Witney (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Witney is a county constituency in Oxfordshire
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election, and was created for the 1983 general election
.
The constituency is currently represented by the Prime Minister, David Cameron
.
for the Conservative Party
. Its first MP was Douglas Hurd
, who served as a cabinet minister under both Margaret Thatcher
and John Major
, and stood down in 1997.
Hurd was succeeded by Shaun Woodward
at the 1997 general election
. However, Woodward defected to the Labour Party
in 1999, and Witney unexpectedly had a Labour MP. Woodward chose not to stand in Witney as a Labour candidate and moved to the Labour safe seat of St Helens South
instead, following the practice of Alan Howarth
in 1997
.
At the 2001 general election
, David Cameron
was elected as MP for Witney and has held the seat since then. He has been the leader of the Conservative Party since December 2005, and Prime Minister since May 2010.
plus two villages close to Oxford which are in the Cherwell District Council Area.
It is typically made up of market towns of which Witney is the largest with a population of 23,000 and others include Chipping Norton with 6,000 and Woodstock with 4,000. Carterton is the second largest populated town with 14,000 and is situated alongside RAF Brize Norton
which is vital to the local economy being one of the largest and busiest RAF bases in the country. The balance is very rural and is the largest area in all of the Districts in the County of Oxfordshire. The industrial profile has changed radically over the past few decades from predominantly agricultural and blanket based to the present day with many smaller hi-tech businesses such as those involved in high performance Formula 1 racing cars, computer technology and associated services. At the same time there has been a rapid expansion in the entire tourism industry in this area, with visitors coming from all over the world.
For the 2010 general election, the Witney Parliamentary Constituency boundaries changed and it become co-terminous with the boundaries of West Oxfordshire District Council. Begbroke and Yarnton, part of Cherwell District Council transferred to the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency following a Boundary Commission review.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
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...
. It elects 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, and was created for the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
.
The constituency is currently represented by the Prime Minister, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
.
History
The constituency is a safe seatSafe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
for the Conservative Party
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...
. Its first MP was Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
, who served as a cabinet minister under both Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, and stood down in 1997.
Hurd was succeeded by Shaun Woodward
Shaun Woodward
Shaun Anthony Woodward is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for St Helens South since 2001. He served in the Cabinet from 28 June 2007 to 11 May 2010 as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland...
at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. However, Woodward defected to the Labour Party
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...
in 1999, and Witney unexpectedly had a Labour MP. Woodward chose not to stand in Witney as a Labour candidate and moved to the Labour safe seat of St Helens South
St Helens South (UK Parliament constituency)
St Helens South 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.-Boundaries:...
instead, following the practice of Alan Howarth
Alan Howarth, Baron Howarth of Newport
Alan Thomas Howarth, Baron Howarth of Newport, CBE, PC, is a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1983 until 2005.-Early life:...
in 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
.
At the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
was elected as MP for Witney and has held the seat since then. He has been the leader of the Conservative Party since December 2005, and Prime Minister since May 2010.
Boundaries
Until 1974, much of the seat now known as Witney was classed as part of the Banbury Constituency which also included Banbury, Chipping Norton and Woodstock. From 1974 to 1983, the area was included in the Mid Oxfordshire seat along with parts of Bullingdon and Ploughley. Since 1983, Witney has been a full parliamentary seat in its own right and comprises the whole of the District of West OxfordshireWest Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
plus two villages close to Oxford which are in the Cherwell District Council Area.
It is typically made up of market towns of which Witney is the largest with a population of 23,000 and others include Chipping Norton with 6,000 and Woodstock with 4,000. Carterton is the second largest populated town with 14,000 and is situated alongside RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
which is vital to the local economy being one of the largest and busiest RAF bases in the country. The balance is very rural and is the largest area in all of the Districts in the County of Oxfordshire. The industrial profile has changed radically over the past few decades from predominantly agricultural and blanket based to the present day with many smaller hi-tech businesses such as those involved in high performance Formula 1 racing cars, computer technology and associated services. At the same time there has been a rapid expansion in the entire tourism industry in this area, with visitors coming from all over the world.
For the 2010 general election, the Witney Parliamentary Constituency boundaries changed and it become co-terminous with the boundaries of West Oxfordshire District Council. Begbroke and Yarnton, part of Cherwell District Council transferred to the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency following a Boundary Commission review.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
Douglas Hurd Douglas Hurd Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995.... |
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... |
Later Baron Hurd of Westwell; Cabinet minister 1984-95 | |
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Shaun Woodward Shaun Woodward Shaun Anthony Woodward is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for St Helens South since 2001. He served in the Cabinet from 28 June 2007 to 11 May 2010 as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland... |
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... |
MP for St Helens South St Helens South (UK Parliament constituency) St Helens South 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.-Boundaries:... from 2001 |
|
| 1999 | 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... |
|||
| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... |
David Cameron David Cameron David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament .... |
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... |
Leader of the Conservative Party 2005–present; Prime Minister 2010–present | |