East Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)

East Surrey
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of East Surrey in Surrey.

Outline map

Location of Surrey within England.
County Surrey
Electorate 77,145 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Caterham, Whyteleafe, Woldingham, Godstone, Horley, Oxted, Limpsfield
Current constituency
Created 1918
Member of parliament Sam Gyimah (Conservative)
Number of members One
1832–1885
Number of members Two
Type of constituency County constituency
Replaced by Battersea, Chertsey, Clapham, Croydon, Epsom, Kingston, Reigate, Wandsworth and Wimbledon
Created from Bletchingley, Gatton and Surrey
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency South East England

East Surrey is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Sam Gyimah of the Conservative Party.[n 2] It is a Tory safe seat, having voted for a Conservative Party MP since its establishment in 1918.

Boundaries

1918-1950: The Urban Districts of Caterham, and Coulsdon and Purley, and the Rural District of Godstone.

1950-1974: The Urban Districts of Caterham and Warlingham, and Coulsdon and Purley.

1974-1983: The Urban District of Caterham and Warlingham, and the Rural District of Godstone.

1983-1997: The District of Tandridge.

1997-2010: The District of Tandridge, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Horley East and Horley West.

2010-present: The District of Tandridge, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Horley Central, Horley East, and Horley West.


Constituency Profile

The present Surrey East Constituency is an archetypal Home Counties seat, combining commuter towns with more rural territory and delivering substantial Conservative majorities at every election, even in years such as 1997 and 2001 when the party is doing badly nationally. It covers the easternmost chunk of the county of Surrey, bordering the London Borough of Croydon to the North, the county of Kent to the East, and the county of West Sussex to the South. The territory includes the former borough constituency of Bletchingley which was abolished as a 'rotten borough' by the Great Reform Act, 1832.

The Northern part of the seat lies within the M25 motorway, with Caterham, Whyteleafe and Warlingham serving as prime commuter belt, with good road and rail connections to Croydon and Central London. Elsewhere the seat is more rural and includes part of the North Downs and a number of prominent golf courses.

As well as the entirety of the borough of Tandridge, the constituency takes in the small town of Horley, part of Reigate and Banstead borough. Almost all wards are won by the Conservatives at local level, with the Liberal Democrats occasionally picking up a council seat in Whyteleafe or Caterham Valley. As is typical in seats of this kind, the Labour vote is typically very low. In recent years there has been a stronger UKIP presence, pushing the Lib Dems into third place in some wards. The area voted in favour of Brexit in the 2016 Referendum.


History

An earlier constituency of the same name existed from 1832 to 1885. Formally and often known as the "Eastern Division of Surrey" or "Surrey Eastern", it elected two MPs by the bloc vote system. It was created in the 1832 Reform Acts and covered an area stretching from Peckham and southern Brixton to Lingfield[2] and from Capel to Kingston upon Thames.

Central parts of Surrey, a county which then extended far into today's Greater London, were selected for two MPs under the Second Reform Act, starting from the 1868 general election. Surrey benefited under this Reform Act 1867, which ensured a modest level of representation was had as it included all of South London with the exceptions of Lambeth and Southwark.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 went much further than the Reform Act 1832 towards equal representation around the country, and also reflected growth in the county's population. Thus for elections from 1885 onwards, Mid Surrey and Surrey Eastern were split into Chertsey, Croydon, Epsom, Kingston, Reigate and Wimbledon constituencies (seats formerly included in Surrey Eastern are in bold).

In 1918 the constituency was re-established as East Surrey, taking rural and at most small suburban parts of Reigate and Croydon, and for the first time electing only one MP. It covered a smaller area, from the south of Croydon to the Kent and West Sussex borders. It included Lingfield, Oxted, Limpsfield, Godstone, Caterham and Woldingham.

