Croydon West (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Croydon West was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
from 1950 to 1955. It elected one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
, in an effort to create three seats in the County Borough of Croydon
from the previous two, also taking in areas from the East Surrey
constituency to the south.
The new Croydon West took in areas of the former Croydon North
and Croydon South
constituencies as well as Surrey East. It bordered Croydon East
, Croydon North and Surrey East, as well as the constituency of Mitcham
.
All three Croydon constituencies were abolished just five years later at the 1955 general election
, re-creating Croydon South and creating the new Croydon North East
and Croydon North West
seats.
For all of its short history, Croydon West's Member of Parliament
was Conservative
Richard Thompson
. It was contested in two elections: the 1950 general election
and the 1951 general election
. Prior to 1950, Croydon South had been held by Labour
and most of the Labour voters were re-drawn into Croydon West, making it a marginal seat.
, Selhurst
, Waddon
, and South Croydon
.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
from 1950 to 1955. It elected one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Politics and history
Croydon West was a short-lived seat created for the 1950 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, in an effort to create three seats in the County Borough of Croydon
County Borough of Croydon
Croydon was a local government district in north east Surrey, England from 1849 to 1965.-History:A local board of health was formed for the parish of Croydon St John the Baptist in 1849. On March 9, 1883 the town received a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough...
from the previous two, also taking in areas from the East Surrey
East Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)
East Surrey is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
constituency to the south.
The new Croydon West took in areas of the former Croydon North
Croydon North (UK Parliament constituency)
Croydon North is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
and Croydon South
Croydon South (historic UK Parliament constituency)
-Politics and history of the constituency:The seat was created in 1918 and the first MP was Ian Malcolm who had been the MP for all of Croydon. H.T. Muggeridge, father of Malcolm Muggeridge, fought the seat for Labour four times from 1918, later becoming MP for Romford...
constituencies as well as Surrey East. It bordered Croydon East
Croydon East (UK Parliament constituency)
Croydon East was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Politics and history :...
, Croydon North and Surrey East, as well as the constituency of Mitcham
Mitcham (UK Parliament constituency)
Mitcham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Mitcham suburb of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
.
All three Croydon constituencies were abolished just five years later at the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, re-creating Croydon South and creating the new Croydon North East
Croydon North East (UK Parliament constituency)
Croydon North East was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
and Croydon North West
Croydon North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Croydon North West was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Politics and history of the constituency :...
seats.
For all of its short history, Croydon West's Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
was Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Richard Thompson
Sir Richard Thompson, 1st Baronet
Sir Richard Hilton Marler Thompson, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative politician.Thompson was educated at Malvern College and in India, Burma and Sri Lanka and worked in Calcutta and the Far East in business. In World War II, he served in the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman and became...
. It was contested in two elections: the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
and the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
. Prior to 1950, Croydon South had been held by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and most of the Labour voters were re-drawn into Croydon West, making it a marginal seat.
Boundaries
Croydon West covered the communities of central and west CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Selhurst
Selhurst
Selhurst is a suburban development in the London Borough of Croydon south-south-east of Charing Cross. A relatively small area, Selhurst is bounded by South Norwood, Croydon and Thornton Heath and, like nearby Broad Green, has lost its distinct identity from these larger neighbours in recent years...
, Waddon
Waddon
Waddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...
, and South Croydon
South Croydon
South Croydon is a locality in Greater London, the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon about 1 km in radius, centred on the Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is part of the South Croydon post town and in the London Borough of Croydon...
.
Members of Parliament 1950 - 1955
- Constituency created 1950
- 1950 — 1955: Richard ThompsonSir Richard Thompson, 1st BaronetSir Richard Hilton Marler Thompson, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative politician.Thompson was educated at Malvern College and in India, Burma and Sri Lanka and worked in Calcutta and the Far East in business. In World War II, he served in the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman and became...
, ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... - Constituency abolished 1955