Wimbledon (UK Parliament constituency)

Wimbledon
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Wimbledon in Greater London
CountyGreater London
Electorate65,936 (December 2010)
Major settlementsWimbledon, Raynes Park, Morden, Motspur Park
Current constituency
Created1885
Member of ParliamentStephen Hammond
(Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromMid Surrey (northern half of)
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of:Mitcham
Merton and Morden
(later consolidated)

Wimbledon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since 2005, the seat has been represented by Stephen Hammond of the Conservatives.

History

The area was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and had lay in Mid Surrey that elected two MPs. The constituency covered great bounds, skirting around Croydon to its south to reach Caterham, Warlingham, Chelsham and Farleigh in the North Downs and bearing formal alternate titles of the Wimbledon Division (of Surrey) and the North East Division of Surrey which in all but the most formal legal writing was written as North East Surrey.

An Act reduced the seat in 1918 to create the Mitcham seat in the south-east; another in 1950 created Merton and Morden in the south.

Political history

Since 1885 the seat has elected Conservative MPs except from 1945 to 1950 and 1997–2005, when the Labour candidate won the seat during that party's national landslide years. While the 2005 Conservative majority was marginal, the 2010 majority was 24.1% of the vote, so on the percentage of majority measure, but not on the longevity measure, it bore a safe seat hallmark.

In elections to the London Borough of Merton, the seat returns all of the council's Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors. Since 1990 the ward of Merton Park has only ever returned councillors for Merton Park Ward Residents Association. Since 1994 the ward of West Barnes, which contains Merton's half of the town of Motspur Park, has swung between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats; the latter presently hold all three seats in the ward. In the local elections in 2018, Liberal Democrat councillors were elected for the wards of Trinity and Dundonald for the first time in the borough's history, with a further first time win for the Liberal Democrats in a by-election in the Cannon Hill ward in 2019.

In 2010, the second-placed candidate was a Liberal Democrat. The national collapse in the Liberal Democrat vote at the 2015 election meant that the Liberal Democrats did not return to 2nd place until 2019, when they did so with a 22.7% upswing in their vote. The seat is now one of the most marginal in the country and a top Liberal Democrat target and Conservative defence for the next general election.

In the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, the London Borough of Merton, of which the constituency is a part, voted to remain by 62.9%, and 70.6% of this constituency itself voted to remain in the European Union. In September 2019 the incumbent, Stephen Hammond lost his party's whip for rebelling on a key Brexit vote. He briefly sat as an Independent and the whip was restored on 29 October 2019, with 9 of 21 other rebels of the same party.

Prominent frontbenchers

Boundaries

Map
Map of current boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Croydon except so much as is within a district of the Metropolis, the parishes of Caterham, Chelsham, Farley, Warlingham, Merton, and Wimbledon, so much of the Parliamentary Borough of Deptford as is in Surrey, and the area of the Parliamentary Boroughs of Battersea and Clapham, Camberwell, Lambeth, Newington, Southwark, and Wandsworth.

1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Wimbledon, and the Urban District of Merton and Morden.

1950–1955: The Municipal Boroughs of Wimbledon, and Malden and Coombe.

1955–1974: The Municipal Borough of Wimbledon.

1974–1983: The London Borough of Merton wards of Cannon Hill, Priory, West Barnes, Wimbledon East, Wimbledon North, Wimbledon South, and Wimbledon West.

1983–2010: The London Borough of Merton wards of Abbey, Cannon Hill, Dundonald, Durnsford, Hillside, Merton Park, Raynes Park, Trinity, Village, and West Barnes.

2010–present: As above less Durnsford ward and with Wimbledon Park ward added.

Constituency profile

The seat has a commuter-sustained suburban economy with an imposing shopping centre, overwhelmingly privately built and owned or rented homes and a range of open green spaces, ranging in value from elevated Wimbledon Village - sandwiched between Wimbledon Common and Wimbledon Park - where a large tranche of homes exceed £1,000,000 - to Merton Abbey ruins and South Wimbledon, with more social housing in its wards.

Wimbledon station is a southern terminus of the District line, as well as a station on the South West main line. It is also the western terminus of the Croydon Tramlink. South Wimbledon is a station on the Northern line branch to Morden.

Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 1.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.

