East Devon (UK Parliament constituency)

East Devon is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Simon Jupp of the Conservative Party.[n 2]

East Devon
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of East Devon in Devon for the 2010 general election
Outline map
Location of Devon within England
CountyDevon
Electorate72,406 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsExmouth and Sidmouth
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentSimon Jupp (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromHoniton
1868–1885
SeatsTwo
Type of constituencyCounty constituency
Created fromSouth Devon
Replaced byAshburton
Honiton
Torquay

A report by the Electoral Reform Society found the seat (and its precursors) has been held by the Conservative Party since 1835, meaning it has been held for 186 years. This is currently the longest held seat by one party anywhere in the country.[2]

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies proposes the seat be abolished, with the majority of the electorate, including Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton, being absorbed into Exmouth and Exeter East, to be first contested at the next general election. Sidmouth and Ottery St Mary will be included in the new seat of Honiton and Sidmouth.[3][4]

Boundaries

1868–1885: The Hundreds of Axminster, Cliston, Colyton, East Budleigh, Exminster, Ottery St. Mary, Haytor, and Teignbridge, and Exeter Castle, and the parts of the hundred of Wonford that are not included in the city of Exeter.[5]

1997–2010: The District of East Devon wards of Axminster Hamlets, Axminster Town, Beer, Budleigh Salterton, Colyton, Edenvale, Exmouth Brixington, Exmouth Halsdon, Exmouth Littleham Rural, Exmouth Littleham Urban, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth Withycombe Urban, Lympstone, Newbridges, Newton Poppleford and Harpford, Raleigh, Seaton, Sidmouth Rural, Sidmouth Town, Sidmouth Woolbrook, Trinity, Upper Axe, Woodbury, and Yarty.

2010–present: The District of East Devon wards of Broadclyst, Budleigh, Clyst Valley, Exmouth Brixington, Exmouth Halsdon, Exmouth Littleham, Exmouth Town, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh, Newton Poppleford and Harpford, Ottery St Mary Rural, Ottery St Mary Town, Raleigh, Sidmouth Rural, Sidmouth Sidford, Sidmouth Town, Whimple, and Woodbury and Lympstone, and the City of Exeter wards of St Loyes and Topsham.

The constituency is in the county of Devon, including eastern wards of Exeter, and has a shoreline on the Jurassic Coast.

Following a review of parliamentary representation in Devon by the Boundary Commission for England, which has increased the number of seats in the county from 11 to 12, East Devon was subject to significant boundary changes at the 2010 general election.[6] In particular, the towns of Axminster and Seaton were transferred to the Tiverton and Honiton constituency. In addition, two wards from the City of Exeter are now part of the East Devon seat.

Constituency profile

The main settlements in the constituency are the City Of Exeter Ward, St Loyes and neighbouring Topsham , the resorts of Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth, and the inland towns of Ottery St Mary and Cranbrook .

Members of Parliament

MPs 1868–1885
  • Constituency created – two seats (1868)
ElectionFirst member[7] First partySecond member[7]Second party
1868 Sir Lawrence Palk, BtConservative Edward CourtenayConservative
1870 by-election Sir John Kennaway, BtConservative
1880 William WalrondConservative
1885 Constituency abolished

The two-seat constituency of East Devon was abolished at the 1885 general election.

MPs 1997-present

At the 1997 general election a new constituency of East Devon was established. Sir Peter Emery, MP for Honiton since a 1967 by-election, represented the new East Devon seat until standing down in 2001, when Hugo Swire was elected.

In 2015, 2017 and 2019, the seat saw an unusually strong Independent performance, by the anti-austerity candidate Claire Wright, a Devon county councillor. She won 24% of the vote in 2015, 35.2% in 2017 and 40.4% in 2019, coming second (and significantly ahead of any other candidate) each time.

ElectionMember[7] Party
1997 Sir Peter Emery Conservative
2001 Sir Hugo Swire Conservative
2019 Simon Jupp Conservative

Elections
East Devon election results

Elections in the 2010s

In 2019, East Devon was one of five English constituencies (the others being Cheltenham, Esher and Walton, Westmorland and Lonsdale and Winchester) where Labour failed to obtain over 5% of the vote, and thus lost its deposit.[8]

General election 2019: East Devon[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Simon Jupp 32,577 50.8 +2.3
Independent Claire Wright 25,869 40.4 +5.2
Labour Dan Wilson 2,870 4.5 −6.9
Liberal Democrats Eleanor Rylance 1,771 2.8 +0.4
Green Henry Gent 711 1.1 New
Independent Peter Faithfull 275 0.4 +0.2
Majority 6,708 10.4 −2.9
Turnout 64,073 73.8 +0.5
Conservative hold Swing

[10]

