Ashford (UK Parliament constituency)

Constituency profile

The constituency is located in the county of Kent and stretches over parts of the Borough of Ashford and Folkestone and Hythe local government districts. The constituency contains the large market town of Ashford and the rural areas to its east, up to but not including the town of Folkestone. Other settlements in the constituency are the small town of Hawkinge and many smaller villages including Lyminge and Wye.

Ashford is an important railway hub and the town's population has grown sharply in recent decades. Residents of the constituency have average levels of wealth, education and ethnic diversity compared to the country as a whole. In the most recent local government elections in 2023, voters in Ashford elected primarily Labour councillors, whilst the rural areas of the constituency elected mostly Conservative and Green Party councillors. Voters in the Ashford constituency were in favour of leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, with an estimated 60% of voters supporting Brexit.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Sessional Divisions of Ashford and Cranbrook, the corporate towns of Lydd and New Romney, and part of the Liberty of Romney Marsh.

1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Lydd, New Romney, and Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of Cranbrook, East Ashford, Romney Marsh, Tenterden, and West Ashford.

1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of Cranbrook, East Ashford, Tenterden, and West Ashford.

1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of East Ashford, Tenterden, and West Ashford. Cranbrook Rural District was transferred to the new Royal Tunbridge Wells constituency.

1983–2010: The Borough of Ashford. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged from 1974.

2010–2024: The Borough of Ashford wards of Aylesford Green, Beaver, Biddenden, Bockhanger, Boughton Aluph and Eastwell, Bybrook, Charing, Downs North, Downs West, Godinton, Great Chart with Singleton North, Highfield, Isle of Oxney, Kennington, Little Burton Farm, Norman, North Willesborough, Park Farm North, Park Farm South, Rolvenden and Tenterden West, St Michael's, Singleton South, South Willesborough, Stanhope, Stour, Tenterden North, Tenterden South, Victoria, Washford, Weald Central, Weald East, Weald North, Weald South, and Wye.

2024–present: Following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The Borough of Ashford wards of: Aylesford & East Stour; Beaver; Bircholt; Bockhanger; Bybrook; Conningbrook & Little Burton Farm; Furley; Goat Lees; Godinton; Highfield; Kennington; Mersham, Sevington South with Finberry; Norman; Park Farm North; Park Farm South; Repton; Roman; Singleton East; Singleton West; Stanhope; Victoria; Washford; Willesborough; Wye with Hinxhill.
• The District of Folkestone and Hythe wards of: North Downs East; North Downs West.

The bulk of the geographic area of the constituency, including the town of Tenterden, and comprising approximately 35% of the current electorate, was moved to the newly created constituency of Weald of Kent. To partly compensate, the two North Downs wards were transferred from Folkestone and Hythe.

Political history

Created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Ashford has been won by a Conservative at every election except that of 1929 when it was won by a Liberal, after that party's turn towards the left marked by the People's Budget in 1911, who won with a majority of less than 1% of the vote.

The most marginal victory since 1929 occurred in 1997 when its voters returned a Conservative who won by a 9.7% majority. The 2015 result made the seat the 106th safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority.

In June 2016, an estimated 60% of local adults voting in the EU membership referendum chose to leave the European Union instead of to remain. This was matched in two January 2018 votes in Parliament by its MP.

The Conservatives lost the seat at the 2024 general election to Sojan Joseph of the Labour Party, the first time in the seat's history that it was won by Labour.

Members of Parliament

West Kent prior to 1885

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

|reg. electors = 76,212

Elections in the 2010s

|reg. electors = 89,553

|reg. electors = 87,387

|reg. electors = 85,177

|reg. electors = 81,271

Elections in the 2000s

|reg. electors = 78,816

|reg. electors = 76,699

Elections in the 1990s

|reg. electors = 74,512

|reg. electors = 71,767

Elections in the 1980s

|reg. electors = 70,052

|reg. electors = 65,442

Elections in the 1970s

|reg. electors = 61,460

|reg. electors = 58,419

|reg. electors = 57,875

|reg. electors = 66,975

Elections in the 1960s

|reg. electors = 56,669

|reg. electors = 54,879

Elections in the 1950s

|reg. electors = 52,097

|reg. electors = 50,821

|reg. electors = 49,715

|reg. electors = 48,607

Elections in the 1940s

|reg. electors = 50,760

Elections in the 1930s

|reg. electors = 48,914

Elections in the 1920s

|reg. electors = 45,445

|reg. electors = 35,659

|reg. electors = 35,223

|reg. electors = 35,240

Elections in the 1910s

|reg. electors = 32,349

General Election 1914–15: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Lawrence Hardy
• Liberal: Arthur Frederick William Johnson

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 13,864

|reg. electors = 12,714

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors = 14,314

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 13,389

Notes

References

Sources

• British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)

References

1. "Usual Resident Population, 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. Banham, Jess. (16 July 2012). "Kent's growing population". Kent Messenger.
3. "How life has changed in Ashford: Census 2021".
4. Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Ashford
5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023".
6. (20 March 2024). "Boundary review 2023: Which seats will change in the UK?".
7. "Conservative Members of Parliament 2015".
8. "Damian Green MP, Ashford – TheyWorkForYou".
9. {{Rayment-hc. a. 3. (March 2012)
10. "Ashford Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll".
11. "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". [[UK Parliament]].
12. "View the Statement or Persons Nominated as candidates for the Ashford constituency".
13. "Election Data 2015". [[Electoral Calculus]].
14. "Ashford.gov.uk".
15. "UKIP: Ashford". UKIP.
16. (1 May 1997). "Politics Resources". Politics Resources.
17. C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.120 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
18. (9 April 1992). "Politics Resources". Politics Resources.
19. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
20. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1922
21. Kent & Sussex Courier 27 Mar 1914
22. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
23. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
24. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
25. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
26. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886