Orpington (UK Parliament constituency)

Orpington
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Orpington in Greater London for the 2010 general election.
County	Greater London
Electorate	68,221 (December 2010)^[1]
Major settlements	St Mary Cray, St Paul's Cray (part), Orpington, Petts Wood and Biggin Hill
Current constituency
Created	1945
Member of parliament	Jo Johnson (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	Chislehurst and Dartford
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	London

Orpington is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Jo Johnson, a Conservative.^{[n 2]}

Map showing the wards of the Orpington Parliament Constituency (red) within the London Borough of Bromley (yellow). Cray Valley West (orange) was included in the constituency at the election in 2005 but was transferred to Bromley and Chislehurst in 2010

History

Orpington was created in a minor boundary review enacted at the 1945 general election.

Housing expansion

The seats of Dartford and Chislehurst had both seen their electorate grow enormously since the 1918 review and were treated as one and divided into four, creating the additional seats of Bexley and this one in 1945.

Boundary changes

The seat has changed a little in subsequent boundary reviews since 1945. For the 1997 general election the Ravensbourne seat which had emerged in the west by Bromley was divided between three constituencies which before then overshot the London Borough of Bromley, adding to Orpington the community of Biggin Hill.

Notable political events

The seat is famous for its 1962 by-election when it was taken in a shock result and substantial victory by the Liberal Party candidate Eric Lubbock.^[2]

Boundaries

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered^{[n 3]} this constituency for General Election 2010, since which it has electoral wards:

Biggin Hill, Chelsfield and Pratts Bottom, Cray Valley East, Darwin, Farnborough and Crofton, Orpington, Petts Wood and Knoll

Constituency profile

The constituency is in the quite uniformly larger-housing dominated London Borough of Bromley,^[3] which has low unemployment^[4] and forms the southeastern limits of Greater London, and of this contains the largely buffered settlements of St Mary Cray, parts of St Pauls Cray, Swanley and Ruxley, then ascends through Orpington, Farnborough, and Chelsfield to the uppermost tracts of the North Downs and to the Biggin Hill settlement, which has an airport ^[5] and retains some of the hill-farming and woodland which dominated the area through the Industrial Revolution until the inter-war period.^[6]

In the media

Honda ran a national advertising campaign in an American accent pinpointing the district as the sort of place where a necessary status symbol or way of life requires one of their more cross-terrain vehicles, broadcast widely around the country, using the slogan You live in Orpington, that's all.^[7]

Members of Parliament

	Member^[8]	Party
1945	Sir Waldron Smithers	Conservative
1955	Donald Sumner	Conservative
1962 by-election	Eric Lubbock	Liberal
1970	Ivor Stanbrook	Conservative
1992	John Horam	Conservative
2010	Jo Johnson	Conservative

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Orpington ^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrat	Peter Brooks
	Labour	Nigel de Gruchy
	Green	Tamara Galloway^[10]
	Conservative	Jo Johnson
	UKIP	Idham Ramadi^[11]

General Election 2010: Orpington^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Jo Johnson	29,200	59.7	+8.5
	Liberal Democrat	David McBride	12,000	24.5	−15.9
	Labour	Stephen Morgan	4,400	9.0	+3.0
	UKIP	Mick Greenhough	1,360	2.8	+0.4
	BNP	Tess Culnane	1,241	2.5	N/A
	Green	Tamara Galloway	511	1.0	N/A
	English Democrats	Chris Snape	199	0.4	N/A
Majority			17,200	35.2
Turnout			48,911	72.2	−0.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Horam	26,718	48.8	+4.9
	Liberal Democrat	Chris Maines	21,771	39.8	−3.5
	Labour	Emily Bird	4,914	9.0	−1.8
	UKIP	Mick Greenhough	1,331	2.4	+0.4
Majority			4,947	9.0	+8.4
Turnout			54,734	69.9	+5.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.2

