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List of parliamentary constituencies in Cambridgeshire

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Location of the county of Cambridgeshire (red) and the Peterborough unitary authority (orange) in England.

The ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire (which includes the area of the Peterborough unitary authority) is divided into eight parliamentary constituencies. There is one borough constituency and seven county constituencies, which each elect one Member of Parliament to represent it in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Constituencies[edit]

Further information: 2024 United Kingdom general election

  † Conservative   ‡ Labour   ¤ Liberal Democrat   ± Reform

Constituency[nb 1] Electorate[1] Majority[2][nb 2] Member of Parliament[2] Nearest opposition[2][nb 3] Electoral wards[3][4] Map
Cambridge BC 72,560 11,078   Daniel Zeichner ‡   Cheney Payne ¤ Cambridge City Council: Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Coleridge, East Chesterton, King's Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Romsey, Trumpington, West Chesterton.
A small constituency, located south of the centre of the county.
Ely and East Cambridgeshire CC 76,279 495   Charlotte Cane ¤   Lucy Frazer † East Cambridgeshire District Council: Bottisham, Burwell, Downham Villages, Ely East, Ely North, Ely West, Fordham & Isleham, Haddenham, Littleport, Soham North, Soham South, Stretham, Sutton, Wodditton. South Cambridgeshire District Council: Cottenham, Milton & Waterbeach.
A medium constituency in the south and south-east of the county.
Huntingdon CC 75,590 1,499   Ben Obese-Jecty †   Alex Bulat ‡ Huntingdonshire District Council: Alconbury, Brampton, Buckden, Godmanchester & Hemingford Abbots, Great Staughton, Hemingford Grey & Houghton, Holywell-cum-Needingworth, Huntingdon East, Huntingdon North, Kimbolton, Sawtry, Somersham, St. Ives East, St. Ives South, St. Ives West, The Stukeleys, Warboys.
A medium constituency, located in the central and western regions of the county.
North East Cambridgeshire CC 70,806 7,189   Steve Barclay †   Chris Thornhill ± Fenland District Council: Bassenhally, Benwick, Coates & Eastrea, Birch, Clarkson, Doddington & Wimblington, Elm & Christchurch, Kirkgate, Lattersey, Manea, March East, March North, March West, Medworth, Octavia Hill, Parson Drove & Wisbech St. Mary, Peckover, Roman Bank, Slade Lode, St. Andrews, Staithe, Stonald, The Mills, Waterlees Village, Wenneye.
A medium-to-large constituency, stretching from the centre of the county to the northeast.
North West Cambridgeshire CC 73,556 39   Sam Carling ‡   Shailesh Vara † Huntingdonshire District Council: Ramsey, Stilton, Folksworth & Washingley, Yaxley. Peterborough City Council: Barnack, Fletton & Stanground, Fletton & Woodston, Glinton & Castor, Hampton Vale, Hargate & Hempsted, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Stanground South, Wittering.
A small-to-medium constituency in the northwest of the county.
Peterborough CC 72,273 118   Andrew Pakes ‡   Paul Bristow † Peterborough City Council: Bretton, Central, Dogsthorpe, East, Eye, Thorney & Newborough, Gunthorpe, North, Park, Paston & Walton, Ravensthorpe, Werrington, West.
A small constituency in the very north of the county.
South Cambridgeshire CC 75,484 10,641   Pippa Heylings ¤   Chris Carter-Chapman † Cambridge City Council: Cherry Hinton, Queen Edith's. South Cambridgeshire District Council: Balsham, Barrington, Bassingbourn, Duxford, Fen Ditton & Fulbourn, Foxton, Gamlingay, Hardwick, Harston & Comberton, Linton, Melbourn, Sawston, Shelford, The Mordens, Whittlesford.
A large constituency, situated in the south of the county.
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire CC 74,699 4,648   Ian Sollom ¤   Anthony Browne † Huntingdonshire District Council: Fenstanton, Great Paxton, St. Neots East, St. Neots Eatons, St. Neots Eynesbury, St. Neots Priory Park & Little Paxton. South Cambridgeshire District Council: Bar Hill, Caldecote, Cambourne, Caxton & Papworth, Girton, Histon & Impington, Longstanton, Over & Willingham, Swavesey.
A medium constituency in the south-west of the county.

