Braintree is a constituency in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

of the

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

since 2015 by

James Cleverly James Spencer Cleverly (born 4 September 1969) is a British politician and Army Reserve officer who has served as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been ...

, a member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. He is a former

Chairman of the Conservative Party The chairman of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is responsible for party administration and overseeing the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, formerly Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in government, the off ...

and currently the

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

. He was also formerly a minister in the

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...

. The constituency was created for the February 1974 general election.

History

The seat was created for the February 1974 general election, largely from the majority of the constituency of

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...

, including the towns of Braintree and

Witham Witham () is a town in the county of Essex in the East of England, with a population ( 2011 census) of 25,353. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the city of Che ...

. It underwent a major redistribution for the 2010 general election when

was formed as a separate constituency. This resulted in making the seat safer for the Conservatives. The former Leader of the House Tony Newton held the seat for the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

from its creation in 1974 until 1997 when Alan Hurst defeated Newton to gain the seat for

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Brooks Newmark Brooks Phillip Victor Newmark (born 8 May 1958) is a British Conservative politician and former Member of Parliament and minister. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Braintree in the 2005 general election and stood down at the 20 ...

defeated Hurst in 2005 to regain the seat for the Conservatives, and held it until he stood down and was succeeded by

, also a Conservative.

Constituency profile

The constituency includes the town of Braintree at its southern end, and a large area of rural Essex to the north.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1974—1983: The Urban Districts of Braintree and Bocking, and Witham, the Rural District of Braintree, and the civil parishes of Boreham, Broomfield, Chignall, Good Easter, Great and Little Leighs, Great Waltham, Little Waltham, Mashbury, Pleshey, Roxwell, Springfield, and Writtle in the Rural District of Chelmsford. Formed largely from the existing constituency of

. The northern part of the Rural District of Chelmsford was transferred from the Constituency of

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It ...

and a small part of the Rural District of Braintree was previously in

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

. 1983—1997: The District of Braintree wards of Black Notley, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree West, Coggeshall, Cressing, Hatfield Peverel, Kelvedon, Panfield, Rayne, Terling, Three Fields, Witham Central, Witham Chipping Hill, Witham North, Witham Silver End and Rivenhall, Witham South, and Witham West, and the Borough of Chelmsford wards of Broomfield and Chignall, Good Easter Mashbury and Roxwell, Great and Little Leighs and Little Waltham, Great Waltham and Pleshey, and Writtle. The Boreham and Springfield ward of Chelmsford Borough was transferred to the constituency of Chelmsford. 1997—2010: The District of Braintree wards of Black Notley, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree West, Coggeshall, Cressing, Earls Colne, Gosfield, Hatfield Peveril, Kelvedon, Panfield, Rayne, Terling, Three Fields, Witham Central, Witham Chipping Hill, Witham North, Witham Silver End and Rivenhall, Witham South, and Witham West. The parts in the Borough of Chelmsford now included in the new County Constituency of West Chelmsford. Two small wards (Earls Colne and Gosfield) transferred from

. 2010—present: The District of Braintree wards of Bocking Blackwater, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree South, Bumpstead, Cressing and Stisted, Gosfield and Greenstead Green, Great Notley and Braintree West, Halstead St Andrews, Halstead Trinity, Hedingham and Maplestead, Panfield, Rayne, Stour Valley North, Stour Valley South, The Three Colnes, Three Fields, Upper Colne, and Yeldham. The 2010 redistribution saw a major change, with southern and western areas, including the town of

, forming the basis of the new County Constituency of

. Extended northwards, gaining the District of Braintree wards previously in Saffron Walden, including the town of

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011List of parliamentary constituencies in Essex

Notes

References

External links

nomis Constituency Profile for Braintree
— presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics. {{DEFAULTSORT:Braintree (Uk Parliament Constituency) Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1974 Parliamentary constituencies in Essex Braintree District