Ashford (UK Parliament constituency)

Ashford
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Ashford in Kentfor the 2010 general election
Location of Kent within England
County	Kent
Population	112,940 (2011 census) [1]
Electorate	85,177 (December 2015) [2]
Major settlements	Tenterden and Ashford
Current constituency
Created	1885
Member of Parliament	Damian Green (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	West Kent

Ashford is a constituency ^{[n 1]} in Kent created in 1885 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Damian Green, a Conservative who served as First Secretary of State between 11 June and 20 December 2017. ^{[n 2]}

Constituency profile

The constituency includes all of Ashford, which is seeing significant housing expansion ^[3] and has a manufacturing and services employment base; and surrounding rural areas including Tenterden and Wye. Residents' health and wealth are in line with UK averages. ^[4] Due to population growth in Ashford itself, the 2023 boundary review proposes that Tenterden is removed from the Ashford constituency.

Boundaries

Boundary map

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Sessional Divisions of Ashford and Cranbrook, the corporate towns of Lydd and New Romney, and part of the Liberty of Romney Marsh.

1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Lydd, New Romney, and Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of Cranbrook, East Ashford, Romney Marsh, Tenterden, and West Ashford.

1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of Cranbrook, East Ashford, Tenterden, and West Ashford.

1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of East Ashford, Tenterden, and West Ashford. Cranbrook Rural District was transferred to the new Royal Tunbridge Wells constituency.

1983–2010: The Borough of Ashford. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged from 1974.

2010–present: The Borough of Ashford wards of Aylesford Green, Beaver, Biddenden, Bockhanger, Boughton Aluph and Eastwell, Bybrook, Charing, Downs North, Downs West, Godinton, Great Chart with Singleton North, Highfield, Isle of Oxney, Kennington, Little Burton Farm, Norman, North Willesborough, Park Farm North, Park Farm South, Rolvenden and Tenterden West, St Michael's, Singleton South, South Willesborough, Stanhope, Stour, Tenterden North, Tenterden South, Victoria, Washford, Weald Central, Weald East, Weald North, Weald South, and Wye.

Ashford constituency has the large town of Ashford which has Ashford International railway station and the smaller town of Tenterden, one of the area's 46 villages, towns or town suburbs which are organised communities into civil parishes. Ashford town centre, its north and its west are the only unparished areas. ^[5]

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The Borough of Ashford wards of: Aylesford & East Stour; Beaver; Bircholt; Bockhanger; Bybrook; Conningbrook & Little Burton Farm; Furley; Goat Lees; Godinton; Highfield; Kennington; Mersham, Sevington South with Finberry; Norman; Park Farm North; Park Farm South; Repton; Roman; Singleton East; Singleton West; Stanhope; Victoria; Washford; Willesborough; Wye with Hinxhill.
• The District of Folkestone and Hythe wards of: North Downs East; North Downs West. ^[6]

The bulk of the geographic area of the constituency, including the town of Tenterden, and comprising approximately 35% of the current electorate ^[7] will be included in the newly created constituency of Weald of Kent. To partly compensate, the two North Downs wards will be transferred from Folkestone and Hythe.

Political history

Created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Ashford has been won by a Conservative at every election except that of 1929 when it was won by a Liberal, after that party's turn towards the left marked by the People's Budget in 1911, who won with a majority of less than 1% of the vote.

The most marginal victory since 1929 occurred in 1997 when its voters returned a Conservative who won by a 9.7% majority. The 2015 result made the seat the 106th safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority. ^[8]

In June 2016, an estimated 60% of local adults voting in the EU membership referendum chose to leave the European Union instead of to remain. This was matched in two January 2018 votes in Parliament by its MP. ^[9]

Members of Parliament

• Constituency created (1885)

Election		Member [10]	Party
	1885	William Pomfret	Conservative
	1892	Laurence Hardy
	1918	Samuel Strang Steel	Coalition Conservative
	1929	Rev. Roderick Kedward	Liberal
	1931	Michael Knatchbull	Conservative
	1933 by-election	Patrick Spens
	1943 by-election	Edward Percy Smith
	1950	Bill Deedes
	Oct 1974	Keith Speed
	1997	Damian Green

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green [11]
	Reform UK	Tristram Kennedy Harper [12]
	Consensus	James Ransley [13]
	Green	Mandy Rossi [14]
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
			Swing