In 1950 East Surrey lost Addington parish on the eastern fringe of Croydon to the newly formed Croydon South constituency, and its southern half to the Reigate constituency. In 1974 much of the north of constituency became part of Croydon South, reflecting the 1965 transfer of Purley and Coulsdon to the London Borough of Croydon in the new Greater London which then replaced the London County Council. Surrey East took in much of the area to the south that had been in Reigate since 1950. Its MP until 1974, William Clark, won the new Croydon South in that year's February election. Clark's successor, Sir Geoffrey Howe, later became Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

Election First member[3] 1st Party[4] Second member[3] 2nd Party[4]
1832 John Ivatt Briscoe Liberal Aubrey Beauclerk Liberal
1835 Richard Alsager Conservative
1837 Henry Kemble Conservative
1841 by-election Edmund Antrobus Conservative
1847 Peter John Locke King Liberal Thomas Alcock Liberal
1865 Charles Buxton Liberal
1871 by-election James Watney Conservative
1874 William Grantham Conservative
1885 Constituency abolished

MPs since 1918

ElectionMember[3]PartyNotes
1918 Sir Stuart Coats, Bt Conservative
1922 James Galbraith Conservative
1935 Charles Emmott Conservative
1945 Michael Astor Conservative
1951 Charles Doughty Conservative
1970 William Clark Conservative
Feb 1974[5] Geoffrey Howe Conservative Later Lord Howe of Aberavon; Cabinet minister 1979-1990
1992 Peter Ainsworth Conservative
2010 Sam Gyimah Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: East Surrey[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sam Gyimah 32,211 57.4 +0.7
UKIP Helena Windsor 9,553 17.0 +10.1
Labour Matt Wilson 6,627 11.8 +2.8
Liberal Democrat David Lee 5,189 9.2 -16.6
Green Nicola Dodgson 2,159 3.8 'N/A'
Independent Sandy Pratt 364 0.6 'N/A'
Majority 22,658 40.4
Turnout 56,103 70.4 −0.7
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 2010: East Surrey[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sam Gyimah 31,007 56.7 +0.6
Liberal Democrat David Lee 14,133 25.9 +2.0
Labour Mathew Rodda 4,925 9.0 -5.8
UKIP Helena Windsor 3,770 6.9 +2.5
Monster Raving Loony Martin Hogbin 422 0.8 N/A
Independent Sandy Pratt 383 0.7 N/A
Majority 16,874 30.9
Turnout 54,640 71.1 +4.5
Conservative hold Swing -0.7

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: East Surrey[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Peter Ainsworth 27,659 56.2 +3.7
Liberal Democrat Jeremy Pursehouse 11,738 23.8 -0.6
Labour James Bridge 7,288 14.8 -4.3
UKIP Tony Stone 2,158 4.4 +0.5
Legalise Cannabis Winston Matthews 410 0.8 +0.8
Majority 15,921 32.3
Turnout 49,253 66.6 +3.3
Conservative hold Swing +2.1
General Election 2001: East Surrey[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Peter Ainsworth 24,706 52.5 +2.4
Liberal Democrat Jeremy Pursehouse 11,503 24.4 +1.9
Labour Jo Tanner 8,994 19.1 -2.1
UKIP Tony Stone 1,846 3.9 +2.9
Majority 13,203 28.1
Turnout 47,049 63.3 -11.4
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: East Surrey[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Peter Ainsworth 27,389 50.1 -10.9
Liberal Democrat Belinda Ford 12,296 22.5 -4.4
Labour David Ross 11,573 21.2 +10.7
Referendum Michael Sydney 2,656 4.9
UKIP Tony Stone 569 1.0
Natural Law Susan Bartrum 173 0.3
Majority 15,093 27.6
Turnout 54,656 74.6
Conservative hold Swing

This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.

General Election 1992: East Surrey[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Peter Ainsworth 29,767 62.3 −1.1
Liberal Democrat Robert L. Tomlin 12,111 25.4 +1.4
Labour Mrs Gill M. Roles 5,075 10.6 +0.2
Green Ian T. Kilpatrick 819 1.7 −0.6
Majority 17,656 37.0 −2.5
Turnout 47,772 82.3 +5.2
Conservative hold Swing −1.2

