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Sea wall (British politics)

The British coastline

The Sea wall is a term used by psephologists to refer to battleground constituencies along the UK coastline.[1] The sea wall is predominantly Conservative voting but is home to many marginal seats that are vulnerable to Labour according to opinion polls.[2][3] Along with Red wall and Blue wall, the Sea wall overlaps both,[4] and has been used in coverage for the 2024 general election. There are thought to be 108 such constituencies.[5] In the 2019 general election Labour won just 24 of these seats.[6]

Coastal constituencies in England and Wales are noted for deprivation.[7][8] They are personified by tourism based economies, the cost of living crisis and poor connectivity.[9] Coastal communities are known to have lower wages compared to people living and working inland.[10] The availability of affordable housing has also been an issue.[11]

The thinktank Onward has called coastal areas “the forgotten battleground that could decide the next election”.[12]

  1. ^ "National Swing Man, the British electorate's new-old tribe". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  2. ^ Walker, Ben (2022-12-14). "How Labour has overtaken the Conservatives in "Sea Wall" battlegrounds". State of the Nation. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  3. ^ "Labour lead grows in 'sea wall' constituencies, polling shows". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  4. ^ Savage, Michael (2023-06-10). "Labour has clear lead over Tories in more than 100 battleground seats, poll finds". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  5. ^ "Labour lead grows in 'sea wall' constituencies, polling shows". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  6. ^ Boucott-Owen, Mason (16 December 2022). "Tories set to lose 'Sea Wall' of coastal seats". The Yorkshire Post.
  7. ^ Association, Press (2017-09-04). "Seaside towns among most deprived communities in UK". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  8. ^ "Coastal communities among worst off in UK, report finds". BBC News. 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  9. ^ Thomas, Jane (2024-01-11). "Sea wall replaces red wall: can Labour win the coast?". Yorkshire Bylines. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  10. ^ "Coastal communities: Residents earn £1,600 less than people inland". BBC News. 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  11. ^ "Locals at risk of being priced out of Britain's prettiest coastal towns". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  12. ^ Green, Daniel (2024-04-14). "Adur local elections: How a red wave can end 25-year Tory grip on south coast". LabourList. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
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