Elections in the 2010s

2019 general election: Ashford ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green	37,270	62.1	3.1
	Labour	Dara Farrell	13,241	22.0	7.8
	Liberal Democrats	Adrian Gee-Turner	6,048	10.1	4.9
	Green	Mandy Rossi	2,638	4.4	2.1
	Independent	Susannah De Sanvil	862	1.4	New
Majority			24,029	40.1	10.9
Turnout			60,059	67.1	1.4
Registered electors			89,553
	Conservative hold		Swing	5.4

2017 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green	35,318	59.0	6.5
	Labour	Sally Gathern	17,840	29.8	11.4
	Liberal Democrats	Adrian Gee-Turner	3,101	5.2	0.8
	UKIP	Gerald O'Brien	2,218	3.7	15.1
	Green	Mandy Rossi	1,402	2.3	2.0
Majority			17,478	29.2	4.5
Turnout			59,879	68.5	1.2
Registered electors			87,387
	Conservative hold		Swing	2.5

2015 general election: Ashford ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green	30,094	52.5	1.6
	UKIP	Gerald O'Brien	10,798	18.8	14.3
	Labour	Brendan Chilton	10,580	18.4	1.7
	Liberal Democrats	Debbie Enever	3,433	6.0	16.8
	Green	Mandy Rossi	2,467	4.3	2.5
Majority			19,296	33.7	2.4
Turnout			57,372	67.3	0.6
Registered electors			85,177
	Conservative hold		Swing	8.0

2010 general election: Ashford ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green	29,878	54.1	2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Took	12,581	22.8	7.2
	Labour	Chris Clark	9,204	16.7	9.7
	UKIP	Jeffrey Elenor [18]	2,508	4.5	1.4
	Green	Steven Campkin	1,014	1.8	1.6
Majority			17,297	31.3	5.6
Turnout			55,185	67.9	2.5
Registered electors			81,271
	Conservative hold		Swing	2.3

Elections in the 2000s

2005 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green	26,651	51.6	4.2
	Labour	Valerie Whitaker	13,353	25.8	6.3
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Took	8,308	16.1	1.0
	Green	Richard Boden	1,753	3.4	0.6
	UKIP	Bernard Stroud	1,620	3.1	0.5
Majority			13,298	25.8	10.5
Turnout			51,685	65.0	2.5
Registered electors			78,816
	Conservative hold		Swing	5.2

2001 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green	22,739	47.4	6.0
	Labour	John Adams	15,380	32.1	0.4
	Liberal Democrats	Keith Fitchett	7,236	15.1	4.6
	Green	Richard Boden	1,353	2.8	1.6
	UKIP	David Waller	1,229	2.6	New
Majority			7,359	15.3	5.6
Turnout			47,937	62.5	11.7
Registered electors			76,699
	Conservative hold		Swing	3.2

Elections in the 1990s

1997 general election: Ashford ^{[19] [20]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Damian Green	22,899	41.4	13.2
	Labour	John Ennals	17,554	31.7	11.7
	Liberal Democrats	John Williams	10,901	19.7	4.4
	Referendum	Christopher Cruden	3,201	5.8	New
	Green	Richard Boden	660	1.2	0.2
	Natural Law	Stephen Tyrell	89	0.2	New
Majority			5,345	9.7	20.8
Turnout			55,302	74.2	5.0
Registered electors			74,512
	Conservative hold		Swing	12.5

1992 general election: Ashford ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Keith Speed	31,031	54.6	1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Christine Headley	13,672	24.1	3.2
	Labour	Doreen Cameron	11,365	20.0	5.3
	Green	Charles Porter	773	1.4	0.1
Majority			17,359	30.5	1.3
Turnout			56,841	79.2	3.5
Registered electors			71,767
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.7

Elections in the 1980s

1987 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Keith Speed	29,978	56.5	0.3
	SDP	Neil Macmillan	14,490	27.3	0.5
	Labour	Michael Wiggins	7,775	14.7	1.8
	Green	Charles Porter	778	1.5	0.3
Majority			15,488	29.2	0.2
Turnout			53,021	75.7	2.5
Registered electors			70,052
	Conservative hold		Swing

1983 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Keith Speed	27,230	56.8	1.1
	SDP	Jo Hawkes	13,319	27.8	11.6
	Labour	Paul Lewis	6,167	12.9	13.8
	Ecology	Charles Porter	569	1.2	New
	National Labour	J.W. King	456	0.9	New
	BNP	R.E. Lockwood	195	0.4	New
Majority			13,911	29.0	0.0
Turnout			47,936	73.2	3.5
Registered electors			65,442
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