Boundary changes[edit]

2024[edit]

Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commission for England formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021.[5] Initial proposals were published on 8 June 2021 and, following two periods of public consultation, revised proposals were published on 8 November 2022. The final proposals were published on 28 June 2023.

The commission proposed that the number of seats in Cambridgeshire be increased from 7 to 8, with the creation of the constituency of St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, resulting in significant changes to Huntingdon, North West Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire and South East Cambridgeshire ( renamed Ely and East Cambridgeshire).[6][7][8]

The following seats are proposed:

Containing electoral wards in Cambridge

Containing electoral wards in East Cambridgeshire

Containing electoral wards in Fenland

Containing electoral wards in Huntingdonshire

Containing electoral wards in Peterborough

Containing electoral wards in South Cambridgeshire

  • Ely and East Cambridgeshire (part)
  • St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (part)
  • South Cambridgeshire (part)

2010[edit]

The 2007 report of the Boundary Commission for England retained the same seven constituencies that had existed since the 1997 election, with minor boundary changes to align with current local government wards and to better equalise the electorates. These changes, which were implemented at the 2010 general election, included the transfer back of Thorney and Eye from North East Cambridgeshire to Peterborough, the return of the Cambridge ward of Trumpington from South Cambridgeshire to the Cambridge constituency, and small transfers of rural wards from North West Cambridgeshire to Huntingdon, and from South East Cambridgeshire to South Cambridgeshire.

  Name Boundaries 1997–2010 Boundaries 2010–2024
1 Cambridge BC
2 Huntingdon CC
3 North East Cambridgeshire CC
4 North West Cambridgeshire CC
5 Peterborough BC
6 South Cambridgeshire CC
7 South East Cambridgeshire CC

Results history[edit]

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019[9]

2024[edit]

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Cambridgeshire in the 2024 general election were as follows:[2]

Party Votes % Change from 2019 Seats Change from 2019
Conservative 114,186 30.6% Decrease19.5% 2 Decrease4
Labour 94,767 25.4% Increase1.1% 3 Increase2
Liberal Democrats 83,359 22.4% Increase0.9% 3 Increase3
Reform 41,173 11.0% Increase10.2% 0 0
Green 25,065 6.7% Increase4.3 0 0
Others 14,115 3.8% Increase2.9% 0 0
Total 372,665 100.0 8

2019[edit]

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Cambridgeshire in the 2019 general election were as follows:

Party Votes % Change from 2017 Seats Change from 2017
Conservative 204,994 50.1% Increase0.3% 6 Increase
Labour 99,582 24.3% Decrease9.5% 1 Decrease1
Liberal Democrats 87,890 21.5% Increase8.6% 0 0
Greens 9,959 2.4% Increase0.7% 0 0
Brexit 3,168 0.8% new 0 0
Others 3,895 0.9% Decrease0.9% 0 0
Total 409,488 100.0 7

Percentage votes[edit]

Election year 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Conservative 51.0 53.1 54.5 42.0 42.9 42.8 45.0 45.6 49.8 50.1 30.6
Labour 17.0 18.5 23.3 34.5 32.3 25.8 16.2 21.6 33.8 24.3 25.4
Liberal Democrat1 31.6 27.9 19.7 17.9 21.3 26.9 29.0 13.2 12.9 21.5 22.4
Reform2 - - - - - - - - - 0.8 11.0
Green Party - * * * * * 1.8 4.7 1.7 2.4 6.7
UKIP - - - * * * 5.1 14.4 1.7 * *
Other 0.4 0.6 2.5 5.6 3.6 4.5 2.9 0.4 0.1 0.9 3.8

11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

2As the Brexit Party in 2019

* Included in Other

Seats[edit]

Election year 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Labour 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 1 2 1 3
Liberal Democrat1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3
Conservative 5 6 5 5 5 6 6 6 5 6 2
Total 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8

