Cambridge 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, ...

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 ...

Daniel Zeichner Daniel Stephen Zeichner (born 9 November 1956) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cambridge since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he defeated Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert before retaining his sea ...

of the Labour Party. It was held by the Conservatives from 1967 to 1992, since when it has been represented alternately by both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted 73.8% to remain.

Constituency profile

One of the oldest continuously constituted constituencies, it was created in 1295 and is centred on the university city of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. The current constituency covers the majority of the city of

, including the areas of Arbury (which contains some social housing), Chesterton, Newnham,

Cherry Hinton Cherry Hinton is a suburban area of the city of Cambridge, in Cambridgeshire, England. It is around southeast of Cambridge city centre. History The rectangular parish of Cherry Hinton occupies the western corner of Flendish hundred on the so ...

and the village of

Trumpington Trumpington is a village and parish to the south of Cambridge, England. The village is an electoral ward of the City of Cambridge and a ward of South Cambridgeshire District Council. The 2011 Census recorded the ward's population as 8,034. Th ...

; but the city's Queen Edith's ward (which includes

Addenbrooke's Hospital Addenbrooke's Hospital is an internationally renowned large teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge, England, with strong affiliations to the University of Cambridge. Addenbrooke's Hospital is based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campu ...

and

Homerton College Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the co ...

) is in the neighbouring

South Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 162,119 at the 2021 census. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. I ...

constituency.

was added in 2010 from the

constituency. Residents are healthier and wealthier than the UK average.

History

Overview of results before 1992

Cambridge returned two Members to Parliament from 1295 until 1885, using the bloc vote system. These were generally townsmen who were involved in local government, with at least sixty mayors of Cambridge having served as MP by 1621. 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 ...

representation was reduced to one member with effect from the 1885 general election. From 1910 to 1992, Cambridge was won by 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 ...

, save for 1945 to 1950 and 1966 to 1968, when it was

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 ...

-held. ;Related extra representation 1603–1950 Historically, the city of Cambridge retained some electors, and was often the source of MPs to a second constituency, for

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, covering all successful alumni in its electorate. The university seat was created in 1603 as part of the scheme of

University constituencies A university constituency is a constituency, used in elections to a legislature, that represents the members of one or more universities rather than residents of a geographical area. These may or may not involve plural voting, in which voters a ...

. Its MPs included

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

, George Stokes, Richard Jebb, and

Archibald Hill Archibald Vivian Hill (26 September 1886 – 3 June 1977), known as A. V. Hill, was a British physiologist, one of the founders of the diverse disciplines of biophysics and operations research. He shared the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology or ...

before abolition in 1950.

Overview of results since 1992

In 1992, Cambridge was won by

's Anne Campbell, who held onto the seat for 13 years (three Parliamentary terms). In 2005, it was taken by

David Howarth David Ross Howarth (born 10 November 1958) is a British academic and politician who was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cambridge from 2005–10. He served as an Electoral Commissioner between 2010 and 2018. He is Professor of L ...

of the Liberal Democrats, the first time the party (including its two forerunner parties) had taken the seat since the 1906 Liberal-progressive

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

; his successor,

Julian Huppert Julian Leon Huppert (born 21 July 1978) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom and former Member of Parliament for Cambridge from 2010 to 2015. He succeeded David Howarth, who stood down after one term as an MP. At the 2015 gene ...

, held the seat with an increased majority in the 2010 general election. In 2015, Huppert was unseated by the Labour candidate,

, who took the seat with a thin majority of 599 votes. The 2015 result gave the seat the 7th-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority. ;Most recent results of other parties In 2015, three other parties candidates kept their

deposits A deposit account is a bank account maintained by a financial institution in which a customer can deposit and withdraw money. Deposit accounts can be savings accounts, Transaction account#Current accounts, current accounts or any of several othe ...

, by winning more than 5% of the vote. In order of public preference, these candidates stood for the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

and

UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...

, respectively. ;Turnout since 1918 Turnout at general elections has ranged between 86.48% in 1950 to 60.6% in 2001.

Boundaries

1868–1918: The Borough of Cambridge, plus the village of Chesterton. 1918–1950: The Borough of Cambridge. 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 boundaries were expanded to align with those of the Municipal Borough, incorporating further parts of the former Urban District of Chesterton not already included in the Parliamentary Borough to the north, and the parish of Cambridge Without to the south. 1950–1983: As 1918 but with redrawn boundaries. The boundaries were further expanded for the 1950 general election, under the

Representation of the People Act 1948 The Representation of the People Act 1948 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the law relating to parliamentary and local elections. It is noteworthy for abolishing plural voting for parliamentary elections, including ...

. 1983–2010: The City of Cambridge wards of Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge, East Chesterton, King's Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Romsey, and West Chesterton. 2010–present: The City of Cambridge wards of Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge, East Chesterton, King's Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Romsey, Trumpington, and West Chesterton.

Members of Parliament

* ''Constituency created'' (1295)

MPs 1295–1660

MPs 1660–1885

MPs since 1885

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1900s

Stanley Buckmaster, 1st Viscount Buckmaster circa 1910

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1860s

''Election of William Forsyth declared void on petition, due to his holding an office of profit under the Crown.'' ''Resignation of Andrew Steuart.''

Elections in the 1850s

''Previous election declared void on petition, due to bribery and treating.''

Elections in the 1840s

''By-election triggered by the appointment of Fitzroy Kelly as Solicitor-General of England and Wales'' ''By-election triggered by the resignation of Sir Alexander Cray Grant, Bt. by accepting the office of Steward of the Manor of Poynings'' ''Previous by-election declared void on petition due to bribery and treating by Manners-Sutton's agents.''

Elections in the 1830s

'' By-election triggered by the elevation to the peerage of Thomas Spring Rice as Lord Monteagle of Brandon. '' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of Thomas Spring Rice as

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

.'' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of Thomas Spring Rice as

Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Hist ...

.''

Elections in the 1820s

''By-election triggered by the death of Charles Madryl Cheere.'' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of the Marquess of Graham as Commander of the Board of Control.'' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of Frederick William Trench as Storekeeper of Ordnance.''

Elections in the 1810s

''By-election triggered by the resignation of the Hon. Edward Finch.''

Elections in the 1800s

''By-election triggered by the appointment of Robert Manners as First Equerry and Clerk Marshal of the Mews.''

Elections in the 1790s

''By-election triggered by the simultaneous election of Francis Dickins for

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, and his decision to sit for that constituency instead of Cambridge.''

Elections in the 1780s

''By-election triggered by the appointment of John Mortlock to office.'' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of James Whorwood Adeane to office.''

Elections in the 1770s

''By-election triggered by the elevation to the peerage of Charles Sloane Cadogan.''

Elections in the 1760s

''By-election triggered by the appointment of Charles Sloane Cadogan to office.'' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of Charles Sloane Cadogan to office.''

Elections in the 1750s

''By-election triggered by the succession to the peerage of Thomas Bromley.'' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin, to office.'' ''By-election triggered by the appointment of Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin, to office.'' ''By-election triggered by the succession to the peerage Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin.''

Graphical representation

Notes

References

Sources

External links

nomis Constituency Profile for Cambridge
– presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.

{{Authority control

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, ...

Parliamentary constituencies in Cambridgeshire

Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1295