North Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)

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North Thanet
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
NorthThanet2007Constituency.svg
Boundary of North Thanet in Kent
EnglandKent.svg
Location of Kent within England
County Kent
Electorate 67,110 (December 2010) [1]
Major settlements Margate and Herne Bay
1983–2024
SeatsOne
Created from Thanet West, Thanet East
Replaced by Herne Bay and Sandwich, East Thanet

North Thanet was a constituency [n 1] in Kent. It was represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1983 creation until abolition by Sir Roger Gale, a Conservative. [n 2]

Contents

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. Subject to moderate boundary changes, it will be reformed as Herne Bay and Sandwich , to be first contested in the 2024 general election. [2]

History

North Thanet and South Thanet were created by a rearrangement of the former Thanet West and Thanet East constituencies in 1983, which in turn had been created in 1974 by the splitting of the single Isle of Thanet seat. Apart from 1997, when it was marginal, the seat has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party.

The third-placed opponent in the 1983 election, for Labour, was Cherie Blair whose husband Tony Blair, was Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007. He entered Parliament that same year, representing Sedgefield: the couple are said to have had a pact that whichever one of them became an MP first would be the one to pursue that career, and not the other. Cherie thus continued with her legal career whilst Tony was an MP.

Constituency profile

Tourism forms an important economic activity with sandy beaches, particularly at Margate: among the main attractions, the seat has a small amount of fishing relative to the 19th century or major ports of North East and Scotland. It also has a slightly higher proportion of retired people than the national average [3] and incomes tending to be clustered towards the national mean. [4] Economic developments have included the Thanet Offshore Wind Project, as well as commercial, recreational and tourism activities. Manston Airport is now closed but is subject to competing development plans, including reopening the airport for freight terminal or alternatively as a mixed development business park. In unemployment terms the claimant count was third highest of the South East's 84 constituencies at the end of 2010. [n 3] [5]

Boundaries

North Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)
Map of boundaries 2010–2024

1983–2010: The District of Thanet wards of Birchington East, Birchington West, Cecil, Cliftonville, Dane Park, Ethelbert, Margate West, Marine, Northdown Park, Pier, Salmestone, Thanet Parishes, and Westgate-on-Sea, and the City of Canterbury wards of Herne, Heron, Reculver, and West Bay.

2010–2024: The District of Thanet wards of Birchington North, Birchington South, Dane Valley, Garlinge, Margate Central, Salmestone, Thanet Villages, Westbrook, and Westgate-on-Sea, and the City of Canterbury wards of Greenhill and Eddington, Herne and Broomfield, Heron, Marshside, Reculver, and West Bay.

North Thanet contained the northern and western parts of Thanet District (most of Margate, apart from the Cliftonville area), Westgate-on-Sea, Birchington-on-Sea, and several villages including Acol, St Nicholas-at-Wade, Minster, Manston, Monkton and Sarre) as well as the town of Herne Bay in the City of Canterbury district.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [6] Party
1983 Sir Roger Gale Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North Thanet [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 30,066 62.4 +6.2
Labour Coral Jones12,87726.7−7.3
Liberal Democrats Angie Curwen3,4397.1+3.8
Green Robert Edwards1,7963.7+2.0
Majority17,18935.7+13.5
Turnout 48,17866.2−0.4
Conservative hold Swing +6.8
General election 2017: North Thanet [8] [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 27,163 56.2 +7.2
Labour Frances Rehal16,42534.0+16.1
UKIP Clive Egan2,1984.5−21.2
Liberal Democrats Martyn Pennington1,5863.3−0.2
Green Ed Targett8251.7−2.0
CPA Iris White1280.3New
Majority10,73822.2−1.1
Turnout 48,32566.6−3.5
Conservative hold Swing −4.5
General election 2015: North Thanet [10] [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 23,045 49.0 −3.7
UKIP Piers Wauchope [12] 12,09725.7+19.2
Labour Frances Rehal8,41117.9−3.6
Green Edward Targett1,7193.7New
Liberal Democrats George Cunningham1,6453.5−15.9
Majority10,94823.3−8.9
Turnout 47,05370.1+6.9
Conservative hold Swing −3.7
General election 2010: North Thanet [13] [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale [15] 22,826 52.7 +4.7
Labour Michael Britton9,29821.5−11.1
Liberal Democrats Laura Murphy8,40019.4+3.8
UKIP Rosamund Parker2,8196.5+2.6
Majority13,52831.2+15.8
Turnout 43,34363.2+3.1
Conservative hold Swing +7.9

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: North Thanet [16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 21,699 49.6 −0.7
Labour Iris Johnston14,06532.2−2.2
Liberal Democrats Mark Barnard6,27914.4+3.4
UKIP Timothy Stocks1,6893.9+1.6
Majority7,63417.4+1.5
Turnout 43,73260.1+1.1
Conservative hold Swing +0.8
General election 2001: North Thanet [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 21,050 50.3 +6.2
Labour James Laing14,40034.4−4.0
Liberal Democrats Seth Proctor4,60311.0−0.4
UKIP John Moore9802.3+1.4
Independent David Shortt4401.1New
National Front Tom Holmes 3950.9New
Majority6,65015.9+10.2
Turnout 41,86859.0−9.8
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: North Thanet [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 21,586 44.1 −13.1
Labour Iris Johnston18,82038.4+14.9
Liberal Democrats Paul Kendrick5,57611.4−6.3
Referendum Marcus Chambers2,5355.2New
UKIP Jean Haines4380.9New
Majority2,7665.7−28.0
Turnout 48,95568.8−7.2
Conservative hold Swing −14.0
General election 1992: North Thanet [19] [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 30,867 57.2 −0.8
Labour Alan Bretman12,65723.5+6.8
Liberal Democrats Joanna Phillips9,56317.7−5.6
Green Hazel Dawe8731.6−0.4
Majority18,21033.7−1.0
Turnout 53,96076.0+3.8
Conservative hold Swing −3.8

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: North Thanet [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 29,225 58.0 −0.4
SDP Nicholas Cranston11,74523.3−3.4
Labour Alan Bretman8,39516.7+2.6
Green David Condor9962.0New
Majority17,48034.7+3.0
Turnout 50,36172.2+2.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: North Thanet [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Gale 26,801 58.4
SDP William MacMillan12,25626.7
Labour Cherie Blair 6,48214.1
BNP Brian Dobing3240.7
Majority14,05131.7
Turnout 45,86370.0
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

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.
  3. ↑ Above this were South Thanet and Hastings and Rye

References

  1. ↑ "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.
  2. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South East | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "2011 census interactive maps". Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Neighbourhood Statistics. "2001 Census". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 February 2003. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  5. ↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  6. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 1)
  7. ↑ "Thanet North Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Thanet North parliamentary constituency - Election 2017" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. ↑ "General election results 2017 for South and North Thanet". 9 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Thanet North parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "North Thanet". UK Polling Report. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  14. ↑ North Thanet, Guardian
  15. ↑ Gale reselected for Thanet North, This is Kent
  16. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  21. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

51°22.5′N1°16′E / 51.3750°N 1.267°E / 51.3750; 1.267

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