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Colchester is a
constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
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 G ...
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. ...
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 supremac ...
since
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
by
Will Quince William James Quince (born 27 December 1982) is a British politician and former lawyer serving as Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected at the 2015 general election ...
, a
Conservative 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 i ...
.


History

The Parliamentary Borough of Colchester had sent two members to Parliament since the
Model Parliament The Model Parliament is the term, attributed to Frederic William Maitland, used for the 1295 Parliament of England of King Edward I. History This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the v ...
of 1295. In 1885, representation was reduced to one, being one of 36 English boroughs and three Irish boroughs to which this occurred under the
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...
. Under the
Representation of the People Act 1918 The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act. The Act extended the franchise in parliamentary elections, also ...
, the Parliamentary Borough was abolished and replaced with a Division of the County of Essex (later a County Constituency). The constituency remained virtually unchanged until it was briefly abolished for the 1983 general election following the Third Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies, but re-established for the 1997 general election as a Borough Constituency by the Fourth Review.


Boundaries and boundary changes

1918–1950: The Borough of Colchester, and the Rural District of Lexden and Winstree except the detached part of the parish of Inworth which was wholly surrounded by the parishes of Great Braxted and Kelvedon. The area comprising the Rural District of Lexden and Winstree had largely been part of the
Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...
Division. 1950–1983: The Borough of Colchester, the Urban District of West Mersea, and the Rural District of Lexden and Winstree. No changes (the Urban District of West Mersea had been formed as a separate local authority in 1926). For the 1983 general election, the constituency was abolished, with the northern parts (comprising the majority) forming the bulk of the new constituency of North Colchester. Southern areas were included in the new constituency of South Colchester and Maldon. 1997–2010: The Borough of Colchester wards of Berechurch, Castle, Harbour, Lexden, Mile End, New Town, Prettygate, St Andrew's, St Anne's, St John's, St Mary's, Shrub End, and Stanway. Re-established from parts of the abolished constituencies of South Colchester and Maldon (Berechurch, Harbour, New Town, Prettygate and Shrub End wards) and North Colchester (remaining wards). 2010–present: The Borough of Colchester wards of Berechurch, Castle, Christ Church, Harbour, Highwoods, Lexden, Mile End, New Town, Prettygate, St Andrew's, St Anne's, St John's, and Shrub End. Local authority wards redistributed. Minor reduction in electorate, with Stanway ward being included in the new constituency of
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 Chelms ...
.


Constituency profile

Once the basis for one or two semi-rural seats, the modern-day Colchester constituency is a compact, urban core, containing the town centre and surrounding neighbourhoods. The present Colchester constituency most closely resembles the old seat of Colchester North, which was held by the
Conservative 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 i ...
Bernard Jenkin Sir Bernard Christison Jenkin (born 9 April 1959) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Harwich and North Essex since 2010. He also serves as chair of the Liaison Committee. He was first elected to ...
from
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
to
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
. The seat has one of Britain's largest residential
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
populations. The non-military vote in Colchester swung further in favour of the Liberal Democrats since 1997 when Bob Russell stood. He was elected for the party with a small majority. Russell increased his votes and percentage share in three elections. In the 2010 election this was the only non-Conservative seat 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 G ...
. Russell was defeated in the 2015 general election by Conservative
Will Quince William James Quince (born 27 December 1982) is a British politician and former lawyer serving as Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected at the 2015 general election ...
, by an 11.5% majority. In the 2017 election Quince was re-elected by a slightly decreased margin by percentage (10.6%), with
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 ...
moving into 2nd place after a substantial increase in their vote, meaning this seat is now much more a contest between Labour and the Conservatives for the first time in many years. In the 2019 election, Quince increased his majority to 9,423 or 17.6% in percentage terms.


Members of Parliament


MPs 1295–1640


MPs 1640–1885


Notes


MPs 1885–1983


MPs since 1997


Elections


Elections in the 2020s


Elections in the 2010s


Elections in the 2000s


Elections in the 1990s


Elections in the 1970s


Elections in the 1960s


Elections in the 1950s


Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939/40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; *Conservative:
Oswald Lewis Oswald Lewis (5 April 1887 – 12 February 1966) was a British businessman, barrister, and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Early life Born in Hampstead, north west London, Oswald Lewis was the younger son of John Lewis (depa ...
*Labour: Charles Delacourt-Smith


Elections in the 1930s


Elections in the 1920s


Election results 1885–1918


Elections in the 1880s

Trotter's death a caused a by-election.


Elections in the 1890s


Elections in the 1900s


Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1914/15: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; *Unionist:
Laming Worthington-Evans Sir Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans, 1st Baronet, (23 August 1868 – 14 February 1931) was a British Conservative politician. Background and education Born Laming Evans, he was the son of Worthington Evans and Susanah Laming. He assumed t ...
*Liberal: Arthur Horne Goldfinch *Labour:
Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...
Dictionary of Labour Biography


Election results 1832–1885


Elections in the 1830s


Elections in the 1840s


Elections in the 1850s

Smyth's resignation caused a by-election. Manners was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, requiring a by-election. Manners resigned to contest the 1852 by-election in
North Leicestershire North Leicestershire, formally the "Northern Division of Leicestershire", was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Member of Parl ...
, causing a by-election.


Elections in the 1860s

Miller resigned, causing a by-election.


Elections in the 1870s

Rebow's death caused a by-election.


Elections in the 1880s


Elections before 1832

* Caused by Spottiswoode being unseated on petition


See also

* List of parliamentary constituencies in Essex


Notes


References


Sources

*Robert Beatson, "A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament" (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807
A Chronological Register of Both Houses of the British Parliament, from the Union in 1708, to the Third Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1807
*D Brunton & D H Pennington, ''Members of the Long Parliament'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) *''Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803'' (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808
titles A-Z
* F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) * J E Neale, ''The Elizabethan House of Commons'' (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949) *Henry Stooks Smith, ''The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847'' (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
Victoria County History of Essex online at www.british-history.ac.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colchester (Uk Parliament Constituency) Politics of Colchester Parliamentary constituencies in Essex Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1295 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1983 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1997