Reigate (UK Parliament constituency)

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Reigate
Borough constituency

Reigate shown within Surrey, and Surrey shown within England
Created: 1295, 1885
MP: Crispin Blunt
Party: Conservative
Type: House of Commons
County: Surrey
EP constituency: South East England

Reigate 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 constituency is located in Surrey, bordering with Greater London. It is centered on the town of Reigate from which it takes its name.

The Boundary Commission has made its final recommendations for boundary changes in Surrey. Reigate has the smallest electorate of any seat in England and it is proposed to bring it closer to the average by adding the ward of Preston in the Reigate and Banstead district which is currently contained in the Epsom and Ewell constituency.

At the public consultation stage of the boundary review there were a number of petitions for the constituency to be renamed Reigate and Banstead to bring it in line with the district, including ones from both the local MP and the borough council. However the review rejected these petitions, feeling that constituencies should only be renamed when they had undergone substantial boundary changes that render the existing name implausible; that the constituency only contains 70% of the district; that the seat is centred on Reigate whilst Banstead is in the extreme north east corner and other towns such as Redhill might have as much if not greater claim to be in the name; and Banstead has a history of being moved between seats (it was in Epsom and Ewell prior to 1997) and may be moved again.

[edit] History

This constituency was first created with the first election of Burgesses to Parliament in 1295, electing two members. It continued to elect two members until 1832 when its representation was reduced to one member by the Great Reform Act.

In 1868 the constituency was disenfranchised for corruption, but was revived in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 when the East Surrey constituency was abolished and broken up.

In 1974, the seat saw major boundary changes which moved much of Eastern Surrey into the radically redesigned East Surrey seat and added the Banstead area to the seat.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1931 Sir Gordon Touche Conservative
1950 John Vaughan-Morgan Conservative
1970 Geoffrey Howe Conservative
1974 (Feb) George Gardiner Conservative
1997 Referendum
1997 Crispin Blunt Conservative

[edit] Elections

General Election 2005: Reigate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Crispin Blunt 20,884 49.0 +1.2
Liberal Democrat Jane Kulka 9,896 23.2 +2.1
Labour Samuel Townend 8,896 20.9 -6.6
UK Independence Jeremy Wraith 1,921 4.5 +1.8
English Democrats Harold Green 600 1.4 N/A
Independent (politician) Michael Selby 408 1.0 N/A
Majority 10,988 25.8
Turnout 42,605 64.8 +4.6
Conservative hold Swing -0.5
General Election 2001: Reigate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Crispin Blunt 18,875 47.8 +4.0
Labour Simon Charleton 10,850 27.5 -0.3
Liberal Democrat Jane Kulka 8,330 21.1 +1.1
UK Independence Stephen Smith 1,062 2.7 +2.1
Reform UK Harold Green 357 0.9 N/A
Majority 8,025 20.3
Turnout 39,474 60.2 -14.2
Conservative hold Swing +2.2
General Election 1997: Reigate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Crispin Blunt 21,123 43.8 -13.7
Labour Andrew Howard 13,382 27.8 +10.3
Liberal Democrat Peter Samuel 9,615 20.0 -4.1
Referendum Party Sir George Gardiner 3,352 7.0 N/A
Independent (politician) Richard Higgs 412 0.9 N/A
UK Independence Stephen Smith 290 0.6 N/A
Majority 7,741 16.0
Turnout 48,174 74.4
Conservative gain from Referendum Party Swing -12.0

This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.

George Gardiner changed party from the Conservative Party to the Referendum following his deselection by the local Conservative association.

General Election 1992: Reigate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir George Gardiner 32,220 57.1 -2.2
Liberal Democrat Barry Newsome 14,556 25.8
Labour Helen Young 9,150 16.2 +1.9
Social Democrat M. Bilcliff 513 0.9
Majority 17,664 31.3
Turnout 56,449 78.5 +6.0
Conservative hold Swing +1.8
General Election 1987: Reigate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Gardiner 30,925 59.3 +0.3
Social Democrat E. A. Pamplin 12,752 24.4 -2.5
Labour R. P. Spencer 7,460 14.3 +2.2
Green G. F. Brand 1,026 2.0 0.0
Majority 18,173 34.9
Turnout 52,163 72.5 -0.4
Conservative hold Swing +1.4
General Election 1983: Reigate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Gardiner 29,932 59.0
Social Democrat E. A. Pamplin 13,625 26.9
Labour B. A. Symons 6,114 12.1
Ecology D. R. Newell 1,029 2.0
Majority 16,307 32.1
Turnout 50,700 72.1
Conservative hold Swing


General Election 1979: Reigate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Gardiner 33,767 59.8
Liberal J. Speyer 10,257 18.2
Labour N. Grant 12,454 22.1
Majority 21,313 37.7
Turnout 56,478 78.2
Conservative hold Swing

[edit] Sources

[edit] See also