Mitcham and Morden (UK Parliament constituency)

Mitcham and Morden
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Mitcham and Morden in Greater London.
County Greater London
Electorate 67,074 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Colliers Wood, Mitcham, Morden and Merton
Current constituency
Created 1974 (1974)
Member of parliament Siobhain McDonagh (Labour)
Number of members One
Created from Mitcham
Merton & Morden
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency London

Mitcham and Morden is a constituency[n 1] in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Siobhain McDonagh of the Labour Party.[n 2]

History

The constituency was created in 1974 from the former seats of Mitcham and Merton & Morden. Between 1974 and 1982 it was represented by Bruce Douglas-Mann who was elected as a Labour MP but defected in 1982 to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). On defecting, he resigned his seat and sought re-election as an SDP MP, he was the only defector to have resigned his seat.

In the subsequent by-election held in May 1982 at the time of the Falklands War, Angela Rumbold of the Conservative Party was elected. This was the last time to date that a seat has been gained by a governing party in the UK at a by-election.[n 3] It was also the last time the Conservative Party would gain (as opposed to win) at a by-election until 22 May 2008 when Edward Timpson took Crewe and Nantwich.

At the 1997 General Election the seat was won by Labour and Siobhain McDonagh was elected as Member of Parliament. At the 2001, 2005 and 2010 General Elections, she was re-elected and her majority is 13,666 (31.2%) ahead of the next candidate, a Conservative, polling the 26th highest share of the vote for the party of the 631 seats contested.[2]

Boundaries

1974-1983: The London Borough of Merton wards of Mitcham Central, Mitcham East, Mitcham North, Mitcham South, Mitcham West, Morden, and Ravensbury.

1983-2010: The London Borough of Merton wards of Colliers Wood, Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Lavender, Longthornton, Lower Morden, Phipps Bridge, Pollards Hill, Ravensbury, and St Helier.

2010-present: The London Borough of Merton wards of Colliers Wood, Cricket Green, Figge’s Marsh, Graveney, Lavender Fields, Longthornton, Lower Morden, Pollards Hill, Ravensbury, and St Helier.

Constituency profile

The seat is broadly suburban, with terraced houses and low-rise estates in southern parts of Tooting and Streatham at the northern end of the seat. In the south-west of the constituency is the most affluent part, Lower Morden. Despite the name of the seat, the area of the modern town centre around Morden tube station is actually in the neighbouring Wimbledon constiituency.

In the middle, the former coaching stop town of Mitcham with its ancient cricket green retains some village-like characteristics and had relatively poor transport connections with the rest of London until the building of the Croydon Tramlink. In the 20th century, Mitcham became surrounded by modern council housing, and light industry. Housing varies between the large rented sector, privately acquired properties much of which using the Thatcher Ministry's right to buy and significant dependence in certain areas on social housing.[3]

The seat has swung further to Labour than any other in London and is the only seat to have a bigger Labour majority in 2015 than in their landslide 1997 viction.

Across the borough, about 40% of the population has an ethnic heritage.[4][5]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[6] Party
Feb 1974 Bruce Douglas-Mann Labour
1981 SDP
1982 by-election Angela Rumbold Conservative
1997 Siobhain McDonagh Labour

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Mitcham and Morden [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Siobhain McDonagh[8] 27,380 60.7 +4.2
Conservative Paul Holmes[9] 10,458 23.2 −2.1
UKIP Richard Hilton[10] 4,287 9.5 +7.5
Green Mason Redding[11] 1,422 3.2 +2.3
Liberal Democrat Diana Coman[12] 1,378 3.1 −8.8
Christian Peoples Des Coke[13] 217 0.5 +0.5
Majority 16,922 37.5 +6.3
Turnout 45,142 65.9 −1.1
Labour hold Swing +3.1
General Election 2010: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Siobhain McDonagh 24,722 56.5 +0.1
Conservative Melanie Hampton 11,056 25.2 +0.3
Liberal Democrat Diana Coman 5,202 11.9 −2.1
BNP Tony Martin 1,386 3.2 N/A
UKIP Andrew Mills 857 2.0 N/A
Green Smarajit Roy 381 0.9 −2.6
Independent Rathy Alagaratnam 155 0.4 −0.1
Independent Ernest Redgrave 38 0.1 N/A
Majority 13,666 31.2 −0.9
Turnout 43,798 67.0 +6.2
Labour hold Swing −0.4