General Election 2001: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Horam	22,334	43.9	+3.3
	Liberal Democrat	Chris Maines	22,065	43.3	+7.7
	Labour	Chris A. Purnell	5,517	10.8	−7.0
	UKIP	John B. Youles	996	2.0	+1.1
Majority			269	0.6	−4.3
Turnout			50,912	64.6	−11.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.2

Elections in 1990s

General Election 1997: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Horam	24,417	40.6	−16.6
	Liberal Democrat	Chris Maines	21,465	35.7	+5.5
	Labour	Sue Polydorou	10,753	17.9	+6.4
	Referendum Party	David Clark	2,316	3.8	N/A
	UKIP	James Carver	526	0.9	N/A
	Liberal	Robin Almond	494	0.8	−0.3
	ProLife Alliance	Nicholas Wilton	191	0.3	N/A
Majority			2,952	4.9	−22.1
Turnout			60,162	76.3	−7.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	−11.0

General Election 1992: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Horam	27,421	57.2	−1.0
	Liberal Democrat	Chris Maines	14,486	30.2	−0.8
	Labour	Stephen J. Cowan	5,512	11.5	+0.8
	Liberal	Robin Almond	539	1.1	N/A
Majority			12,935	27.0	−0.2
Turnout			47,958	83.7	+5.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.1

Elections in 1980s

General Election 1987: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ivor Stanbrook	27,261	58.2	+0.9
	SDP–Liberal Alliance (Liberal)	Jonathan Harold Fryer	14,529	31.0	−3.5
	Labour	Steven John Cowan	5,020	10.7	+3.0
Majority			12,732	27.2	+4.5
Turnout			46,810	78.5	+2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.2

General Election 1983: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ivor Stanbrook	25,569	57.3	−0.7
	SDP–Liberal Alliance (Liberal)	J.W. Cook	15,418	34.5	+5.5
	Labour	D.M. Bean	3,439	7.7	−4.2
	BNP	L.T. Taylor	215	0.5	N/A
Majority			10,151	22.7	−6.3
Turnout			44,641	76.0	−5.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.2

Elections in 1970s

General Election 1979: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ivor Stanbrook	32,150	58.0	+11.0
	Liberal	J.W. Cook	16,074	29.0	−8.4
	Labour	A.J. Weyman	6,581	11.9	−3.8
	National Front	F. Hitches	516	0.9	N/A
	Homeland Party	I. MacKillian	146	0.3	N/A
Majority			16,076	29.0	+19.3
Turnout			55,467	81.7	+2.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+9.6

General Election October 1974: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ivor Stanbrook	24,394	47.0	−0.2
	Liberal	Lady Avebury	19,384	37.3	−3.4
	Labour	C. Spillane	8,121	15.6	+3.5
Majority			5,010	9.7	+3.1
Turnout			51,899	79.0	−7.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.6

General Election February 1974: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ivor Stanbrook	26,435	47.2	−0.1
	Liberal	R. Young	22,771	40.7	−4.0
	Labour	D. Grant	6,752	12.1	+4.1
Majority			3,664	6.6	+4.0
Turnout			55,598	86.1	+7.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.0

General Election 1970: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ivor Stanbrook	24,385	47.3	+4.0
	Liberal	Eric Lubbock	23,063	44.7	−2.0
	Labour	D. Grant	4,098	8.0	−2.1
Majority			1,322	2.6
Turnout			51,546	79.1	−7.9
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+3.0

Elections in 1960s

General Election 1966: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Eric Lubbock	22,615	46.7	−1.7
	Conservative	Norris McWhirter	20,993	43.3	+1.5
	Labour	D. Sleigh	4,870	10.1	+0.2
Majority			1,622	3.4	-3.2
Turnout			48,478	87.0	+1.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	-1.6

General Election 1964: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Eric Lubbock	22,637	48.4	−4.5
	Conservative	Norris McWhirter	19,565	41.8	+7.1
	Labour	P. Merriton	4,609	9.9	−2.5
Majority			3,072	6.6	−11.6
Turnout			46,811	87.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	−5.8

