Leeds Central and Headingley: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for Leeds Central and Headingley is Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op)), returned on 4 July 2024. Alex Sobel took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 15,853 votes (50.2%), ahead of Chris Foren (Green Party) on 7,431. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 44.8% (31,595 of 70,554); the winning margin was 8,422 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
On the official figures, Leeds Central and Headingley has the 12th lowest share of adults retired (2021) of the 575 constituencies with this figure (8.3%).
6,915 business sites were registered in Leeds Central and Headingley in March 2026 (6,835 a year before), and employed 123,000 people in 2024.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £38,939 for jobs in Leeds Central and Headingley and £33,980 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). A year before, the residents' median was £31,180. The residents' figure ranks 89th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
4,129 children in Leeds Central and Headingley were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 34.9% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. Before housing costs the share was 31.6% in 2024/25, from 30.8% in 2021/22.
About 115,800 people live in Leeds Central and Headingley: the ONS figure for mid-2024 is 115,823. Children under 16 numbered 11,831; people aged 65 and over, 7,939.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 69.4% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 9.1 points. The economically inactive share was 26.4%.
At the 2021 Census there were 39,577 households and 5,209.9 residents per square kilometre; 37.3% of workers mainly worked from home and 8.3% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
Half of the homes sold in the year to March 2026 went for more than £235,000 and half for less. That is up 60% on £146,500 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £240,000, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 188th lowest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 752 recorded sales.
In September 2026, 3.8% of 16 to 64 year olds in Leeds Central and Headingley were claimants (3,630 people). September 2025 had 3,320.
MP
Alex Sobel, Labour (Co-op)
- MP for Leeds Central and Headingley since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 8 June 2017
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Alex Sobel on this site
In Parliament
What Alex Sobel said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 19 October 2026 to 27 October 2026). Hansard search returns 215 spoken contributions by Alex Sobel since 4 July 2024.
Have any funds been allocated to Ukraine’s water infrastructure—for instance, within the UN WASH cluster project? Has the UK provided funds for defence barrier systems for water infrastructure and/or for a consistent power supply for water and sewerage systems?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Leeds is one of the biggest local authorities in England. We have 27,000 households on the waiting list for council housing, 5,000 of which are in priority need. So many constituents come to me saying that they just cannot afford private rented homes.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
One concerning point that my hon. Friend did not raise is the number of houses that will be demolished and the number of people who will be displaced. Heathrow’s own assumption is fewer than 1,000, but that is really only the direct curtilage of the runway.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
When I was first elected to Parliament nine years ago, we had people coming in and saying that new technology in aviation—electric planes, hydrogen planes and SAF—would significantly reduce emissions by 2025; I think that was the date given. None of that has happened.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I have listened to many of the contributions to this debate. They have been a credit to the House; this has been the sort of well-informed debate that we should be having about these complex and difficult issues.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Sobel | Labour | 15,853 | 50.2% | −13.3 |
| Chris Foren | Green Party | 7,431 | 23.5% | +20.1 |
| Chris Howley | Liberal Democrat | 2,611 | 8.3% | −2.9 |
| Reggie Wray | Reform UK | 2,399 | 7.6% | +3.6 |
| Jennifer Jackson | Conservative | 2,237 | 7.1% | −10.8 |
| Owais Rajput | Workers Party of Britain | 691 | 2.2% | |
| Rob Walker | Social Democratic Party | 187 | 0.6% | |
| Louie Fulton | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 186 | 0.6% |
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 50.2% | Green Party 23.5% | 8,422 | 44.8% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 63.4% | Conservative 17.9% | 19,879 | 57.9% |
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
Leeds Central and Headingley lies within Leeds.
- Leeds E08000035
Who has power over Leeds Central and Headingley
Every body that makes decisions for Leeds Central and Headingley, 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
- Leeds Central and Headingley this page: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op)) 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 Leeds Central and Headingley?
UK Parliament lists Alex Sobel, Labour (Co-op), as the Member of Parliament for Leeds Central and Headingley since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Leeds Central and Headingley?
Alex Sobel (Labour) won with 15,853 votes, a majority of 8,422, on a turnout of 44.8% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Leeds Central and Headingley?
3.8% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 3,630 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Leeds Central and Headingley?
The median price paid was £235,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Leeds Central and Headingley?
Median full-time pay of residents was £33,980 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Leeds Central and Headingley live in low income families?
DWP counts 4,129 (34.9% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Leeds Central and Headingley?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 115,823 residents.
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.