Barking (UK Parliament constituency)

Barking
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Barking in Greater London.
County	Greater London
Population	122,313 (2011 census)
Electorate	74,027 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Barking and Becontree
Current constituency
Created	1945
Member of parliament	Margaret Hodge (Labour)
Created from	Romford
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	London

Barking is a constituency formed in 1945; represented throughout by a member of the Labour Party in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament — since 1994 its MP has been Margaret Hodge, a frontbencher since 2001. Hodge chaired the Public Account Committee (2010-2015) for which she was made DBE.

The area has elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1945, on strong majorities of 20.4% of the vote or greater; except for results in 1983 and 1987.

Bucking the national trend, the incumbent MP Margaret Hodge almost doubled her majority at the 2010 general election. The 2015 result for Hodge made the seat the 53rd safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.

Barking covers the western two-thirds of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in overall terms forming a mid-south portion of east London; its economy is diverse from major retail and manufacturing to its power station, with some commuting, particularly in its growing minority of expensive neighbourhoods. Ford Dagenham has lost its assembly workforce but expanded its diesel engine production workforce. The plant is split between this and the neighbouring constituency.

Barking's side-by-side twin nature reserves have grassland and bird habitat by a bend of the River Thames next to a disused and an operational power plant for the industrial works at the east end of its 3 miles (4.8 km) riverside. A large majority of its homes are north of the largely three-lane A13 (within Greater London). The constituency has benefited from the Summer Olympics 2012 in London and its districts include a larger than average proportion of social housing and earners on low incomes.