West Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)

West Dorset is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Chris Loder, a Conservative.^{[n 2]}

West Dorset
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of West Dorset in Dorset
Location of Dorset within England
County	Dorset
Electorate	83,000 (December 2021)^[1]
Major settlements	Dorchester, Bridport and Sherborne
Current constituency
Created	1885
Member of Parliament	Chris Loder (Conservative)
Seats	One

History

The seat was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

Political history

Only Conservative MPs have been elected in West Dorset. Historically there have mostly been large majorities; thus the seat can be considered a safe seat. The closest result in recent years was in 2001, when the then member, Oliver Letwin, held his seat with a majority of only 2.8% over the Liberal Democrat candidate, Simon Green. The second place in every election after 1970 has been taken by the Liberal Party and, subsequent to that party's merging with the SDP, the Liberal Democrats. Labour's best results in the constituency were in 1945 and 1966.

Prominent frontbenchers

Oliver Letwin, with a settled background in policy formulation, was appointed Minister of State for Policy (a Cabinet Office role) in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition on 12 May 2010. He had previously served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer between 2003 and 2005.

Boundaries

 

Map of current boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport and Lyme Regis, the Sessional Divisions of Bridport and Cerne, and part of the Sessional Divisions of Dorchester and Sherborne.

1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester, and Lyme Regis, the Rural Districts of Beaminster, Bridport, Cerne, and Dorchester, and part of the Rural District of Weymouth.

1950–1974: The Municipal Boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester, and Lyme Regis, the Urban District of Sherborne, the Rural Districts of Beaminster, Bridport, and Sherborne, and part of the Rural District of Dorchester.

1974–1983: As 1950 but with redrawn boundaries.

1983–present: The District of West Dorset except the ward of Owermoigne.

The West Dorset constituency covers most of the West Dorset district and includes the towns of Dorchester, the county town of Dorset; Bridport, Lyme Regis and Beaminster to the west; and Sherborne to the north.

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The District of Dorset wards of: Beaminster; Bridport; Chalk Valleys; Charminster St. Mary’s; Chesil Bank; Dorchester East; Dorchester Poundbury; Dorchester West; Eggardon; Lyme & Charmouth; Marshwood Vale; Sherborne East; Sherborne Rural; Sherborne West; Winterborne & Broadmayne; Yetminster.^[2]

Minor changes to bring the electorate within the permitted range following re-organisation of local authorities and wards in Dorset and to bring the electorate within the permitted range.

Constituency profile

Aside from tourist areas, including the Jurassic Coast which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the seat draws on managerial and advanced professional skills in sectors such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, reconditioning, defence, art and design, which support local trades and retail. A slightly greater than average proportion of people are retired.^[3] Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 1.4% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.^[4]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member^[5]	Party	Notes
	1885	Henry Farquharson	Conservative	Died 1895
	1895 by-election	Robert Williams	Conservative
	1922	Philip Colfox	Conservative	Resigned 1941
	1941 by-election	Simon Digby	Conservative
	Feb 1974	Jim Spicer	Conservative
	1997	Oliver Letwin	Conservative
	2019		Independent	Conservative whip removed in September 2019
	2019	Chris Loder	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election: West Dorset

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Chris Loder^[6]
	Liberal Democrats	Edward Morello^[7]
Majority
Turnout

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: West Dorset^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Chris Loder	33,589	55.1	–0.4
	Liberal Democrats	Edward Morello	19,483	32.0	+8.5
	Labour	Claudia Sorin	5,729	9.4	–8.9
	Green	Kelvin Clayton	2,124	3.5	+0.8
Majority			14,106	23.1	–8.9
Turnout			60,925	74.7	–0.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	–4.5

General election 2017: West Dorset

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Oliver Letwin	33,081	55.5	+5.3
	Liberal Democrats	Andy Canning	13,990	23.5	+1.9
	Labour	Lee Rhodes	10,896	18.3	+8.3
	Green	Kelvin Clayton	1,631	2.7	−3.0
Majority			19,091	32.0	+2.4
Turnout			59,750	75.6	+3.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.7

