Bexhill and Battle | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundaries since 2024 | |
![]() Boundary of Bexhill and Battle in South East England | |
County | East Sussex |
Population | 100,727 (2011 census) [1] |
Electorate | 70,869 (2023) [2] |
Major settlements | Battle, Bexhill |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Kieran Mullan ( Conservative Party) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Eastbourne and Rye [3] |
Bexhill and Battle ( /ˈbɛkshɪl/) is a constituency [n 1] in East Sussex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Kieran Mullan of the Conservative Party. [n 2]
The constituency is predominantly rural, like Wealden to the west. The main towns are the shingle-beach resort of Bexhill-on-Sea and the historic town of Battle. Electoral Calculus describes the seat as "Strong Right" characterised by retired, socially conservative voters who strongly supported Brexit. [4]
The seat's first MP, Charles Wardle, served as a junior Home Office minister in the government of John Major; Wardle had the Conservative whip removed shortly before the 2001 general election. The seat was held by Gregory Barker from 2001 until 2015; Barker was a junior minister at the Department for Energy and Climate Change between the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition after the 2010 general election and the major government reshuffle of July 2014, when he resigned and announced his intention to retire from Parliament at the next general election. [5]
At the 2015 general election, Huw Merriman was elected, and was re-elected in the 2017 general election. The closest it came to a non-Conservative victory was in 2001, when Barker, in the first of his three successful campaigns, was returned by a margin of 10,503 votes.
In June 2016, an estimated 57.7% of local adults voting in the EU membership referendum chose to leave the European Union instead of to remain. This was matched in two January 2018 votes in Parliament by its MP. [6]
1983–2010:
2010–2024:
2024–present:
Eastbourne and Rye prior to 1983
Election | Member [8] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Charles Wardle | Conservative | |
2001 | Independent | ||
2001 | Gregory Barker | Conservative | |
2015 | Huw Merriman | Conservative | |
2024 | Kieran Mullan | Conservative |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Kieran Mullan | 16,186 | 33.9 | −27.9 | |
Labour | Christine Bayliss | 13,529 | 28.3 | +7.5 | |
Reform UK | Ian Gribbin | 7,929 | 16.6 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Becky Jones | 3,473 | 7.3 | −6.1 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 2,972 | 6.2 | +2.1 | |
Independent | Abul Azad | 2,206 | 4.6 | N/A | |
Independent | Jeff Newnham | 769 | 1.6 | N/A | |
Party of Women | Julia Long | 332 | 0.7 | N/A | |
Ind. Network | Nigel Jacklin | 210 | 0.4 | N/A | |
UKIP | Colin Sullivan | 144 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,657 | 5.6 | −38.5 | ||
Turnout | 47,750 | 66.4 | −3.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ![]() |
2019 notional result [10] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Vote | % | |
Conservative | 30,716 | 61.8 | |
Labour | 10,332 | 20.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | 6,658 | 13.4 | |
Green | 2,031 | 4.1 | |
Turnout | 49,737 | 70.2 | |
Electorate | 70,869 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Huw Merriman | 37,590 | 63.6 | +1.6 | |
Labour | Christine Bayliss | 11,531 | 19.5 | −5.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Martin Saunders | 7,280 | 12.3 | +4.8 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 2,692 | 4.6 | +2.2 | |
Majority | 26,059 | 44.1 | +6.8 | ||
Turnout | 59,093 | 72.1 | −1.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Huw Merriman | 36,854 | 62.0 | +7.2 | |
Labour | Christine Bayliss | 14,689 | 24.7 | +10.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Joel Kemp | 4,485 | 7.5 | −0.1 | |
UKIP | Geoffrey Bastin | 2,006 | 3.4 | −15.0 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 1,438 | 2.4 | −2.7 | |
Majority | 22,165 | 37.3 | +0.9 | ||
Turnout | 59,472 | 73.1 | +3.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Huw Merriman [13] | 30,245 | 54.8 | +3.2 | |
UKIP | Geoffrey Bastin [14] | 10,170 | 18.4 | N/A | |
Labour | Michelle Thew [14] | 7,797 | 14.1 | +2.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Rachel Sadler [14] | 4,199 | 7.6 | −20.4 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 2,807 | 5.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 20,075 | 36.4 | +12.8 | ||
