West Dorset | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Dorset |
Electorate | 83,000 (December 2021) [1] |
Major settlements | Dorchester, Bridport and Sherborne |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1885 |
Member of Parliament | Chris Loder (Conservative) |
Seats | One |
West Dorset is a constituency [n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Chris Loder, a Conservative. [n 2]
The seat was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
Only Conservative MPs have been elected in West Dorset. Historically there have mostly been large majorities; thus the seat can be considered a safe seat. The closest result in recent years was in 2001, when the then member, Oliver Letwin, held his seat with a majority of only 2.8% over the Liberal Democrat candidate, Simon Green. The second place in every election after 1970 has been taken by the Liberal Party and, subsequent to that party's merging with the SDP, the Liberal Democrats. Labour's best results in the constituency were in 1945 and 1966.
Oliver Letwin, with a settled background in policy formulation, was appointed Minister of State for Policy (a Cabinet Office role) in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition on 12 May 2010. He had previously served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer between 2003 and 2005.
1885–1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport and Lyme Regis, the Sessional Divisions of Bridport and Cerne, and part of the Sessional Divisions of Dorchester and Sherborne.
1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester, and Lyme Regis, the Rural Districts of Beaminster, Bridport, Cerne, and Dorchester, and part of the Rural District of Weymouth.
1950–1974: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester, and Lyme Regis, the Urban District of Sherborne, the Rural Districts of Beaminster, Bridport, and Sherborne, and part of the Rural District of Dorchester.
1974–1983: As 1950 but with redrawn boundaries.
1983–present: The District of West Dorset except the ward of Owermoigne.
The West Dorset constituency covers most of the West Dorset district and includes the towns of Dorchester, the county town of Dorset; Bridport, Lyme Regis and Beaminster to the west; and Sherborne to the north.
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):
Minor changes to bring the electorate within the permitted range following re-organisation of local authorities and wards in Dorset and to bring the electorate within the permitted range.
Aside from tourist areas, including the Jurassic Coast which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the seat draws on managerial and advanced professional skills in sectors such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, reconditioning, defence, art and design, which support local trades and retail. A slightly greater than average proportion of people are retired. [3] Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 1.4% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . [4]
Election | Member [5] | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1885 | Henry Farquharson | Conservative | Died 1895 | |
1895 by-election | Robert Williams | Conservative | ||
1922 | Philip Colfox | Conservative | Resigned 1941 | |
1941 by-election | Simon Digby | Conservative | ||
Feb 1974 | Jim Spicer | Conservative | ||
1997 | Oliver Letwin | Conservative | ||
2019 | Independent | Conservative whip removed in September 2019 | ||
2019 | Chris Loder | Conservative |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Chris Loder [6] | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Edward Morello [7] | ||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Chris Loder | 33,589 | 55.1 | –0.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Edward Morello | 19,483 | 32.0 | +8.5 | |
Labour | Claudia Sorin | 5,729 | 9.4 | –8.9 | |
Green | Kelvin Clayton | 2,124 | 3.5 | +0.8 | |
Majority | 14,106 | 23.1 | –8.9 | ||
Turnout | 60,925 | 74.7 | –0.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | –4.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Oliver Letwin | 33,081 | 55.5 | +5.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Andy Canning | 13,990 | 23.5 | +1.9 | |
Labour | Lee Rhodes | 10,896 | 18.3 | +8.3 | |
Green | Kelvin Clayton | 1,631 | 2.7 | −3.0 | |
Majority | 19,091 | 32.0 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 59,750 | 75.6 | +3.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.7 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Oliver Letwin | 28,329 | 50.2 | +2.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Ros Kayes | 12,199 | 21.6 | −19.1 | |
