The county of Somerset is currently divided into 7 parliamentary constituencies, which are all county constituencies. Three seats cross the county boundary - two are shared with Avon and one with Devon.
Constituencies
edit† Conservative ‡ Labour ¤ Liberal Democrat
Constituency[nb 1] | Electorate[1] | Majority[2][nb 2] | Member of Parliament[2] | Nearest opposition[2] | Electoral wards[3][4] | Map | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bridgwater CC | 71,418 | 1,349 | Ashley Fox† | Leigh Redman‡ | Sedgemoor District Council: Berrow, Bridgwater Dunwear, Bridgwater Eastover, Bridgwater Fairfax, Bridgwater Hamp, Bridgwater Victoria, Bridgwater Westover, Bridgwater Wyndham, Burnham Central, Burnham North, Cannington and Wembdon, Highbridge and Burnham Marine, Huntspill and Pawlett, King's Isle, North Petherton, Puriton and Woolavington, Quantocks. | |||
Frome and East Somerset CC (part) | 70,177 | 5,415 | Anna Sabine¤ | Lucy Trimnell† | Bath and North East Somerset Council: Bathavon South, Midsomer Norton North, Midsomer Norton Redfield, Peasedown, Radstock, Westfield. Mendip District Council: Ammerdown, Ashwick, Chilcompton and Stratton, Beckington and Selwood, Coleford and Holcombe, Cranmore, Doulting and Nunney, Creech, Frome Berkley Down, Frome College, Frome Keyford, Frome Market, Frome Oakfield, Frome Park, Postlebury, Rode and Norton St. Philip, The Pennards and Ditcheat. | |||
Glastonbury and Somerton CC | 70,015 | 6,611 | Sarah Dyke¤ | Faye Purbrick† | Mendip District Council: Butleigh and Baltonsborough, Glastonbury St. Benedict's, Glastonbury St. Edmund's, Glastonbury St. John's, Glastonbury St. Mary's, Street North, Street South, Street West. South Somerset District Council: Blackmoor Vale, Bruton, Burrow Hill, Camelot, Cary, Curry Rivel, Huish & Langport, Hamdon, Islemoor, Martock, Milborne Port, Northstone, Ivelchester & St. Michael's, Tower, Turn Hill, Wessex, Wincanton. | |||
Taunton and Wellington CC | 76,059 | 11,939 | Gideon Amos¤ | Rebecca Pow† | Somerset West and Taunton Council: Blackbrook & Holway, Comeytrowe & Bishop's Hull, Creech St. Michael, Halcon & Lane, Hatch & Blackdown, Manor & Tangier, Monument, North Curry & Ruishton, North Town, Norton Fitzwarren & Staplegrove, Priorswood, Rockwell Green, Trull, Pitminster & Corfe, Victoria, Vivary, Wellington East, Wellington North, Wellington South, Wellsprings & Rowbarton, West Monkton & Cheddon Fitzpaine, Wilton & Sherford. | |||
Tiverton and Minehead CC (part) | 70,829 | 3,507 | Rachel Gilmour¤ | Ian Liddell-Grainger† | Mid Devon District Council: Canonsleigh, Castle, Clare and Shuttern, Cranmore, Halberton, Lower Culm, Lowman, Upper Culm, Westexe. Somerset West and Taunton Council: Alcombe, Cotford St. Luke & Oake, Dulverton & District, Exmoor, Milverton & District, Minehead Central, Minehead North, Old Cleeve & District, Periton & Woodcombe, Porlock & District, Quantock Vale, South Quantock, Watchet & Williton, Wiveliscombe & District. | |||
Wells and Mendip Hills CC (part) | 69,843 | 11,121 | Tessa Munt¤ | Meg Powell-Chandler† | Mendip District Council: Chewton Mendip and Ston Easton, Croscombe and Pilton, Moor, Rodney and Westbury, Shepton East, Shepton West, St. Cuthbert Out North, Wells Central, Wells St. Cuthbert's, Wells St. Thomas', Wookey and St. Cuthbert Out West. North Somerset Council: Banwell & Winscombe, Blagdon & Churchill, Congresbury & Puxton, Yatton. Sedgemoor District Council: Axevale, Cheddar and Shipham, East Polden, Knoll, Wedmore and Mark, West Polden. | |||
Yeovil CC | 76,056 | 12,286 | Adam Dance¤ | Marcus Fysh† | South Somerset District Council: Blackdown & Tatworth, Brympton, Chard Avishayes, Chard Combe, Chard Crimchard, Chard Holyrood, Chard Jocelyn, Coker, Crewkerne, Eggwood, Ilminster, Neroche, Parrett, South Petherton, Windwhistle, Yeovil College, Yeovil Lyde, Yeovil Summerlands, Yeovil Westland, Yeovil without. |
2024 boundary changes
editSee 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.
