Wikipedia

List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset

The ceremonial county of Dorset (which comprises the two unitary authorities of Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) is divided into 8 parliamentary constituencies: 3 borough constituencies and 5 county constituencies.

The location of Dorset relative to England.

Constituencies

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Further information: 2024 United Kingdom general election

  † Conservative   ‡ Labour   ¤ Liberal Democrat

Constituency[nb 1] Electorate[1] Majority Member of Parliament[2] Nearest opposition[2] Map
Bournemouth East BC 73,173 5,479   Tom Hayes‡   Tobias Ellwood†
 
Bournemouth West BC 72,094 3,224   Jessica Toale‡   Conor Burns†
 
Christchurch CC 71,598 7,455   Christopher Chope†   Mike Cox¤
 
Mid Dorset and North Poole CC 74,305 1,352   Vikki Slade¤   Michael Tomlinson†
 
North Dorset CC 72,109 1,589   Simon Hoare†   Gary Jackson¤
 
Poole BC 72,162 18   Neil Duncan-Jordan‡   Robert Syms†
 
South Dorset CC 76,640 1,048   Lloyd Hatton‡   Richard Drax†
 
West Dorset CC 75,390 7,789   Edward Morello¤   Chris Loder†
 

Boundary changes

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2024

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See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.

Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commission for England formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021.[3] Initial proposals were published on 8 June 2021 and, following two periods of public consultation, revised proposals were published on 8 November 2022. The final recommendations were published on 28 June 2023.

The commission proposed retaining the eight current constituencies in Dorset, with minor boundary changes to reflect changes to ward boundaries following the reorganisation of local government authorities within the county.[4]

Containing electoral wards from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Containing electoral wards from Dorset (unitary authority)

Results history

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Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019[5]

2024

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The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Dorset in the 2024 general election were as follows:[2]

Party Votes % Change from 2019 Seats Change from 2019
Conservative 127,188 33.7%  24.6% 2  6
Liberal Democrats 95,463 25.3%  6.4% 2  2
Labour 82,652 21.9%  3.5% 4  4
Reform 45,367 12.0% New 0  
Greens 18,400 4.9%  1.0% 0  
Others 8,287 2.2%  1.7% 0  
Total 377,357 100.0 8

Percentage votes

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Note that before 1983 Dorset did not include the Bournemouth and Christchurch areas (see below).

Election year 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974(F) 1974(O) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Conservative 39.1 51.7 60.1 46.2 56.8 54.0 45.2 47.6 52.2 53.9 52.4 46.6 47.3 54.2 48.1 48.0 58.4 58.6 57.8 54.5 41.8 45.3 44.1 48.3 51.7 58.7 58.3 33.7
Liberal Democrat1 18.0 28.9 21.9 36.8 16.3 28.7 24.0 14.5 15.8 13.6 18.9 23.6 20.2 17.0 30.9 28.4 20.9 29.7 30.8 31.2 34.1 31.5 32.8 32.8 12.9 12.8 18.9 25.3
Labour 21.4 19.4 18.0 17.0 12.3 16.0 30.8 37.9 32.0 32.6 28.7 29.8 32.5 28.8 21.0 23.6 20.4 10.2 11.3 13.4 18.8 21.1 18.3 12.2 13.0 25.2 18.4 21.9
Reform - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12.0
Green Party - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * 0.5 5.3 2.6 3.9 4.9
UKIP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * 5.6 16.2 0.3 * *
Other 21.5 - - - 14.6 1.4 - - - - - - - - - - 0.3 1.4 0.1 0.9 5.3 2.1 4.7 0.6 0.9 0.4 0.5 2.2

11950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

* Included in Other

Accurate vote percentages are not applicable for the 1918 election because one candidate stood unopposed.

Seats

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Election year 1950-1979 1983-1992 1997 2001-2005 2010 2015-2019 2024
Labour 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Conservative 4 7 8 6 7 8 2
Liberal Democrat1 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
Total 4 7 8 8 8 8 8

11950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

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1885-1910

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1918-1945

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1950-1979

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1983-present

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Historical representation by party

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A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

Before 1885

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Constituency Established Abolished
Bridport 1295 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Corfe Castle 1572 Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Dorchester 1295 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Dorset 1290 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Lyme Regis 1572 Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Poole 1362 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Shaftesbury 1295 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis 1572 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Wareham 1302 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

1885 to 1918

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  Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1885 1886 91 1892 95 1895 1900 04 05 1906 Jan 10 Dec 10
Dorset East Glyn Bond Napier Sturt Lyell H. Guest1 F. Guest
Dorset North Portman Wingfield-Digby Wills Baker
Dorset South Sturgis C. Hambro Brymer Scarisbrick A. Hambro
Dorset West Farquharson Williams

1original candidate, F. Guest (Lib), disqualified; fresh by-election held June 1910

1918 to 1950

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  Coalition Liberal (1918-22) / National Liberal (1922-23)   Conservative   Independent Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1918 1922 23 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 37 41 1945
Dorset East → Caine → Glassey Caine Wheatley
Dorset North Colfox Emlyn-Jones Hanbury A. Hambro Byers
Dorset South A. Hambro Yerburgh Gascoyne-Cecil Montagu
Dorset West Williams Colfox Digby

1950 to 1983

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  Conservative   Labour

Constituency 1950 1951 1955 57 1959 62 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979
Dorset North Crouch Glyn James Baker
Dorset South Montagu Barnett King Gascoyne-Cecil
Dorset West Digby Spicer
Poole Wheatley Pilkington Murton Ward

1983 to present (7, then 8 MPs)

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  Conservative   Independent   Labour   Liberal Democrats

Constituency 1983 1987 1992 93 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 19 2019 2024
Bournemouth East Atkinson Ellwood Hayes
Bournemouth West Butterfill Burns Toale
Christchurch Adley Maddock Chope
North Dorset Baker Walter Hoare
Poole Ward Syms Duncan-Jordan
South Dorset Gascoyne-Cecil Bruce Knight Drax Hatton
West Dorset Spicer Letwin → Loder Morello
Mid Dorset and North Poole Seat not created Fraser Brooke Tomlinson Slade

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.

References

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  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries - Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ "2023 Review | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  4. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. paras 1179-1203. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  5. ^ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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