UKIP | David Glossop | 7,055 | 12.5 | +8.7 | |
Labour | Rachel Rogers | 5,633 | 10.0 | +3.3 | |
Green | Peter Barton | 3,242 | 5.7 | +4.5 | |
Majority | 16,130 | 28.6 | +21.7 | ||
Turnout | 56,643 | 72.6 | −2.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +10.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Oliver Letwin | 27,287 | 47.6 | +1.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Sue Farrant | 23,364 | 40.7 | −1.2 | |
Labour | Steve Bick | 3,815 | 6.7 | −1.0 | |
UKIP | Oliver Chisholm | 2,196 | 3.8 | +1.8 | |
Green | Susan Greene | 675 | 1.2 | −0.6 | |
Majority | 3,923 | 6.9 | +2.3 | ||
Turnout | 57,337 | 74.6 | −1.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Oliver Letwin | 24,763 | 46.5 | +1.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Justine McGuinness | 22,302 | 41.9 | +0.1 | |
Labour | Dave Roberts | 4,124 | 7.7 | −5.9 | |
UKIP | Linda Guest | 1,084 | 2.0 | New | |
Green | Susan Greene | 952 | 1.8 | New | |
Majority | 2,461 | 4.6 | +1.8 | ||
Turnout | 53,225 | 76.3 | +6.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Oliver Letwin | 22,126 | 44.6 | +3.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Simon Green | 20,712 | 41.8 | +4.1 | |
Labour | Richard Hyde | 6,733 | 13.6 | −4.1 | |
Majority | 1,414 | 2.8 | -0.6 | ||
Turnout | 49,571 | 69.5 | −6.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Oliver Letwin | 22,036 | 41.1 | -7.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Robin AS Legg | 20,196 | 37.7 | +1.5 | |
Labour | Robert Bygraves | 9,491 | 17.7 | +4.7 | |
UKIP | P. Jenkins | 1,590 | 3.0 | New | |
Natural Law | Mark Griffiths | 239 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 1,840 | 3.4 | -11.2 | ||
Turnout | 53,552 | 76.1 | -4.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Spicer | 27,766 | 50.8 | −5.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Robin A.S. Legg | 19,756 | 36.2 | +4.6 | |
Labour | JPB Mann | 7,082 | 13.0 | +0.8 | |
Majority | 8,010 | 14.6 | −10.0 | ||
Turnout | 54,604 | 81.2 | +2.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Spicer | 28,305 | 56.2 | -3.5 | |
Liberal | Trevor Jones | 15,941 | 31.6 | +2.7 | |
Labour | John Watson | 6,123 | 12.2 | +0.8 | |
Majority | 12,364 | 24.6 | -6.2 | ||
Turnout | 50,369 | 78.3 | +4.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Spicer | 27,030 | 59.7 | +1.0 | |
Liberal | Trevor Jones | 13,078 | 28.9 | +7.1 | |
Labour | Derek Cash | 5,168 | 11.4 | -6.4 | |
Majority | 13,952 | 30.8 | -6.1 | ||
Turnout | 45,276 | 74.2 | -4.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Spicer | 26,281 | 58.71 | ||
Liberal | Trevor Jones | 9,776 | 21.84 | ||
Labour | HJ Skevington | 7,999 | 17.87 | ||
National Front | J Tillotson | 514 | 1.15 | New | |
Wessex Regionalist | G McEwan | 192 | 0.43 | New | |
Majority | 16,505 | 36.87 | |||
Turnout | 44,762 | 79.00 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Spicer | 20,517 | 49.20 | ||
Liberal | RM Angus | 11,832 | 28.37 | ||
Labour | PJ Dawe | 9,350 | 22.42 | ||
Majority | 8,685 | 20.83 | |||
Turnout | 41,699 | 77.84 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Spicer | 21,634 | 49.00 | ||
Liberal | RM Angus | 14,183 | 32.12 | ||
Labour | MF Cross | 8,333 | 18.87 | ||
Majority | 7,451 | 16.88 | |||
Turnout | 44,150 | 83.12 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 21,081 | 54.15 | ||
Labour | George Sakwa | 10,536 | 27.06 | ||
Liberal | Allan Percival | 7,314 | 18.79 | ||
Majority | 10,545 | 27.09 | |||
Turnout | 38,931 | 76.76 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 17,709 | 47.68 | ||
Labour | F Donald Shirreff | 11,757 | 31.65 | ||
Liberal | Michael Aza Pinney | 7,676 | 20.67 | ||
Majority | 5,952 | 16.03 | |||
Turnout | 37,142 | 80.85 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 17,841 | 48.59 | ||
Labour | Leslie William King | 10,631 | 28.96 | ||
Liberal | Michael Aza Pinney | 8,242 | 22.45 | ||
Majority | 7,210 | 19.63 | |||
Turnout | 36,714 | 81.68 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 19,747 | 54.65 | ||
Labour | Leslie William King | 11,536 | 31.93 | ||
Liberal | John H. Goodden | 4,850 | 13.42 | New | |
Majority | 8,211 | 22.72 | |||
Turnout | 36,133 | 81.92 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 21,007 | 59.59 | ||
Labour | Leslie William King | 14,244 | 40.41 | ||
Majority | 6,763 | 19.18 | |||
Turnout | 35,251 | 80.07 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 21,739 | 60.31 | ||
