The 1995 Boundary Commission review led to the constituency's creation for the 1997 election, largely from the old seat of
Altrincham and Sale; from that time until the dissolution of parliament in advance of the
2024 general election it was held by
Graham Brady, long elected by his colleagues the chairman of the
Conservative Party's backbench
1922 Committee (2010 to present; he stood down in May 2019, returning that September). In March 2023 Brady announced he would not seek re-election. From 2001 to 2010, it was the only Conservative seat in
Greater Manchester; its predecessor seats were always Conservative. In 1997, local grammar school–educated Brady was elected on a small majority of 1,500. His majority peaked at over 13,000 in 2015, being reduced in 2017 to just under 7,000. In 2019, it fell further to 6,139, a swing of 0.5% from Conservative to Labour, bucking the trend of large swings in the opposite direction. At the 2024 election,
Connor Rand was elected on a swing of 9.7% as the first ever Labour MP for this seat or its predecessors (
Altrincham and Sale, and
Altrincham). Trafford was one of three areas in Greater Manchester to vote Remain in the
EU referendum. However, Brady campaigned for Leave. ==Boundaries==