North West Hampshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North West Hampshire is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Conservative Kit Malthouse, who served as Education Secretary in 2022.[n 2]

North West Hampshire
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map
Boundaries since 2010
Map of constituency
Boundary of North West Hampshire in South East England
CountyHampshire
Electorate76,004 (2023) [1]
Major settlements
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentKit Malthouse (Conservative)
Created from

History

This constituency's results suggest a Conservative safe seat since its creation for the 1983 general election. The outgoing MP for Basingstoke, David Mitchell, was elected the first MP as he chose to represent the area carved out from the old seat, where he lived instead, and served for fourteen years. On Sir David Mitchell's retirement in 1997 George Young won the seat and held it until his resignation in 2015. Young was previously MP for the marginal constituency of Ealing, Acton from 1974 to 1997, and was Transport Secretary in the Government of John Major from 1995 to 1997. He also ran for Speaker of the House in 2000 and 2009, being defeated on both occasions.[3] Young was appointed Leader of the House of Commons in the coalition government following the 2010 general election, but returned to the backbenches in David Cameron's cabinet reshuffle of 4 September 2012 and returned to the government frontbenches as Chief Whip a few weeks later, in October 2012 in place of Mitchell's son Andrew Mitchell. In 2015, Young was succeeded by Kit Malthouse, also a Conservative.

The 2010 result placed the seat 31st of the 307 Conservative seats by share of the vote polled.[4]

Constituency profile

The constituency is in the county of Hampshire focused around the town of Andover which has small pockets of regionally high levels of social housing and unemployment;[5] however, the seat overall had the 32nd lowest level of claimants of the 84 seats in the South East, at 1.7%, lower than the regional average of 2.4%.[6]

The economy is built on the military research, building and operations in the area and larger homes attracting wealthy older families and retirees, a high proportion of which are detached or semi-detached in both authorities covered,[7] building and engineering industries and the ease of most areas to access London, Basingstoke, Reading and the Commuter Belt. Smaller towns in the constituency include Tadley and Whitchurch.

Boundaries

Map of 2010–2024 boundaries

1983–1997: The Borough of Test Valley wards of Alamein, Anna, Bourne Valley, Dun Valley, Harewood, Harrow Way, Kings Somborne and Michelmersh, Millway, Nether Wallop and Broughton, Over Wallop, St Mary's, Stockbridge, Tedworth, Weyhill, and Winton, and the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of Baughurst, Burghclere, East Woodhay, Kingsclere, Overton, St Mary Bourne, Tadley Central, Tadley North, Tadley South, and Whitchurch.

1997–2010: The Borough of Test Valley wards of Alamein, Anna, Bourne Valley, Harrow Way, Millway, St Mary's, Tedworth, Weyhill, and Winton, and the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of Baughurst and Heath End, Burghclere, East Woodhay, Highclere and Bourne, Kingsclere, Oakley and North Waltham, Overton and Laverstoke, Sherborne St John, Tadley, and Whitchurch.

2010–2024: The Borough of Test Valley wards of Alamein, Amport, Anna, Bourne Valley, Charlton, Harrow Way, Millway, Penton Bellinger, St Mary's, and Winton, and the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of Baughurst, Burghclere, East Woodhay, Highclere and Bourne, Kingsclere, Oakley and North Waltham, Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon, Tadley North, Tadley South, and Whitchurch.

2024-present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of: Evingar; Sherborne St. John & Rooksdown; Tadley & Pamber; Tadley North, Kingsclere & Baughurst; Whitchurch, Overton & Laverstoke.
  • The Borough of Test Valley wards of: Andover Downlands; Andover Harroway; Andover Millway; Andover Romans; Andover St. Mary’s; Andover Winton; Bourne Valley.[8]

To bring the electorate within the permitted range, rural areas to the west and south of Andover will be transferred to Romsey and Southampton North and, in the east, the village of Oakley will be transferred to Basingstoke. The Sherborne St John & Rooksdown ward will be transferred in.

