Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox
Name = Richmond (Yorks)
Map1 = Richmond
Type = County
Map2 = NorthYorkshire
Entity = North Yorkshire
County = North Yorkshire
Year = 1585
MP = William Hague
Party = Conservative
EP = Yorkshire and the Humber

Richmond (Yorks) is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It has the largest percentage Conservative majority in the country although the numerical majority is surpassed by the larger seat of Buckingham.

Boundaries

The Richmond constituency covers the Richmondshire district and the northern part of the Hambleton district. It is an affluent rural area with a significant commuter population, covering parts of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, including Wensleydale and Swaledale. It contains the market towns of Northallerton, Richmond, Stokesley and Great Ayton as well as surrounding villages. It also includes the large army base, Catterick Garrison.

Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in York and North Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England has recommended minor changes to the Richmond constituency, which will come into effect (subject to Parliamentary Approval)at the next general election.

The revised constituency comprises the following:
*the entire district of Richmondshire;
*the Hambleton wards of Bedale, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Cowtons, Crakehall, Great Ayton, Leeming, Leeming Bar, Morton on Swale, Northallerton Broomfield, Northallerton Central, Northallerton North, Osmotherley, Romanby, Rudby, Stokesley, Swainby, and Tanfield.

History

Richmond was one of the seats in the Unreformed House of Commons, first being represented in 1585. In modern times it has been an ultra-safe seat for the Conservative Party, with them having held it continually since at least 1929.

From 1983, the seat was represented by the Conservative cabinet minister Leon Brittan, after boundary changes saw his Cleveland and Whitby seat abolished. He resigned his seat in December 1988 in order to take up the position of Vice-President of the European Commission. The ensuing by-election, held in February 1989, was won by William Hague, this would be the last by-election won by the Conservative Government of 1979-1997. The decision by the remnants of the Social Democratic Party and their former colleagues in the newly-merged Social and Liberal Democrats (who later renamed themselves the Liberal Democrats) to both contest the seat split their vote. The SDP candidate, local farmer Mike Potter, came second, and Hague's majority of 2,634 was considerably smaller than the number of votes for the Social and Liberal Democrat candidate Barbara Peace combined (11,589 votes in third place). Hague has retained the seat at every general election since then and significantly built up the Conservative majority to 17,807.

In 1992 the Labour candidate, David Abrahams was deselected after a series of rows within the local Labour party over his personal life and business interests. It emerged that he used the name David Martin when dealing with tenants in his various rental properties in the Newcastle area; [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2947099.ece Profile: reclusive Labour donor David Abrahams] The Times - 26 November, 2007] and that he had claimed that he lived with his wife and son, though he had never been married. Divorcee Anthea Bailey later told a local newspaper she and her 11-year old son had posed as Mr Abrahams' family as part of a business arrangement so that Abrahams could create "the right impression".cite news|url=http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/news/tm_headline=how-sunday-sun-broke-first-david-abrahams-story&method=full&objectid=20190644&siteid=50081-name_page.html| title=How Sunday Sun broke first David Abrahams story|date=2 December 2007|author=Colin Patterson|publisher=Sunday Sun|accessdate=2007-12-02] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7114500.stm Profile of David Abrahams] BBC News - 27 November, 2007] The Daily Mail suggested that this was done because the constituency in North Yorkshire would be averse to "a confirmed bachelor who enjoys musical theatre". [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=496834&in_page_id=1770 The fantasy world of Labour's dodgy donor] , by Richard Pendlebury, Daily Mail, 27th November 2007]

At the 2001 general election, Richmond became the Conservatives' safest seat in the UK, both in terms of the actual numerical majority and by percentage. Although the numerical majority was surpassed by Buckingham at the 2005 election, Richmond has a smaller electorate and consequently was able to retain its position of having the second largest percentage majority. With the abolition of Kensington and Chelsea, based on notional 2005 results Richmond is the safest Conservative seat in the country.

Members of Parliament

1585-1640

* 1585: Marmaduke Wyvill
* 1597-1598: Marmaduke Wyvill
* 1604-1611: Sir John Savile
* 1604-1611: Sir Richard Gargrave
* 1621-1622: Sir Talbot Bowes
* 1621-1622: William Bowes

1640-1868

1868-present

Notes

Election results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = William Hague
votes = 26,722
percentage = 59.1
change = +0.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Neil Foster
votes = 8,915
percentage = 19.7
change = -2.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Jacquie Bell
votes = 7,982
percentage = 17.7
change = -0.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = Leslie Rowe
votes = 1,581
percentage = 3.5
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 17,807
percentage = 39.4
change =Election box turnout
votes = 45,200
percentage = 65.0
change = -2.5Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Richmond (Yorks)Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = William Hague
votes = 25,951
percentage = 58.9
change = +10.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Co-operative
candidate = Fay Tinnion
votes = 9,632
percentage = 21.9
change = -5.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Edward Forth
votes = 7,890
percentage = 17.9
change = -0.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
candidate = Boney Maronie Steniforth
votes = 561
percentage = 1.3
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 16,319
percentage = 37.0
change = Election box turnout
votes = 44,034
percentage = 67.4
change = -6.0Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1997: Richmond (Yorks)Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = William Hague
votes = 23,326
percentage = 48.86
change = -13.00Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Co-operative
candidate = Steven Merritt
votes = 13,275
percentage = 27.81
change = +16.23Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Jane Harvey
votes = 8,773
percentage = 18.38
change = -7.31Election box candidate with party link
party = Referendum Party (UK)
candidate = Alex Bentley
votes = 2,367
percentage = 4.96
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 10,051
percentage = 21.05
change = -15.11Election box turnout
votes = 47,741
percentage = 73.38
change = -5.04Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = -13.90

Notes

References

*D Brunton & D H Pennington, "Members of the Long Parliament" (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
*"Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803" (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1]
* F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
* J Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
* Henry Stooks Smith, "The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847" (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
* "The Constitutional Yearbook for 1913" (London: National Unionist Association, 1913)

*Rayment

ee also

*List of Parliamentary constituencies in North Yorkshire