Swindon (UK Parliament constituency)

History

Swindon was a predominantly Conservative seat in its early history, though Labour first won the seat in 1929 and gained the seat in a 1934 by-election before losing it to the Conservatives in the general election the following year.

From 1945 until 1983 however, Swindon became a increasingly safe seat for the Labour Party, one of the party's few electoral strongholds in Southern England, being one of the most important historic railway towns in the country regarding the production and manufacture related to the industry. In the 1840s a greenfield site near the market town was transformed by the Great Western Railway (GWR) with its large works factory. The scale of the GWR's influence on Swindon reached its peak in the second quarter of the 20th century, though production gradually wound down, the works closing in 1986.

Swindon diversified its local economy, known for being a regional centre for business, and home to many technological and pharmaceutical companies, becoming more reliant on the service sector, gradually swinging more towards the Conservative Party in the 1980s.

The Conservatives gained the seat in 1983 in their landslide victory, and held the seat until 1997 when Swindon was divided into two constituencies (Swindon North, Swindon South), which were both gained by Labour in the general election of that year.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Borough of Swindon, and the part of the Rural District of Highworth which was not included in the Devizes constituency.

1950–1983: The Borough of Swindon.

1983–1997: The Borough of Thamesdown wards of Central, Dorcan, Eastcott, Gorse Hill, Lawns, Moredon, Park, Toothill, Walcot, Western, and Whitworth.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Election in the 1910s

|reg. electors = 31,406

Elections in the 1920s

|reg. electors = 33,000

|reg. electors = 33,787

|reg. electors = 34,938

|reg. electors = 45,250

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1990s

url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm|title=Politics Resources|date=9 April 1992|work=Election 1992|publisher=Politics Resources|accessdate=6 December 2010}}

References

1. {{Rayment-hc. s. 6. (March 2012)
2. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
3. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
4. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
5. 'ROCKE, Col Walter Leslie', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U216329, accessed 22 Sept 2017]
6. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
7. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
8. [[F. W. S. Craig]], ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-49'', p.498
9. 'MEDD, His Honour Patrick William', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U174235, accessed 22 Sept 2017]
10. "Election Data 1983". [[Electoral Calculus]].
11. "Election Data 1987". [[Electoral Calculus]].
12. "Election Data 1992". [[Electoral Calculus]].