Former name | Boundaries 2010–2024 | Current name | Boundaries 2024–present |
---|---|---|---|
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 combine Somerset with Avon and Devon as a sub-region of the South West Region, resulting in significant change to the existing pattern of constituencies. In Somerset, only the constituency of Yeovil retained its name with relatively minor changes. The boundary changes created the cross-county boundary constituencies of Frome and East Somerset, Wells and Mendip Hills, and Tiverton and Minehead. Bridgwater was re-established as a constituency, replacing Bridgwater and West Somerset, while the new constituency of Glastonbury and Somerton largely replaced Somerton and Frome. Taunton Deane was renamed Taunton and Wellington.[5][6]
The boundary commission recommended the following seats within Somerset:
Containing electoral wards from Mendip
- Frome and East Somerset (part)1
- Glastonbury and Somerton (part)
- Wells and Mendip Hills (part)2
Containing electoral wards from Sedgemoor
- Bridgwater
- Wells and Mendip Hills (part)2
Containing electoral wards from Somerset West and Taunton
Containing electoral wards from South Somerset
- Glastonbury and Somerton (part)
- Yeovil
1Also contains electoral wards in the District of Bath and North East Somerset
2Also contains electoral wards in the District of North Somerset
3Also contains electoral wards in the Devon District of Mid Devon
Results history
editPrimary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019[7]
2024
editThe number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Somerset in the 2024 general election were as follows:[nb 3]
Party | Votes | % | Change from 2019 | Seats | Change from 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | 114,443 | 36.5% | 7.5% | 6 | 6 |
Conservative | 88,408 | 28.2% | 28.5% | 1 | 4 |
Reform | 53,160 | 17.0% | New | 0 | 0 |
Labour | 34,865 | 11.1% | 0.7% | 0 | 0 |
Green | 18,076 | 5.8% | 3.6% | 0 | 0 |
Others | 4,314 | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
Total | 313,266 | 100.0 | 7 |
Percentage votes
editNote that before 1983 Somerset was analysed under its Ceremonial definition (including the southern part of what became analysed at boundary reviews as Avon, see Avon's list of seats).
Election year | 1918 | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrat1 | 13.5 | 29.6 | 42.0 | 30.5 | 32.3 | 13.7 | 19.2 | 8.8 | 12.7 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 14.2 | 20.2 | 16.1 | 11.6 | 28.1 | 26.9 | 22.7 | 37.0 | 37.6 | 40.2 | 40.6 | 39.6 | 40.1 | 45.1 | 23.9 | 25.4 | 29.0 | 36.5 |
Conservative | 61.5 | 51.1 | 47.4 | 52.9 | 45.4 | 66.6 | 55.4 | 45.5 | 47.0 | 55.0 | 54.8 | 51.4 | 45.9 | 45.8 | 53.2 | 44.7 | 43.8 | 52.3 | 51.2 | 50.6 | 45.3 | 36.5 | 40.9 | 41.4 | 41.5 | 47.2 | 53.9 | 56.7 | 28.2 |
Reform | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 17.0 |
Labour | 24.3 | 19.3 | 10.6 | 16.6 | 22.3 | 19.7 | 25.4 | 39.8 | 38.3 | 43.2 | 40.6 | 34.4 | 33.3 | 38.1 | 35.0 | 27.0 | 28.6 | 24.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 17.4 | 16.5 | 14.9 | 7.7 | 9.5 | 17.0 | 10.6 | 11.1 |
Green Party | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | * | * | * | * | * | 0.5 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 5.8 | |
UKIP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | * | * | * | 3.7 | 12.9 | 1.2 | * | - |
Other | 0.8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.9 | 2.0 | - | - | - | 0.7 | - | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | - | 1.5 | 5.4 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
1pre-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987: SDP-Liberal Alliance
* Included in Other
Seats
editElection year | 1950 | 1951 | 1955 | 1959 | 1964 | 1966 | 1970 | 1974(F) | 1974(O) | 1979 | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrat1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Conservative | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Total | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance
Maps
edit1885-1910
edit-
1885
-
1886
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1892
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1895
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1900
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1906
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Jan 1910
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Dec 1910
1918-1945
edit-
1918
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1922
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1923
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1924
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1929
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1931
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1935
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1945
1950-1979
edit-
1950
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1951
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1955
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1959
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1964
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1966
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1970
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Feb 1974
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Oct 1974
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1979
1983-2019
edit-
1983
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1987
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1992
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1997
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2001
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2005
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2010
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2015
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2017
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2019
2024-present (including constituencies that cover parts of Devon and Avon)
edit-
2024
Historical representation by party
editA cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.
