The constituency of Leyton & Wanstead came into effect at the general election of 1997 when the Snaresbrook and Wanstead wards of the former Wanstead & Woodford constituency merged with the bulk of the old Leyton constituency (minus Lea Bridge ward). The old constituencies had radically different socio-economic and political characteristics.  

Sir Winston Churchill and Wanstead & Woodford 

Winston Churchill was first elected MP for the Wanstead area in 1924.  At that time, Wanstead was part of the old Epping Division which also included Chingford and went up to Harlow.  Churchill’s main backers at this time were Sir Harry Goschen  (constituency Chairman) and  James Hawkey (Deputy Chairman).  At the 1945 general election the constituency was divided into two.  Winston was elected for Woodford (which included Loughton & Chigwell until 1955).  Chingford went into the new Epping seat.  Winston’s retirement in 1964 coincided with further changes in parliamentary constituencies.  Woodford escaped significant boundary changes but was renamed Wanstead & Woodford.  As Patrick Jenkin remarked in his maiden speech , Winston was the “only one Right Honourable Member for Woodford”.

During his 40 years as MP for Epping/Woodford Churchill was at various times Chancellor of the Exchequer, Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party. He also won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1953).  Leading local supporters during this period were John Harvey (Chairman of W&W Conservatives and MP for Walthamstow East, 1955-66), John Hall and Tony Woodhead..

In 1959 the Borough of Wanstead & Woodford erected the statue of Churchill by David McFall on Woodford Green.  The huge, twice life-size bronze head of Churchill by Luigi Fironi was presented to the W&W Conservative Association by a group of French and Italian admirers and erected outside the old Manor House in Wanstead High Street.

Leyton By-Election 21 January 1965

On 21 January 1965 a by-election was held in Leyton (due to the elevation to the Peerage of the former long standing MP, Reg Sorensen).  Ronald Buxton gained the seat for the Conservatives (defeating the Labour Foreign Secretary Patrick Gordon Walker) by 205 votes on an 8.7% swing.  This was the only time since the Second World War that Leyton elected a Conservative MP.  It caused news headlines momentarily but any possible political momentum was halted by the death of Sir Winston Churchill just three days later.

Patrick Jenkin And James Arbuthnot

Patrick Jenkin succeeded Winston as MP in 1964 and, when the Conservatives regained power, went on to hold many ministerial posts.  He retired in 1987 and was elevated to the Lords as Lord Jenkin of Roding.  James Arbuthnot was elected as MP in 1987 and 1992.  Apart from the inclusion of Clayhall, from Ilford North, in 1974 there were no significant changes in constituency boundaries throughout this period.  On the breakup of Wanstead & Woodford in 1997 James Arbuthnot was elected for Hampshire North East.

For further information, see Churchill: The Member for Woodford, David A. Thomas, 1995, and By-elections in British Politics, edited by Chris Cook and John Ramsden, 1997.  David Thomas and John Ramsden were both prominent local Conservatives.