Bracknell (UK Parliament constituency)

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Bracknell
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Bracknell in Berkshire.
Outline map
Location of Berkshire within England.
County Berkshire
Population 104,849 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate 77,490 (December 2010)[2]
Major settlements Bracknell, Crowthorne
Current constituency
Created 1997
Member of parliament Phillip Lee (Conservative)
Number of members One
Created from East Berkshire
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency South East England

Bracknell is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Phillip Lee of the Conservative Party.[n 2]

Boundaries

1997-2010: The Borough of Bracknell Forest wards of Binfield, Bullbrook, College Town, Crowthorne, Garth, Great Hollands North, Great Hollands South, Hanworth, Harmanswater, Little Sandhurst, Old Bracknell, Owlsmoor, Priestwood, Central Sandhurst, Warfield, and Wildridings, and the District of Wokingham wards of Finchampstead North, Finchampstead South, and Wokingham Without.

2010-present: The Borough of Bracknell Forest wards of Bullbrook, Central Sandhurst, College Town, Crown Wood, Crowthorne, Great Hollands North, Great Hollands South, Hanworth, Harmans Water, Little Sandhurst and Wellington, Old Bracknell, Owlsmoor, Priestwood and Garth, and Wildridings and Central, and the District of Wokingham wards of Finchampstead North, Finchampstead South, and Wokingham Without.

Bracknell is based around the town of Bracknell and the Bracknell Forest authority. It is bordered by the constituencies of Wokingham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Surrey Heath, Aldershot, and North East Hampshire.

History

From creation in 1997 until 2010, Bracknell's MP was Andrew MacKay of the Conservative Party, who represented the old seat of East Berkshire from 1983. On 14 May 2009, he resigned from his position as parliamentary aide to Cameron in the wake of a major scandal over his Parliamentary expenses. MacKay and his wife, fellow Tory MP Julie Kirkbride, had wrongfully claimed over £250,000 from the taxpayer for mortgage payments for second homes, in a case of so-called "double-dipping". They also wrongfully claimed for each other's travel costs. At a hastily called meeting with his constituents in Bracknell to explain the "unacceptable" expenses claims, Mr MacKay was jeered and called a 'thieving toad'. A video of the angry meeting was leaked to the press and after an urgent phone call from David Cameron the next day, MacKay agreed to stand down at the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party chose Phillip Lee, a general practitioner, as their new candidate in an American style open primary, involving 7 candidates including Rory Stewart and Iain Dale in a contest open to all registered Bracknell voters.[3]

2010 Election

Lee went on to become the next MP in an election which saw the share of the vote for the Labour Party fall by 11.1%. The Liberal Democrats saw the biggest rise in support of all the parties (+4.5%) and overtook Labour to gain second place behind the Conservative Party. The UKIP saw a slight rise in support to 4.4% of the vote. The 2010 election also saw for the first time the Green Party and British National Party vying for the seat.

Members of Parliament

Election Member[4] Party
1997 Andrew MacKay Conservative
2010 Dr. Phillip Lee Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Bracknell[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Phillip Lee [7] 29,606 55.8 +3.4
Labour James Walsh [8] 8,956 16.9 +0.1
UKIP Richard Thomas [9] 8,339 15.7 +11.3
Liberal Democrat Patrick Smith [10] 3,983 7.5 −14.8
Green Derek Florey[11] 2,202 4.1 +2.6
Majority 20,650 38.9 +8.8
Turnout 53,086 65.3 -2.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 2010: Bracknell[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Phillip Lee 27,327 52.4 +2.5
Liberal Democrat Raymond William Earwicker 11,623 22.3 +4.5
Labour John Piasecki 8,755 16.8 −11.1
UKIP Murray Barter 2,297 4.4 +0.9
BNP Mark Burke 1,253 2.4 N/A
Green David Young 821 1.6 N/A
Scrap Members Allowances Dan Haycocks 60 0.1 N/A
Majority 15,704 30.1
Turnout 52,140 67.8 +5.1
Conservative hold Swing −1.0

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Bracknell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew MacKay 25,412 49.7 +3.1
Labour Mrs. Janet Hazel Keene 13,376 26.2 −6.8
Liberal Democrat Lee Glendon 10,128 19.8 +2.7
UKIP Vincent Pearson 1,818 3.6 +1.0
Independent Mrs. Dominica Mary Roberts 407 0.8 N/A
Majority 12,036 23.5
Turnout 51,141 63.4 +2.7
Conservative hold Swing +5.0
General Election 2001: Bracknell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew MacKay 22,962 46.6 −0.7
Labour Mrs. Janet Hazel Keene 16,249 33.0 +3.2
Liberal Democrat Raymond William Earwicker 8,428 17.1 +1.7
UKIP Lawrie John Alan Boxall 1,266 2.6 +1.6
ProLife Alliance Mrs. Dominica Mary Roberts 324 0.7 +0.2
Majority 6,713 13.6
Turnout 49,229 60.7 −13.8
Conservative hold Swing −2.0

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Bracknell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew MacKay 27,983 47.4 N/A
Labour Anne Snelgrove 17,596 29.8 N/A
Liberal Democrat Alan R. Hilliar 9,122 15.4 N/A
New Labour John W. Tompkins 1,909 3.2 N/A
Referendum Warwick Cairns 1,636 2.8 N/A
UKIP Lawrie John Alan Boxall 569 1.0 N/A
ProLife Alliance Mrs. Dominica Mary Roberts 276 0.5 N/A
Majority 10,387 17.6 N/A
Turnout 59,091 74.5 N/A
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  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

External Links


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