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: East Surrey[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe 29,126 63.4 +0.5
Liberal Michael Alexander John Anderson 11,000 23.9 −3.4
Labour Michael John Davis 4,779 10.4 +0.6
Green David Richard Newell 1,044 2.3
Majority 18,126 39.5
Turnout 45,949 77.2
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: East Surrey[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe 27,272 62.9
Liberal Mrs. Susan Mary Liddell 11,836 27.3
Labour Hugh Pincott 4,249 9.8
Majority 15,436 35.6
Turnout 43,357 74.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe 28,266 62.84
Liberal Mrs. Susan Mary Liddell 8,866 19.71
Labour WG Harries 7,398 16.45
National Front D Smith 452 1.00
Majority 19,400 43.13
Turnout 78.42
Conservative hold Swing
General Election October 1974: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe 22,227 52.41
Liberal Kenneth S Vaus 12,382 29.20
Labour DL Allonby 7,797 18.39
Majority 9,845 23.22
Turnout 76.17
Conservative hold Swing
General Election February 1974: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe 23,563 51.16
Liberal Kenneth S Vaus 15,544 33.75
Labour DL Allonby 6,946 15.08
Majority 8,019 17.41
Turnout 83.58
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1970: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William Gibson Haig Clark 35,773 61.99
Liberal Percy W Meyer 11,749 20.36
Labour Michael D Simmons 10,186 17.65
Majority 24,024 41.63
Turnout 73.08
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles John Joseph Addison Doughty 30,900 54.54
Liberal Michael R Lane 16,407 28.96
Labour Cyril Shaw 9,347 16.50
Majority 14,493 25.58
Turnout 79.33
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1964: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles John Joseph Addison Doughty 31,827 55.94
Liberal Michael R Lane 16,049 28.21
Labour James Stewart Cook 9,020 15.85
Majority 15,778 27.73
Turnout 79.22
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles John Joseph Addison Doughty 36,310 63.94
Liberal Kenneth Sydney Vaus 10,376 18.27
Labour James C Hunt 10,102 17.79
Majority 25,934 45.67
Turnout 81.13
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1955: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles John Joseph Addison Doughty 37,276 74.79
Labour Jean Graham Hall 12,567 25.21
Majority 24,709 49.57
Turnout 76.47
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1951: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles John Joseph Addison Doughty 37,966 72.98
Labour Nathan Whine 14,056 27.02
Majority 23,910 45.96
Turnout 81.30
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1950: East Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Michael Langhorne Astor 32,711 60.92
Labour Nathan Whine 12,499 23.28
Liberal Wendy Wills 8,484 15.80
Majority 20,212 37.64
Turnout 87.17
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Surrey Eastern
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Michael Langhorne Astor 31,117 53.36
Labour Henry Edward Weaver 17,708 30.36
Liberal Donald Phillip Owen 9,495 16.28
Majority 13,409 22.99
Turnout 74.50
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1935: Surrey Eastern
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Ernest George Campbell Emmott 33,776 78.91
Labour Henry Edward Weaver 9,025 21.09
Majority 24,751 57.83
Turnout 66.54
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1931: Surrey Eastern
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative James Francis Wallace Galbraith 33,771 88.85
Labour Montefiore Follick 4,236 11.15
Majority 29,535 77.71
Turnout 71.40
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1929: Surrey East [16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist James Francis Wallace Galbraith 19,578 60.9
Liberal Miss Ida Swinburne 7,435 23.1
Labour Robert Oscar Mennell 5,152 16.0
Majority 12,143 37.8
Turnout
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1923: Surrey East [17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist James Francis Wallace Galbraith unopposed n/a n/a
Unionist hold Swing n/a

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
References
  1. ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Commissioners on Proposed Division of Counties and Boundaries of Boroughs (1832). Parliamentary representation: further return to an address to His Majesty, dated 12 December, 1831; for copies of instructions given by the Secretary of State for the Home department with reference to Parliamentary representation; likewise copies of letters of reports received by the Secretary of state for the Home department in answer to such instructions. London. pp. 125–126.
  3. 1 2 3 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
  4. 1 2 Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 465–466. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  5. ↑ Major boundary changes to the constituency took place for this election
  6. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000681
  8. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  14. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  17. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig

Sources

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Leeds East		 Constituency represented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
1979–1983 		Succeeded by
Blaby
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