West Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency)

West Suffolk is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Matt Hancock, originally elected as a Conservative but who sits as an Independent following his suspension in November 2022.[n 2]

Not to be confused with Western Division of Suffolk.
West Suffolk
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of West Suffolk in Suffolk
Outline map
Location of Suffolk within England
CountySuffolk
Electorate76,158 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsNewmarket, Haverhill and Mildenhall
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentMatt Hancock (Independent)
SeatsOne
Created fromBury St Edmunds
South Suffolk
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Type of constituencyCounty constituency
Created fromSuffolk
Replaced byBury St Edmunds
(also succeeded itself)
North-Western or 'Stowmarket' Division
South or 'Sudbury' Division

Between 1832 and 1885 there had also been a constituency, the Western Division of Suffolk, also known as West Suffolk, although on different boundaries.

Constituency profile

This area includes a slightly older demographic profile than the national average, with a significant proportion of semi-detached and detached homes and a higher than average proportion of retired people.[2]

Major economic sectors include defence (RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath), agriculture/food (including for major products as well as regional specialities such as ales, Suffolk cider and cured meats), tourism and leisure (such as Newmarket racecourse) and particularly in Haverhill, a range of industries. These include chemicals (such as International Flavors and Fragrances), waste processing, transport, construction and pharmaceuticals.

Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[3]

History

The seat's current version was created with Parliamentary approval of the Boundary Commission's fourth periodic review of Westminster constituencies in time for the 1997 general election.

Political history

The seat at this time has only been represented by Conservatives with the narrowest majority having been that of 1997 at only 3.8% of the vote, since which the majority has gradually increased to a level seen most commonly in safe seats.

For the 2010 general election, the transition was planned six months before, on 23 November 2009, when the incumbent announced he would not stand again.[4]

Prominent frontbenchers

Richard Spring[n 3] was an opposition spokesman for Foreign Affairs (2000-2004) (shadowing a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister) then Shadow Minister for the Treasury (2004-2005) before being a vice-chairman of his party and being elevated to the House of Lords as Lord Risby. Several of his ancestors had previously represented Suffolk in the House of Commons.

Matt Hancock was a government minister serving under various positions from 2012 until the 2015 general election, when he was promoted to the Cabinet as Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office. After a short stint outside the Cabinet between 2016 and 2018 as a minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, he rejoined the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and was promoted in July 2018 to serve as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, serving until 2021 when he resigned from this position following an affair with his aide Gina Coladangelo, which at the time breached COVID-19 social distancing rules.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1997–2010
  • The District of Forest Heath; and
  • The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Barningham, Barrow, Cangle, Castle, Chalkstone, Chevington, Clements, Honington, Horringer, Hundon, Ixworth, Kedington, Risby, St Mary's and Helions, Stanton, Wickhambrook, and Withersfield.[5]

The new county constituency was formed primarily from the majority (including Newmarket) of the constituency of Bury St Edmunds, which was reconfigured. It was extended southwards, incorporating westernmost areas of South Suffolk, including Haverhill.

2010–present
  • The District of Forest Heath; and
  • The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Bardwell, Barningham, Barrow, Chedburgh, Haverhill East, Haverhill North, Haverhill South, Haverhill West, Hundon, Ixworth, Kedington, Risby, Stanton, Wickhambrook, and Withersfield.[6]

Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.

The constituency includes the town of Newmarket, the world headquarters of horse racing, as well as the towns of Haverhill and Mildenhall, with a farmed landscape, interspersed with patches of forest[n 4] and small villages.

