Hastings and Rye (UK Parliament constituency)

Hastings and Rye is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Sally-Ann Hart of the Conservatives. From 2010 until 2019, it was represented by Amber Rudd. She served as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Minister for Women and Equalities, Home Secretary and Work and Pensions Secretary under the governments of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.

Hastings and Rye
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Hastings and Rye in East Sussex
Location of East Sussex within England
CountyEast Sussex
Electorate76,422 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsHastings, Ore, Rye, St Leonards-on-Sea, Winchelsea
Current constituency
Created1983
Member of ParliamentSally-Ann Hart (Conservatives)
Number of membersOne
Created fromHastings, Rye

Since 2001 (inclusive) election campaigns have resulted in a minimum of 35.1% of votes at each election consistently for the same two parties' choice for candidate, and the next-placed party's having fluctuated between 3.3% and 15.7% of the vote—such third-placed figures attained higher percentages in 1992 and 1997.

The result in 2017 was the 24th-closest nationally (of 650 seats), whereby 174 voters would have been capable of changing the outcome by their choice of candidate, the margin of votes being 346.[2]

Boundaries
  • 1983–2010: The Borough of Hastings, and the District of Rother wards of Camber, Fairlight, Guestling and Pett, Rye, and Winchelsea
  • 2010–present: The Borough of Hastings, and the District of Rother wards of Brede Valley, Eastern Rother, Marsham, and Rye

Constituency profile

As its name suggests, the main settlements in the constituency are the seaside resort of Hastings and smaller nearby tourist town of Rye. The constituency also includes the Cinque Port of Winchelsea and the villages of Fairlight, Winchelsea Beach, Three Oaks, Guestling, Icklesham, Playden, Iden, Rye Harbour, East Guldeford, Camber, and Pett.

The constituency is set in a relatively isolated part of the southeast from the railways perspective and so does not enjoy some of the more general affluence of this part of the country. In the 2000 index of multiple deprivation a majority of wards fell within the bottom half of rankings so it can arguably be considered a deprived area.[3] Hastings has some light industry, while Rye has a small port, which includes hire and repair activities for leisure vessels and fishing. Hastings is mostly Labour-voting, whereas Rye and the rest of the areas from Rother council are Conservative.

Property prices in the villages are however rising and are in affluent areas, unlike residential estates in the towns. Three Oaks does enjoy a nearby train station for its residents, which has services allowing connecting services to London.

History

The constituency was created in 1983 by combining most of Hastings with a small part of Rye. The Conservative MP for Hastings since 1970, Kenneth Warren, won the new seat.[n 2]. Warren held Hastings and Rye until he chose to retire in 1992; during this period its large majorities suggested it was a Conservative safe seat, with the Liberal Party (now the Liberal Democrats) regularly coming second. Jacqui Lait won the seat on Warren's retirement, but in 1997 the Labour candidate Michael Foster narrowly defeated Lait, becoming the second-least expected (on swing) Labour MP in the landslide of that year and since 2001 setting a pattern that suggests the seat is a two-way Labour-Conservative marginal. Foster held the seat, again with slim majorities over Conservatives, in 2001 and 2005, but lost it to Conservative Amber Rudd in 2010. Rudd was re-elected with an increased majority in 2015.

In the 2017 general election, the Green Party declined to contest the seat and instead called on its supporters to back the Labour candidate.[4] Rudd held the seat with a slim majority of 346.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[5] Party Notes
1983 Kenneth Warren Conservative
1992 Jacqui Lait Conservative
1997 Michael Foster Labour
2010 Amber Rudd Conservative Home Secretary (2016—2018)
Minister for Women and Equalities (2018, 2019)
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018–2019)
September 2019 Independent Resigned the Conservative Party whip
2019 Sally-Ann Hart Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s
2019 general election: Hastings and Rye [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sally-Ann Hart 26,896 49.6 +2.7
Labour Peter Chowney 22,853 42.1 -4.1
Liberal Democrats Nick Perry 3,960 7.3 +3.9
Independent Paul Crosland 565 1.0 N/A
Majority 4,043 7.5 +6.8
Turnout 54,274 67.4 -4.2
Conservative hold Swing
2017 general election: Hastings and Rye
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Amber Rudd 25,668 46.9 +2.3
Labour Peter Chowney 25,322 46.2 +11.1
Liberal Democrats Nick Perry 1,885 3.4 +0.3
UKIP Michael Phillips 1,479 2.7 -10.6
Independent Nicholas Wilson 412 0.8 N/A
Majority 346 0.7 -8.7
Turnout 54,766 71.6 +3.6
Conservative hold Swing -4.4
2015 general election: Hastings and Rye[7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Amber Rudd 22,686 44.5 +3.4
Labour Sarah Owen 17,890 35.1 −2.0
UKIP Andrew Michael 6,786 13.3 +10.5
Green Jake Bowers 1,951 3.8 +3.8
Liberal Democrats Nick Perry 1,614 3.2 −12.5
Majority 4,796 9.4 +5.4
Turnout 50,927 68.0 +4.1
Conservative hold Swing +2.7
2010 general election: Hastings and Rye[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Amber Rudd 20,468 41.1 +3.0
Labour Michael Foster 18,475 37.1 −3.5
Liberal Democrats Nick Perry 7,825 15.7 +0.6
UKIP Anthony Smith 1,397 2.8 +0.1
BNP Nick Prince 1,310 2.6 +2.6
English Democrat Rod Bridger 339 0.7 +0.7
Majority 1,993 4.0 N/A
Turnout 49,814 63.9 +4.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.3

