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Parliamentary constituencies in Dorset

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The location of Dorset relative to England.

The ceremonial county of Dorset (which comprises the two unitary authorities of Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) is divided into 8 parliamentary constituencies: 3 borough constituencies and 5 county constituencies.

Constituencies

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Further information: 2024 United Kingdom general election

  † Conservative   ‡ Labour   ¤ Liberal Democrat

Constituency[nb 1] Electorate[1] Majority Member of Parliament[2] Nearest opposition[2] Map
Bournemouth East BC 73,173 5,479   Tom Hayes‡   Tobias Ellwood†
Map showing the location of the Bournemouth East constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.
Bournemouth West BC 72,094 3,224   Jessica Toale‡   Conor Burns†
Map showing the location of the Bournemouth West constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.
Christchurch CC 71,598 7,455   Christopher Chope†   Mike Cox¤
Map showing the location of the Christchurch constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.
Mid Dorset and North Poole CC 74,305 1,352   Vikki Slade¤   Michael Tomlinson†
Map showing the location of the Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.
North Dorset CC 72,109 1,589   Simon Hoare†   Gary Jackson¤
Map showing the location of the North Dorset constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.
Poole BC 72,162 18   Neil Duncan-Jordan‡   Robert Syms†
Map showing the location of the Poole constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.
South Dorset CC 76,640 1,048   Lloyd Hatton‡   Richard Drax†
Map showing the location of the South Dorset constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.
West Dorset CC 75,390 7,789   Edward Morello¤   Chris Loder†
Map showing the location of the West Dorset constituency in Dorset under the boundaries created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 general election.

2024 Boundary changes

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See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.

Name Boundaries 2010–2024 Boundaries 2024–present
  1. Bournemouth East BC
  2. Bournemouth West BC
  3. Christchurch CC
  4. Mid Dorset and North Poole CC
  5. North Dorset CC
  6. Poole BC
  7. South Dorset CC
  8. West Dorset CC
Proposed revision
Proposed revision
Numbered map of the parliamentary constituencies of Dorset created by the 2023 boundary review and first used at the 2024 UK general election.

For the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which redrew the constituency map ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Boundary Commission for England opted to retain the eight current constituencies in Dorset, with minor boundary changes to reflect changes to ward boundaries following the reorganisation of local government authorities within the county.[3]

The boundary commission recommended the following seats within Dorset:

Containing electoral wards from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Containing electoral wards from Dorset (unitary authority)


Results history

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Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019[4]

2024

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The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Dorset in the 2024 general election were as follows:[2]

Party Votes % Change from 2019 Seats Change from 2019
Conservative 127,188 33.7% Decrease24.6% 2 Decrease6
Liberal Democrats 95,463 25.3% Increase6.4% 2 Increase2
Labour 82,652 21.9% Increase3.5% 4 Increase4
Reform 45,367 12.0% New 0 Steady
Greens 18,400 4.9% Increase1.0% 0 Steady
Others 8,287 2.2% Increase1.7% 0 Steady
Total 377,357 100.0 8

Percentage votes

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Note that before 1983 Dorset did not include the Bournemouth and Christchurch areas (see below).

Election year 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974(F) 1974(O) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Conservative 39.1 51.7 60.1 46.2 56.8 54.0 45.2 47.6 52.2 53.9 52.4 46.6 47.3 54.2 48.1 48.0 58.4 58.6 57.8 54.5 41.8 45.3 44.1 48.3 51.7 58.7 58.3 33.7
Liberal Democrat1 18.0 28.9 21.9 36.8 16.3 28.7 24.0 14.5 15.8 13.6 18.9 23.6 20.2 17.0 30.9 28.4 20.9 29.7 30.8 31.2 34.1 31.5 32.8 32.8 12.9 12.8 18.9 25.3
Labour 21.4 19.4 18.0 17.0 12.3 16.0 30.8 37.9 32.0 32.6 28.7 29.8 32.5 28.8 21.0 23.6 20.4 10.2 11.3 13.4 18.8 21.1 18.3 12.2 13.0 25.2 18.4 21.9
Reform - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12.0
Green Party - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * 0.5 5.3 2.6 3.9 4.9
UKIP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * 5.6 16.2 0.3 * *
Other 21.5 - - - 14.6 1.4 - - - - - - - - - - 0.3 1.4 0.1 0.9 5.3 2.1 4.7 0.6 0.9 0.4 0.5 2.2

11950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

* Included in Other

Accurate vote percentages are not applicable for the 1918 election because one candidate stood unopposed.