Wards in this area often see a minority of Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors. Voters have quite high median and mean incomes, with an above-average public sector workforce which together means the seat resembles similar Tory-strong seats for London with other party traditions also followed: Richmond Park, Kingston and Surbiton and Putney. As widely touted in opinion polls the runner-up of the 2019 election became the Liberal Democrat.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1885 Cosmo Bonsor Conservative
1900 Eric Hambro Conservative
1907 by-election Henry Chaplin Conservative
1916 by-election Sir Stuart Coats Conservative
1918 Sir Joseph Hood Conservative
1924 Sir John Power Conservative
1945 Arthur Palmer Labour
1950 Sir Cyril Black Conservative
1970 Sir Michael Havers Conservative
1987 Dr. Charles Goodson-Wickes Conservative
1997 Roger Casale Labour
2005 Stephen Hammond Conservative
September 2019 Independent
December 2019 Conservative

Election results

Results of House of Commons seat Wimbledon since 1950 - it having lost substantial territory immediately beforehand due to local population and housing expansion.

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Hammond 20,373 38.4 –8.1
Liberal Democrats Paul Kohler 19,745 37.2 +22.7
Labour Jackie Schneider 12,543 23.7 –11.9
Independent Graham Hadley 366 0.7 New
Majority 628 1.2 –9.7
Turnout 53,027 77.7 +0.5
Registered electors 68,232
Conservative hold Swing –15.4
General election 2017: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Hammond 23,946 46.5 –5.6
Labour Imran Uddin 18,324 35.6 +9.6
Liberal Democrats Carl Quilliam 7,472 14.5 +1.8
Green Charles Barraball 1,231 2.4 –1.7
UKIP Strachan McDonald 553 1.1 –4.0
Majority 5,622 10.9 –15.2
Turnout 51,526 77.2 +3.7
Registered electors 66,780
Conservative hold Swing –7.6
General election 2015: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Hammond 25,225 52.1 +3.0
Labour Andrew Judge 12,606 26.0 +3.7
Liberal Democrats Shas Sheehan 6,129 12.7 –12.3
UKIP Peter Bucklitsch 2,476 5.1 +3.2
Green Charles Barraball 1,986 4.1 +2.9
Majority 12,619 26.1 +2.0
Turnout 48,422 73.5 +0.5
Registered electors 65,853
Conservative hold Swing –0.4
General election 2010: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Hammond 23,257 49.1 +7.7
Liberal Democrats Shas Sheehan 11,849 25.0 +6.8
Labour Andrew Judge 10,550 22.3 –13.4
UKIP Mark McAleer 914 1.9 +1.0
Green Rajeev Thacker 590 1.2 –1.9
Christian David Martin 235 0.5 New
Majority 11,408 24.1 +18.8
Turnout 47,395 73.0 +5.2
Registered electors 65,723
Conservative hold Swing +0.4

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Hammond 17,886 41.2 +4.6
Labour Roger Casale 15,585 35.9 –9.8
Liberal Democrats Stephen M. Gee 7,868 18.1 +5.1
Green Giles T. Barrow 1,374 3.2 +0.8
UKIP Andrew T. Mills 408 0.9 –0.1
Independent Christopher J. Coverdale 211 0.5 New
Tiger's Eye - the Party for Kids Alastair P. Wilson 50 0.1 New
Rainbow Dream Ticket George Weiss 22 0.1 New
Majority 2,301 5.3 N/A
Turnout 43,404 68.1 +3.8
Registered electors 63,696
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +7.2
General election 2001: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Casale 18,806 45.7 +2.9
Conservative Stephen Hammond 15,062 36.6 0.0
Liberal Democrats Martin D. Pierce 5,341 13.0 –3.6
Green Rajeev K. Thacker 1,007 2.4 +1.4
CPA Roger E. Glencross 479 1.2 New
UKIP Mariana Bell 414 1.0 New
Majority 3,744 9.1 +2.9
Turnout 41,109 64.3 –11.1
Registered electors 63,930
Labour hold Swing +1.5

