Reading West (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading West | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Berkshire |
Electorate | 73,006 (2018)[1] |
Major settlements | Reading, Theale and Tilehurst |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Alok Sharma (Conservative) |
Number of members | One |
Created from | Reading North, Newbury and Reading South[2] |
Reading West is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Alok Sharma, a Conservative. He is currently serving in the Cabinet as the President for COP26. Sharma previously served as the Business Secretary, the International Development Secretary, and a minister in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions. [n 2]
History[]
The Reading West parliamentary constituency was first contested in 1983, when it was won by a member of the Conservative party, Tony Durant, the sitting MP for the abolished Reading North constituency. He held the seat through two subsequent general elections until he retired at the 1997 election.
The constituency was then won by Martin Salter for Labour, as part of the landslide that brought Labour back to power under Tony Blair. Salter held the seat through the 13 years of Labour government until Parliament was dissolved in April 2010, but did not stand in the 2010 general election, when Alok Sharma won the seat for the Conservatives.
Constituency profile[]
Since its 1983 creation the constituency has been a bellwether paradigm example of a marginal seat. Boundary changes have taken in areas of population expansion to the east in new largely private sector housing estates for the 2010 election. Unemployment is close to the regional average, which is lower than the national average[3] and the constituency has seen a marked increase in properties and property prices throughout from 2001 to 2011 period which has seen town centre regeneration and investment by a Labour Party-controlled council enhanced by Reading railway station hub improvements and enterprise areas equally.
Boundaries and boundary changes[]
1983–1997: Formed as a county constituency, largely from parts of the abolished Borough Constituency of Reading North. Extended westwards to include parts of the County Constituency of Newbury. It comprised the Borough of Reading wards of Battle, Katesgrove, Kentwood, Minster, Norcot, Southcote, and Tilehurst, and the District of Newbury wards of Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley, Theale, and Tilehurst.[4]
1997–2010: The Borough of Reading wards of Battle, Kentwood, Minster, Norcot, Southcote, Tilehurst, and Whitley, and the District of Newbury wards of Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley, Theale, and Tilehurst.[5]
The boundary with Reading East was realigned, gaining Whitley ward and losing Katesgrove ward.
2010–present: The Borough of Reading wards of Battle, Kentwood, Minster, Norcot, Southcote, Tilehurst, and Whitley, and the District of West Berkshire wards of Birch Copse, Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley on Thames, Theale, and Westwood.[6]
Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.
The constituency is bordered by Newbury, Henley, Reading East and Wokingham.[7]
Members of Parliament[]
Election | Member[8] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Tony Durant | Conservative | |
1997 | Martin Salter | Labour | |
2010 | Alok Sharma | Conservative |
Elections[]
Elections in the 2010s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alok Sharma | 24,393 | 48.4 | –0.5 | |
Labour Co-op | Rachel Eden | 20,276 | 40.2 | –3.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Meri O'Connell | 4,460 | 8.9 | +3.0 | |
Green | Jamie Whitham | 1,263 | 2.5 | +0.6 | |
Majority | 4,117 | 8.2 | +2.6 | ||
Turnout | 50,392 | 67.9 | -1.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alok Sharma | 25,311 | 48.9 | +1.2 | |
Labour | Olivia Bailey | 22,435 | 43.3 | +9.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Meri O’Connell | 3,041 | 5.9 | +1.0 | |
Green | Jamie Whitham | 979 | 1.9 | −1.0 | |
Majority | 2,876 | 5.6 | −8.1 | ||
Turnout | 51,766 | 69.5 | +2.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | –4.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alok Sharma | 23,082 | 47.7 | +4.5 | |
Labour | Victoria Groulef | 16,432 | 34.0 | +3.5 | |
UKIP | Malik Azam[15] | 4,826 | 10.0 | +6.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Meri O'Connell | 2,355 | 4.9 | −15.2 | |
Green | Miriam Kennet | 1,406 | 2.9 | +1.7 | |
Independent | Suzie Ferguson | 156 | 0.3 | New | |
TUSC | Neil Adams | 83 | 0.2 | New | |
Roman | Philip West | 64 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 6,650 | 13.7 | +1.0 | ||