Seats

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Election year 1950-1979 1983-1992 1997 2001-2005 2010 2015-2019 2024
Labour 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Conservative 4 7 8 6 7 8 2
Liberal Democrat1 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
Total 4 7 8 8 8 8 8

11950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

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1885-1910

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  • 1885
    1885
  • 1886
    1886
  • 1892
    1892
  • 1895
    1895
  • 1900
    1900
  • 1906
    1906
  • Jan 1910
    Jan 1910
  • Dec 1910
    Dec 1910

1918-1945

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  • 1918
    1918
  • 1922
    1922
  • 1923
    1923
  • 1924
    1924
  • 1929
    1929
  • 1931
    1931
  • 1935
    1935
  • 1945
    1945

1950-1979

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  • 1950
    1950
  • 1951
    1951
  • 1955
    1955
  • 1959
    1959
  • 1964
    1964
  • 1966
    1966
  • 1970
    1970
  • Feb 1974
    Feb 1974
  • Oct 1974
    Oct 1974
  • 1979
    1979

1983-present

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  • 1983
    1983
  • 1987
    1987
  • 1992
    1992
  • 1997
    1997
  • 2001
    2001
  • 2005
    2005
  • 2010
    2010
  • 2015
    2015
  • 2017
    2017
  • 2019
    2019
  • 2024
    2024

Historical representation by party

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A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

Before 1885

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Constituency Established Abolished
Bridport 1295 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Corfe Castle 1572 Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Dorchester 1295 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Dorset 1290 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Lyme Regis 1572 Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Poole 1362 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Shaftesbury 1295 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis 1572 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Wareham 1302 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

1885 to 1918

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  Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1885 1886 91 1892 95 1895 1900 04 05 1906 Jan 10 Dec 10
Dorset East Glyn Bond Napier Sturt Lyell H. Guest1 F. Guest
Dorset North Portman Wingfield-Digby Wills Baker
Dorset South Sturgis C. Hambro Brymer Scarisbrick A. Hambro
Dorset West Farquharson Williams

1original candidate, F. Guest (Lib), disqualified; fresh by-election held June 1910

1918 to 1950

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  Coalition Liberal (1918-22) / National Liberal (1922-23)   Conservative   Independent Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1918 1922 23 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 37 41 1945
Dorset East → Caine → Glassey Caine Wheatley
Dorset North Colfox Emlyn-Jones Hanbury A. Hambro Byers
Dorset South A. Hambro Yerburgh Gascoyne-Cecil Montagu
Dorset West Williams Colfox Digby

1950 to 1983

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  Conservative   Labour

Constituency 1950 1951 1955 57 1959 62 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979
Dorset North Crouch Glyn James Baker
Dorset South Montagu Barnett King Gascoyne-Cecil
Dorset West Digby Spicer
Poole Wheatley Pilkington Murton Ward

1983 to present (7, then 8 MPs)

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  Conservative   Independent   Labour   Liberal Democrats

Constituency 1983 1987 1992 93 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 19 2019 2024
Bournemouth East Atkinson Ellwood Hayes
Bournemouth West Butterfill Burns Toale
Christchurch Adley Maddock Chope
North Dorset Baker Walter Hoare
Poole Ward Syms Duncan-Jordan
South Dorset Gascoyne-Cecil Bruce Knight Drax Hatton
West Dorset Spicer Letwin → Loder Morello
Mid Dorset and North Poole Seat not created Fraser Brooke Tomlinson Slade

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.

References

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  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries - Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. paras 1179-1203. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  4. ^ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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