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Siobhain McDonagh 22,489 56.4 −4.0
Conservative Andrew Shellhorn 9,929 24.9 +0.8
Liberal Democrat Mrs. Jo A.E. Christie-Smith 5,583 14.0 +3.9
Green Thomas Joseph Walsh 1,395 3.5 +1.1
Veritas Adrian Kere James Roberts 286 0.7 N/A
Independent Mrs. Rathy Alagaratnam 186 0.5 N/A
Majority 12,560 31.5
Turnout 39,868 61.2 +3.4
Labour hold Swing −2.4
General Election 2001: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Siobhain McDonagh 22,936 60.4 +2.1
Conservative Henry (Harry) Armstrong Allen Stokes 9,151 24.1 −5.6
Liberal Democrat Nicholas Paul Harris 3,820 10.1 +2.5
Green Thomas Joseph Walsh 926 2.4 +1.6
BNP John Hutchyns Tyndall 642 1.7 +0.6
UKIP Adrian Kere James Roberts 486 1.3 +1.0
Majority 13,785 36.3 +7.6
Turnout 37,961 57.8 −15.5
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Mitcham and Morden[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Siobhain McDonagh 27,984 58.4 +11.9
Conservative Angela Rumbold 14,243 29.7 −11.4
Liberal Democrat Nicholas Paul Harris 3,632 7.6 −1.6
Referendum Peter J. Isaacs 810 1.7 N/A
BNP Mrs. Linda Miller 521 1.1 N/A
Green Thomas Joseph Walsh 415 0.9 −0.4
Independent Krishnapillai Vaikunstha Vasan 144 0.3 N/A
UKIP John R. Barrett 117 0.2 N/A
Independent Nigel T.V. Dixon 80 0.2 N/A
Majority 13,741 28.7 +25.3
Turnout 47,946 73.3 −7.0
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +15.6
General Election 1992: Mitcham and Morden[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Rumbold 23,789 46.5 −1.7
Labour Siobhain McDonagh 22,055 43.1 +7.9
Liberal Democrat John C. Field 4,687 9.2 −7.5
Green Thomas J. Walsh 655 1.3 N/A
Majority 1,734 3.4 −9.6
Turnout 51,186 80.3 +4.6
Conservative hold Swing −4.8

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Rumbold 23,002 48.2 +5.5
Labour Siobhain McDonagh 16,819 35.2 +6.4
Social Democratic Bruce Douglas-Mann 7,930 16.6 −10.8
Majority 6,183 13.9
Turnout 47,751 75.7
Conservative hold Swing −0.5
General Election 1983: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Rumbold 19,827 42.7 −1.2
Labour D.G. Nicholas 13,376 28.8 −16.4
Social Democratic Bruce Douglas-Mann 12,720 27.4 N/A
National Front J.R. Perryman 539 1.2 −0.8
Majority 6,451 13.9
Turnout 46,462 73.1
Conservative hold Swing
Mitcham and Morden by-election, 1982
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Rumbold 13,306 43.4 −0.5
Social Democratic Bruce Douglas-Mann 9,032 29.4 N/A
Labour David Nicholas 7,475 24.4 −20.8
National Front Joseph Pearce 547 1.8 −0.2
Independent Liberal Edward Larkin 123 0.4 N/A
Ethnic Minority Candidate Roy Sawh 84 0.3 N/A
Democratic Monarchist Bill Boaks 66 0.2 N/A
COPS Jitendra Bardwaj 22 0.1 N/A
Computer Democrat Christopher Farnsworth 18 0.0 N/A
Majority 4,274 14.0
Turnout 30,673 48.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +10.2

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bruce Douglas-Mann 21,668 45.2 −3.0
Conservative D. Samuel 21,050 43.9 +9.0
Liberal R. Locke 4,258 8.9 −7.1
National Front J. Perryman 966 2.0 N/A
Majority 618 1.3
Turnout 47,942 76.9
Labour hold Swing −6.0
General Election October 1974: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bruce Douglas-Mann 22,384 48.2 +5.7
Conservative D. Samuel 16,193 34.9 −1.3
Liberal M. Simpson 7,429 16.0 −4.4
Communist Sid French 281 0.6 −0.4
Independent G. Giddins 106 0.2 N/A
Air Road Public Safety White Resident Bill Boaks 68 0.2 N/A
Majority 6,191 13.3
Turnout 46,461 71.0 −8.0
Labour hold Swing +3.5
General Election February 1974: Mitcham and Morden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bruce Douglas-Mann 21,771 42.5 N/A
Conservative David Anthony Harris 18,546 36.2 N/A
Liberal P. C. Spratling 10,462 20.4 N/A
Communist Sid French 507 1.0 N/A
Majority 3,225 6.3 N/A
Turnout 51,286 79.0 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. 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.
  3. See also vote splitting, spoiler effect and
References

Coordinates: 51°24′04″N 0°10′34″W / 51.401°N 0.176°W / 51.401; -0.176

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