Tonbridge (constituency)

Last updated

Tonbridge
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Tonbridge (constituency)
Boundaries since 2024
South East England - Tonbridge constituency.svg
Boundary of Tonbridge in South East England
Electorate 73,692 (2023) [1]
Major settlements Tonbridge, Edenbridge, Borough Green, Hildenborough
Current constituency
Created 2024
Member of Parliament Thomas Tugendhat [2] (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created from
1918–Feb 1974
SeatsOne
Created from Tunbridge
Replaced by Tonbridge and Malling

Tonbridge is a parliamentary constituency in Kent, centred on the town of Tonbridge. It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is currently held by Conservative Thomas Tugendhat, who was MP for the predecessor seat of Tonbridge and Malling from 2015 to 2024.

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.

Following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established and was first contested in the 2024 general election, formed primarily from the previous and largely overlapping constituency of Tonbridge and Malling. [3]

Boundaries

Historic

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

1950–1974: As 1918 but with redrawn boundaries.

Current

The re-established constituency id defined as being composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

Following a local government boundary review in Tonbridge and Malling which came into effect in May 2023, [5] [6] the constituency is now composed of the following from the 2024 general election:

The reformed constituency comprises the bulk of the preceding 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. [7]

Constituency profile

The 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. [8]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1918–1974

Tunbridge prior to 1918

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

MPs since 2024

Tonbridge and Malling prior to 2024

ElectionMemberParty
2024 Tom Tugendhat Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Tonbridge [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tom Tugendhat 20,517 40.8 −24.0
Labour Lewis Bailey9,35118.6+3.5
Green Anna Cope7,59615.1+7.2
Reform UK Teresa Hansford7,54815.0N/A
Liberal Democrats John Woollcombe4,2348.4−3.9
Ind. Alliance Tim Shaw9261.8N/A
SDP Ian Grattidge1560.3N/A
Majority 11,16622.2−27.5
Turnout 50,32868.3−5.6
Registered electors 72,799
Conservative hold Swing −13.8
2019 notional result [10]
PartyVote%
Conservative 35,26264.8
Labour 8,21015.1
Liberal Democrats 6,69012.3
Green 4,2887.9
Turnout54,45073.9
Electorate73,692

Election results 1918–1974

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Tonbridge [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Herbert Spender-Clay 14,62268.1
Labour John Palmer5,00623.3
Liberal Thomas Buxton 1,8518.6
Majority 9,61644.8
Turnout 21,47957.4
Unionist win (new seat)
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Tonbridge [12]
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
Majority 7,13225.6−19.2
Turnout 27,93472.5+15.1
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1923: Tonbridge [13]
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
Majority 6,47723.2−2.4
Turnout 27,95370.6−1.9
Unionist hold Swing -5.1
General election 1924: Tonbridge [14]
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
Majority 10,82836.2+13.0
Turnout 29,85474.3+3.7
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1929: Tonbridge [15]
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
Majority 8,99323.6−12.6
Turnout 38,19272.3−2.0
Unionist hold Swing -7.4

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Tonbridge [16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Herbert Spender-Clay 30,602 78.8 +29.0
Labour Constance Borrett 8,20821.1−2.9
Majority 22,39457.7+34.1
Turnout 38,81069.2−3.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Tonbridge [17]
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
Majority 14,05536.7−21.0
Turnout 38,26868.2−1.0
Conservative hold Swing
1937 Tonbridge by-election [18]
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
Majority 10,65532.2−4.5
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 [21]
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
Majority 6,49114.1−18.1
Turnout 46,27173.2+15.0
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Tonbridge [22]
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
Majority 8,36815.6
Turnout 53,79183.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Tonbridge [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gerald Williams 31,377 59.8 +7.9
Labour Bernard Bagnari 21,10940.2+3.9
Majority 10,26819.6+4.0
Turnout 52,48680.6−2.9
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Tonbridge [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gerald Williams 29,521 60.4 +0.6
Labour Robert L Fagg19,32539.6−0.6
Majority 10,19620.8+1.2
Turnout 48,84675.5−5.1
Conservative hold Swing
1956 Tonbridge by-election [25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 20,515 52.0 −8.4
Labour Robert L Fagg18,91348.0+8.4
Majority 1,6024.0−16.8
Turnout 39,428
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Tonbridge [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 31,687 59.9 −0.5
Labour Kenneth W May21,18140.1+0.5
Majority 10,50619.8−1.0
Turnout 52,86878.5+3.0
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Tonbridge [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 27,802 49.2 −10.7
Labour Donald Savage19,03733.7−6.4
Liberal Edward Babbs9,68217.1New
Majority 8,76515.5−4.3
Turnout 56,52178.7+0.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Tonbridge [28]
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
Majority 6,82811.8−3.7
Turnout 57,55077.3−1.4
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Tonbridge [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Hornby 31,890 53.2 +4.5
Labour Maureen Colquhoun 17,89729.9−5.0
Liberal Harry Hill10,16717.0−1.4
Majority 13,99323.3+11.5
Turnout 59,95472.0−5.3
Conservative hold Swing

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  2. ↑ https://members.parliament.uk/member/4462/voting
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
  5. ↑ LGBCE. "Medway | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2021".
  7. 1 2 "New Seat Details - Tonbridge". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/calcwork23.py?seat=Tonbridge
  9. ↑ "Election result for Tonbridge". UK Parliament . Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  10. ↑ "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.
  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. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  17. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  18. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  19. ↑ "Parliamentary candidates' protest", The Times , 6 April 1939
  20. ↑ The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  21. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  22. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  23. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  24. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  25. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  26. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  27. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  28. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  29. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig

50°59′N0°14′E / 50.99°N 0.24°E / 50.99; 0.24

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