Winchester (UK Parliament constituency)
Coordinates: 51°03′47″N 1°19′01″W / 51.063°N 1.317°W
| Winchester | |
|---|---|
| County constituency | |
| for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Winchester in Hampshire. |
|
 Location of Hampshire within England. |
|
| County | Hampshire |
| Electorate | 74,138 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Winchester |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1918 |
| Member of Parliament | Steve Brine (Conservative) |
| Number of members | One |
| 1295–1918 | |
| Number of members | 1295–1885: Two 1885–1918: One |
| Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
| Overlaps | |
| European Parliament constituency | South East England |
Winchester 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.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries
The constituency is centred around the Winchester district in Hampshire, sharing similar borders. The main city in the constituency is Winchester. Following their review of parliamentary representation in Hampshire, the Boundary Commission for England has created a new seat in the county. A new Meon Valley constituency was formed in 2010 from parts of the old Winchester seat.
[edit] History
[edit] 1997 to present
At the 1997 general election, the incumbent MP Gerry Malone of the Conservative Party was defeated by Mark Oaten of the Liberal Democrats by just two votes. Malone petitioned the result and it was declared void by the High Court, necessitating a by-election. This was also won by Oaten, but this time with a majority of 21,556, after the Labour vote collapsed to 1.7% with the party losing its deposit. The candidacy of Richard Huggett in both 1997 elections as a "Literal Democrat" candidate led in part to the creation of the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998.
Oaten stood down at the 2010 general election and was replaced as Liberal Democrat candidate by Martin Tod. Following significant boundary changes, Tod was defeated by Conservative candidate Steve Brine, who took the seat with a majority of 3,048 votes.
[edit] Constituency profile
The ancient capital of Wessex, Winchester is a quiet and civilised cathedral city with the arts and humanities-oriented University and an affluent population. Deprivation levels are very low, and the population is a mix of students, academics, London and Southampton commuters, and those employed locally in high-tech industries springing up across Hampshire.
Further from the city centre is more rural farming territory, though much of this has now been transferred to other seats, making the Winchester seat more urban.
Politically, Winchester has had an interesting recent history, and the events of 1997 swung the constituency strongly away from its usual status as a fairly safe Conservative seat, to which it only just reverted in 2010.
[edit] Members of Parliament
- Constituency created (1295)
[edit] 1295 to 1660
[edit] MPs 1660-1885
[edit] MPs since 1885
[edit] Elections
[edit] Elections in the 2010s
| General Election 2010: Winchester[7] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Steve Brine | 27,155 | 48.5 | +11.2 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Martin Tod | 24,107 | 43.1 | −7.0 | |
| Labour | Patrick Davies | 3,051 | 5.5 | −3.9 | |
| UKIP | Jocelyn Penn-Bull | 1,139 | 2.0 | −0.2 | |
| English Democrats | Mark Lancaster | 503 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,048 | 5.4 | +18.2 | ||
| Turnout | 55,955 | 75.8 | +3.9 | ||
| Conservative gain from Liberal Democrat | Swing | +9.1 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 2000s
| General Election 2005: Winchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrat | Mark Oaten | 31,225 | 50.6 | −4.0 | |
| Conservative | George Hollingbery | 23,749 | 38.5 | +0.2 | |
| Labour | Patrick Davies | 4,782 | 7.8 | +1.9 | |
| UKIP | David Abbott | 1,321 | 2.1 | +1.0 | |
| Independent | Arthur Uther Pendragon | 581 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 7,473 | 12.1 | |||
| Turnout | 61,655 | 71.9 | −0.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrat hold | Swing | −2.1 | |||
| General Election 2001: Winchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrat | Mark Oaten | 32,282 | 54.6 | +12.5 | |
| Conservative | Andrew Hayes | 22,648 | 38.3 | -3.8 | |
| Labour | Stephen Wyeth | 3,498 | 5.9 | -4.6 | |
| UKIP | Joan Martin | 664 | 1.1 | +0.4 | |
| Wessex Regionalist | Henrietta Rous | 66 | 0.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 9,634 | 16.3 | |||
| Turnout | 59,158 | 72.3 | -6.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrat hold | Swing | ||||
Note: The percentage differences are compared to the previous general election poll, not the by-election.
[edit] Elections in the 1990s
| By-election 1997: Winchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrat | Mark Oaten | 37,006 | 68.0 | +26 | |
| Conservative | Gerry Malone | 15,450 | 28.4 | −13.6 | |
| Labour | Patrick Davies | 944 | 1.7 | −8.8 | |
| UKIP | Robin Page | 521 | 1.0 | +0.2 | |
| Monster Raving Loony | Screaming Lord Sutch | 316 | 0.6 | +0.1 | |
| Literal Democrat | Richard Huggett | 51 | 0.1 | −0.9 | |
| Natural Law | Rosemary Barry | 48 | 0.1 | +0.1 | |
| Independent Conservative | Roger Everest | 40 | 0.1 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 21,556 | ||||
| Turnout | 68.7 | ||||
| Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1997: Winchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrat | Mark Oaten | 26,100 | 42.1 | +4.3 | |
| Conservative | Gerry Malone | 26,098 | 42.1 | -8.0 | |
| Labour | Patrick Davies | 6,528 | 10.5 | +3.1 | |
| Referendum Party | Peter Strand | 1,598 | 2.6 | +2.6 | |
| "Liberal Democrat Top Choice for Parliament" | Richard Huggett | 640 | 1.0 | +1.0 | |
| UKIP | Derek Rumsey | 476 | 0.8 | +0.8 | |
| Independent | John Browne | 307 | 0.5 | -4.2 | |
| Monster Raving Loony | Peter Stockton | 307 | 0.5 | +0.5 | |
| Majority | 2 | ||||
| Turnout | 62,054 | ||||
| Void election result | Swing | ||||
Note: The result reflects the official return made at the time. It was subsequently declared void upon petition.
Because of the presence on the ballot paper of Richard Huggett as "Liberal Democrat Top Choice for Parliament", Oaten used the description "Liberal Democrat Leader Paddy Ashdown" to identify himself as the official Liberal Democrat candidate.
| General Election 1992: Winchester[8] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Gerry Malone | 33,113 | 50.1 | −2.3 | |
| Liberal Democrat | AD Barron | 24,992 | 37.8 | −2.4 | |
| Labour | PJ Jenks | 4,917 | 7.4 | +0.9 | |
| Independent Conservative | John Browne | 3,095 | 4.7 | +4.7 | |
| Majority | 8,121 | 12.3 | +0.1 | ||
| Turnout | 66,117 | 83.2 | +2.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 | |||
[edit] Elections in the 1980s
| General Election 1987: Winchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | John Browne | 32,195 | 52.4 | −5.2 | |
| Social Democrat | JL MacDonald | 24,716 | 40.2 | +6.2 | |
| Labour | FC Inglis | 4,028 | 6.6 | −1.6 | |
| Green | JP Walker | 565 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 7,479 | 12.2 | −11.4 | ||
| Turnout | 76,507 | 80.4 | +4.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −5.7 | |||
[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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "History of Parliamemt". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/winchester. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "History of Parliamemt". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/winchester. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j [http: "History of Parliamemt"]. http:. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
- ^ a b c Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 4)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 334–335. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Winchester". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/f17.stm.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
