Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Crawley is a parliamentary constituency
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
in West Sussex
, as well as London Gatwick Airport
. Crawley borders Horsham
to the East, South and West and Mole Valley
and East Surrey
to the North.
The Boundary Commission for England recommended that no changes to the constituency are made for the 2010 general election. The Crawley constituency continues to be co-terminous with the District boundaries.
, Crawley had been a part of the Horsham & Crawley
, Horsham
, and Horsham & Worthing
constituencies at various times. Due to the growth of the Crawley as a new town in the 1960s and 70s, the Boundary Commission took the decision to separate it from Horsham in 1983. It looked safely Labour after comfortable victories in 1997 and 2001, but the sometimes volatile nature of New Town voters, especially in South-East England, has made the seat highly marginal again: Labour had a majority of 37 votes in the 2005 election
, making this seat the most marginal in the UK. The 2010 election saw Henry Smith
win the seat at the third attempt, beating Labour's Chris Oxlade by 5,928, with a swing of 6.3%.
elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elects one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Boundaries
The constituency covers the whole of the town of CrawleyCrawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, as well as London Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
. Crawley borders Horsham
Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)
Horsham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
to the East, South and West and Mole Valley
Mole Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Mole Valley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
and East Surrey
East Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)
East Surrey is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
to the North.
The Boundary Commission for England recommended that no changes to the constituency are made for the 2010 general election. The Crawley constituency continues to be co-terminous with the District boundaries.
History
Prior to the 1983 General ElectionUnited Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, Crawley had been a part of the Horsham & Crawley
Horsham and Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)
Horsham and Crawley was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Horsham and Crawley in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, Horsham
Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)
Horsham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, and Horsham & Worthing
Horsham and Worthing (UK Parliament constituency)
Horsham and Worthing was a county constituency in West Sussex, centred on the towns of Horsham and Worthing in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency was...
constituencies at various times. Due to the growth of the Crawley as a new town in the 1960s and 70s, the Boundary Commission took the decision to separate it from Horsham in 1983. It looked safely Labour after comfortable victories in 1997 and 2001, but the sometimes volatile nature of New Town voters, especially in South-East England, has made the seat highly marginal again: Labour had a majority of 37 votes in the 2005 election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, making this seat the most marginal in the UK. The 2010 election saw Henry Smith
Henry Smith (British politician)
Henry Edward Millar Smith is a British Conservative Party politician who was Leader of West Sussex County Council from 2003 to 2010. He is the Member of Parliament for Crawley, having been elected in the 2010 general election....
win the seat at the third attempt, beating Labour's Chris Oxlade by 5,928, with a swing of 6.3%.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
Nicholas Soames Nicholas Soames Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames MP , known as Nicholas Soames, is a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the constituency of Mid Sussex.... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Laura Moffatt Laura Moffatt Laura Jean Moffatt is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Crawley from 1997 until 2010.-Early life:... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
| 2010 | Henry Smith Henry Smith (British politician) Henry Edward Millar Smith is a British Conservative Party politician who was Leader of West Sussex County Council from 2003 to 2010. He is the Member of Parliament for Crawley, having been elected in the 2010 general election.... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 generalelections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.
Elections in the 1980s
Sources
- Election result, 2005 (BBC)
- Election results, 1997 - 2001 (BBC)
- Election results, 1997 - 2001 (Election Demon)
- Election results, 1983 - 1992 (Election Demon)
- Election results, 1992 - 2005 (Guardian)