Brighton Kemptown (UK Parliament constituency)
Coordinates: 50°49′26″N 0°02′06″W / 50.824°N 0.035°W
| Brighton, Kemptown | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency | |
| for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Brighton, Kemptown in East Sussex. |
|
Location of East Sussex within England. |
|
| County | East Sussex |
| Electorate | 66,557 (December 2010)[1] |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1950 |
| Member of Parliament | Simon Kirby (Conservative) |
| Number of members | One |
| Created from | Brighton |
| Overlaps | |
| European Parliament constituency | South East England |
Brighton, Kemptown is a parliamentary constituency covering the Kemptown district in the city of Brighton and Hove. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first-past-the-post system of election.
It is currently a marginal seat between the Labour Party and the Conservatives.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries
As of the 2010 general election, Brighton Kemptown constituency consists of the Brighton city wards of East Brighton, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queen's Park, Rottingdean Coastal, and Woodingdean, and the Lewes district wards of East Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven East, Peacehaven North, and Peacehaven West.
[edit] Constituency profile
The constituency takes in the eastern part of Brighton and the semi-rural suburbs and villages stretching out to the east of the seat. At its western end it includes Queen's Park, the centre of Brighton's vibrant gay community, then Kemptown, the council estates of Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb and then, beyond the racecourse, more affluent and genteel coastal villages like Woodingdean, Saltdean and the town of Peacehaven.
[edit] History
The constituency was created in 1950 when the former two-seat constituency of Brighton was split between two new single-member seats. It underwent boundary changes in 1955 and 1983, although not in 1974. Labour gained the seat in 1964 with a majority of just 7 (making it the most marginal seat in the country at the time), and increased its majority in 1966, but lost the seat in 1970 and did not gain it again until 1997. Dennis Hobden, the victor in 1964, was not only the constituency's first Labour MP but also the first Labour MP to be elected in Sussex.
Boundary changes in 1997 moved the town of Peacehaven, a semi-rural area, into the constituency. This was thought to favour the Conservatives, but instead Labour gained the seat in their landslide victory, and held it until 2010 when the Conservatives regained it. The Greens do not do as well here as in the neighbouring Brighton Pavilion constituency, where they gained their first MP in 2010.
[edit] Members of Parliament
| Election | Member[2] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Howard Johnson | Conservative | |
| 1959 | David James | Conservative | |
| 1964 | Dennis Hobden | Labour | |
| 1970 | Andrew Bowden | Conservative | |
| 1997 | Des Turner | Labour | |
| 2010 | Simon Kirby | Conservative | |
[edit] Elections
[edit] Elections in the 2010s
| General Election 2010: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Simon Kirby | 16,217 | 38.0 | +5.0 | |
| Labour Co-op | Simon Burgess | 14,889 | 34.9 | -5.0 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Juliet Williams | 7,691 | 18.0 | +1.5 | |
| Green | Ben Duncan | 2,330 | 5.5 | -1.5 | |
| UKIP | James Chamberlain-Webber | 1,384 | 3.2 | +1.3 | |
| Trade Unionist & Socialist | Dave S. Hill | 194 | 0.5 | ||
| Majority | 1,328 | 3.1 | |||
| Turnout | 42,705 | 64.7 | |||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +5.0 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 2000s
| General Election 2005: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Des Turner | 15,858 | 39.9 | -7.9 | |
| Conservative | Judith Symes | 13,121 | 33.0 | -2.3 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Marina Pepper | 6,560 | 16.5 | +6.1 | |
| Green | Simon Williams | 2,800 | 7.0 | +3.7 | |
| UKIP | James Chamberlain-Webber | 758 | 1.9 | +0.5 | |
| Peace | Caroline O'Reilly | 172 | 0.4 | +0.4 | |
| Socialist Labour | John McLeod | 163 | 0.4 | -0.5 | |
| Independent | Elaine Cooke | 127 | 0.3 | +0.3 | |
| Socialist Alternative | Phil Clarke | 113 | 0.3 | +0.3 | |
| Independent | Gene Dobbs | 47 | 0.1 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 2,737 | 6.9 | |||
| Turnout | 39,719 | 60.2 | 2.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -2.8 | |||
| General Election 2001: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Des Turner | 18,745 | 47.8 | +1.3 | |
| Conservative | Geoffrey Theobald | 13,823 | 35.3 | -3.6 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Janet Marshall | 4,064 | 10.4 | +0.7 | |
| Green | Barney Miller | 1,290 | 3.3 | N/A | |
| UKIP | James Chamberlain-Webber | 543 | 1.4 | N/A | |
| Socialist Labour | John McLeod | 364 | 0.9 | +0.2 | |
| Free Party | Dave Dobbs | 227 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| ProLife Alliance | Elaine Cooke | 147 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Majority | 4,922 | 12.6 | |||
| Turnout | 39,203 | 57.6 | -13.0 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
[edit] Elections in the 1990s
| General Election 1997: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Des Turner | 21,479 | 46.6 | +14.0 | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 17,945 | 38.9 | -13.9 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Clive Gray | 4,478 | 9.7 | -4.2 | |