Orpington by-election, 1962
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Eric Lubbock	22,846	52.9	+30.7
	Conservative	Peter Goldman	14,991	34.7	-21.9
	Labour	Alan Jinkinson	5,350	12.4	-9.8
Majority			7,855	18.2	-16.2
Turnout			43,187
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+26.3

Elections in 1950s

General Election 1959: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Sumner	24,303	56.6	-3.3
	Labour	N. Hart	9,543	22.2	-5.4
	Liberal	Jack Galloway	9,092	21.2	+8.7
Majority			14,760	34.4	+1.1
Turnout			42,938	82.8	+3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.6

General Election 1955: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Sumner	22,166	59.9	-2.8
	Labour	N. J. Hart	10,230	27.6	-9.8
	Liberal	Alfred B. Howard	4,610	12.5	N/A
Majority			11,936	32.3	+7.0
Turnout			37,006	79.4	-2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.5

Orpington by-election, 1955
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Sumner	20,082	65.83
	Labour	R. Vaughan Williams	10,426	34.17
Majority			9,656	31.7
Turnout			30,508	55.39
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3

General Election 1951: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir Waldron Smithers	27,244	62.7	+6.0
	Labour	R.D. Vaughan Williams	16,241	37.4	+4.6
Majority			11,003	25.3	+1.4
Turnout			43,485	82.0	-3.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.7

General Election 1950: Orpington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir Waldron Smithers	24,450	56.7	+8.1
	Labour	George H. C. Vaughan	14,161	32.8	-5.0
	Liberal	Lady Ruth Abrahams	4,523	10.5	-1.8
Majority			10,289	23.9	+13.1
Turnout			43,134	85.1	+12.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

Election in 1940s

General Election 1945: Orpington^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir Waldron Smithers	20,388	48.6	N/A
	Labour	A.R. Mais	15,846	37.8	N/A
	Liberal	E.R. Goodfellow	5,140	12.3	N/A
	Independent	G.C. Milner	528	1.3	N/A
Majority			4,542	10.8	N/A
Turnout			41,902	72.7	N/A
	Conservative win (new seat)

Notes and references

Notes

↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
↑ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
↑
These reductions were:
- Cray Valley West ward was transferred to Bromley and Chislehurst constituency
- A small part of Bromley Common and Keston ward was transferred to the revised Beckenham constituency.

References

↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
↑ On This Day - "1962: Liberals seize Orpington" BBC News
↑ 2011 census interactive maps
↑ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
↑ Ordnance survey website
↑ Samuel Lewis (publisher) (1848). "Orpington - Osgoodby". A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 22 January 2013. A
↑ Youtube Honda advertising which homed in on the town as their prime audience
↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "O"
↑ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/Orpington/
↑ london.greenparty.org.uk/elections/2015-general-election.html
↑ https://twitter.com/idhamramadi
↑ "Orpington". UK Polling Report. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)

External links

UK Constituency Maps
BBC Vote 2001 Includes 1997 and 2001 results
BBC Election 2005
Political Science Resources

Constituencies in London

Labour	Barking Bethnal Green and Bow Brent North Camberwell and Peckham Croydon North Dagenham and Rainham Dulwich and West Norwood Ealing North Ealing Southall East Ham Edmonton Eltham Erith and Thamesmead Feltham and Heston Greenwich and Woolwich Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hampstead and Kilburn Holborn and St. Pancras Ilford South Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Lewisham Deptford Lewisham East Lewisham West and Penge Leyton and Wanstead Mitcham and Morden Poplar and Limehouse Streatham Tooting Tottenham Vauxhall Walthamstow West Ham Westminster North

Conservative	Battersea Beckenham Bexleyheath and Crayford Brentford and Isleworth Bromley and Chislehurst Chelsea and Fulham Chingford and Woodford Green Chipping Barnet Cities of London and Westminster Croydon Central Croydon South Ealing Central and Acton Enfield North Enfield Southgate Finchley and Golders Green Harrow East Hendon Hornchurch and Upminster Ilford North Kensington Old Bexley and Sidcup Orpington Putney Richmond Park Romford Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner Uxbridge and South Ruislip Wimbledon

