Reading South (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Reading South was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elected one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election. The constituency covered an area in and around the town of Reading
in the county of Berkshire
.
by splitting the previous parliamentary constituency of Reading
into North
and South divisions. The seat was contested and won for the Labour Party
by Ian Mikardo
, the sitting MP for the Reading constituency, who held the seat until it was merged back into a single Reading constituency for the 1955 general election
.
The Reading South constituency was recreated in 1974
, when it was contested and won for the Conservative Party
by Gerard Vaughan
, the sitting MP for the Reading constituency. For the 1983 general election
the constituencies in Reading were reorganised, creating the new constituencies of Reading East and Reading West
. Gerard Vaughan went on to hold the Reading East constituency until he stood down at the 1997 general election
.
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 elected 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. The constituency covered an area in and around the town of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in the county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
Members of Parliament
- Constituency created (1950)
- 1950–1955: Ian MikardoIan MikardoIan Mikardo , commonly known as Mik, was a British Labour and Co-operative politician. An ardent socialist and a Zionist, he remained a backbencher throughout his four decades in the House of Commons...
, LabourLabour 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... - Constituency abolished (1955)
- Constituency recreated (1974)
- 1974–1983: Gerard VaughanGerard Folliott VaughanSir Gerard Folliot Vaughan was a psychiatrist and UK politician, who reached ministerial rank during the Thatcher administration...
, ConservativeConservative 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... - Constituency abolished (1983)
Politics and history of the constituency
The Reading South parliamentary constituency was first created for the 1950 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
by splitting the previous parliamentary constituency of Reading
Reading (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading was a parliamentary borough, and later a borough constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire....
into North
Reading North (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
and South divisions. The seat was contested and won for the Labour Party
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...
by Ian Mikardo
Ian Mikardo
Ian Mikardo , commonly known as Mik, was a British Labour and Co-operative politician. An ardent socialist and a Zionist, he remained a backbencher throughout his four decades in the House of Commons...
, the sitting MP for the Reading constituency, who held the seat until it was merged back into a single Reading constituency for the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
.
The Reading South constituency was recreated in 1974
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, when it was contested and won for the Conservative Party
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...
by Gerard Vaughan
Gerard Folliott Vaughan
Sir Gerard Folliot Vaughan was a psychiatrist and UK politician, who reached ministerial rank during the Thatcher administration...
, the sitting MP for the Reading constituency. For the 1983 general election
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...
the constituencies in Reading were reorganised, creating the new constituencies of Reading East and Reading West
Reading West (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading West is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like all such constituencies, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. Gerard Vaughan went on to hold the Reading East constituency until he stood down at the 1997 general election
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...
.