Worthing (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Worthing
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County West Sussex
19451997
SeatsOne
Created from Horsham and Worthing
Replaced by East Worthing & Shoreham and Worthing West

Worthing was a parliamentary constituency in West Sussex, centred on the town of Worthing in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

Contents

History

The constituency was created for the 1945 general election by dividing Horsham and Worthing, and abolished for the 1997 general election. Its territory was then divided between the new constituencies of Worthing West and East Worthing and Shoreham.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [1] Party
1945 Sir Otho Prior-Palmer Conservative
1964 Sir Terence Higgins Conservative
1997 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Worthing [2] [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 31,337 64.45
Labour Arthur Wellesley Wright11,57023.43
Liberal Walter Parnell-Smith6,48313.13
Majority19,76740.02
Turnout 49,39072.21
Registered electors 68,393
Conservative win (new seat)

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Worthing [2] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 29,475 66.76 +3.31
Labour E Duchin10,02822.71−0.72
Liberal William Horne4,64710.53−2.60
Majority19.44744.05+4.03
Turnout 44,15083.98+11.77
Registered electors 52,573
Conservative hold Swing +2.02
General election 1951: Worthing [2] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 32,302 74.63 +7.87
Labour Gerry Reynolds 10,97825.37+2.66
Majority21,32449.26+5.21
Turnout 43,28079.96−4.02
Registered electors 54,125
Conservative hold Swing +2.61
General election 1955: Worthing [2] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 31,106 77.12 +2.49
Labour Brian Ronald Stevens9,23122.88−2.49
Majority21,87554.24+4.98
Turnout 40,33772.75−7.21
Registered electors 55,449
Conservative hold Swing +2.49
General election 1959: Worthing [2] [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 31,396 68.16 −8.96
Labour Frederick Roy Mason7,61816.54−6.34
Liberal Deryck Abel 7,04515.30New
Majority23,77851.62−2.62
Turnout 46,05976.12+3.37
Registered electors 60,505
Conservative hold Swing -1.31

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Worthing [2] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 30,203 61.02 −7.14
Liberal Paul L Rose11,32022.87+7.57
Labour Russell L Butler7,97616.11−0.43
Majority18,88338.15−13.48
Turnout 49,49979.93+3.81
Registered electors 61,931
Conservative hold Swing -7.36
General election 1966: Worthing [2] [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 29,903 59.59 −1.43
Labour Anthony Lester 10,28120.49+4.38
Liberal Robert Roberts8,95517.84−5.03
Ind. Conservative Edward Moloney1,0442.08New
Majority19,62239.10+0.95
Turnout 50,18375.71−4.22
Registered electors 66,279
Conservative hold Swing -2.91

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Worthing
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 33,051 65.61
Labour Suzanne M Bartlett8,98917.84
Liberal Michael J Rooke8,33616.55
Majority24,06247.77
Turnout 50,37669.99
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Worthing
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 33,613 59.41
Liberal MHC Foley14,68325.95
Labour Michael Neves8,28614.64
Majority18,93033.46
Turnout 56,58278.43
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Worthing
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 30,036 58.19
Liberal MHC Foley12,69124.59
Labour Michael Neves8,89017.22
Majority17,34533.60
Turnout 51,61771.10
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: Worthing
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 33,624 61.22
Liberal B Sudbury13,24424.11
Labour K Underwood7,16313.04
National Front A Hough8931.63New
Majority20,38037.11
Turnout 54,92473.27
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Worthing [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 32,807 60.9 −0.3
Alliance Bob Clare17,55432.6+8.5
Labour Ashley Minto3,1585.7−6.3
National Front Martin Wingfield 2920.5New
BNP D Monks1030.2New
Majority15,25328.3−8.8
Turnout 53,91471.2−2.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1987: Worthing [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 34,579 61.7 +0.8
Alliance Bob Clare16,07228.7−3.9
Labour Jim L.W. Deen5,3879.6+3.9
Majority18,50133.0+4.7
Turnout 56,03272.8+1.6
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Worthing [12] [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 34,198 57.0 −4.7
Liberal Democrats Sue Bucknall17,66529.4+0.7
Labour Jim L.W. Deen6,67911.1+1.5
Green P.J. Beever8061.3New
Liberal Nicholas J. Goble6791.1New
Majority16,53327.5−5.5
Turnout 60,02777.4+4.6
Conservative hold Swing -2.7

Notes and references

  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 British Parliamentary Election Results 1950–1973, FWS Craig
  3. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1945". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  4. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1950". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  5. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  6. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  7. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  8. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  9. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  10. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  11. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  12. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  13. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.