Jump to content

Runnymede and Weybridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Runnymede and Weybridge
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map
Boundaries since 2024
Map of constituency
Boundary of Runnymede and Weybridge in South East England
CountySurrey
Electorate73,778 (2023)[1]
Major settlements
Current constituency
Created1997
Member of ParliamentBen Spencer (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created from

Runnymede and Weybridge is a constituency[n 1] in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Ben Spencer, a Conservative.[n 2]

The constituency was created for the 1997 general election and represented from then until 2019 by Philip Hammond, who served as Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019. Hammond sat as a Conservative before becoming an independent backbencher for the last two months of his final term.

Constituency profile

[edit]
Image
River Wey, Weybridge

Runnymede and Weybridge is a constituency in Surrey in South East England. It is named after the Borough of Runnymede (and hence ultimately after a local water-meadow) and the town of Weybridge. Other settlements include the towns of Egham, Chertsey and Addlestone and the villages of Egham Hythe, Ottershaw, New Haw, Woodham, Cobham and Oxshott.

This constituency covers suburban towns and villages that form part of London's commuter belt, located around 17 miles (27 km) south-west of the centre of the capital. This area is highly affluent,[2] containing numerous golf courses and some of the country's most expensive properties, particularly in neighbourhoods like St George's Hill. The constituency's average house price is more than double the UK average.[3] Chertsey is one of the country's oldest market towns,[4] and the constituency also contains Thorpe Park, one of the UK's most visited theme parks.[5]

Residents of Runnymede and Weybridge have a similar age profile to the rest of the country, albeit with an above-average proportion of middle-aged adults.[6] They have high levels of income and homeownership and the child poverty rate is less than half the UK-wide rate.[3][7] Residents are generally well-educated and a high proportion work in the business administration, science and arts sectors.[3][8] The percentage claiming unemployment benefits is low.[7] White people made up 85% of the population at the 2021 census.[9]

Most of the constituency is represented by Conservatives at the local council level, with some Liberal Democrats elected in Weybridge and some Reform UK councillors elected in Addlestone. An estimated 51% of voters in Runnymede and Weybridge supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the UK-wide figure of 52%.[3]

Boundaries

[edit]
Map
Map of 2010–2024 boundaries

Current

[edit]

Due to the 2023 periodic review shaping elections, from 2024, the ward components are (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

The mainly low-density places of Englefield Green and Virginia Water abutting Windsor Great Park were transferred to the Berkshire seat of Windsor. To compensate this and accurately a higher-than-UK-average rise in housing and population, two similar southern wards that were in Esher and Walton listed foremost were gained as the similar "village" (as a standard ward) of Oatlands went across in the opposite way. Components remain all in north Surrey and have the same core towns.

1997–2024

[edit]
  • In the Borough of Elmbridge: Oatlands and Burwood Park; Weybridge Riverside; Weybridge St George's Hill[11]
  • The Borough of Runnymede: all wards (Addlestone North; Addlestone South; Chertsey Riverside; Chertsey St Ann's; Egham Hythe; Egham Town; Englefield Green East; Englefield Green West; Longcross, Lyne & Chertsey South; New Haw; Ottershaw; Thorpe; Virginia Water; Woodham & Rowtown )

History

[edit]

The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the former constituencies of Chertsey and Walton and North West Surrey.

From its creation until 2019, it was represented by Philip Hammond, of the Conservative Party, who served as a Cabinet Minister throughout the Cameron–Clegg coalition before holding in succession two of the Great Offices of State: Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019.

Runnymede and Weybridge is a Conservative safe seat based on both length of tenure and size of majorities – the narrowest margin of victory was in the 2024 general election, of 15.8% of the vote.

Members of Parliament

[edit]

Chertsey and Walton prior to 1997

ElectionMember[12] Party
1997 Philip Hammond Conservative
September 2019 Independent
2019 Ben Spencer Conservative

Elections

[edit]

Elections in the 2020s

[edit]
General election 2024: Runnymede and Weybridge[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ben Spencer 18,442 38.2 −15.0
Liberal Democrats Ellen Nicholson 10,815 22.4 −0.3
Labour Robert King 9,963 20.6 +2.9
Reform Stewart Mackay 6,419 13.3 New
Green Steve Ringham 1,954 4.0 +1.3
Independent Michael Cressey 518 1.1 New
UKIP Nicholas Wood 142 0.3 −0.6
Majority 7,627 15.8 −18.5
Turnout 48,253 65.6 −5.8
Registered electors 73,610
Conservative hold Swing −7.4

