Warwick and Leamington (UK Parliament constituency)

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Warwick and Leamington
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Warwick and Leamington in Warwickshire.
Outline map
Location of Warwickshire within England.
County Warwickshire
Electorate 66,278 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Warwick and Leamington
Current constituency
Created 1885 (1885)
Member of Parliament Chris White (Conservative)
Number of members One
Created from Warwick
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency West Midlands

Warwick and Leamington is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

The constituency was created in 1885, partially replacing the earlier Warwick constituency. The constituency includes the towns of Warwick and Leamington Spa as well as surrounding villages. At various times the constituency's boundaries have also taken in the towns of Kenilworth, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Studley.

Its current MP is Chris White of the Conservative Party, who was first elected at the 2010 general election.

Contents

[edit] History

Represented by the Conservatives since 1910, including for 34 years former prime minister Anthony Eden, the seat had not been expected to change hands in the 1997 general election. James Plaskitt's defeat of the Conservative incumbent, Dudley Smith, came as a surprise, even in the context of Labour's landslide victory. Plaskitt increased his majority in the 2001 election, but on a lower turnout. In the 2005 election, Warwick and Leamington was 85th on the Conservative list of target seats, meaning that to gain it they would have required a somewhat greater swing than was seen nationally. With the greatest increase in support being seen by the Liberal Democrats, Plaskitt only narrowly held the seat, with his majority slashed from nearly 6,000 votes to only 266.

However, boundary changes in Labour's favour which took effect at the 2010 general election mean that Warwick and Leamington will not necessarily be as marginal as this result suggests. In the event the seat was gained by the Conservatives, with Chris White defeating incumbent James Plaskitt by seven percentage points.

[edit] Constituency profile

The 2010 boundary changes reduced the constituency to an urban core, and it now literally comprises the two eponymous towns and little else.

The towns of Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa are adjoined, and although still distinct, they are now joined into a contiguous urban area. Both towns are relatively affluent, although there are pockets of deprivation in Leamington. Warwick, with its historic castle, is a popular tourist destination, while Leamington's economy is more industrial. Leamington is also more ethnically diverse (some five per cent of the constituency's population is Asian) and is home to many students of the University of Warwick.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Election Member[2] Party Notes
1885 Rt Hon Arthur Wellesley Peel Liberal Speaker of the House of Commons 1884-95
1886 Liberal Unionist
1895 by-election Alfred Lyttelton Liberal Unionist
1906 Thomas Berridge Liberal
Jan 1910 Ernest Pollock Conservative
1923 Rt Hon Sir Anthony Eden, later 1st Earl of Avon Conservative Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister 1955-57
1957 by-election Sir John Hobson Conservative
1968 by-election Sir Dudley Smith Conservative
1997 James Plaskitt Labour
2010 Chris White Conservative

[edit] Elections

[edit] Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Warwick and Leamington[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris White 20,876 42.6 +8.2
Labour James Plaskitt 17,363 35.4 -9.3
Liberal Democrat Alan Beddow 8,977 18.3 +2.4
UKIP Christopher Lenton 926 1.9 +0.2
Green Ian Davison 693 1.4 -1.9
Independent Jim Cullinane 197 0.4 +0.4
Majority 3,513 7.2
Turnout 49,032 71.0 +5.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

[edit] Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Warwick and Leamington[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Plaskitt 22,238 40.6 −8.2
Conservative Chris White 21,972 40.1 +2.5
Liberal Democrat Linda Forbes 8,119 14.8 +3.7
Green Ian Davison 1,534 2.8 N/A
UKIP Greville Warwick 921 1.7 +0.5
Majority 266 0.5 −10.7
Turnout 54,744 67.4 +1.6
Labour hold Swing −5.4
General Election 2001: Warwick and Leamington[7][8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Plaskitt 26,108 48.8 +4.3
Conservative David Campbell-Bannerman 20,155 37.6 −1.2
Liberal Democrat Linda Forbes 5,964 11.1 −0.7
Socialist Alliance Claire Kime 664 1.2 N/A
UKIP Greville Warwick 648 1.2 N/A
Majority 5,953 11.2 +5.5
Turnout 53,539 65.8 −9.3
Labour hold Swing 2.8

[edit] Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Warwick and Leamington[10][11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Plaskitt 26,747 44.5 +11.5
Conservative Dudley Smith 23,349 38.9 −9.5
Liberal Democrat Nigel Hicks 7,133 11.9 −4.7
Referendum Party Val Davis 1,484 2.5 N/A
Green Paul Baptie 764 1.3 −0.1
Independent Greville Warwick 306 0.5 N/A
Independent Michael Gibbs 183 0.3 N/A
Natural Law Roddy McCarthy 125 0.2 −0.1
Majority 3,398 5.7
Turnout 60,091 75.1 −6.5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing 10.5
General Election 1992: Warwick and Leamington[13][14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 28,093 48.4 −1.4
Labour Matthew Taylor 19,158 33.0 +9.5
Liberal Democrat S. E. Boad 9,645 16.6 −7.9
Green J. A. Alty 803 1.4 −0.6
Independent R. Newby 251 0.4 N/A
Natural Law J. Brewster 156 0.3 N/A
Majority 8,935 15.4 −9.9
Turnout 58,108 81.6 −5.6
Conservative hold Swing −5.5