Elections in the 2000s
2005 general election: Hastings and Rye[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Foster 18,107 42.1 −5.0
Conservative Mark Coote 16,081 37.4 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Richard Stevens 6,479 15.1 +4.8
UKIP Terry Grant 1,098 2.6 +0.4
Green Sally Phillips 1,032 2.4 +0.7
Monster Raving Loony Viscount Clarkey of Rochdale Canal Ord-Clarke 207 0.5 0.0
Majority 2,026 4.7 -5.8
Turnout 43,004 59.1 +0.8
Labour hold Swing -2.9
2001 general election: Hastings and Rye[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Foster 19,402 47.1 +12.7
Conservative Mark Coote 15,094 36.6 +7.5
Liberal Democrats Graem Peters 4,266 10.3 −17.6
UKIP Alan Coomber 911 2.2 +1.2
Green Sally Phillips 721 1.7 N/A
Independent Gillian Bargery 486 1.2 N/A
Monster Raving Loony John Ord-Clarke 198 0.5 +0.2
Rock 'n' Roll Loony Brett McLean 140 0.3 N/A
Majority 4,308 10.5 +5.3
Turnout 41,218 58.4 -11.3
Labour hold Swing +2.6

Elections in the 1990s
1997 general election: Hastings and Rye[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Foster 16,867 34.4 +18.6
Conservative Jacqui Lait 14,307 29.2 -18.4
Liberal Democrats Monroe Palmer 13,717 28.0 −7.3
Referendum Christopher J.M. McGovern 2,511 5.1 N/A
Liberal Jane M.E. Amstad 1,046 2.1 N/A
UKIP W.N. Andrews 472 1.0 N/A
Monster Raving Loony Derek Tiverton 149 0.3 0.0
Majority 2,560 5.2 N/A
Turnout 49,069 69.7 −5.2
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +18.5
1992 general election: Hastings and Rye[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Jacqui Lait 25,573 47.6 −2.5
Liberal Democrats Monroe Palmer 18,939 35.2 −0.8
Labour Richard D. Stevens 8,458 15.7 +2.6
Green Sally Philips 640 1.2 N/A
Monster Raving Loony Lord of Howell Derek Tiverton 168 0.3 −0.1
Majority 6,634 12.4 -1.7
Turnout 53,778 74.9 +3.1
Conservative hold Swing −0.9

Elections in the 1980s
1987 general election: Hastings and Rye[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Kenneth Warren 26,163 50.1 −3.2
Liberal David Amies 18,816 36.0 +5.5
Labour Joy Hurcombe 6,825 13.1 −2.1
Monster Raving Loony Lord of Howell Derek Tiverton 242 0.4 N/A
Independent Stanley Davies 194 0.4 N/A
Majority 7,347 14.1 -12.7
Turnout 52,240 71.8 +2.9
Conservative hold Swing −4.4
1983 general election: Hastings and Rye[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Kenneth Warren 25,626 53.3 N/A
Liberal David Amies 14,646 30.5 N/A
Labour N. Knowles 7,304 15.2 N/A
Independent G.L. McNally 503 1.0 N/A
Majority 10,980 22.8 N/A
Turnout 48,079 68.9 N/A
Conservative win (new seat)
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See also

Notes
  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. The Conservative MP for the abolished seat of Rye (since 1955) Bryant Godman Irvine retired

References
  1. "Electorate Figures". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. "GE2017: Marginal seats and turnout". House of Commons Library. UK Parliament. 23 June 2017.
  3. "Local statistics". Office for National Statistics.
  4. Khan, Shebab (2 July 2017). "Election 2017: Labour say they have 'every chance of winning' Home Secretary Amber Rudd's seat". The Independent.
  5. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
  6. Jane Hartnell - Acting Returning Officer (14 November 2019). "Election of a Member of Parliament - Hastings and Rye Constituency" (PDF). Hastings Borough Council.
  7. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. "08 May 2015 Parliamentary Election – Results". Hastings Borough Council. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  9. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. "06 May 2010 Parliamentary Election - Results". Hastings District Council. 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.
  11. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  16. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Sources
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