Southampton Itchen (UK Parliament constituency)

Southampton, Itchen
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Southampton, Itchen in Hampshire.

Outline map

Location of Hampshire within England.
County Hampshire
Electorate 74,513 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements Southampton
Current constituency
Created 1950
Member of parliament Royston Smith (Conservative)
Number of members One
Created from Southampton
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency South East England

Southampton, Itchen is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Royston Smith, a Conservative member of parliament.[n 2]

History

The constituency was created in 1950, when the previous two-member Southampton constituency was abolished.

The constituency is named after the River Itchen, which flows through it and is the lesser of the two major rivers that reach the tidal estuary of Southampton Water at the city. Although until the 1970s it was a safe Labour seat, it elected a Conservative MP, Christopher Chope in 1983 and 1987 after the sitting MP Bob Mitchell left Labour in 1981 for the SDP. The combination of Mitchell as a strong SDP-Liberal Alliance candidate in both 1983 and 1987, together with Conservative landslides, made Southampton Itchen highly competitive.

The former Labour MP, John Denham, narrowly defeated Chope by 551 votes in 1992 and held the seat with more substantial majorities until 2010 when he won by just 192 votes. These two election results with marginal majorities, with moderate third-party polling, and the Conservative gain in 2015, indicate Southampton Itchen may now be thought of as a two-party marginal seat.

Royston Smith unexpectedly regained the seat for the Conservative Party in 2015. He had previously led the Conservative group on the city council and had contested the seat in 2010.

Boundaries

1950-1983: The County Borough of Southampton wards of Bevois, Bitterne and Peartree, Bitterne and Sholing, Newtown, Northam, Portswood, St Denys, St Mary's, Trinity, and Woolston.

1983-1997: The City of Southampton wards of Bargate, Bitterne, Bitterne Park, Harefield, Peartree, St Luke's, and Sholing.

1997-present: The City of Southampton wards of Bargate, Bitterne, Bitterne Park, Harefield, Peartree, Sholing, and Woolston.

The seat covers the eastern part of the City of Southampton, in southern England, specifically the city centre, the eastern port areas (the Port of Southampton is one of the principal ports of the UK), the exclusive Ocean Village quarter, the inner city council estates and the economically-deprived Thornhill estate on its eastern boundary. It is seen as the more working class of the two constituencies in the city (the other is Southampton Test – named after the other major river).

The constituency is bounded to the west by Southampton Test (Labour), to the north and east by Eastleigh (Conservative) and in the far north by Romsey and Southampton North (Conservative).

Constituency profile

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 close to but slightly below than the national average of 3.8%, at 3.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, above the average for the South East seats of 2.5% but below, for example, five seats in East Kent.[2]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[3] Party
1950 Ralph Morley Labour
1955 Dr Horace King Labour
1965 Speaker
1971 by-election Bob Mitchell Labour
1981 SDP
1983 Christopher Chope Conservative
1992 John Denham Labour
2015 Royston Smith Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Southampton Itchen[4][5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Royston Smith 18,656 41.7 +5.4
Labour Rowenna Davis 16,340 36.5 -0.2
UKIP Kim Rose 6,010 13.4 +9.1
Green John Spottiswoode 1,876 4.2 +2.8
Liberal Democrat Eleanor Bell 1,595 3.6 -17.3
TUSC Sue Atkins 233 0.5 +0.1
Majority 2,316 5.2 +4.8
Turnout 44,710 61.8 +2.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing 2.8
General Election 2010: Southampton Itchen[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Denham 16,326 36.8 −11.5
Conservative Royston Smith 16,134 36.3 +9.0
Liberal Democrat David Goodall 9,256 20.8 +0.1
UKIP Alan Kebbell 1,928 4.3 +0.6
Green John Spottiswoode 600 1.4 +1.4
TUSC Tim Cutter 168 0.4 +0.4
Majority 192 0.4 -21.1
Turnout 44,412 59.6 +4.8
Labour hold Swing −10.3

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Southampton Itchen[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Denham 20,871 48.3 −6.2
Conservative Flick Drummond 11,569 26.8 −0.6
Liberal Democrat David Goodall 9,162 21.2 +6.2
UKIP Kim Rose 1,623 3.8 +1.8
Majority 9,302 21.5
Turnout 43,225 55.5 1.5
Labour hold Swing −2.8
General Election 2001: Southampton Itchen[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Denham 22,553 54.5 −0.3
Conservative Caroline Nokes 11,330 27.4 −1.0
Liberal Democrat Mark Cooper 6,195 15.0 +3.3
UKIP Kim Rose 829 2.0 +1.7
Socialist Alliance Gavin Marsh 241 0.6
Socialist Labour Michael Holmes 225 0.5
Majority 11,223 27.1
Turnout 41,373 54.0
Labour hold Swing +0.37

