Leeds South: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Leeds South is represented in the House of Commons by Hilary Benn (Labour). Hilary Benn took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 17,117 votes (54.0%), ahead of Ed Carlisle (Green Party) on 5,838. 31,678 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 75,953, 41.7% of those registered. The majority was 11,279.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set Leeds South apart: the 16th highest share of children in low income families after housing costs of the 650 constituencies with this figure (46.4%), and the 19th lowest median full-time pay of residents of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£31,723 a year).
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 132,173; the estimate for 2014 was 114,496. There were more children under 16 (29,264) than residents aged 65 and over (13,270).
13,586 children in Leeds South were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 46.4% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 39.1% in 2021/22 to 39.2% in 2024/25.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £39,950 for jobs in Leeds South and £31,723 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £31,283. The residents' figure ranks 19th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £175,000 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £102,000. It ranks 56th lowest of 575 constituencies. 908 sales were registered in the period, against 1,197 in the year to March 2025.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 67.6% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 7.7 points. 25.5% were economically inactive.
Workplaces in Leeds South accounted for 156,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 5,850 local units for March 2026.
Census 2021: 53,551 households, 3,237.5 people per square kilometre, 25.8% of workers based at home, 12.9% of adults retired.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 6,885 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 7.7%. September 2025 had 6,850.
MP
Hilary Benn, Labour
- MP for Leeds South since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 10 June 1999
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Hilary Benn on this site
In Parliament
What Hilary Benn said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 19 October 2026 to 27 October 2026). Hansard search returns 682 spoken contributions by Hilary Benn since 4 July 2024.
No, the hon. Gentleman is not; I did not think that he was. That is a fundamental problem. It is about confidence in the system and in the property. Too many of my constituents still worry that they could be landed with bills they simply cannot afford.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I understand the point that the hon. Gentleman is making, but is he arguing that a mortgage lender should be required by law—
I thank my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the way in which he has handled these two days of Committee consideration with such skill, grace and understanding.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Does the hon. Gentleman accept that the reason the Loughgall inquest began, and was then terminated by the previous Government’s legislation, is that the Attorney General in the last Conservative Government, who is also the Advocate General for Northern Ireland, decided, having …
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I want to finish, because many Members wish to speak. This is unquestionably the unfinished business of the Good Friday agreement. Those who signed that extraordinary document knew that this issue had to be dealt with, and knew that it could not be done at the time.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilary Benn | Labour | 17,117 | 54.0% | −4.4 |
| Ed Carlisle | Green Party | 5,838 | 18.4% | +14.6 |
| Karen Cooksley | Conservative | 4,172 | 13.2% | −13.1 |
| Daniel Whetstone | Social Democratic Party | 1,874 | 5.9% | +5.3 |
| George Sykes | Liberal Democrat | 1,340 | 4.2% | −0.2 |
| Muhammad Azeem | Workers Party of Britain | 719 | 2.3% | |
| Janet Bickerdike | Christian Peoples Alliance | 341 | 1.1% | |
| Niko Omilana | Independent | 277 | 0.9% |
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 54.0% | Green Party 18.4% | 11,279 | 41.7% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 58.4% | Conservative 26.3% | 13,886 | 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 South lies within Leeds.
- Leeds E08000035
Who has power over Leeds South
Every body that makes decisions for Leeds South, 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 South this page: Hilary Benn (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 Leeds South?
Hilary Benn (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Leeds South?
The House of Commons Library records 17,117 votes for Hilary Benn of Labour and a majority of 11,279; 41.7% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Leeds South?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 6,885, 7.7% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Leeds South?
£175,000: 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 Leeds South?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £31,723 (April 2025).
How many children in Leeds South live in low income families?
13,586 children under 16, 46.4%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Leeds South?
132,173 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.