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Casale 20,674 42.8 +19.5
Conservative Charles Goodson-Wickes 17,684 36.6 –16.4
Liberal Democrats Alison L. Willott 8,014 16.6 +4.7
Referendum Abid Hameed 993 2.1 New
Green Rajeev K. Thacker 474 1.0 –0.7
ProLife Alliance Sophie A.H. Davies 346 0.7 New
Mongolian Barbeque Great Place to Party Matthew G. Kirby 112 0.2 New
Rainbow Dream Ticket Graham L. Stacey 47 0.1 New
Majority 2,990 6.2 N/A
Turnout 48,344 75.4 –2.8
Registered electors 64,113
Labour gain from Conservative Swing –17.9
General election 1992: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Goodson-Wickes 26,331 53.0 +2.1
Labour Kingsley J. Abrams 11,570 23.3 +1.8
Liberal Democrats Alison L. Willott 10,569 21.3 –6.2
Green Vaughan H. Flood 860 1.7 New
Natural Law Hugh R.A. Godfrey 181 0.4 New
Independent Graham W. Hadley 170 0.3 New
Majority 14,761 29.7 +6.3
Turnout 49,681 80.2 +4.1
Registered electors 61,917
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Goodson-Wickes 24,538 50.9 –1.3
Liberal Adrian Slade 13,237 27.5 +0.3
Labour Christine Bickerstaff 10,428 21.6 +2.7
Majority 11,301 23.4 –1.5
Turnout 48,203 76.1 +3.7
Registered electors 63,353
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Havers 24,169 52.1 –3.0
Liberal David J. Twigg 12,623 27.2 +12.0
Labour R.B. Tansey 8,806 19.0 –9.5
Ecology Antony Jones 717 1.5 New
Party of Associates with Licensees E.J. Weakner 114 0.3 New
Majority 11,546 24.9 –1.7
Turnout 46,429 72.4 –4.0
Registered electors 64,132
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Havers 27,567 55.10 +6.57
Labour R.B. Tansey 14,252 28.48 –2.64
Liberal David J. Twigg 7,604 15.20 –5.63
National Front A. Bailey 612 1.22 New
Majority 13,315 26.62 +8.73
Turnout 50,035 76.42 +7.62
Registered electors 65,471
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Havers 23,615 48.53 –0.09
Labour K. Bill 14,909 30.64 +2.39
Liberal K. Searby 10,133 20.83 –3.86
Majority 8,706 17.89 –4.48
Turnout 48,657 68.80 –8.95
Registered electors 70,726
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Havers 26,542 48.62 –4.85
Labour K. Bill 14,329 26.25 –3.67
Liberal K. Searby 13,478 24.69 +8.08
Independent Bill Boaks 240 0.44 New
Majority 12,213 22.37 –1.18
Turnout 54,589 77.75 +11.92
Registered electors 70,210
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1970: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Havers 15,285 53.47 +3.14
Labour Ralph C. Holmes 8,554 29.92 –1.61
Liberal John Reginald MacDonald 4,749 16.61 –2.19
Majority 6,731 23.55 +4.75
Turnout 28,588 66.83 –8.16
Registered electors 42,774
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cyril Black 15,191 50.33 –1.70
Labour Tom Braddock 9,517 31.53 +2.53
Liberal John Reginald MacDonald 5,475 18.14 –0.83
Majority 5,674 18.80 –4.22
Turnout 30,183 74.99 +0.11
Registered electors 40,248
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1964: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cyril Black 15,952 52.03 –14.83
Labour John R. Daly 8,891 29.00 –4.15
Liberal George Scott 5,817 18.97 New
Majority 7,061 23.02 –10.69
Turnout 30,660 74.88 –3.55
Registered electors 40,947
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cyril Black 21,538 66.86 +1.31
Labour Lawrence M. Kershaw 10,678 33.15 –1.31
Majority 10,860 33.71 +2.61
Turnout 32,216 78.43 +0.16
Registered electors 42,151
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cyril Black 22,112 65.55 –0.98
Labour Greville Janner 11,622 34.45 +0.98
Majority 10,490 31.10 –1.96
Turnout 33,734 78.27 –4.07
Registered electors 43,099
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cyril Black 42,218 66.53 +5.20
Labour Charles Ford 21,242 33.47 +2.61
Majority 20,976 33.06 +2.59
Turnout 63,460 82.34 –3.38
Registered electors 77,067
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1950: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cyril Black 40,339 61.33 +18.94
Labour George Leonard Deacon 20,296 30.86 –13.55
Liberal Ian Forester Gibson 5,136 7.81 –1.75
Majority 20,043 30.47 N/A
Turnout 65,771 85.72 +7.65
Registered electors 76,728
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Substantial loss of territory to create Mitcham and Morden

