Tonbridge (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Tonbridge
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–February 1974
Seatsone
Created from Tunbridge
Replaced by Tonbridge and Malling

Tonbridge was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, centred on the town of Tonbridge. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Contents

The constituency was created for the 1918 general election, replacing the previous Tunbridge constituency. It was abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was replaced by the new Tonbridge and Malling constituency.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be re-established for the next general election. It will be formed primarily from Tonbridge and Malling. [1]

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells, the Urban Districts of Tonbridge and Southborough, and the Rural District of Tonbridge.

1950–1974: As 1918 but with redrawn boundaries.

Proposed

The constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

It will comprise the bulk of the existing Tonbridge and Malling seat (excluding East and West Malling), plus an additional two District of Sevenoaks wards to the north - Ash and New Ash Green, and Hartley and Hodsoll Street, from the constituencies of Sevenoaks and Dartford respectively. [3]

Following a local government boundary review in Tonbridge and Malling which came into effect in May 2023, [4] [5] the constituency will now comprise the following from the next general election:

Constituency profile

The proposed seat includes the commuter town of Tonbridge and its hinterland to the north, plus the smaller town of Edenbridge further west. Electoral Calculus characterises this area as "Strong Right", with right-wing economic and social views, high home ownership levels and strong support for Brexit. [7]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberPartyNotes
1918 Herbert Spender-Clay Conservative Died 1937
1937 by-election Sir Adrian Baillie, Bt Conservative
1945 Gerald Williams Conservative Resigned 1956
1956 by-election Richard Hornby Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Tonbridge [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Herbert Spender-Clay 14,62268.1
Labour John Palmer5,00623.3
Liberal Thomas Buxton 1,8518.6
Majority9,61644.8
Turnout 21,47957.4
Unionist win (new seat)
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Tonbridge [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Herbert Spender-Clay 14,797 53.0 -15.1
Labour Joseph Thomas Davies7,66527.4+4.1
Liberal Albert Charles Crane5,47219.6+11.0
Majority7,13225.6-19.2
Turnout 27,93472.5+15.1
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1923: Tonbridge [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Herbert Spender-Clay 13,910 49.8 -3.2
Liberal Albert Charles Crane7,43326.6+7.0
Labour Joseph Thomas Davis6,61023.6-3.8
Majority6,47723.2-2.4
Turnout 27,95370.6-1.9
Unionist hold Swing -5.1
General election 1924: Tonbridge [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Herbert Spender-Clay 17,392 58.2 +8.4
Labour W F Toynbee6,56422.0-1.6
Liberal James Millard Tucker5,89819.8-6.8
Majority10,82836.2+13.0
Turnout 29,85474.3+3.7
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1929: Tonbridge [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Herbert Spender-Clay 19,018 49.8 -8.4
Liberal Gordon Alchin 10,02526.2+6.4
Labour W F Toynbee9,14924.0+2.0
Majority8,99323.6-12.6
Turnout 38,19272.3-2.0
Unionist hold Swing -7.4

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Tonbridge [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Herbert Spender-Clay 30,602 78.8 +29.0
Labour Constance Borrett 8,20821.1-2.9
Majority22,39457.7+34.1
Turnout 38,81069.2-3.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Tonbridge [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Herbert Spender-Clay 23,460 61.3 -17.5
Labour F M Landau9,40524.6+3.5
Liberal Richard Pope-Hennessy 5,40314.1New
Majority14,05536.7-21.0
Turnout 38,26868.2-1.0
Conservative hold Swing
1937 Tonbridge by-election [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Adrian Baillie 18,802 56.9 -4.4
Labour H Smith8,14724.7+0.1
Liberal Richard Matthews 6,07318.4+4.3
Majority10,65532.2-4.5
Turnout 33,02258.2-10.0
Conservative hold Swing -2.2

General Election 1939–40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Tonbridge [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gerald Williams 23,081 49.9 -7.0
Labour Vera Dart 16,59035.8+11.1
Liberal John Metcalfe5,35111.6-6.8
Ind. Conservative E F St John Lyburn1,2492.7New
Majority6,49114.1-18.1
Turnout 46,27173.2+15.0
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Tonbridge [19]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gerald Williams 27,893 51.9
Labour Brian Clapham19,52536.3
Liberal Leslie Albert Willard5,63410.5
Ind. Conservative E F St. John Lyburn7391.4
Majority8,36815.6
Turnout 53,79183.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Tonbridge [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gerald Williams 31,377 59.8 +7.9
Labour Bernard Bagnari 21,10940.2+3.9
Majority10,26819.6+4.0
Turnout 52,48680.6-2.9
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Tonbridge [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gerald Williams 29,521 60.4 +0.6
Labour Robert L Fagg19,32539.6-0.6
Majority10,19620.8+1.2
Turnout 48,84675.5-5.1
Conservative hold Swing
1956 Tonbridge by-election [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 20,515 52.0 -8.4
Labour Robert L Fagg18,91348.0+8.4
Majority1,6024.0-16.8
Turnout 39,428
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Tonbridge [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 31,687 59.9 -0.5
Labour Kenneth W May21,18140.1+0.5
Majority10,50619.8-1.0
Turnout 52,86878.5+3.0
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Tonbridge [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 27,802 49.2 -10.7
Labour Donald Savage19,03733.7-6.4
Liberal Edward Babbs9,68217.1New
Majority8,76515.5-4.3
Turnout 56,52178.7+0.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Tonbridge [25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 26,896 46.7 -2.5
Labour William Eric Wolff20,06834.9+1.2
Liberal Colin Bloy10,58618.4+1.3
Majority6,82811.8-3.7
Turnout 57,55077.3-1.4
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Tonbridge [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 31,890 53.2 +4.5
Labour Maureen Colquhoun 17,89729.9-5.0
Liberal Harry E Hill10,16717.0-1.4
Majority13,99323.3+11.5
Turnout 59,95472.0-5.3
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: Tonbridge
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Green Anna Cope [27]
Majority
Turnout

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References

  1. ↑ "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.
  2. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
  3. ↑ "New Seat Details - Tonbridge". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  4. ↑ LGBCE. "Medway | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "The Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2021".
  6. ↑ "New Seat Details - Tonbridge". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. ↑ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/calcwork23.py?seat=Tonbridge
  8. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  9. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  10. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  11. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  12. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  13. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  14. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  15. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  16. ↑ "Parliamentary candidates' protest", The Times , 6 April 1939
  17. ↑ The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  18. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  19. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  20. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  21. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  22. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  23. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  24. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  25. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  26. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  27. ↑ "💚 Tonbridge and Malling Green Party announce Parliamentary Candidate…CLLR ANNA COPE!". Tonbridge & Malling Green Party . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
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