Bridgwater (UK Parliament constituency)

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Bridgwater
County constituency

Bridgwater shown within Somerset, and Somerset shown within England
Created: 1295
MP: Ian Liddell-Grainger
Party: Conservative
Type: House of Commons
County: Somerset
EP constituency: South West England

Bridgwater is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

The seat is based on the market town of Bridgwater in Somerset and currently incorporates significant portions of the surrounding north Somerset coast.

[edit] Boundary review

Following its review of parliamentary representation in Somerset, the Boundary Commission for England has finalised the proposals which expands the existing Bridgwater seat into a new Bridgwater and West Somerset division.

[edit] History

Bridgwater is one of the oldest Parliamentary Constituencies in the House of Commons, having elected Members of Parliament since 1295.

Bridgwater has traditionally had a radical tradition, though in recent years this has become less noticeable in election results as the constituency has expanded considerably beyond Bridgwater town itself.

The seat received particular fame in late 1938 when a by-election took place in the aftermath of the signing of the Munich Agreement. Opponnents of the agreement persuaded the local Labour and Liberal parties to not field candidates of their own against the Conservative candidate, but to instead jointly back an independent standing on a platform of opposition to the Government's foreign policy, in the hope that this would be the precursor to the formation of a more general Popular Front of opposition to the government of Neville Chamberlain in anticipation of the General Election due in either 1939 or 1940. The noted journalist Vernon Bartlett stood as the independent Popular Front candidate and achieved a sensational victory in what was hitherto a Conservative seat. He represented the constituency for the next twelve years.

In 1970 another by-election in the constituency achieved fame as it was the first occasion when 18, 19 and 20 year olds were able to vote in the UK Parliamentary election. The first under-21 year old to cast a vote was Susan Wallace. The by-election was won by the future Conservative Cabinet Minister Tom King who held the seat for the next thirty-one years. The Conservatives have continued to hold the seat to this day.

[edit] Member of Parliament

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[edit] Elections

The Member of Parliament since the 2001 general election is Ian Liddell-Grainger of the Conservative Party. He succeeded the retiring Tom King who had represented the seat since a by-election in 1970.

General Election 2005: Bridgwater
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger 21,240 44.1 +3.7
Labour Matthew Burchell 12,771 26.5 −0.3
Liberal Democrats James Main 10,940 22.7 −7.3
UK Independence Ray Weinstein 1,767 3.7 +0.9
Green Charlie Graham 1,391 2.9 N/A
Majority 8,469 17.6
Turnout 48,109 63.5 −0.9
Conservative hold Swing +2.0
General Election 2001: Bridgwater
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger 19,354 40.4 +3.5
Liberal Democrats Ian Thorn 14,367 30.0 -3.6
Labour Bill Monteith 12,803 26.8 +2.0
UK Independence Victoria Gardner 1,323 2.8 N/A
Majority 4,987 10.4
Turnout 47,847 64.4 -10.0
Conservative hold Swing

[edit] See also

Constituencies in South West England
Conservative

Bournemouth East | Bournemouth West | Bridgwater | Christchurch | Cotswold | Devizes | East Devon | Forest of Dean | North Dorset | North Wiltshire | Poole | Salisbury | South West Devon | Tewkesbury | Tiverton and Honiton | Torridge and West Devon | Totnes | Wells | West Dorset | Westbury | Weston-super-Mare | Woodspring
Liberal Democrat

Bath | Bristol West | Cheltenham | Falmouth and Camborne | Mid Dorset and North Poole | North Cornwall | North Devon | Northavon | Somerton and Frome | South East Cornwall | St Ives | Taunton | Teignbridge | Torbay | Truro and St Austell | Yeovil
Labour

Bristol East | Bristol North West | Bristol South | Exeter | Gloucester | Kingswood | North Swindon | Plymouth Devonport | Plymouth Sutton | South Dorset | South Swindon | Stroud | Wansdyke
South West European constituency: Conservative (3) | UKIP (2) | Liberal Democrats (1) | Labour (1)
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