List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset

Last updated November 30, 2024

The ceremonial county of Dorset (which comprises the two unitary authorities of Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) is divided into 8 parliamentary constituencies: 3 borough constituencies and 5 county constituencies.

Constituencies

† Conservative ‡ Labour ¤ Liberal Democrat

Constituency^{[nb 1]}	Electorate^[1]	Majority
Bournemouth East BC	73,173	5,479	Tom Hayes‡	Tobias Ellwood†
Bournemouth West BC	72,094	3,224	Jessica Toale‡	Conor Burns†
Christchurch CC	71,598	7,455	Christopher Chope†	Mike Cox¤
Mid Dorset and North Poole CC	74,305	1,352	Vikki Slade¤	Michael Tomlinson†
North Dorset CC	72,109	1,589	Simon Hoare†	Gary Jackson¤
Poole BC	72,162	18	Neil Duncan-Jordan‡	Robert Syms†
South Dorset CC	76,640	1,048	Lloyd Hatton‡	Richard Drax†
West Dorset CC	75,390	7,789	Edward Morello¤	Chris Loder†

2024 Boundary changes

See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.

Name	Boundaries 2010–2024	Boundaries 2024–present
Bournemouth East BC Bournemouth West BC Christchurch CC Mid Dorset and North Poole CC North Dorset CC Poole BC South Dorset CC West Dorset CC	Proposed revision

For the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which redrew the constituency map ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Boundary Commission for England opted to retain the eight current constituencies in Dorset, with minor boundary changes to reflect changes to ward boundaries following the reorganisation of local government authorities within the county.^[3]

The boundary commission recommended the following seats within Dorset:

Containing electoral wards from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Containing electoral wards from Dorset (unitary authority)

Results history

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019^[4]

2024

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Dorset in the 2024 general election were as follows:^[2]

Party	Votes	%	Change from 2019	Seats	Change from 2019
Conservative	127,188	33.7%	24.6%	2	6
Liberal Democrats	95,463	25.3%	6.4%	2	2
Labour	82,652	21.9%	3.5%	4	4
Reform	45,367	12.0%	New	0
Greens	18,400	4.9%	1.0%	0
Others	8,287	2.2%	1.7%	0
Total	377,357	100.0		8

Percentage votes

Note that before 1983 Dorset did not include the Bournemouth and Christchurch areas (see below).

Election year	1922	1923	1924	1929	1931	1935	1945	1950	1951	1955	1959	1964	1966	1970	1974(F)	1974(O)	1979	1983	1987	1992	1997	2001	2005	2010	2015	2017	2019	2024
Conservative	39.1	51.7	60.1	46.2	56.8	54.0	45.2	47.6	52.2	53.9	52.4	46.6	47.3	54.2	48.1	48.0	58.4	58.6	57.8	54.5	41.8	45.3	44.1	48.3	51.7	58.7	58.3	33.7
Liberal Democrat ¹	18.0	28.9	21.9	36.8	16.3	28.7	24.0	14.5	15.8	13.6	18.9	23.6	20.2	17.0	30.9	28.4	20.9	29.7	30.8	31.2	34.1	31.5	32.8	32.8	12.9	12.8	18.9	25.3
Labour	21.4	19.4	18.0	17.0	12.3	16.0	30.8	37.9	32.0	32.6	28.7	29.8	32.5	28.8	21.0	23.6	20.4	10.2	11.3	13.4	18.8	21.1	18.3	12.2	13.0	25.2	18.4	21.9
Reform	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12.0
Green Party	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	*	*	*	*	0.5	5.3	2.6	3.9	4.9
UKIP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	*	*	5.6	16.2	0.3	*	*
Other	21.5	-	-	-	14.6	1.4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.3	1.4	0.1	0.9	5.3	2.1	4.7	0.6	0.9	0.4	0.5	2.2

¹1950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

* Included in Other

Accurate vote percentages are not applicable for the 1918 election because one candidate stood unopposed.