| Referendum Party | David Inman | 1,526 | 3.3 | N/A | |
| Socialist Labour | Hannah Williams | 316 | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Natural Law | Jeremy Bowler | 172 | 0.4 | ||
| Monster Raving Loony | Lorrie Newman | 123 | 0.3 | N/A | |
| Rainbow Dream Ticket | Richard Darlow | 93 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,534 | 7.7 | |||
| Turnout | 46,132 | 70.6 | |||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 14.0% | |||
| General Election 1992: Brighton Kemptown[3] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 21,129 | 48.1 | −5.4 | |
| Labour | Mrs GO Haynes | 18,073 | 41.2 | +8.3 | |
| Liberal Democrat | PD Scott | 4,461 | 10.2 | −3.4 | |
| Natural Law | Miss EJ Overall | 230 | 0.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,056 | 7.0 | −13.7 | ||
| Turnout | 43,893 | 76.1 | +1.7 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −6.8 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 1980s
| General Election 1987: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 24,031 | 53.5 | ||
| Labour | Steve Bassam | 14,771 | 32.9 | ||
| Liberal | Chris Berry | 6,080 | 13.6 | ||
| Majority | 9,260 | 20.6 | |||
| Turnout | 44,882 | 74.5 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1983: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 22,265 | 51.1 | ||
| Labour | R. Fitch | 12,887 | 29.6 | ||
| Social Democrat | D. T. Burke | 8,098 | 18.6 | ||
| National Front | Ted Budden | 290 | 0.7 | ||
| Majority | 9,378 | 21.5 | |||
| Turnout | 43,540 | 71.5 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
[edit] Elections in the 1970s
| General Election 1979: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 25,512 | 53.6 | ||
| Labour | Quintin Barry | 17,504 | 36.8 | ||
| Liberal | S. Osbourne | 8,098 | 8.8 | ||
| National Front | Valerie Tyndall | 404 | 0.8 | ||
| Majority | 8,008 | 16.8 | |||
| Turnout | 47,599 | 74.2 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election, October 1974: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 21,725 | 45.9 | ||
| Labour | Dennis Hobden | 19,060 | 40.3 | ||
| Liberal | S. Osbourne | 6,214 | 13.1 | ||
| English National | Robert Beaumont | 155 | 0.3 | ||
| Marxist-Leninist (England) | J. Buckle | 125 | 0.3 | ||
| Independent | Brian Ralfe | 47 | 0.1 | ||
| Majority | 2,665 | 5.6 | |||
| Turnout | 47,326 | 72.3 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election, February 1974: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 23,504 | 46.0 | ||
| Labour | Dennis Hobden | 19,484 | 38.1 | ||
| Liberal | D. Hall | 7,954 | 15.6 | ||
| Marxist-Leninist (England) | J. Buckle | 170 | 0.3 | ||
| Majority | 4,020 | 7.9 | |||
| Turnout | 51,112 | 78.8 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1970: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 24,208 | 49.3 | ||
| Labour | Dennis Hobden | 21,105 | 42.9 | ||
| Liberal | O. C. Moxon | 3,833 | 7.8 | ||
| Majority | 3,103 | 6.3 | |||
| Turnout | 49,146 | 75.0 | |||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
[edit] Elections in the 1960s
| General Election 1966: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Dennis Hobden | 24,936 | 50.8 | ||
| Conservative | Andrew Bowden | 24,105 | 49.2 | ||
| Majority | 831 | 1.7 | |||
| Turnout | 49,041 | 80.1 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1964: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Dennis Hobden | 22,308 | 50.0 | ||
| Conservative | David James | 22,301 | 50.0 | ||
| Majority | 7 | 0.0 | |||
| Turnout | 44,609 | 72.2 | |||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
[edit] Elections in the 1950s
| General Election 1959: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | David James | 25,411 | 56.4 | ||
| Labour | Lewis Cohen | 19,665 | 43.6 | ||
| Majority | 5,746 | 12.8 | |||
| Turnout | 45,076 | 73.8 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1955: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Howard Johnson | 23,142 | 56.4 | ||
| Labour | Lewis Cohen | 17,885 | 43.6 | ||
| Majority | 5,257 | 12.8 | |||
| Turnout | 41,027 | 70.0 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1951: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Howard Johnson | 25,923 | 55.6 | ||
| Labour | Lewis Cohen | 20,726 | 44.4 | ||
| Majority | 5,197 | 11.1 | |||
| Turnout | 46,649 | 77.1 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1950: Brighton, Kemptown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Howard Johnson | 22,431 | 48.8 | N/A | |
| Labour | J. T. Huddart | 19,430 | 42.3 | N/A | |
| Liberal | R. M. Buckley | 4,073 | 8.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,001 | 6.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 78.0 | N/A | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. http://www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/electoral-figures/electoral-figures.htm. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 1)[self-published source?][better source needed]
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
[edit] Sources
- Election result, 2005 (BBC)
- Election results, 1997 - 2001 (BBC)
- Election results, 1997 - 2001 (Election Demon)
- Election results, 1983 - 1992 (Election Demon)
- Election results, 1992 - 2005 (Guardian)
- Election results, 1951 - 2001 (Keele University)
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