1885 to 1918 (10 MPs)
editConservative Liberal Liberal Unionist
Constituency | 1885 | 1886 | 87 | 1892 | 1895 | 96 | 99 | 1900 | 1906 | 09 | Jan 1910 | Dec 1910 | 11 | 12 | 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bath | Blaine | Laurie | Murray | Maclean | A. Thynne | Foxcroft | |||||||||
Wodehouse | → | Gooch | Hunter | ||||||||||||
Bridgwater | Stanley | Montgomery | Sanders | ||||||||||||
Frome | Baker | T. Thynne | Barlow | T. Thynne | Barlow | ||||||||||
Somerset Eastern | Hobhouse | → | Thompson | Jardine | → | ||||||||||
Somerset Northern | Llewellyn | Warner | Llewellyn | Hope | King | ||||||||||
Somerset Southern | Lambart | Strachey | Herbert | ||||||||||||
Taunton | S. Allsopp | A. Allsopp | Welby | Boyle | Peel | Wills | |||||||||
Wellington | Dyke Acland | Elton | Fuller-Acland-Hood | Boles | |||||||||||
Wells | Paget | Jolliffe | Dickinson | Silcock | Sandys |
1918 to 1950 (7 MPs)
editCommon Wealth Conservative Independent Progressive Labour Liberal
Constituency | 1918 | 21 | 1922 | 23 | 1923 | 1924 | 29 | 1929 | 1931 | 34 | 1935 | 38 | 39 | 42 | 1945 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bath | Foxcroft | Raffety | Foxcroft | Baillie-Hamilton | Guinness | Pitman | |||||||||
Bridgwater | Sanders | Morse | Wood | Croom-Johnson | Bartlett | → | → | ||||||||
Frome | Hurd | Gould | Peto | Gould | Thynne | Tate | Farthing | ||||||||
Taunton | Boles | Griffith-Boscawen | Simpson | Gault | Wickham | Collins | |||||||||
Wells | Greer | Bruford | Hobhouse | Sanders | Muirhead | Boles | |||||||||
Weston-super-Mare | Wills | Erskine | Murrell | Erskine | Orr-Ewing | ||||||||||
Yeovil | Herbert | Davies | Kingsmill |
1950 to 1983 (7 MPs)
editConstituency | 1950 | 1951 | 1955 | 56 | 58 | 1959 | 1964 | 1966 | 69 | 70 | 1970 | Feb 74 | Oct 74 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bath | Pitman | Brown | Patten | |||||||||||
Bridgwater | Wills | King | ||||||||||||
Somerset North | Leather | Dean | ||||||||||||
Taunton | Hopkinson | du Cann | ||||||||||||
Wells | Boles | Maydon | Boscawen | |||||||||||
Weston-super-Mare | Orr-Ewing | Webster | Wiggin | |||||||||||
Yeovil | Kingsmill | Peyton |
1983 to 2024 (5 MPs)
editConservative Independent Liberal Liberal Democrats
Constituency | 1983 | 1987 | 88 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 22 | 23 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bridgwater / Bridgwater and West Somerset (2010-) | King | Liddell-Grainger | |||||||||||
Somerton and Frome | Boscawen | Robinson | Heath | Warburton | → | Dyke | |||||||
Taunton / Taunton Deane (2010-) | du Cann | Nicholson | Ballard | Flook | Browne | Pow | |||||||
Wells | Heathcoat-Amory | Munt | Heappey | ||||||||||
Yeovil | Ashdown | → | Laws | Fysh |
2024 onwards (7 MPs, including constituencies that cover parts of Devon and Avon)
editConservative Liberal Democrats
Constituency | 2024 |
---|---|
Bridgwater | Fox |
Frome and East Somerset1 | Sabine |
Glastonbury and Somerton | Dyke |
Taunton and Wellington | Amos |
Tiverton and Minehead2 | Gilmour |
Wells and Mendip Hills1 | Munt |
Yeovil | Dance |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.
- ^ The majority is the number of votes the winning candidate receives more than their nearest rival.
- ^ Includes the cross-county constituency of Tiverton and Minehead which has an electorate predominantly based in Somerset.
References
edit- ^ Baker, Carl; Uberoi, Elise; Cracknell, Richard (28 January 2020). "General Election 2019: full results and analysis".
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ a b c "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, page 4". Office of Public Sector Information. Crown copyright. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Boundary Commission for England pp. 1004–1007
- ^ Mumby, Daniel (9 June 2021). "First glimpse of new general election battle lines". SomersetLive. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Paras 1127-1178. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019".
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