[edit] Elections in the 1980s

General election, 1987: Warwick and Leamington[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 27,530 49.8 −1.1
SDP–Liberal Alliance K. P. O'Sullivan 13,548 24.5 −1.4
Labour A. Christina 13,019 23.5 +1.5
Green J. A. Alty 1,214 2.2 +0.9
Majority 13,982 25.3 +0.3
Turnout 55,311 76.0 +2.4
Conservative hold Swing −1.3
General election, 1983: Warwick and Leamington[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 26,512 50.9 −3.5
SDP–Liberal Alliance R. Behrens 13,480 25.9 +10.9
Labour Richard Chessum 11,463 22.0 −7.3
Ecology N. Charlton 685 1.3 −0.1
Majority 13,032 25.0 0.0
Turnout 52,140 73.6 −4.1
Conservative hold Swing −7.2

[edit] Elections in the 1970s

General election, 1979: Warwick and Leamington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 35,925 54.4 +7.3
Labour C. J. Gray 19,367 29.3 −3.8
Liberal D. Woodcock 9,905 15.0 −4.8
Ecology P. Sizer 905 1.4 N/A
Majority 16,558 25.0 +11.0
Turnout 66,102 77.7 +2.9
Conservative hold Swing +5.6
General election, October 1974: Warwick and Leamington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 27,721 47.1 −0.4
Labour J. W. England 19,476 33.1 +3.4
Liberal T. A. Jones 11,625 19.8 −3.0
Majority 8,245 14.0 −3.8
Turnout 58,822 74.8 −6.8
Conservative hold Swing −1.9
General election, February 1974: Warwick and Leamington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 30,167 47.5 −15.9
Labour J. W. England 18,874 29.7 −6.9
Liberal T. A. Jones 14,500 22.8 N/A
Majority 11,293 17.8 −9.0
Turnout 63,541 81.6 +9.0
Conservative hold Swing −19.4
General election, 1970: Warwick and Leamington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 36,994 63.4 −4.9
Labour John Watkinson 21,355 36.6 +20.1
Majority 15,639 26.8 −25.0
Turnout 58,349 72.6 −6.3
Conservative hold Swing −12.5

[edit] Elections in the 1960s

Warwick and Leamington by-election, 1968
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dudley Smith 28,914 68.3 +16.7
Labour Raymond Carter 6,992 16.5 −19.6
Liberal Antony Butcher 6,415 15.2 +2.9
Majority 21,922 51.8 +36.8
Conservative hold Swing 18.2
General election, 1966: Warwick and Leamington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hobson 28,918 51.6 −2.2
Labour L. J. Huckfield 20,221 36.1 +2.0
Liberal Antony Butcher 6,912 12.3 +0.2
Majority 8,697 15.5 −4.2
Turnout 56,051 78.9 −1.5
Conservative hold Swing −2.1
General election, 1964: Warwick and Leamington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hobson 29,749 53.8 −8.8
Labour N. J. Spearing 18,865 34.1 −3.3
Liberal P. Gibson 6,676 12.1 N/A
Majority 10,884 19.7 −5.5
Turnout 55,290 80.4 −2.3
Conservative hold Swing −10.5

[edit] Elections in the 1950s

General election, 1959: Warwick and Leamington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hobson 32,513 62.6
Labour W. Wilson 19,434 37.4
Majority 13,079 25.2
Turnout 51,947 82.7

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ "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. 
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)[self-published source?][better source needed]
  3. ^ Warwick District Council, Official list of candidates
  4. ^ "UK > England > West Midlands > Warwick & Leamington". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/e94.stm. Retrieved 12 May 2010. 
  5. ^ BBC Vote 2005
  6. ^ The Guardian
  7. ^ BBC Vote 2001
  8. ^ The Guardian
  9. ^ Election Demon
  10. ^ BBC Vote 2001
  11. ^ The Guardian
  12. ^ Election Demon
  13. ^ The Guardian
  14. ^ Election Demon
  15. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06. 
  16. ^ Election Demon
  17. ^ Election Demon

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Warwick		 Constituency represented by the Speaker
1885–1895		 Succeeded by
Carlisle
Preceded by
Woodford		 Constituency represented by the Prime Minister
1955–1957		 Succeeded by
Bromley
Constituencies in the West Midlands (59)
Conservative (33)
Labour (24)
Liberal Democrats (2)

Coordinates: 52°18′N 1°36′W / 52.30°N 1.60°W / 52.30; -1.60

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warwick_and_Leamington_(UK_Parliament_constituency)&oldid=480384633"
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