Unemployment has fallen in every parliamentary constituency except one since the last General Election, according to a new report, produced after research for the GMB union by the University of Durham.

The research showed that the jobless total has risen in the East Midlands constituency of Bosworth, which is represented by Conservative MP David Tredinnick.

Unemployment has fallen in every other constituency in the country, with the biggest fall of 61% recorded in Reigate in Surrey. The lowest fall has been in Stoke-on-Trent, where unemployment has fallen by 2.5%. Unemployment has fallen by 41% in the South East compared to 25% in the North, it was found.

Parliamentary constituencies which contained larger proportions of traditional manufacturing jobs had lower falls in unemployment than other constituencies.

John Edmonds, the GMB's general secretary, said winning the war against unemployment had been one of the Government's greatest achievements.

But he added: "We must not let this hard-fought record be tarnished by allowing a division to develop between north and south and between the manufacturing and service sectors."