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Palmer 30,188 44.41 +12.25
Conservative Geoffrey Paul Hardy-Roberts 28,820 42.39 –25.45
Liberal A.D. Kay 6,501 9.56 New
Common Wealth K. Horne 2,472 3.64 New
Majority 1,368 2.02 N/A
Turnout 67,981 78.07 +10.47
Registered electors 89,363
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Power 36,816 67.84 –12.54
Labour Tom Braddock 17,452 32.16 +12.54
Majority 19,364 35.68 –25.08
Turnout 54,268 67.60 –3.35
Registered electors 80,283
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1931: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Power 39,643 80.38 +26.98
Labour Tom Braddock 9,674 19.62 –4.58
Majority 29,969 60.76 +41.56
Turnout 49,317 70.95 +2.15
Registered electors 69,508
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Power 21,902 53.4 –20.8
Labour Tom Braddock 9,924 24.2 –1.6
Liberal Arthur Peters 9,202 22.4 New
Majority 11,978 29.2 –19.2
Turnout 41,028 68.8 –3.4
Registered electors 59,654
Unionist hold Swing –9.6
General election 1924: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Power 21,209 74.2 +4.4
Labour Mark Starr 7,386 25.8 –4.4
Majority 13,823 48.4 +8.8
Turnout 28,595 72.2 +14.9
Registered electors 39,604
Unionist hold Swing +4.4
General election 1923: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Joseph Hood 15,495 69.8 –1.9
Labour Mark Starr 6,717 30.2 New
Majority 8,778 39.6 –3.8
Turnout 22,212 57.3 –4.7
Registered electors 38,793
Unionist hold Swing –1.9
General election 1922: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Joseph Hood 16,751 71.7 –9.9
Liberal Robert Oswald Moon 6,627 28.3 New
Majority 10,124 43.4 –19.8
Turnout 23,378 62.0 +15.9
Registered electors 37,677
Unionist hold Swing –9.9

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Joseph Hood 13,652 81.6 N/A
Independent G.M. Edwardes Jones 3,079 18.4 New
Majority 10,573 63.2 N/A
Turnout 16,731 46.1 N/A
Registered electors 36,258
Unionist hold Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
1916 Wimbledon by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stuart Coats 8,970 55.6 N/A
Independent Kennedy Jones 7,159 44.4 New
Majority 1,811 11.2 N/A
Turnout 16,129 46.5 N/A
Registered electors 34,719
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election December 1910: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Chaplin Unopposed
Registered electors 27,810
Conservative hold
General election January 1910: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Chaplin 14,445 61.8 +5.6
Liberal Arthur Holland 8,930 38.2 –5.6
Majority 5,515 23.6 +11.2
Turnout 23,375 84.1 +6.8
Registered electors 27,810
Conservative hold Swing +5.6

Elections in the 1900s

1907 Wimbledon by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Chaplin 10,263 75.7 +19.5
Independent Liberal Bertrand Russell 3,299 24.3 New
Majority 6,694 51.4 +39.0
Turnout 13,562 57.2 –20.1
Registered electors 23,702
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1906: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Eric Hambro 9,523 56.2 N/A
Liberal St. George Lane Fox-Pitt 7,409 43.8 New
Majority 2,114 12.4 N/A
Turnout 16,932 77.3 N/A
Registered electors 21,899
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1900: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Eric Hambro Unopposed
Registered electors
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cosmo Bonsor Unopposed
Registered electors
Conservative hold
General election 1892: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cosmo Bonsor 7,397 74.0 N/A
Liberal Thomas Arthur Meates 2,602 26.0 New
Majority 4,795 48.0 N/A
Turnout 9,999 64.2 N/A
Registered electors 15,582
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cosmo Bonsor Unopposed
Registered electors
Conservative hold
General election 1885: Wimbledon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cosmo Bonsor 6,189 62.3
Liberal John Cooper 3,745 37.7
Majority 2,444 24.6
Turnout 9,934 70.5
Registered electors 14,086
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

51°25′01″N 0°13′05″W / 51.417°N 0.218°W / 51.417; -0.218


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