 13,798 | 55.2% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 60.0% | Conservative 15.6% | 22,993 | 67.9% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Birkenhead lies within Wirral.
- Wirral E08000015
Who has power over Birkenhead
Every body that makes decisions for Birkenhead, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Birkenhead this page: Alison McGovern (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Birkenhead?
Alison McGovern (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Birkenhead?
The House of Commons Library records 22,468 votes for Alison McGovern of Labour and a majority of 13,798; 55.2% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Birkenhead?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 3,260, 4.7% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Birkenhead?
£180,000: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Birkenhead?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £36,512 (April 2025).
How many children in Birkenhead live in low income families?
6,420 children under 16, 31.0%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Birkenhead?
109,787 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.