Turnout | 55,218 | 70.1 | +1.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gregory Barker | 28,147 | 51.6 | −2.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mary Varrall | 15,267 | 28.0 | +5.3 | |
Labour | James Royston | 6,524 | 12.0 | −5.9 | |
Trust | Stuart Wheeler | 2,699 | 4.9 | N/A | |
BNP | Neil Jackson | 1,950 | 3.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 12,880 | 23.6 | −7.9 | ||
Turnout | 54,587 | 68.9 | +2.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gregory Barker | 24,629 | 52.6 | +4.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mary Varrall | 11,180 | 23.9 | −0.8 | |
Labour | Michael Jones | 8,457 | 18.1 | −1.3 | |
UKIP | Anthony Smith | 2,568 | 5.5 | −2.3 | |
Majority | 13,449 | 28.7 | +5.3 | ||
Turnout | 46,834 | 67.2 | +2.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gregory Barker | 21,555 | 48.1 | 0.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Stephen Hardy | 11,052 | 24.7 | −0.8 | |
Labour | Anne Moore-Williams | 8,702 | 19.4 | +1.3 | |
UKIP | Nigel Farage | 3,474 | 7.8 | +6.2 | |
Majority | 10,503 | 23.4 | +0.8 | ||
Turnout | 44,783 | 64.9 | −9.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 23,570 | 48.1 | −12.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn M. Field | 12,470 | 25.5 | −3.4 | |
Labour | Robert D. Beckwith | 8,866 | 18.1 | +8.7 | |
Referendum | Vanessa Thompson | 3,302 | 6.7 | N/A | |
UKIP | John Pankhurst | 786 | 1.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 11,100 | 22.6 | −8.8 | ||
Turnout | 48,994 | 74.5 | −4.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 31,380 | 60.3 | −6.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Susan M. Prochak | 15,023 | 28.9 | +3.1 | |
Labour | Frank W. Taylor | 4,883 | 9.4 | +1.7 | |
Green | Jonathan L. Prus | 594 | 1.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Mary F. Smith | 190 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 16,357 | 31.4 | −9.3 | ||
Turnout | 52,070 | 79.1 | +1.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 33,570 | 66.5 | −0.8 | |
SDP | Robert Kiernan | 13,051 | 25.8 | +2.3 | |
Labour | Derek Watts | 3,903 | 7.7 | −0.3 | |
Majority | 20,519 | 40.7 | −3.1 | ||
Turnout | 50,524 | 77.4 | +4.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −1.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 30,329 | 67.3 | ||
Liberal | Paul Smith | 10,583 | 23.5 | ||
Labour | Ian Pearson | 3,587 | 8.0 | ||
Ecology | Anne Rix | 538 | 1.2 | ||
Majority | 19,746 | 43.8 | |||
Turnout | 45,037 | 72.9 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Bexhill and Battle | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundaries since 2024 | |
![]() Boundary of Bexhill and Battle in South East England | |
County | East Sussex |
Population | 100,727 (2011 census) [1] |
Electorate | 70,869 (2023) [2] |
Major settlements | Battle, Bexhill |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Kieran Mullan ( Conservative Party) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Eastbourne and Rye [3] |
Bexhill and Battle ( /ˈbɛkshɪl/) is a constituency [n 1] in East Sussex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Kieran Mullan of the Conservative Party. [n 2]
The constituency is predominantly rural, like Wealden to the west. The main towns are the shingle-beach resort of Bexhill-on-Sea and the historic town of Battle. Electoral Calculus describes the seat as "Strong Right" characterised by retired, socially conservative voters who strongly supported Brexit. [4]
The seat's first MP, Charles Wardle, served as a junior Home Office minister in the government of John Major; Wardle had the Conservative whip removed shortly before the 2001 general election. The seat was held by Gregory Barker from 2001 until 2015; Barker was a junior minister at the Department for Energy and Climate Change between the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition after the 2010 general election and the major government reshuffle of July 2014, when he resigned and announced his intention to retire from Parliament at the next general election. [5]
At the 2015 general election, Huw Merriman was elected, and was re-elected in the 2017 general election. The closest it came to a non-Conservative victory was in 2001, when Barker, in the first of his three successful campaigns, was returned by a margin of 10,503 votes.
