An investigation of politician mobility in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article investigates the influence of the politics of presence in the most recent parliamentary and European elections in the United Kingdom by examining the question of politician mobility. It establishes the patterns of regional relationships between the constituencies served by elected representatives and their place of birth, and takes into account age, gender and political party. It includes the issues of seat marginality and ‘career politicians’. Analytical techniques include the Nomogramma di Gandy and multiple correspondence analysis. The UK regions, outside London, which have the highest number of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) born per head of population are also the ones that have the least politician mobility. The south-east of England, and in particular London, have the greatest mobility. In general the patterns for MPs and MEPs are fairly similar, except in respect of age. Females were more likely to cross more than one regional boundary than males, particularly for Conservative MPs, and there was a higher differential in this regard for MEPs compared to MPs. It was concluded that while there is considerable politician mobility for both MPs and MEPs, the vast majority represent constituencies within their region of birth, or an adjacent region.