General election 2017: East Devon[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugo Swire 29,306 48.5 +2.1
Independent Claire Wright 21,270 35.2 +11.2
Labour Jan Ross 6,857 11.4 +1.2
Liberal Democrats Alison Eden 1,468 2.4 −4.4
UKIP Brigitte Graham 1,203 2.0 −10.5
Independent Peter Faithfull 150 0.2 New
Independent Michael Davies 128 0.2 New
Majority 8,036 13.3 −9.1
Turnout 60,382 73.3 −0.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 2015: East Devon[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugo Swire 25,401 46.4 −1.9
Independent Claire Wright 13,140 24.0 New
UKIP Andrew Chapman 6,870 12.5 +4.3
Labour Steve Race[13] 5,591 10.2 −0.6
Liberal Democrats Stuart Mole 3,715 6.8 −24.4
Majority 12,261 22.4 +5.3
Turnout 54,717 73.7 +1.1
Conservative hold Swing +5.4
General election 2010: East Devon[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugo Swire 25,662 48.3 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Paull Robathan 16,548 31.2 +3.1
Labour Gareth Manson 5,721 10.8 −7.5
UKIP Mike Amor 4,346 8.2 +2.6
Green Sharon Pavey 815 1.5 New
Majority 9,114 17.1 +1.0
Turnout 53,092 72.6 +4.6
Conservative hold Swing −1.0

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: East Devon[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugo Swire 23,075 46.9 −0.5
Liberal Democrats Tim Dumper 15,139 30.7 +0.4
Labour James Court 7,598 15.4 -1.3
UKIP Colin McNamee 3,035 6.2 +0.6
Independent Christopher Way 400 0.8 New
Majority 7,936 16.2 -0.9
Turnout 49,247 69.4 +0.6
Conservative hold Swing −0.5
General election 2001: East Devon[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugo Swire 22,681 47.4 +4.0
Liberal Democrats Tim Dumper 14,486 30.3 +1.2
Labour Phil Starr 7,974 16.7 −1.0
UKIP David Wilson 2,696 5.6 +4.7
Majority 8,195 17.1 +2.8
Turnout 47,837 68.8 −7.2
Conservative hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1990s
General election 1997: East Devon[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Emery 22,797 43.4
Liberal Democrats Rachel Trethewey 15,308 29.1
Labour Andrew Siantonas 9,292 17.7
Referendum William Dixon 3,200 6.1
Liberal Geoffrey Halliwell 1,363 2.6
UKIP Colin Giffard 459 0.9
National Democrats Gary Needs 131 0.2
Majority 7,494 14.3
Turnout 52,550 76.0
Conservative win (new seat)

Elections in the 1880s
By-election, 4 Jul 1885: East Devon (1 seat)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Walrond Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1880: East Devon (2 seats)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Kennaway 4,501 36.2 N/A
Conservative William Walrond 4,457 35.8 N/A
Liberal John Barton Sterling[20] 3,487 28.0 New
Majority 970 7.8 N/A
Turnout 7,988 (est) 76.7 (est) N/A
Registered electors 10,416
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: East Devon (2 seats)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Kennaway Unopposed
Conservative William Walrond Unopposed
Registered electors 10,246
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
By-election, 9 Apr 1870: East Devon (1 seat)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Walrond Unopposed
Conservative hold
  • Caused by Courtenay's resignation.

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1868: East Devon (2 seats)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lawrence Palk 4,034 35.1
Conservative Edward Courtenay 4,016 34.9
Liberal Charles Joseph Wade[21] 3,457 30.0
Majority 559 4.9
Turnout 7,482 (est) 75.3 (est)
Registered electors 9,933
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes
  1. A county 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.

References
  1. "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. Walker, Peter (2 December 2019). "14m UK voters live in areas held by same party since second world war". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  3. Reporter, Local Democracy (24 July 2023). "East Devon MPs go head-to-head for new Honiton & Sidmouth seat". East Devon News. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  4. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  5. "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). London. 1867. pp. 1165–1198. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  6. "Final recommendations for Parliamentary constituencies in the counties of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay". Boundary Commission for England. 24 November 2004. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  7. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
  8. "Election results 2019: Greens lose the most deposits - BBC News".
  9. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
  10. "Devon East parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News.
  11. "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations: East Devon" (PDF). East Devon District Council. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  12. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. Labour, East Devon (16 February 2015). "East Devon unanimously and warmly selected Steve Race as their PPC.. Agent Ray Davison said: ' Steve is in every way an MP to be.'".
  14. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. "Devon East [Archive]". politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  19. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  20. "East Devon Election". Western Times. 7 April 1880. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 19 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. "C. J. Wade, Esq". Western Times. 6 November 1868. p. 2. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources
  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832–1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
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