11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps[edit]

1885-1910[edit]

1918-1945[edit]


1950-1979[edit]

1983-present[edit]

Timeline[edit]

  1290 – 1295 1295 – 1541 1541 – 1603 1603 – 1885 1885 – 1918 1918 – 1950 1950 – 1983 1983 – 1997 1997 – present
Cambridge   1295 – present
Cambridgeshire 1290 – 1885   1918 – 1983  
Chesterton   1885 – 1918  
Huntingdon   1295 – 1918   1983 – present
Huntingdonshire 1290 – 1885   1918 – 1983  
Isle of Ely   1918 – 1983  
Newmarket   1885 – 1918  
North East Cambridgeshire   1983 – present
North West Cambridgeshire   1997 – present
Peterborough   1541 – present
Ramsey   1885 – 1918  
South Cambridgeshire   1997 – present
South East Cambridgeshire   1983 – present
South West Cambridgeshire   1983 – 1997  
Wisbech   1885 – 1918  

Historical representation by party[edit]

A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

1885 to 1918[edit]

  Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1885 1886 87 91 1892 1895 1900 03 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 13 17
Cambridge Uniacke-Penrose-Fitzgerald Buckmaster Paget Geddes
Chesterton Hall Hoare Greene E. Montagu
Huntingdon Coote Smith-Barry G. Montagu Whitbread Cator
Newmarket Newnes McCalmont Rose Verrall Rose Denison-Pender
Ramsey W. Fellowes A. Fellowes Boulton Locker-Lampson
Wisbech Rigby Selwyn Brand Giles Brand Beck Primrose Coote

1918 to 1950[edit]

  Coalition Liberal (1918-22) / National Liberal (1922-23)   Conservative   Labour   Liberal   National Liberal (1931-68)

Constituency 1918 22 1922 1923 1924 1929 31 1931 34 1935 1945
Cambridge Geddes Newton Tufnell Symonds
Cambridgeshire Montagu Gray Briscoe Stubbs
Huntingdonshire Locker-Lampson Murchison Costello Murchison Peters → Renton
Isle of Ely Coote Coates Mond Lucas-Tooth de Rothschild Legge-Bourke

1950 to 1983[edit]

  Conservative   Labour   Liberal   National Liberal (1931-68)

Constituency 1950 1951 1955 1959 61 1964 1966 67 68 1970 73 Feb 74 Oct 74 76 1979
Cambridge Kerr Davies Lane Rhodes James
Cambridgeshire Howard Pym
Huntingdonshire Renton → Major
Isle of Ely Legge-Bourke Freud
Peterborough1 Nicholls Ward Mawhinney

1transferred from Northamptonshire

1983 to present[edit]

  Change UK   Conservative   Independent   Labour   Liberal   Liberal Democrats

Constituency 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 18 19 19 2019 2024
Cambridge Rhodes James Campbell Howarth Huppert Zeichner
Peterborough Mawhinney Clark Jackson Onasanya → Forbes Bristow Pakes
Huntingdon Major Djanogly Obese-Jecty
North East Cambridgeshire Freud Moss Barclay
SE Cambs / Ely & E Cambs (2024) Pym Paice Frazer Cane
SW Cambs / S Cambs (1997) Grant Lansley Allen → → Browne Heylings
North West Cambridgeshire Mawhinney Vara Carling
St Neots & Mid Cambridgeshire Sollom

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.
  2. ^ The majority is the number of votes the winning candidate receives more than their nearest rival.
  3. ^ As of the 2024 general election.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England - Volume two: names, designations and composition - Eastern".
  2. ^ a b c d "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, page 4". Office of Public Sector Information. Crown copyright. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  4. ^ Boundary Commission for England pp. 1004–1007
  5. ^ "2023 Review | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ Hatton, Benjamin (8 June 2021). "New parliamentary constituency proposed for Cambridgeshire". CambridgeshireLive. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Maps of Boundary Commission's proposed constituencies: Concerns in Cherry Hinton, Queen Edith's and Cambourne". Cambridge Independent. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  8. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". paras 235-262. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  9. ^ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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