Liberal Democrats	Bermondsey and Old Southwark Brent Central Carshalton and Wallington Hornsey and Wood Green Kingston and Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Twickenham

Historic constituencies in London

1974	Acton Barking Battersea North Battersea South Beckenham Bermondsey Bethnal Green and Bow Bexleyheath Brent East Brent North Brent South Brentford and Isleworth Carshalton Chelsea Chingford Chipping Barnet Chislehurst City of London and Westminster South Croydon Central Croydon North East Croydon North West Croydon South Dagenham Dulwich Ealing North Edmonton Enfield North Enfield Southgate Erith and Crayford Feltham and Heston Finchley Fulham Greenwich Hackney Central Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith North Hampstead Harrow Central Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon North Hendon South Holborn and St Pancras South Hornchurch Hornsey Ilford North Ilford South Islington Central Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Kensington Kingston-upon-Thames Lambeth Central Lewisham Deptford Lewisham East Lewisham West Leyton Mitcham and Morden Newham North East Newham North West Newham South Norwood Orpington Paddington Peckham Putney Ravensbourne Richmond Romford Ruislip-Northwood St Marylebone St Pancras North Sidcup Southall Stepney and Poplar Streatham Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Tooting Tottenham Twickenham Upminster Uxbridge Vauxhall Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford Wimbledon Wood Green Woolwich East Woolwich West

1983	Barking Battersea Beckenham Bethnal Green and Stepney Bexleyheath Bow and Poplar Brent East Brent North Brent South Brentford and Isleworth Carshalton and Wallington Chelsea Chingford Chipping Barnet Chislehurst City of London and Westminster South Croydon Central Croydon North East Croydon North West Croydon South Dagenham Dulwich Ealing Acton Ealing North Ealing Southall Edmonton Eltham Enfield North Enfield Southgate Erith and Crayford Feltham and Heston Finchley Fulham Greenwich Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith Hampstead and Highgate Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon North Hendon South Holborn and St Pancras Hornchurch Hornsey and Wood Green Ilford North Ilford South Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Kensington Kingston-upon-Thames Lewisham Deptford Lewisham East Lewisham West Leyton Mitcham and Morden Newham North East Newham North West Newham South Norwood Old Bexley and Sidcup Orpington Peckham Putney Ravensbourne Richmond and Barnes Romford Ruislip-Northwood Southwark and Bermondsey Streatham Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Tooting Tottenham Twickenham Upminster Uxbridge Vauxhall Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford Westminster North Wimbledon Woolwich

1997	Barking Battersea Beckenham Bethnal Green and Bow Bexleyheath and Crayford Brent East Brent North Brent South Brentford and Isleworth Bromley and Chislehurst Camberwell and Peckham Carshalton and Wallington Chingford and Woodford Green Chipping Barnet Cities of London and Westminster Croydon Central Croydon North Croydon South Dagenham Dulwich and West Norwood Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush Ealing North Ealing Southall East Ham Edmonton Eltham Enfield North Enfield Southgate Erith and Thamesmead Feltham and Heston Finchley and Golders Green Greenwich and Woolwich Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith and Fulham Hampstead and Highgate Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon Holborn and St Pancras Hornchurch Hornsey and Wood Green Ilford North Ilford South Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Kensington and Chelsea Kingston and Surbiton Lewisham Deptford Lewisham East Lewisham West Leyton and Wanstead Mitcham and Morden North Southwark and Bermondsey Old Bexley and Sidcup Orpington Poplar and Canning Town Putney Regent's Park and Kensington North Richmond Park Romford Ruislip-Northwood Streatham Sutton and Cheam Tooting Tottenham Twickenham Upminster Uxbridge Vauxhall Walthamstow West Ham Wimbledon

Coordinates: 51°21′25″N 0°05′06″E / 51.357°N 0.085°E / 51.357; 0.085