Yardley is a potential swing constituency; it was held by the Conservative MP David Bevan in 1979-1992 and by the Labour MP Estelle Morris who stood down in 2005 to become Baroness Morris of Yardley.

The current MP John Hemming won the seat for the Liberal Democrats in 2005 and held it in the May 2010 General Election.

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John Hemming (b 1960) has held Birmingham Yardley for the Liberal Democrats since 2005.

He is a former pupil of King Edwards School in Edgbaston and studied physics at Magdalen College Oxford.

Before entering parliament, John Hemming sat on Birmingham City Council from 1990-2008 and was Deputy Leader in 2004-05; he was also a successful businessman and remains a director of JHC plc which provides software applications and other services to the securities industry.

John Hemming unsuccessfully stood for parliament for Hall Green in 1983, Small Heath in 1987 and Yardley in 1992, 1997 and 2001; he eventually won Birmingham Yardley for the Liberal Democrats in 2005.

He currently chairs the All party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas.

John Hemming is married with three children but has a child with Councillor Emily Cox who represents the Moseley and Kings Heath ward

In October 2010 his wife Christine Hemming appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court on a charge of burglary; she was accused of entering Emily Cox's home in Moseley and stealing a kitten (News Archive 24/10/10)

On Tuesday 7th December 2010, seven students staged a sit-in at the constituency office of John Hemming on the Coventry Road in Yardley (News Archive 08/12/10)

The result of the May 2010 poll was:

John Hemming (Liberal Democrat) 16,162, Lynette Kelly (Labour) 13,160, Meirion Jenkins (Conservative) 7,836, Tanya Lumby (British Nationalist Party) 2,153, Graham Duffen (UK Independence Party) 1,190, Paul Morris (National Front) 349.

John Hemming held the seat for the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 3,002 on a turnout of 56.5%. The vote was largely static with a 0% swing.

Birmingham City Council delegates some local powers to this committee.