Members of Parliament
Election Member[7] Party
1997 Richard Spring Conservative
2010 Matt Hancock Conservative
2022 Independent[8]

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Next United Kingdom general election

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: West Suffolk[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matt Hancock 33,842 65.8 +4.6
Labour Claire Unwin 10,648 20.7 -7.5
Liberal Democrats Elfreda Tealby-Watson 4,685 9.1 +4.9
Green Donald Allwright 2,262 4.4 +2.6
Majority 23,194 45.1 +12.1
Turnout 51,437 64.1 -2.8
Conservative hold Swing +6.1
General election 2017: West Suffolk[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matt Hancock 31,649 61.2 +9.0
Labour Michael Jefferys 14,586 28.2 +10.7
UKIP Julian Flood 2,396 4.6 -17.1
Liberal Democrats Elfreda Tealby-Watson 2,180 4.2 -0.8
Green Donald Allwright 935 1.8 -1.8
Majority 17,063 33.0 +2.5
Turnout 51,746 66.9 +2.3
Conservative hold Swing -0.9
General election 2015: West Suffolk[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matt Hancock 25,684 52.2 +1.6
UKIP Julian Flood[14] 10,700 21.7 +15.3
Labour Michael Jefferys 8,604 17.5 +2.8
Liberal Democrats Elfreda Tealby-Watson[15] 2,465 5.0 −18.4
Green Niall Pettitt[16] 1,779 3.6 New
Majority 14,984 30.5 +3.3
Turnout 49,232 64.6 -0.1
Conservative hold Swing −6.9
General election 2010: West Suffolk[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matt Hancock 24,312 50.6 +1.7
Liberal Democrats Belinda Brooks-Gordon 11,262 23.4 +6.2
Labour Ohid Ahmed 7,089 14.7 −14.2
UKIP Ian Smith 3,085 6.4 +1.5
BNP Ramon Johns 1,428 3.0 New
Independent Andrew Appleby 540 1.1 New
CPA Colin Young 373 0.8 New
Majority 13,050 27.2 +7.0
Turnout 48,089 64.7 +3.9
Conservative hold Swing −2.3

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: West Suffolk[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Spring 21,682 49.0 +1.4
Labour Michael Jeffreys 12,773 28.9 −8.6
Liberal Democrats Adrian Graves 7,573 17.1 +5.3
UKIP Ian Smith 2,177 4.9 +1.8
Majority 8,909 20.1 +10.0
Turnout 44,205 60.7 +0.2
Conservative hold Swing +5.0
General election 2001: West Suffolk[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Spring 20,201 47.6 +6.7
Labour Michael Jefferys 15,906 37.5 +0.4
Liberal Democrats Robin Martlew 5,017 11.8 −2.2
UKIP Will Burrows 1,321 3.1 New
Majority 4,295 10.1 +6.3
Turnout 42,445 60.5 −11.0
Conservative hold Swing +3.1

Elections in the 1990s
General election 1997: West Suffolk[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Spring 20,081 40.9
Labour Michael Jefferys 18,214 37.1
Liberal Democrats Adrian Graves 6,892 14.0
Referendum James J.T. Carver 3,724 7.6
Natural Law Alistair J.M. Shearer 171 0.3
Majority 1,867 3.8
Turnout 49,082 71.5
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.
  3. Previously MP for the Bury St Edmunds seat
  4. For example Thetford Forest, synonymous with Breckland.

References
  1. "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
  3. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  4. So Long and Farewell, Richard Spring Blog
  5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  7. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
  8. "Matt Hancock suspended as Tory MP for joining I'm a Celeb cast". BBC News. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  9. Penna, Dominic (30 July 2023). "Nick Timothy selected as Tory candidate for Matt Hancock's seat". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  10. "Suffolk West Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  11. "West Suffolk - 2017 Election Results - General Elections Online". electionresults.parliament.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  12. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. "Suffolk West parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News.
  14. "Haverhill councillor reveals hopes for West Suffolk following selection as constituency candidate | Cambridge News". Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  15. "General Election 2015 Candidates - Liberal Democrats". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014.
  16. "Green Party announces a full slate of seven parliamentary candidates for Suffolk". midsuffolk.greenparty.org.uk.
  17. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
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