Seats

Election year	1950-1979	1983-1992	1997	2001-2005	2010	2015-2019	2024
Labour	0	0	0	1	0	0	4
Conservative	4	7	8	6	7	8	2
Liberal Democrat ¹	0	0	0	1	1	0	2
Total	4	7	8	8	8	8	8

¹1950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

1885-1910

1885
1886
1892
1895
1900
1906
Jan 1910
Dec 1910

1918-1945

1918
1922
1923
1924
1929
1931
1935
1945

1950-1979

1950
1951
1955
1959
1964
1966
1970
Feb 1974
Oct 1974
1979

1983-present

1983
1987
1992
1997
2001
2005
2010
2015
2017
2019
2024

Historical representation by party

A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

Before 1885

Constituency	Established	Abolished
Bridport	1295	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Corfe Castle	1572	Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Dorchester	1295	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Dorset	1290	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Lyme Regis	1572	Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Poole	1362	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Shaftesbury	1295	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis	1572	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Wareham	1302	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

1885 to 1918

Conservative Liberal

Constituency	1885	1886	91	1892	95	04	05	1906	Jan 10	Dec 10
Dorset East	Glyn	Bond	Napier Sturt			Lyell			H. Guest ¹	F. Guest
Dorset North	Portman			Wingfield-Digby			Wills		Baker
Dorset South	Sturgis	C. Hambro	Brymer					Scarisbrick	A. Hambro
Dorset West	Farquharson				Williams

¹original candidate, F. Guest (Lib), disqualified; fresh by-election held June 1910

1918 to 1950

Coalition Liberal (1918-22) / National Liberal (1922-23) Conservative Independent Conservative Liberal

Constituency	1918	1922	23	1924	1929	1931	37	41	1945
Dorset East	→	Caine	→		Glassey	Caine			Wheatley
Dorset North	Colfox	Emlyn-Jones		Hanbury			A. Hambro		Byers
Dorset South	A. Hambro	Yerburgh			Gascoyne-Cecil			Montagu
Dorset West	Williams	Colfox						Digby

1950 to 1983

Conservative Labour

Constituency	1950	1951	57	62	1964	1970	Feb 1974	1979
Dorset North	Crouch		Glyn			James		Baker
Dorset South	Montagu			Barnett	King			Gascoyne-Cecil
Dorset West	Digby						Spicer
Poole	Wheatley	Pilkington			Murton			Ward

1983 to present (7, then 8 MPs)

Conservative Independent Labour Liberal Democrats

Constituency	1983	1987	93	1997	2001	2005	2010	2015	19	2019	2024
Bournemouth East	Atkinson					Ellwood					Hayes
Bournemouth West	Butterfill						Burns				Toale
Christchurch	Adley		Maddock	Chope
North Dorset	Baker			Walter				Hoare
Poole	Ward			Syms							Duncan-Jordan
South Dorset	Gascoyne-Cecil	Bruce			Knight		Drax				Hatton
West Dorset	Spicer			Letwin					→	Loder	Morello
Mid Dorset and North Poole	Seat not created			Fraser	Brooke			Tomlinson			Slade

Notes

↑ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.

References

↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries - Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition". Boundary Commission for England . Retrieved 9 July 2024.
1 2 3 "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. paras 1179-1203. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
↑ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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[1] BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.

[:1-2] "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries - Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition". Boundary Commission for England . Retrieved 9 July 2024.

[:0-3] 1 2 3 "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.

[4] "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. paras 1179-1203. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

[5] Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[nb 1]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Dorset constituencies
Current	Bournemouth East Bournemouth West Christchurch Mid Dorset and North Poole North Dorset Poole South Dorset West Dorset
Historic	Dorset (1290–1885) Bridport (1295–1885) Dorchester (1295–1885) Lyme Regis (1295–1868) Shaftesbury (1295–1885) Wareham (1302–1885) Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (1570–1885) Corfe Castle (1572–1832) East Dorset (1885–1950) Bournemouth (1918–1950) Bournemouth East and Christchurch (1950–1974) Christchurch and Lymington (1974–1983)

v t e Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
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