Electorate: 76,603

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Southampton Itchen[10][11][12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Denham 29,498 54.8 +10.8
Conservative Peter Fleet 15,269 28.4 −13.7
Liberal Democrat David Harrison 6,289 11.7 −2.2
Referendum John Clegg 1,660 3.1 N/A
Socialist Labour Kim Rose 628 1.2 N/A
UKIP Clive Hoar 172 0.3 N/A
Socialist Alternative Gavin Marsh 113 0.2 N/A
Natural Law Rosemary Barry 110 0.2 N/A
ProLife Alliance Ferdi McDermott 99 0.2 N/A
Majority 14,220 26.4 +21.4
Turnout 53,838 70.0
Labour hold Swing +12.3

Electorate: 76,869

General Election 1992:Southampton Itchen[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Denham 24,402 44.0 +11.9
Conservative Christopher Chope 23,851 43.0 −1.3
Liberal Democrat James R.T. Hodgson 7,221 13.0 −10.6
Majority 551 1.0 −11.2
Turnout 55,474 76.9 +1.1
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +6.6

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Southampton Itchen[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christopher Chope 24,419 44.3
Labour John Denham 17,703 32.1
Social Democratic Bob Mitchell 13,006 23.6
Majority 6,716 12.2
Turnout 75.9
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Southampton Itchen[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christopher Chope 21,937 41.5
Social Democratic Bob Mitchell 16,647 31.5
Labour John Denham 14,324 27.1
Majority 5,290 10.0
Turnout 73.3
Conservative gain from Social Democratic Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mitchell 28,036 46.3
Conservative Andrew Hunter 26,434 43.6
Liberal John Pindar 6,132 10.1
Majority 1,602 2.6
Turnout 74.7
Labour hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mitchell 28,168 48.9
Conservative P. T. James 20,373 35.4
Liberal Joseph Cherryson 9,071 15.7
Majority 7,795 13.5
Turnout 70.3
Labour hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mitchell 27,557 44.0
Conservative P. T. James 21,967 35.0
Liberal Joseph Cherryson 13,173 21.0
Majority 5,590 8.9
Turnout 77.2
Labour hold Swing
Southampton Itchen by-election, 1971
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mitchell 22,575 55.36 N/A
Conservative James Spicer 12,900 31.63 N/A
National Democratic Edwin Bray 3,090 7.58
Liberal Joseph Cherryson 2,214 5.43
Majority 9,675 23.73
Turnout 40,779
Labour gain from Speaker Swing
General Election 1970: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Speaker Horace King 29,417 67.2
National Democratic Edwin Bray 9,581 21.9
Independent Brian Henry Phillips 4,794 11.0
Majority 19,836 45.3
Turnout 54.1
Speaker hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Speaker Horace King 30,463 85.4
Independent K. D. Hunt 5,217 14.6
Majority 25,246 70.8
Turnout 49.0
Speaker hold Swing
General Election 1964: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Horace King 28,949 52.7
Conservative G. G. Olson 18,974 34.5
Liberal Joseph Cherryson 7,007 12.8
Majority 9,975 18.2
Turnout 76.1
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Horace King 29,123 53.42
Conservative E.M. King 25,390 46.58
Majority 3,733 6.85
Turnout 78.00
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Horace King 29,149 55.49
Conservative L.T. Loader 23,378 44.51
Majority 5,771 10.99
Turnout 78.28
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1951: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ralph Morley 30,330 54.12
Liberal National R.J. Stranger 25,708 45.88
Majority 4,622 8.25
Turnout 83.59
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1950: Southampton Itchen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ralph Morley 29,749 53.44 N/A
Liberal National Sir Robert Hampden Hobart 24,536 44.08 N/A
Independent Conservative William Craven Craven-Ellis 1,380 2.48 N/A
Majority 5,213 9.36 N/A
Turnout 84.0 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. A borough 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. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  3. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "I"
  4. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "BBC NEWS – Election 2015 – Southampton Itchen". BBC News.
  7. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  9. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  12. C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.150 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
  13. The 1997 election result is calculated relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.
  14. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  16. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Cities of London and Westminster
Constituency represented by the Speaker
1965–1971
Succeeded by
Wirral

Coordinates: 50°55′N 1°21′W / 50.917°N 1.350°W / 50.917; -1.350

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