Labour | Cambreth John Kane | 14,308 | 39.69 | ||
Majority | 7,431 | 20.62 | |||
Turnout | 36,047 | 82.11 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 18,771 | 51.75 | ||
Labour | Cambreth John Kane | 11,967 | 33.00 | ||
Liberal | Colin Grant Cameron | 5,531 | 15.25 | ||
Majority | 6,804 | 18.75 | |||
Turnout | 36,269 | 83.95 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | 13,399 | 50.1 | -4.0 | |
Labour | Cambreth John Kane | 8,215 | 30.8 | New | |
Liberal | George Newsom | 5,098 | 19.1 | -26.8 | |
Majority | 5,184 | 19.3 | +9.1 | ||
Turnout | 26,712 | 74.7 | -3.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Wingfield Digby | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
Conservative hold | |||||
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 from 1939, and by the end of this year the following candidates had been selected:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Colfox | 13,825 | 54.1 | -6.1 | |
Liberal | George Edwin Chappell | 11,735 | 45.9 | +6.1 | |
Majority | 2,090 | 8.2 | -12.2 | ||
Turnout | 25,560 | 77.9 | -3.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -6.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Philip Colfox | 15,510 | 60.2 | +11.1 | |
Liberal | George Edwin Chappell | 10,271 | 39.8 | +8.0 | |
Majority | 5,239 | 20.4 | +3.1 | ||
Turnout | 25,781 | 81.6 | +1.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Philip Colfox | 12,247 | 49.1 | -19.2 | |
Liberal | George Edwin Chappell | 7,921 | 31.8 | New | |
Labour | Thomas Robins | 4,770 | 19.1 | -12.6 | |
Majority | 4,326 | 17.3 | -19.3 | ||
Turnout | 24,938 | 80.6 | +7.4 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Philip Colfox | 12,426 | 68.3 | +9.5 | |
Labour | Louie Simpson | 5,764 | 31.7 | -9.5 | |
Majority | 6,662 | 36.6 | +19.0 | ||
Turnout | 18,190 | 73.2 | +2.3 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | +9.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Philip Colfox | 10,100 | 58.8 | -3.3 | |
Labour | Louie Simpson | 7,087 | 41.2 | +3.3 | |
Majority | 3,013 | 17.6 | -6.6 | ||
Turnout | 17,187 | 70.9 | -7.6 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | -3.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Philip Colfox | 11,649 | 62.1 | N/A | |
Labour | T C Duke | 7,101 | 37.9 | New | |
Majority | 4,548 | 24.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 18,750 | 78.5 | N/A | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist | Robert Williams | Unopposed | ||
Unionist hold | |||||
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:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Williams | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Williams | 4,011 | 59.2 | +2.8 | |
Liberal | William Saunders Edwards | 2,759 | 40.8 | -2.8 | |
Majority | 1,252 | 18.4 | +5.6 | ||
Turnout | 6,770 | 89.4 | +1.6 | ||
Registered electors | 7,576 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Williams | 3,671 | 56.4 | N/A | |
Liberal | Johnstone J Haye | 2,834 | 43.6 | New | |
Majority | 837 | 12.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 6,505 | 87.8 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 7,413 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Williams | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Williams | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Williams | 3,538 | 60.3 | +3.6 | |
Independent Farmers | George Wood Homer [21] [n 3] | 2,325 | 39.7 | −3.6 | |
Majority | 1,213 | 20.6 | +7.2 | ||
Turnout | 5,863 | 76.0 | −8.0 | ||
Registered electors | 7,713 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Farquharson | 3,691 | 56.7 | −3.1 | |
Liberal | Charles Tindal Gatty | 2,813 | 43.3 | +3.1 | |
Majority | 878 | 13.4 | −6.2 | ||
Turnout | 6,504 | 84.0 | +6.4 | ||
Registered electors | 7,747 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −3.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Farquharson | 3,672 | 59.8 | +8.8 | |
Liberal | Herbert Carey George Batten [22] | 2,467 | 40.2 | -8.8 | |
Majority | 1,205 | 19.6 | +17.6 | ||
Turnout | 6,139 | 77.6 | −9.2 | ||
Registered electors | 7,914 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +8.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Farquharson | 3,507 | 51.0 | ||
Liberal | Herbert Carey George Batten [22] | 3,366 | 49.0 | ||
Majority | 141 | 2.0 | |||
Turnout | 6,873 | 86.8 | |||
Registered electors | 7,914 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
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