General election 2015: West Dorset^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Oliver Letwin	28,329	50.2	+2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Ros Kayes	12,199	21.6	−19.1
	UKIP	David Glossop	7,055	12.5	+8.7
	Labour	Rachel Rogers	5,633	10.0	+3.3
	Green	Peter Barton	3,242	5.7	+4.5
Majority			16,130	28.6	+21.7
Turnout			56,643	72.6	−2.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+10.9

General election 2010: West Dorset^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Oliver Letwin	27,287	47.6	+1.1
	Liberal Democrats	Sue Farrant	23,364	40.7	−1.2
	Labour	Steve Bick	3,815	6.7	−1.0
	UKIP	Oliver Chisholm	2,196	3.8	+1.8
	Green	Susan Greene	675	1.2	−0.6
Majority			3,923	6.9	+2.3
Turnout			57,337	74.6	−1.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.1

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: West Dorset^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Oliver Letwin	24,763	46.5	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Justine McGuinness	22,302	41.9	+0.1
	Labour	Dave Roberts	4,124	7.7	−5.9
	UKIP	Linda Guest	1,084	2.0	New
	Green	Susan Greene	952	1.8	New
Majority			2,461	4.6	+1.8
Turnout			53,225	76.3	+6.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.9

General election 2001: West Dorset^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Oliver Letwin	22,126	44.6	+3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Green	20,712	41.8	+4.1
	Labour	Richard Hyde	6,733	13.6	−4.1
Majority			1,414	2.8	-0.6
Turnout			49,571	69.5	−6.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: West Dorset^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Oliver Letwin	22,036	41.1	-7.7
	Liberal Democrats	Robin AS Legg	20,196	37.7	+1.5
	Labour	Robert Bygraves	9,491	17.7	+4.7
	UKIP	P. Jenkins	1,590	3.0	New
	Natural Law	Mark Griffiths	239	0.4	New
Majority			1,840	3.4	-11.2
Turnout			53,552	76.1	-4.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1992: Dorset West^[14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Spicer	27,766	50.8	−5.4
	Liberal Democrats	Robin A.S. Legg	19,756	36.2	+4.6
	Labour	JPB Mann	7,082	13.0	+0.8
Majority			8,010	14.6	−10.0
Turnout			54,604	81.2	+2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.9

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Dorset West^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Spicer	28,305	56.2	-3.5
	Liberal	Trevor Jones	15,941	31.6	+2.7
	Labour	John Watson	6,123	12.2	+0.8
Majority			12,364	24.6	-6.2
Turnout			50,369	78.3	+4.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.1

General election 1983: Dorset West^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Spicer	27,030	59.7	+1.0
	Liberal	Trevor Jones	13,078	28.9	+7.1
	Labour	Derek Cash	5,168	11.4	-6.4
Majority			13,952	30.8	-6.1
Turnout			45,276	74.2	-4.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.0