In June 2016, an estimated 57.7% of local adults voting in the EU membership referendum chose to leave the European Union instead of to remain. This was matched in two January 2018 votes in Parliament by its MP. [6]
1983–2010:
2010–2024:
2024–present:
Eastbourne and Rye prior to 1983
Election | Member [8] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Charles Wardle | Conservative | |
2001 | Independent | ||
2001 | Gregory Barker | Conservative | |
2015 | Huw Merriman | Conservative | |
2024 | Kieran Mullan | Conservative |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Kieran Mullan | 16,186 | 33.9 | −27.9 | |
Labour | Christine Bayliss | 13,529 | 28.3 | +7.5 | |
Reform UK | Ian Gribbin | 7,929 | 16.6 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Becky Jones | 3,473 | 7.3 | −6.1 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 2,972 | 6.2 | +2.1 | |
Independent | Abul Azad | 2,206 | 4.6 | N/A | |
Independent | Jeff Newnham | 769 | 1.6 | N/A | |
Party of Women | Julia Long | 332 | 0.7 | N/A | |
Ind. Network | Nigel Jacklin | 210 | 0.4 | N/A | |
UKIP | Colin Sullivan | 144 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,657 | 5.6 | −38.5 | ||
Turnout | 47,750 | 66.4 | −3.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ![]() |
2019 notional result [10] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Vote | % | |
Conservative | 30,716 | 61.8 | |
Labour | 10,332 | 20.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | 6,658 | 13.4 | |
Green | 2,031 | 4.1 | |
Turnout | 49,737 | 70.2 | |
Electorate | 70,869 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Huw Merriman | 37,590 | 63.6 | +1.6 | |
Labour | Christine Bayliss | 11,531 | 19.5 | −5.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Martin Saunders | 7,280 | 12.3 | +4.8 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 2,692 | 4.6 | +2.2 | |
Majority | 26,059 | 44.1 | +6.8 | ||
Turnout | 59,093 | 72.1 | −1.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Huw Merriman | 36,854 | 62.0 | +7.2 | |
Labour | Christine Bayliss | 14,689 | 24.7 | +10.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Joel Kemp | 4,485 | 7.5 | −0.1 | |
UKIP | Geoffrey Bastin | 2,006 | 3.4 | −15.0 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 1,438 | 2.4 | −2.7 | |
Majority | 22,165 | 37.3 | +0.9 | ||
Turnout | 59,472 | 73.1 | +3.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Huw Merriman [13] | 30,245 | 54.8 | +3.2 | |
UKIP | Geoffrey Bastin [14] | 10,170 | 18.4 | N/A | |
Labour | Michelle Thew [14] | 7,797 | 14.1 | +2.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Rachel Sadler [14] | 4,199 | 7.6 | −20.4 | |
Green | Jonathan Kent | 2,807 | 5.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 20,075 | 36.4 | +12.8 | ||
Turnout | 55,218 | 70.1 | +1.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gregory Barker | 28,147 | 51.6 | −2.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mary Varrall | 15,267 | 28.0 | +5.3 | |
Labour | James Royston | 6,524 | 12.0 | −5.9 | |
Trust | Stuart Wheeler | 2,699 | 4.9 | N/A | |
BNP | Neil Jackson | 1,950 | 3.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 12,880 | 23.6 | −7.9 | ||
Turnout | 54,587 | 68.9 | +2.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gregory Barker | 24,629 | 52.6 | +4.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mary Varrall | 11,180 | 23.9 | −0.8 | |
Labour | Michael Jones | 8,457 | 18.1 | −1.3 | |
UKIP | Anthony Smith | 2,568 | 5.5 | −2.3 | |
Majority | 13,449 | 28.7 | +5.3 | ||
Turnout | 46,834 | 67.2 | +2.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gregory Barker | 21,555 | 48.1 | 0.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Stephen Hardy | 11,052 | 24.7 | −0.8 | |
Labour | Anne Moore-Williams | 8,702 | 19.4 | +1.3 | |
UKIP | Nigel Farage | 3,474 | 7.8 | +6.2 | |
Majority | 10,503 | 23.4 | +0.8 | ||
Turnout | 44,783 | 64.9 | −9.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 23,570 | 48.1 | −12.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn M. Field | 12,470 | 25.5 | −3.4 | |
Labour | Robert D. Beckwith | 8,866 | 18.1 | +8.7 | |
Referendum | Vanessa Thompson | 3,302 | 6.7 | N/A | |
UKIP | John Pankhurst | 786 | 1.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 11,100 | 22.6 | −8.8 | ||
Turnout | 48,994 | 74.5 | −4.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 31,380 | 60.3 | −6.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Susan M. Prochak | 15,023 | 28.9 | +3.1 | |
Labour | Frank W. Taylor | 4,883 | 9.4 | +1.7 | |
Green | Jonathan L. Prus | 594 | 1.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Mary F. Smith | 190 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 16,357 | 31.4 | −9.3 | ||
Turnout | 52,070 | 79.1 | +1.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 33,570 | 66.5 | −0.8 | |
SDP | Robert Kiernan | 13,051 | 25.8 | +2.3 | |
Labour | Derek Watts | 3,903 | 7.7 | −0.3 | |
Majority | 20,519 | 40.7 | −3.1 | ||
Turnout | 50,524 | 77.4 | +4.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −1.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Wardle | 30,329 | 67.3 | ||
Liberal | Paul Smith | 10,583 | 23.5 | ||
Labour | Ian Pearson | 3,587 | 8.0 | ||
Ecology | Anne Rix | 538 | 1.2 | ||
Majority | 19,746 | 43.8 | |||
Turnout | 45,037 | 72.9 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |