Reigate (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = Reigate
Map1 = Reigate
Map2 = Surrey
Type = Borough
Year = 1295, 1885
Entity = Surrey
County = Surrey
EP = South East England
MP = Crispin Blunt
Party = Conservative

Reigate is a 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.

Boundaries

The constituency is located in Surrey, bordering with Greater London. It is centered on the town of Reigate from which it takes its name.

The Boundary Commission has made its final recommendations for boundary changes in Surrey. Reigate has the smallest electorate of any seat in England and it is proposed to bring it closer to the average by adding the ward of Preston in the Reigate and Banstead district which is currently contained in the Epsom and Ewell constituency.

At the public consultation stage of the boundary review there were a number of petitions for the constituency to be renamed Reigate and Banstead to bring it in line with the district, including ones from both the local MP and the borough council. However the review rejected these petitions, feeling that constituencies should only be renamed when they had undergone substantial boundary changes that render the existing name implausible; that the constituency only contains 70% of the district; that the seat is centred on Reigate whilst Banstead is in the extreme north east corner and other towns such as Redhill might have as much if not greater claim to be in the name; and Banstead has a history of being moved between seats (it was in Epsom and Ewell prior to 1997) and may be moved again.

History

This constituency was first created with the first election of Burgesses to Parliament in 1295, electing two members. It continued to elect two members until 1832 when its representation was reduced to one member by the Great Reform Act.

In 1868 the constituency was disenfranchised for corruption, but was revived in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 when the East Surrey constituency was abolished and broken up.

In 1974, the seat saw major boundary changes which moved much of Eastern Surrey into the radically redesigned East Surrey seat and added the Banstead area to the seat.

Members of Parliament

* "Representation reduced to one" (1832)
* "Constituency disenfranchised for corruption" (1868)
* "Constituency revived" (1885)
* 1885 — 1892: Sir James John Trevor Lawrence
* 1892 — 1906: Henry Cubitt
* 1906 — 1910: Harry Cunningham Brodie
* 1910 — 1918: Richard Hamilton Rawson, Conservative until 1917, then National Party before rejoining Conservatives.
* 1918 — 1931: Sir George Kynaston Cockerill

Elections

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: ReigateElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Crispin Blunt
votes = 20,884
percentage = 49.0
change = +1.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Jane Kulka
votes = 9,896
percentage = 23.2
change = +2.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Samuel Townend
votes = 8,896
percentage = 20.9
change = -6.6Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Jeremy Wraith
votes = 1,921
percentage = 4.5
change = +1.8Election box candidate with party link
party = English Democrats Party
candidate = Harold Green
votes = 600
percentage = 1.4
change = "N/A"Election box candidate
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Michael Selby
votes = 408
percentage = 1.0
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 10,988
percentage = 25.8
change = Election box turnout
votes = 42,605
percentage = 64.8
change = +4.6Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = -0.5

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: ReigateElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Crispin Blunt
votes = 18,875
percentage = 47.8
change = +4.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Simon Charleton
votes = 10,850
percentage = 27.5
change = -0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Jane Kulka
votes = 8,330
percentage = 21.1
change = +1.1Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Stephen Smith
votes = 1,062
percentage = 2.7
change = +2.1Election box candidate
party = Reform UK
candidate = Harold Green
votes = 357
percentage = 0.9
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 8,025
percentage = 20.3
change = Election box turnout
votes = 39,474
percentage = 60.2
change = -14.2Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +2.2

Election box begin
title=General Election 1997: ReigateElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Crispin Blunt
votes = 21,123
percentage = 43.8
change = -13.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Andrew Howard
votes = 13,382
percentage = 27.8
change = +10.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Peter Samuel
votes = 9,615
percentage = 20.0
change = -4.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Referendum Party
candidate = Sir George Gardiner
votes = 3,352
percentage = 7.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Richard Higgs
votes = 412
percentage = 0.9
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Stephen Smith
votes = 290
percentage = 0.6
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 7,741
percentage = 16.0
change = Election box turnout
votes = 48,174
percentage = 74.4
change = Election box gain with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
loser = Referendum Party (UK)
swing = -12.0

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.

George Gardiner changed party from the Conservative Party to the Referendum following his deselection by the local Conservative association.

Election box begin
title=General Election 1992: ReigateElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Sir George Gardiner
votes = 32,220
percentage = 57.1
change = -2.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Barry Newsome
votes = 14,556
percentage = 25.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Helen Young
votes = 9,150
percentage = 16.2
change = +1.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic Party (UK)
candidate = M. Bilcliff
votes = 513
percentage = 0.9
change = Election box majority
votes = 17,664
percentage = 31.3
change = Election box turnout
votes = 56,449
percentage = 78.5
change = +6.0Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +1.8

Election box begin
title=General Election 1987: ReigateElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = George Gardiner
votes = 30,925
percentage = 59.3
change = +0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic Party (UK)
candidate = E. A. Pamplin
votes = 12,752
percentage = 24.4
change = -2.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = R. P. Spencer
votes = 7,460
percentage = 14.3
change = +2.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = G. F. Brand
votes = 1,026
percentage = 2.0
change = 0.0Election box majority
votes = 18,173
percentage = 34.9
change = Election box turnout
votes = 52,163
percentage = 72.5
change = -0.4Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +1.4

Election box begin
title=General Election 1983: ReigateElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = George Gardiner
votes = 29,932
percentage = 59.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic Party (UK)
candidate = E. A. Pamplin
votes = 13,625
percentage = 26.9
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = B. A. Symons
votes = 6,114
percentage = 12.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Ecology Party
candidate = D. R. Newell
votes = 1,029
percentage = 2.0
change = Election box majority
votes = 16,307
percentage = 32.1
change = Election box turnout
votes = 50,700
percentage = 72.1
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1979: ReigateElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = George Gardiner
votes = 33,767
percentage = 59.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = J. Speyer
votes = 10,257
percentage = 18.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = N. Grant
votes = 12,454
percentage = 22.1
change = Election box majority
votes = 21,313
percentage = 37.7
change = Election box turnout
votes = 56,478
percentage = 78.2
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

ources

* [http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/rcommons1.htm Historical list of MPs]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/html/475.stm Election result, 2005] (BBC)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/475.stm Election results, 1997 - 2001] (BBC)
* [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/1997EB2.html Election results, 1997 - 2001] (Election Demon)
* [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/1983EB2.html Election results, 1983 - 1992] (Election Demon)
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/hoc/constituency/history/0,9571,-1242,00.html Election results, 1992 - 2005] (The Guardian)
* [http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/edates.htm Election results, 1950 - 1979] (Keele University)

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Surrey