Elections in the 2010s

[edit]
2019 notional result[15]
Party Vote %
Conservative28,02853.2
Liberal Democrats11,95622.7
Labour9,34717.7
Others1,9233.7
Green1,4152.7
Turnout 52,669 71.4
Electorate 73,778
General election 2019: Runnymede and Weybridge[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ben Spencer 29,262 54.9 −6.0
Labour Robert King 10,992 20.6 −5.3
Liberal Democrats Rob O'Carroll 9,236 17.3 +10.0
Green Benjamin Smith 1,876 3.5 +0.9
Independent Stewart Mackay 777 1.5 New
Independent Lorna Rowland 670 1.3 New
UKIP Nicholas Wood 476 0.9 −2.4
Majority 18,270 34.3 −0.7
Turnout 53,289 69.0 +0.9
Conservative hold Swing −0.4
General election 2017: Runnymede and Weybridge[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hammond 31,436 60.9 +1.2
Labour Fiona Dent 13,386 25.9 +10.4
Liberal Democrats John Vincent 3,765 7.3 +0.6
UKIP Nicholas Wood 1,675 3.3 −10.6
Green Lee-Anne Lawrance 1,347 2.6 −1.5
Majority 18,050 35.0 −9.2
Turnout 51,609 68.1 0.0
Conservative hold Swing −4.6
General election 2015: Runnymede and Weybridge[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hammond 29,901 59.7 +3.8
Labour Arran Neathey 7,767 15.5 +2.1
UKIP Joe Branco[19] 6,951 13.9 +7.4
Liberal Democrats John Vincent[20] 3,362 6.7 −14.9
Green Rustam Majainah[21] 2,071 4.1 +2.7
Majority 22,134 44.2 +7.9
Turnout 50,224 68.1 +1.7
Conservative hold Swing +0.8
General election 2010: Runnymede and Weybridge[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hammond 26,915 55.9 +4.5
Liberal Democrats Andrew Falconer 10,406 21.6 +3.7
Labour Paul Greenwood 6,446 13.4 −9.6
UKIP Toby Micklethwait 3,146 6.5 +2.6
Green Jenny Gould 696 1.4 −1.3
Independent David Sammons 541 1.1 +1.1
Majority 16,509 34.3 +5.9
Turnout 48,292 66.5 +7.8
Conservative hold Swing +0.4

Elections in the 2000s

[edit]
General election 2005: Runnymede and Weybridge[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hammond 22,366 51.4 +2.7
Labour Paul Greenwood 10,017 23.0 −6.0
Liberal Democrats Henry Bolton 7,771 17.9 +1.6
UKIP Anthony Micklethwait 1,719 3.9 +0.8
Green Charles Gilman 1,180 2.7 −0.2
Monster Raving Loony Andrew Collett 358 0.8 New
UK Community Issues Party Katrina Osman 113 0.3 New
Majority 12,349 28.4 +8.7
Turnout 43,524 58.7 +2.6
Conservative hold Swing +4.4
  • Result declared at 02:19
General election 2001: Runnymede and Weybridge[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hammond 20,646 48.7 +0.1
Labour Jane Briginshaw 12,286 29.0 −0.4
Liberal Democrats Chris Bushill 6,924 16.3 0.0
UKIP Christopher Browne 1,332 3.1 +1.9
Green Charles Gilman 1,238 2.9 New
Majority 8,360 19.7 +0.5
Turnout 42,426 56.1 −15.4
Conservative hold Swing +0.3
  • Result declared at 03:21

Elections in the 1990s

[edit]
General election 1997: Runnymede and Weybridge[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hammond 25,051 48.6 −12.8
Labour Ian Peacock 15,176 29.4 +13.5
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Taylor 8,397 16.3 −4.8
Referendum Peter Rolt 2,150 4.2 New
UKIP Simon Slater 625 1.2 New
Natural Law Jeremy Sleeman 162 0.3 New
Majority 9,875 19.2
Turnout 51,561 71.5 −9.03
Conservative hold Swing -13.1
  • Result declared at 03:31

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Seat Details - Runnymede and Weybridge". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  4. ↑ H.E. Malden, ed. (1911). "Parishes: Chertsey". A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Amusement and theme park attendance in UK 2020". Statista. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Constituency data: Population, by age". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Constituency dashboard". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
  11. ↑ 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England
  12. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 2)
  13. ↑ "Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll". Archived from the original on 7 June 2024.
  14. ↑ "Runnymede and Weybridge – General election results 2024". BBC News.
  15. ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  16. ↑ "Runnymede & Weybridge Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  17. ↑ "Runnymede and Weybridge candidates". Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  18. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "UK Polling Report". ukpollingreport.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "East".
  21. ↑ "Surrey Green Party | News". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]

51°22′N 0°27′W / 51.36°N 0.45°W / 51.36; -0.45

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Runnymede_and_Weybridge&oldid=1379471279"