Witney (UK Parliament constituency)
Witney | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundaries since 2024 | |
![]() Boundary of Witney in South East England | |
County | Oxfordshire |
Electorate | 70,042 (2023)[1] |
Major settlements | |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Charles Maynard (Liberal Democrats) |
Seats | One |
Created from |
Witney is a county constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election, and was created for the 1983 general election.
Historically a safe Conservative Party seat for the most part of its existence, it has been represented since 2024 by Charles Maynard of the Liberal Democrats. Its most prominent MP, however, was David Cameron, who was the prime minister from 2010 until his resignation in 2016, and the Leader of the Conservative Party (2005–2016). He represented the constituency from 2001 to 2016.[3]
History
[edit]In the late 19th century, the Bampton East petty sessional division, with Witney at its heart, formed one part of the Woodstock constituency.[4]
Until 1974, much of the seat remained as part of the Woodstock and latterly Banbury constituency.[5] From 1974 to 1983, the area was included in the Mid Oxfordshire seat along with parts of Bullingdon and Ploughley[citation needed]. Since 1983, Witney has been a full parliamentary seat in its own right and comprises the whole of the District of West Oxfordshire with surrounding villages attached until 1997.
Carterton is the second-largest populated town with 14,000[citation needed] and is situated alongside RAF Brize Norton which is vital to the local economy, being one of the largest and busiest Royal Air Force stations in the country[citation needed].
The constituency's first MP was Douglas Hurd, who served as a cabinet minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and retired in 1997. Hurd was succeeded by Shaun Woodward at the 1997 general election. However, Woodward defected to the Labour Party in 1999,[6] and Witney unexpectedly had a Labour MP. Woodward chose not to stand in Witney as a Labour candidate at the next general election and moved to the Labour safe seat of St Helens South instead, following the practice of Alan Howarth in 1997.
At the 2001 general election, David Cameron was elected as MP for Witney. Cameron was re-elected to a fourth term as MP for the constituency at the 2015 general election with a majority of 25,155, the highest in his political career; on that occasion, his Conservative Party won a surprise overall majority in the House of Commons, taking 330 seats to the opposition Labour Party's 232. However, on 24 June 2016, Cameron announced that he would resign as Prime Minister by that October due to the outcome of the EU Referendum the previous day, in which 51.9% of those who voted supported leaving the EU. Accordingly, Cameron stepped down as premier that July, on the election of Theresa May as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister. On 12 September 2016, it was announced that Cameron would resign as MP for Witney.[7] This triggered a by-election, which was won by Robert Courts, also a Conservative, albeit with a significantly reduced majority. His vote share subsequently rose to 55% at both the 2017 and 2019 general elections.
Before the 2019 general election, the Liberal Democrats and Green Party agreed not to run against each other as part of a "Unite to Remain" alliance.[8] This led to Andrew Prosser, who had been selected as the Green Party's prospective candidate [9] standing down.
Boundaries and boundary changes
[edit]1983–1997
[edit]- The District of West Oxfordshire wards of Ascott and Shipton, Aston Bampton and Standlake, Bampton, Bladon and Cassington, Brize Norton and Curbridge, Burford, Carterton North, Carterton South, Chadlington, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Clanfield and Shilton, Combe and Stonesfield, Ducklington, Enstone, Eynsham, Filkins and Langford, Finstock and Leafield, Freeland and Hanborough, Hailey, Kingham, Milton-under-Wychwood, Minster Lovell, North Leigh, Rollright, Stanton Harcourt, Witney East, Witney North, Witney South, Witney West, and Woodstock; and
- The District of Cherwell wards of Gosford, North West Kidlington, South East Kidlington, and Yarnton.[10]
The new constituency was largely formed from the majority of the abolished constituency of Mid-Oxon, including the settlements of Witney, Carterton, Woodstock and Kidlington. Chipping Norton and surrounding rural areas were transferred from the Banbury constituency.
1997–2010
[edit]- The District of West Oxfordshire; and
- The District of Cherwell ward of Yarnton.[11]
The remaining two wards of the District of West Oxfordshire (Bartons, and Tackley and Wooton) were transferred from Banbury. Kidlington transferred to Oxford West and Abingdon.
2010–2024
[edit]- The District of West Oxfordshire.
Under the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the District of Cherwell ward of Yarnton was transferred to Oxford West and Abingdon.[12]
2024-present
[edit]Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The District of Vale of White Horse wards of: Faringdon; Kingston Bagpuize; Thames; Watchfield & Shrivenham.