1979 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Keith Speed	26,224	55.7	11.4
	Labour	A.A. Gilbert	12,586	26.7	3.8
	Liberal	Alison Wainman	7,631	16.2	9.0
	National Front	K.R. McKilliam	678	1.4	New
Majority			13,638	29.0	15.2
Turnout			47,119	76.7	2.2
Registered electors			61,460
	Conservative hold		Swing

October 1974 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Keith Speed	19,294	44.3	1.9
	Labour	M.B. Jackson	13,269	30.5	4.9
	Liberal	Clive G. Dennis	10,983	25.2	3.0
Majority			6,025	13.8	4.2
Turnout			43,546	74.5	7.0
Registered electors			58,419
	Conservative hold		Swing

February 1974 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	21,773	46.2	6.4
	Liberal	Clive G. Dennis	13,314	28.2	11.9
	Labour	M.B. Jackson	12,077	25.6	5.4
Majority			8,459	18.0	8.0
Turnout			47,164	81.5	9.0
Registered electors			57,875
	Conservative hold		Swing

1970 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	26,649	54.8	4.8
	Labour	John M. Bowyer	14,037	28.9	2.1
	Liberal	Frederick Charles Truman	7,902	16.3	2.7
Majority			12,612	26.0	7.0
Turnout			48,588	72.5	2.9
Registered electors			66,975
	Conservative hold		Swing	3.5

Elections in the 1960s

1966 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	21,362	50.0	0.6
	Labour	Charles A. Thomas	13,249	31.0	2.8
	Liberal	J. Gavin W. Peck	8,121	19.0	3.4
Majority			8,113	19.0	2.2
Turnout			42,732	75.4	2.1
Registered electors			56,669
	Conservative hold		Swing

1964 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	21,026	49.4	13.5
	Labour	Charles A. Thomas	11,989	28.2	8.9
	Liberal	J. Gavin W. Peck	9,531	22.4	New
Majority			9,037	21.2	4.6
Turnout			42,546	77.5	0.0
Registered electors			54,879
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

1959 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	25,383	62.9	2.4
	Labour	Reginald Ward	14,983	37.1	2.4
Majority			10,400	25.8	4.9
Turnout			40,366	77.5	0.6
Registered electors			52,097
	Conservative hold		Swing

1955 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	23,992	60.5	1.4
	Labour	Neville Sandelson	15,685	39.5	1.4
Majority			8,307	20.9	2.6
Turnout			39,677	78.1	3.8
Registered electors			50,821
	Conservative hold		Swing

1951 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	24,093	59.1	7.5
	Labour	Neville Sandelson	16,645	40.9	4.3
Majority			7,448	18.3	3.3
Turnout			40,738	81.9	2.2
Registered electors			49,715
	Conservative hold		Swing

1950 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bill Deedes	21,095	51.6	0.4
	Labour	Neville Sandelson	14,948	36.6	1.8
	Liberal	H. Shirley	4,828	11.8	1,5
Majority			6,147	15.0	2.2
Turnout			40,871	84.1	12.8
Registered electors			48,607
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

1945 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Percy Smith	18,800	52.0	7.2
	Labour	Horace Waterton Lee	12,575	34.8	17.2
	Liberal	Harold Vezey Strong	4,804	13.3	9.9
Majority			6,225	17.2	18.8
Turnout			36,179	71.3	2.3
Registered electors			50,760
	Conservative hold		Swing

1943 Ashford by-election ^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Percy Smith	9,648	69.7	10.5
	Common Wealth	Catherine E. Williamson	4,192	30.3	New
Majority			5,456	39.4	3.4
Turnout			13,840	27.7	45.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1930s

14 November 1935 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Patrick Spens	21,323	59.2	0.5
	Liberal	Borlase Matthews	8,338	23.2	New
	Labour	W.J. Beck	6,333	17.6	N/A
Majority			12,985	36.0	18.6
Turnout			35,994	73.6	2.3
Registered electors			48,914
	Conservative hold		Swing

1933 Ashford by-election:

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Patrick Spens	16,051	47.7	11.0
	Liberal	Roderick Kedward	11,423	33.9	7.4
	Labour	W.J. Beck	6,178	18.4	New
Majority			4,628	13.8	3.6
Turnout			33,652	70.9	5.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

27 October 1931 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Michael Knatchbull	20,891	58.7	16.1
	National Liberal	Roderick Kedward	14,681	41.3	4.7
Majority			6,210	17.4	14.0
Turnout			35,572	75.9	0.6
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Elections in the 1920s

