A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| West Dorset | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of West Dorset in Dorset | |
 Location of Dorset within England | |
| County | Dorset |
| Electorate | 83,000 (December 2021)[1] |
| Major settlements | Dorchester, Bridport and Sherborne |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1885 |
| Member of Parliament | Chris Loder (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
West Dorset is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Chris Loder, a Conservative.[n 2]
History
The seat was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
- Political history
Only Conservative MPs have been elected in West Dorset. Historically there have mostly been large majorities; thus the seat can be considered a safe seat. The closest result in recent years was in 2001, when the then member, Oliver Letwin, held his seat with a majority of only 2.8% over the Liberal Democrat candidate, Simon Green. The second place in every election after 1970 has been taken by the Liberal Party and, subsequent to that party's merging with the SDP, the Liberal Democrats. Labour's best results in the constituency were in 1945 and 1966.
- Prominent frontbenchers
Oliver Letwin, with a settled background in policy formulation, was appointed Minister of State for Policy (a Cabinet Office role) in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition on 12 May 2010. He had previously served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer between 2003 and 2005.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport and Lyme Regis, the Sessional Divisions of Bridport and Cerne, and part of the Sessional Divisions of Dorchester and Sherborne.
1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester, and Lyme Regis, the Rural Districts of Beaminster, Bridport, Cerne, and Dorchester, and part of the Rural District of Weymouth.
1950–1974: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester, and Lyme Regis, the Urban District of Sherborne, the Rural Districts of Beaminster, Bridport, and Sherborne, and part of the Rural District of Dorchester.
1974–1983: As 1950 but with redrawn boundaries.
1983–present: The District of West Dorset except the ward of Owermoigne.
The West Dorset constituency covers most of the West Dorset district and includes the towns of Dorchester, the county town of Dorset; Bridport, Lyme Regis and Beaminster to the west; and Sherborne to the north.
Proposed
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The District of Dorset wards of: Beaminster; Bridport; Chalk Valleys; Charminster St. Mary’s; Chesil Bank; Dorchester East; Dorchester Poundbury; Dorchester West; Eggardon; Lyme & Charmouth; Marshwood Vale; Sherborne East; Sherborne Rural; Sherborne West; Winterborne & Broadmayne; Yetminster.[2]
Minor changes to bring the electorate within the permitted range following re-organisation of local authorities and wards in Dorset and to bring the electorate within the permitted range.
Constituency profile
Aside from tourist areas, including the Jurassic Coast which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the seat draws on managerial and advanced professional skills in sectors such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, reconditioning, defence, art and design, which support local trades and retail. A slightly greater than average proportion of people are retired.[3] Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 1.4% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[4]
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member[5] | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Henry Farquharson | Conservative | Died 1895 | |
| 1895 by-election | Robert Williams | Conservative | ||
| 1922 | Philip Colfox | Conservative | Resigned 1941 | |
| 1941 by-election | Simon Digby | Conservative | ||
| Feb 1974 | Jim Spicer | Conservative | ||
| 1997 | Oliver Letwin | Conservative | ||
| 2019 | Independent | Conservative whip removed in September 2019 | ||
| 2019 | Chris Loder | Conservative | ||
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No description | Oliver Chisholm | ||||
| Green | Kelvin Clayton | ||||
| Conservative | Chris Loder | ||||
| Labour | Donna Lumsden | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Edward Morello | ||||
| No description | Marcus White | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Chris Loder | 33,589 | 55.1 | –0.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Edward Morello | 19,483 | 32.0 | +8.5 | |
| Labour | Claudia Sorin | 5,729 | 9.4 | –8.9 | |
| Green | Kelvin Clayton | 2,124 | 3.5 | +0.8 | |
| Majority | 14,106 | 23.1 | –8.9 | ||
| Turnout | 60,925 | 74.7 | –0.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –4.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Oliver Letwin | 33,081 | 55.5 | +5.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Andy Canning | 13,990 | 23.5 | +1.9 | |
| Labour | Lee Rhodes | 10,896 | 18.3 | +8.3 | |
| Green | Kelvin Clayton | 1,631 | 2.7 | −3.0 | |
| Majority | 19,091 | 32.0 | +2.4 | ||
| Turnout | 59,750 | 75.6 | +3.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.7 | |||