- The District of West Oxfordshire wards of: Alvescot and Filkins; Ascott and Shipton; Bampton and Clanfield; Brize Norton and Shilton; Burford; Carterton North East; Carterton North West; Carterton South; Ducklington; Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield; Milton-under-Wychwood; Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt; Witney Central; Witney East; Witney North; Witney South; Witney West.[13]
Major changes with Chipping Norton and Charlbury to be transferred to Banbury, and Woodstock and surrounding areas to be included in the newly created constituency of Bicester and Woodstock. Partly offset by the transfer in of parts of the District of Vale of White Horse currently in the Wantage constituency, including the town of Faringdon.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Election | Member[14] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Douglas Hurd | Conservative | |
1997 | Conservative | ||
1999[6] | Labour | ||
2001 | David Cameron | Conservative | |
2016 by-election | Robert Courts | Conservative | |
2024 | Charles Maynard | Liberal Democrats |
Elections
[edit]Elections in the 2020s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Charles Maynard | 20,832 | 41.2 | +15.2 | |
Conservative | Robert Courts | 16,493 | 32.6 | −25.5 | |
Reform UK | Richard Langridge | 6,307 | 12.5 | +12.5 | |
Labour | Antonio Weiss | 4,773 | 9.4 | −6.0 | |
Green | Andrew Prosser | 1,661 | 3.3 | N/A | |
Independent | Barry Ingleton | 350 | 0.7 | N/A | |
Heritage | David Cox | 168 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,339 | 8.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 50,584 | 67.1 | –2.6 | ||
Registered electors | 75,448 | ||||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +20.4 |
Elections in the 2010s
[edit]2019 notional result[17] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Vote | % | |
Conservative | 28,355 | 58.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | 12,681 | 26.0 | |
Labour | 7,520 | 15.4 | |
Others | 274 | 0.6 | |
Brexit Party | 9 | <0.1 | |
Turnout | 48,839 | 69.7 | |
Electorate | 70,042 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Courts | 33,856 | 55.2 | −0.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Charlotte Hoagland | 18,679 | 30.5 | +10.1 | |
Labour Co-op | Rosa Bolger | 8,770 | 14.3 | −6.4 | |
Majority | 15,177 | 24.7 | −10.1 | ||
Turnout | 61,305 | 73.1 | −0.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -5.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Courts | 33,839 | 55.5 | −4.7 | |
Labour | Laetisia Carter | 12,598 | 20.7 | +3.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Liz Leffman | 12,457 | 20.4 | +13.6 | |
Green | Claire Lasko | 1,053 | 1.7 | –3.4 | |
UKIP | Alan Craig | 980 | 1.6 | −7.6 | |
Majority | 21,241 | 34.8 | −8.2 | ||
Turnout | 60,927 | 73.6 | +0.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -4.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Courts | 17,313 | 45.0 | −15.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Liz Leffman | 11,611 | 30.2 | +23.4 | |
Labour | Duncan Enright | 5,765 | 15.0 | −2.2 | |
Green | Larry Sanders | 1,363 | 3.5 | −1.6 | |
UKIP | Dickie Bird | 1,354 | 3.5 | −5.7 | |
NHA | Helen Salisbury | 433 | 1.1 | 0.0 | |
Independent | Daniel Skidmore | 151 | 0.4 | New | |
Monster Raving Loony | Mad Hatter | 129 | 0.3 | New | |
Independent | Nicholas Ward | 93 | 0.2 | New | |
Bus-Pass Elvis | David Bishop | 61 | 0.2 | New | |
Eccentric Party | Lord Toby Jug | 59 | 0.2 | New | |
English Democrat | Winston McKenzie | 52 | 0.1 | New | |
One Love | Emilia Arno | 44 | 0.1 | New | |
Independent | Adam Knight | 27 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 5,702 | 14.8 | −28.2 | ||
Turnout | 38,455 | 46.8 | −26.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -19.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Cameron | 35,201 | 60.2 | +1.4 | |
Labour | Duncan Enright | 10,046 | 17.2 | +4.2 | |
UKIP | Simon Strutt | 5,352 | 9.2 | +5.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Andy Graham | 3,953 | 6.8 | −12.6 | |
Green | Stuart MacDonald | 2,970 | 5.1 | +1.0 | |
NHA | Clive Peedell | 616 | 1.1 | New | |
Wessex Regionalist | Colin Bex | 110 | 0.2 | +0.1 | |
Independent | Christopher Tompson | 94 | 0.2 | New | |
Reduce VAT in Sport | Vivien Saunders | 56 | 0.1 | New | |
Give Me Back Elmo | Bobby Smith | 37 | 0.1 | New | |
Land Party | Deek Jackson | 35 | 0.1 | New | |
Independent | Nathan Handley | 12 | 0.02 | New | |
Majority | 25,155 | 43.0 | +3.6 | ||
Turnout | 58,482 | 73.3 | 0.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −1.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Cameron | 33,973 | 58.8 | +9.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Dawn Barnes | 11,233 | 19.4 | −3.1 | |
Labour | Joe Goldberg | 7,511 | 13.0 | −9.4 | |
Green | Stuart MacDonald | 2,385 | 4.1 | +1.0 | |
UKIP | Nikolai Tolstoy | 2,001 | 3.5 | +0.9 | |
Monster Raving Loony | Howling Laud Hope | 234 | 0.3 | New | |
Independent | Paul Wesson | 166 | 0.3 | New | |
Independent | Johnnie Cook | 151 | 0.3 | New | |
Wessex Regionalist | Colin Bex | 62 | 0.1 | New | |
Independent | Aaron Barschak | 53 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 22,740 | 39.4 | +12.5 | ||