Members of Parliament

Basingstoke and Winchester prior to 1983

ElectionMember[9]Party
1983Sir David MitchellConservative
1997Sir George YoungConservative
2015Kit MalthouseConservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: North West Hampshire[10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeKit Malthouse 17,770 35.0 –25.1
LabourAndy Fitchet14,48228.5+11.6
Reform UKAndy Meacham7,73415.2New
Liberal DemocratsLuigi Gregori7,62615.0–3.5
GreenHina West2,7455.4+0.8
Hampshire IndependentsPhil Heath4660.9New
Majority3,2886.5–38.1
Turnout65.0–3.4

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North West Hampshire[11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeKit Malthouse 36,591 62.1 0.0
Liberal DemocratsLuigi Gregori10,28317.5+7.8
LabourLiz Bell9,32715.8-7.7
GreenLance Mitchell2,7174.6+2.3
Majority26,30844.6+6.0
Turnout58,91870.9-1.3
Conservative holdSwing-3.85
General election 2017: North West Hampshire[12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeKit Malthouse 36,471 62.1 +4.0
LabourAndy Fitchet13,79223.5+10.2
Liberal DemocratsAlex Payton5,7089.7+0.4
UKIPRoger Clark1,4672.5-12.2
GreenDan Hill1,3342.3-2.3
Majority22,67938.6-4.8
Turnout58,77272.2+2.5
Conservative holdSwing+2.5
General election 2015: North West Hampshire[13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeKit Malthouse[14] 32,052 58.1 −0.2
UKIPSusan Perkins[15]8,10914.7+9.5
LabourAndrew Adams [16]7,34213.3+0.2
Liberal DemocratsAlexander Payton [16]5,1519.3−14.1
GreenDan Hill[17]2,5414.6New
Majority23,94343.4+3.5
Turnout55,19569.7+0.1
Conservative holdSwing−4.9

UKIP originally selected Diane James for this constituency. In March 2015 James was replaced firstly by Malcolm Bint,[18] then shortly afterwards by Susan Perkins.[19] Bint became candidate in North Durham.

General election 2010: North West Hampshire[20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeGeorge Young 31,072 58.3 +7.8
Liberal DemocratsTom McCann12,48923.4−1.5
LabourSarah Evans6,98013.1−7.7
UKIPStan Oram2,7515.2+1.4
Majority18,58334.9+9.0
Turnout53,29269.6+3.5
Conservative holdSwing+4.7

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: North West Hampshire[21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeGeorge Young 26,005 50.7 +0.6
Liberal DemocratsMartin Tod12,74124.9+3.7
LabourMichael Mumford10,59420.7−4.7
UKIPPeter Sumner1,9253.8+0.6
Majority13,26425.8+1.1
Turnout51,26564.3+2.0
Conservative holdSwing−1.5
General election 2001: North West Hampshire[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeGeorge Young 24,374 50.1 +4.8
LabourMichael Mumford12,36525.4+1.8
Liberal DemocratsAlex Bentley10,32921.2−2.9
UKIPStanley Oram1,5633.2+0.7
Majority12,00924.7+3.5
Turnout48,63162.3−11.9
Conservative holdSwing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: North West Hampshire[23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeGeorge Young 24,730 45.3 −12.8
Liberal DemocratsCharlie Fleming13,17924.1−3.9
LabourMichael Mumford12,90023.6+11.0
ReferendumPamela Callaghan1,5332.8New
UKIPTim Rolt1,3832.5New
GreenWilliam Baxter4860.9N/A
Independent anti-Newbury bypassHelen Anscomb2310.4New
IndependentBob Dodd2250.4New
Majority11,55121.2-9.0
Turnout54,66774.2-6.6
Conservative holdSwing
General election 1992: North West Hampshire[24][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeDavid Mitchell 34,310 58.1 +0.3
Liberal DemocratsMichael Simpson16,46227.9−5.2
LabourMichael Stockwell7,43312.6+3.5
GreenDoreen Ashley8251.4New
Majority17,84830.2+5.5
Turnout59,03080.8+2.9
Conservative holdSwing+2.8

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: North West Hampshire[26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeDavid Mitchell 31,470 57.8 +0.5
LiberalIan Willis18,03333.1+0.5
LabourAnne Burnage4,9809.1−1.0
Majority13,43724.70.0
Turnout54,48377.9+3.5
Conservative holdSwing
General election 1983: North West Hampshire[27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeDavid Mitchell 28,044 57.3
LiberalIan Willis15,92232.6
LabourMichael Davis4,95710.1
Majority12,12224.7
Turnout48,92374.4
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes

References

51°18′N 1°19′W / 51.3°N 1.32°W / 51.3; -1.32