Turnout | 48,404 | 66.7 | +0.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alok Sharma | 20,523 | 43.2 | +9.6 | |
Labour | Naz Sarkar | 14,519 | 30.5 | −14.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Daisy Benson | 9,546 | 20.1 | +4.3 | |
UKIP | Bruce Hay | 1,508 | 3.2 | +0.4 | |
Howard Thomas | 852 | 1.8 | New | ||
Green | Adrian Windisch | 582 | 1.2 | −1.0 | |
Majority | 6,004 | 12.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 47,530 | 65.9 | +6.0 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +12.1 | |||
Source Reading Borough Council,[17] BBC[18] |
Elections in the 2000s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Martin Salter | 18,940 | 44.9 | −8.2 | |
Conservative | Ewan Cameron | 14,258 | 33.8 | +1.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Denise Gaines | 6,663 | 15.8 | +3.0 | |
UKIP | Peter Williams | 1,180 | 2.8 | +0.8 | |
Green | Adrian Windisch | 921 | 2.2 | New | |
Veritas | Dave Boyle | 267 | 0.6 | New | |
Majority | 4,672 | 11.1 | −10.0 | ||
Turnout | 42,229 | 61.0 | +1.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −2.6 | |||
Source Electoral Commission[20] |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Martin Salter | 22,300 | 53.1 | +8.0 | |
Conservative | Stephen Reid | 13,451 | 32.0 | −6.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Polly Martin | 5,387 | 12.8 | +0.1 | |
UKIP | David Black | 848 | 2.0 | +1.5 | |
Majority | 8,849 | 21.1 | +14.9 | ||
Turnout | 41,986 | 59.1 | −11.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +7.5 | |||
Source Guardian Unlimited,[22] ONS[citation needed] |
Elections in the 1990s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Martin Salter | 21,841 | 45.1 | +17.3 | |
Conservative | Nicholas Bennett | 18,844 | 38.9 | −14.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Dee Tomlin | 6,153 | 12.7 | −5.4 | |
Referendum | Steven G Brown | 976 | 2.0 | New | |
BNP | Ian Dell | 320 | 0.7 | New | |
UKIP | David M Black | 255 | 0.5 | New | |
Majority | 2,997 | 6.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 48,389 | 70.1 | −7.9 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | −15.7 | |||
Source Guardian Unlimited[22] |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tony Durant | 28,048 | 52.9 | −2.4 | |
Labour | PM Ruhemann | 14,750 | 27.8 | +6.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | KH Lock | 9,572 | 18.1 | −4.3 | |
Green | PJ Unsworth | 613 | 1.2 | +0.1 | |
Majority | 13,298 | 25.1 | −7.8 | ||
Turnout | 52,983 | 78.0 | +5.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.5 |
Elections in the 1980s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tony Durant | 28,122 | 55.30 | +3.94 | |
Liberal | KH Lock | 11,369 | 22.36 | −5.43 | |
Labour | ME Orton | 10,819 | 21.28 | +0.86 | |
Green | EP Wilson | 542 | 1.07 | New | |
Majority | 16,753 | 32.94 | +9.47 | ||
Turnout | 50,852 | 72.24 | −1.27 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.69 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tony Durant | 24,948 | 51.36 | ||
Liberal | RJ Day | 13,549 | 27.89 | ||
Labour | R Evans | 9,220 | 20.42 | ||
Independent | E Lilley | 161 | 0.33 | ||
Majority | 11,399 | 23.47 | |||
Turnout | 47,878 | 73.51 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
See also[]
Notes and references[]
- Notes
- References
- ^ "England Parliamentary electorates 2010-2018". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "'Reading West', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 13 March 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
- ^ "Reading West Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "Reading Borough Council statement of persons nominated 2017" (PDF).
- ^ "Reading Borough Council". www.reading.gov.uk.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ Fort, Linda (9 December 2014). "Reading West has new independent General Election candidate".
- ^ "Parliamentary results 2015". Reading Borough Council.
- ^ "UK Polling Report". ukpollingreport.co.uk.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated – Notice of Poll – Reading West Constituency" (PDF). Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Election 2010 – Reading West". BBC. 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Electoral Commission – Reading West". Electoral Commission. 2005. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Ask Aristotle – Reading West". London: Guardian Unlimited. 2005. Archived from the original on 11 April 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2005.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- Parliamentary constituencies in Berkshire
- Politics of Reading, Berkshire
- Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1983