Turnout | 57,769 | 73.3 | +4.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.3 |
Elections in the 2000s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Cameron | 26,571 | 49.3 | +4.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Liz Leffman | 12,415 | 23.0 | +2.7 | |
Labour | Tony Gray | 11,845 | 22.0 | −6.8 | |
Green | Richard Dossett-Davies | 1,682 | 3.2 | +1.0 | |
UKIP | Paul Wesson | 1,356 | 2.5 | +0.9 | |
Majority | 14,156 | 26.3 | +10.1 | ||
Turnout | 53,869 | 69.0 | +3.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Cameron | 22,153 | 45.0 | +2.0 | |
Labour | Michael Bartlet | 14,180 | 28.8 | −1.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gareth Epps | 10,000 | 20.3 | +0.4 | |
Green | Mark Stevenson | 1,100 | 2.2 | +1.1 | |
Independent | Barry Beadle | 1,003 | 2.0 | New | |
UKIP | Kenneth Dukes | 767 | 1.6 | +0.2 | |
Majority | 7,973 | 16.2 | +3.8 | ||
Turnout | 49,203 | 65.9 | −10.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 |
Elections in the 1990s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Shaun Woodward | 24,282 | 43.0 | −14.8 | |
Labour | Alexander Hollingsworth | 17,254 | 30.6 | +12.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Angela Lawrence | 11,202 | 19.9 | −2.7 | |
Referendum | Geoffrey Brown | 2,262 | 4.0 | New | |
UKIP | Michael Montgomery | 765 | 1.4 | New | |
Green | Sue Chapple-Perrie | 636 | 1.1 | 0.0 | |
Majority | 7,028 | 12.4 | −27.3 | ||
Turnout | 56,401 | 76.7 | −4.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -13.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Douglas Hurd | 36,256 | 56.4 | −1.1 | |
Labour | James Plaskitt | 13,688 | 21.3 | +4.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Ian Blair | 13,393 | 20.8 | −5.0 | |
Green | Charlotte Beckford | 716 | 1.1 | New | |
Natural Law | Sally Catling | 134 | 0.2 | New | |
Ind. Conservative | Marilyn Brown | 119 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 22,568 | 35.1 | +3.4 | ||
Turnout | 64,306 | 81.9 | +4.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.8 |
Elections in the 1980s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Douglas Hurd | 33,458 | 57.5 | +2.1 | |
Liberal | Muriel Burton | 14,994 | 25.8 | −5.0 | |
Labour | Christine Collette | 9,733 | 16.7 | +2.9 | |
Majority | 18,464 | 31.7 | +7.1 | ||
Turnout | 58,185 | 77.3 | +2.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Douglas Hurd | 28,695 | 55.4 | ||
Liberal | Philip Baston | 15,983 | 30.8 | ||
Labour | Carole Douse | 7,145 | 13.8 | ||
Majority | 12,712 | 24.6 | |||
Turnout | 51,823 | 74.7 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
See also
[edit]- List of parliamentary constituencies in Oxfordshire
- List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)
- Henley (UK Parliament constituency)
- Oxford East (UK Parliament constituency)
- Oxford West and Abingdon (UK Parliament constituency)
- Wantage (UK Parliament constituency)
References
[edit]- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "'Witney', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "David Cameron". Witney Conservatives. 6 May 2010. Archived from the original on 24 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ 1885 Boundary Commission map Archived 19 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Vision of Britain
- ^ 1917 Boundary Commission map Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine Vision of Britain
- ^ a b "Anger as Tory defects to Labour". BBC News. 18 December 1999. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- ^ "David Cameron resigns as an MP". ITV News. 12 September 2016.
- ^ "General election: Is your seat part of anti-Brexit parties' electoral pact?". Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Prospective General Election Candidates". Green Party. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ Final Recommendations – Oxfordshire BCE via National Archives
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
- ^ Hughes, Giles (7 June 2024). "Election of a Member of Parliament for Witney Constituency" (PDF). Retrieved 7 June 2024 – via West Oxfordshire District Council.
- ^ "Witney - General election results 2024" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Witney Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Parties race against time to choose candidates". BBC News. 22 April 2017.
- ^ percentage change compared to previous General Election in 2015
- ^ "AS IT HAPPENED: Conservative Robert Courts elected as Witney's new MP". Witney Gazette. 20 October 2016.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election of a Member of Parliament for the Witney Constituency" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Witney parliamentary constituency - Election 2017" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.178 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
- ^ The 1997 election result is calculated relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "UK General Election results June 1987". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "UK General Election results June 1983". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
External links
[edit]- Witney UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- Witney UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK