Colchester (UK Parliament constituency)
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| Colchester Borough constituency |
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| Colchester shown within Essex, and Essex shown within England | |
| Created: | 1295, 1997 |
| MP: | Bob Russell |
| Party: | Liberal Democrats |
| Type: | House of Commons |
| County: | Essex |
| EP constituency: | East of England |
Colchester 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.
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[edit] Boundaries
The seat has one of Britain's largest residential military populations, the sort of people expected to vote Conservative, as they do in constituencies like Aldershot. But the non-military vote in Colchester has been swinging in favour of the Liberal Democrats since 1997, when they had a small majority; it has grown to much more comfortable proportions since then.
[edit] Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in Essex, the Boundary Commission for England has created a modified Colchester constituency formed from the following electoral wards
- Berechurch, Castle, Christ Church, Harbour, Highwoods, Lexden, Mile End, New Town, Prettygate, St Andrew’s, St Anne’s, St John’s, and Shrub End.
[edit] Members of Parliament
- 1874 Herbert Bulkeley Mackworth Praed
- 1880 Richard Knight Causton and William Willis
- 1885 Henry John Trotter
- 1888 Francis Richard Charles Guy Greville, Baron Brooke, later Earl of Warwick
- 1892 Herbert Scarisbrick Naylor-Leyland
- 1895 Sir Weetman Dickinson Pearson, later Viscount Cowdray
- 1910 Sir Laming Worthington-Evans
- 1929 Oswald Lewis
- 1945 Charles George Percy Smith, later Baron Delacourt-Smith
- 1950 Cuthbert James McCall Alport, later Baron Alport
- 1961 Philip Antony Fyson Buck
Divided into Colchester North and Colchester South and Maldon in 1983. Reestablished in 1997.
- 1997 — "present": Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat
[edit] Election results
| General Election 2005: Colchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bob Russell | 21,145 | 47.1 | +4.5 | |
| Conservative | Kevin Bentley | 14,868 | 33.1 | +3.2 | |
| Labour | Laura Bruni | 8,886 | 19.8 | −5.2 | |
| Majority | 6,277 | 14.0 | |||
| Turnout | 44,899 | 56.8 | +0.7 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +0.6 | |||
| General Election 2001: Colchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bob Russell | 18,627 | 42.6 | +8.2 | |
| Conservative | Kevin Bentley | 13,074 | 29.9 | -1.5 | |
| Labour | Chris Fegan | 10,925 | 25.0 | -5.6 | |
| UK Independence | Roger Lord | 631 | 1.4 | N/A | |
| Grey Party | Len Overy-Owen | 479 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 5,553 | 12.7 | |||
| Turnout | 43,736 | 56.1 | -13.5 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 1997: Colchester | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bob Russell | 17,886 | 34.4 | ||
| Conservative | S. Shakespeare | 16,335 | 31.4 | ||
| Labour | R. Green | 15,891 | 30.5 | ||
| Referendum Party | J. Hazell | 1,776 | 3.4 | ||
| Natural Law | L. Basker | 148 | 0.3 | ||
| Majority | 1,551 | 3.0 | |||
| Turnout | 69.2 | ||||
