South Shields: MP, 2024 result and local figures
South Shields is represented in the House of Commons by Emma Lewell (Labour). Emma Lewell-Buck took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 15,122 votes (41.1%), ahead of Stephen Holt (Reform UK) on 8,469. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 53.9% (36,824 of 68,366); the winning margin was 6,653 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set South Shields apart: the 10th highest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (33.7%), and the 12th lowest population of the 575 constituencies with this figure (90,422).
About 90,400 people live in South Shields: the ONS figure for mid-2024 is 90,422. The estimate peaked at 90,768 in 2011. There were more residents aged 65 and over (20,497) than children under 16 (15,556).
Full-time employees living in South Shields had median pay of £32,654 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £31,189. A year before, the residents' median was £32,017. The residents' figure ranks 34th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
65.0% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±5.0 points). The economically inactive share was 33.7%.
2,450 business sites were registered in South Shields in March 2026 (2,360 a year before), and employed 22,000 people in 2024.
Half of the homes sold in the year to March 2026 went for more than £167,250 and half for less. That is up 24% on £135,000 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £169,995, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 44th lowest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 858 recorded sales.
4,698 children in South Shields were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 30.2% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. Before housing costs the share was 27.4% in 2024/25, from 27.2% in 2021/22.
At the 2021 Census there were 41,549 households and 2,503.2 residents per square kilometre; 23.9% of workers mainly worked from home and 25.8% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
In September 2026, 5.0% of 16 to 64 year olds in South Shields were claimants (2,735 people). That is up from 2,615 twelve months before.
MP
Emma Lewell, Labour
- MP for South Shields since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 2 May 2013
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Emma Lewell on this site
In Parliament
What Emma Lewell said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 21 October 2026 to 22 October 2026). Hansard search returns 195 spoken contributions by Emma Lewell since 4 July 2024.
It is now over three years since Professor Alexis Jay’s recommendations for a fully independent safeguarding system in the Church. I understand that the legislation to enact that is not due until 2028. Can my right hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
10. What recent steps the Church of England has taken to establish an independent safeguarding system.
I remind Members that I need to call the Front Benchers at 5.10 pm; if Members are kind to one another, they may all get in.
There is now a reduced time limit of two minutes.
I will call Andrew George to move the motion, and the Minister to respond. I remind other Members that they may make a speech only with prior permission from the Member in charge of the debate and from the Minister.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Lewell-Buck | Labour | 15,122 | 41.1% | −3.0 |
| Stephen Holt | Reform UK | 8,469 | 23.0% | +8.3 |
| David Francis | Green Party | 5,433 | 14.8% | +11.6 |
| Craig Robinson | Conservative | 4,128 | 11.2% | −14.6 |
| Ahmed Khan | Independent | 2,270 | 6.2% | |
| Jonathan Aibi | Liberal Democrat | 1,402 | 3.8% | +0.3 |
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 41.1% | Reform UK 23.0% | 6,653 | 53.9% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 44.1% | Conservative 25.8% | 8,365 | 65.7% |
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
South Shields lies within South Tyneside.
- South Tyneside E08000023
Who has power over South Shields
Every body that makes decisions for South Shields, 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 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- North East Mayoral Combined Authority mayoral combined authority
- Northumbria Police police force
- NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board NHS
- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FT NHS
- North East in official figures
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
- South Shields this page: Emma Lewell (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 South Shields?
UK Parliament lists Emma Lewell, Labour, as the Member of Parliament for South Shields since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in South Shields?
Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour) won with 15,122 votes, a majority of 6,653, on a turnout of 53.9% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in South Shields?
5.0% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 2,735 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in South Shields?
The median price paid was £167,250 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in South Shields?
Median full-time pay of residents was £32,654 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in South Shields live in low income families?
DWP counts 4,698 (30.2% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of South Shields?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 90,422 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.