30 May 1929 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Roderick Kedward	15,753	46.0	24.2
	Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	14,579	42.6	17.8
	Labour	Mont Follick	3,885	11.4	6.4
Majority			1,174	3.4	42.0
Turnout			34,217	75.3	4.9
Registered electors			45,445
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	21.0

29 October 1924 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	15,159	60.4	1.7
	Liberal	Leonard John Humphrey	5,487	21.8	New
	Labour	Basil Noble	4,473	17.8	20.1
Majority			9,672	38.6	14.4
Turnout			25,119	70.4	12.6
Registered electors			35,659
	Unionist hold		Swing	9.2

6 December 1923 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	12,644	62.1	7.0
	Labour	Basil Noble	7,709	37.9	7.0
Majority			4,935	24.2	14.0
Turnout			20,353	57.8	6.4
Registered electors			35,223
	Unionist hold		Swing	7.0

15 November 1922 general election: Ashford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	15,638	69.1	11.9
	Labour	Basil Noble	6,977	30.9	New
Majority			8,661	38.2	23.8
Turnout			22,615	64.2	25.0
Registered electors			35,240
	Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

14 December 1918 general election: Ashford ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	10,258	81.0	N/A
	Independent Democrat	William H. Deedes	2,408	19.0	New
Majority			7,850	62.0	N/A
Turnout			12,666	39.2	N/A
Registered electors			32,349
	Unionist hold		Swing	N/A
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

General Election 1914–15: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Lawrence Hardy
• Liberal: Arthur Frederick William Johnson ^[24]

December 1910 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [26]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Laurence Hardy	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

January 1910 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [26]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Laurence Hardy	7,966	64.3	12.7
	Liberal	Reginald John Farrer	4,422	35.7	12.7
Majority			3,544	28.6	25.4
Turnout			12,418	87.2	3.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1900s

1906 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [27]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Laurence Hardy	5,994	51.6	20.0
	Liberal	Percy Harris	5,614	48.4	New
Majority			380	3.2	40.0
Turnout			11,608	83.7	18.9
Registered electors			13,864
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

1900 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [27] [28]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Laurence Hardy	5,898	71.6	N/A
	Independent Protestant	Benjamin Nicholson	2,343	28.4	New
Majority			3,555	43.2	N/A
Turnout			8,241	64.8	N/A
Registered electors			12,714
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1890s

1895 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [27] [28]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Laurence Hardy	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Hardy

1892 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [27]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Laurence Hardy	5,512	56.3	N/A
	Liberal	John U Bugler	4,281	43.7	New
Majority			1,231	12.6	N/A
Turnout			9,793	68.4	N/A
Registered electors			14,314
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1880s

1886 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [27]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Pomfret	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

1885 general election: Ashford ^{[25] [27] [29]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Pomfret	6,020	55.2	N/A
	Liberal	George Crispe Whiteley	4,895	44.8	N/A
Majority			1,125	10.4	N/A
Turnout			10,915	81.5	N/A
Registered electors			13,389
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Kent

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. "Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
2. "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
3. UK Polling Report http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/ashford/
4. Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Ashford
5. 2011 Census Archived 11 February 2003 at the Wayback Machine Custom tables: administrative parish hierarchy. Retrieved 17 July 2013
6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
7. "Boundary review 2023: Which seats will change in the UK?".
8. "Conservative Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
9. "Damian Green MP, Ashford - TheyWorkForYou".
10. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 3)
11. https://twitter.com/DamianGreen/status/1641879626111766540
12. "Ashford Constituency". Reform UK . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
13. https://twitter.com/voteconsensus
14. "ASHFORD GREENS SELECT PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE". Ashford Green Party . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
15. "View the Statement or Persons Nominated as candidates for the Ashford constituency". Ashford Borough Council. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
16. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
17. "Ashford.gov.uk" (PDF).
18. "UKIP: Ashford". UKIP. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
19. "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
20. C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.120 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
21. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
22. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
23. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1922
24. Kent & Sussex Courier 27 Mar 1914
25. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
26. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
27. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
28. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
29. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886

Sources

• British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
• Iain Dale, ed. (2003). The Times House of Commons 1929, 1931, 1935. Politico's (reprint). ISBN   1-84275-033-X.
• The Times House of Commons 1945. 1945.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• The Times House of Commons 1950. 1950.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• The Times House of Commons 1955. 1955.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

51°06′N0°48′E / 51.1°N 0.8°E / 51.1; 0.8