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Spicer	26,281	58.71
	Liberal	Trevor Jones	9,776	21.84
	Labour	HJ Skevington	7,999	17.87
	National Front	J Tillotson	514	1.15	New
	Wessex Regionalist	G McEwan	192	0.43	New
Majority			16,505	36.87
Turnout			44,762	79.00
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Spicer	20,517	49.20
	Liberal	RM Angus	11,832	28.37
	Labour	PJ Dawe	9,350	22.42
Majority			8,685	20.83
Turnout			41,699	77.84
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Spicer	21,634	49.00
	Liberal	RM Angus	14,183	32.12
	Labour	MF Cross	8,333	18.87
Majority			7,451	16.88
Turnout			44,150	83.12
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1970: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	21,081	54.15
	Labour	George Sakwa	10,536	27.06
	Liberal	Allan Percival	7,314	18.79
Majority			10,545	27.09
Turnout			38,931	76.76
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	17,709	47.68
	Labour	F Donald Shirreff	11,757	31.65
	Liberal	Michael Aza Pinney	7,676	20.67
Majority			5,952	16.03
Turnout			37,142	80.85
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1964: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	17,841	48.59
	Labour	Leslie William King	10,631	28.96
	Liberal	Michael Aza Pinney	8,242	22.45
Majority			7,210	19.63
Turnout			36,714	81.68
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	19,747	54.65
	Labour	Leslie William King	11,536	31.93
	Liberal	John H. Goodden	4,850	13.42	New
Majority			8,211	22.72
Turnout			36,133	81.92
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1955: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	21,007	59.59
	Labour	Leslie William King	14,244	40.41
Majority			6,763	19.18
Turnout			35,251	80.07
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1951: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	21,739	60.31
	Labour	Cambreth John Kane	14,308	39.69
Majority			7,431	20.62
Turnout			36,047	82.11
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1950: Dorset West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	18,771	51.75
	Labour	Cambreth John Kane	11,967	33.00
	Liberal	Colin Grant Cameron	5,531	15.25
Majority			6,804	18.75
Turnout			36,269	83.95
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: West Dorset^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	13,399	50.1	-4.0
	Labour	Cambreth John Kane	8,215	30.8	New
	Liberal	George Newsom	5,098	19.1	-26.8
Majority			5,184	19.3	+9.1
Turnout			26,712	74.7	-3.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

1941 West Dorset by-election^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Wingfield Digby	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold

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: Simon Wingfield Digby
• Liberal: George Edwin Chappell
• British Union: Ralph Jebb

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: West Dorset^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Colfox	13,825	54.1	-6.1
	Liberal	George Edwin Chappell	11,735	45.9	+6.1
Majority			2,090	8.2	-12.2
Turnout			25,560	77.9	-3.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.1

General election 1931: West Dorset^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Colfox	15,510	60.2	+11.1
	Liberal	George Edwin Chappell	10,271	39.8	+8.0
Majority			5,239	20.4	+3.1
Turnout			25,781	81.6	+1.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Dorset West^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Philip Colfox	12,247	49.1	-19.2
	Liberal	George Edwin Chappell	7,921	31.8	New
	Labour	Thomas Robins	4,770	19.1	-12.6
Majority			4,326	17.3	-19.3
Turnout			24,938	80.6	+7.4
	Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1924: West Dorset^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Philip Colfox	12,426	68.3	+9.5
	Labour	Louie Simpson	5,764	31.7	-9.5
Majority			6,662	36.6	+19.0
Turnout			18,190	73.2	+2.3
	Unionist hold		Swing	+9.5

General election 1923: West Dorset^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Philip Colfox	10,100	58.8	-3.3
	Labour	Louie Simpson	7,087	41.2	+3.3
Majority			3,013	17.6	-6.6
Turnout			17,187	70.9	-7.6
	Unionist hold		Swing	-3.3

General election 1922: West Dorset^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Philip Colfox	11,649	62.1	N/A
	Labour	T C Duke	7,101	37.9	New
Majority			4,548	24.2	N/A
Turnout			18,750	78.5	N/A
	Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: West Dorset^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Robert Williams	Unopposed
	Unionist hold
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

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: Robert Williams
• Liberal:

General election December 1910: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Williams	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election January 1910: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Williams	4,011	59.2	+2.8
	Liberal	William Saunders Edwards	2,759	40.8	-2.8
Majority			1,252	18.4	+5.6
Turnout			6,770	89.4	+1.6
Registered electors			7,576
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.8

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Williams	3,671	56.4	N/A
	Liberal	Johnstone J Haye	2,834	43.6	New
Majority			837	12.8	N/A
Turnout			6,505	87.8	N/A
Registered electors			7,413
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1900: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Williams	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Williams	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

1895 West Dorset by-election^[20][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Williams	3,538	60.3	+3.6
	Independent Farmers	George Wood Homer^[21]^[n 3]	2,325	39.7	−3.6
Majority			1,213	20.6	+7.2
Turnout			5,863	76.0	−8.0
Registered electors			7,713
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.6

General election 1892: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Farquharson	3,691	56.7	−3.1
	Liberal	Charles Tindal Gatty	2,813	43.3	+3.1
Majority			878	13.4	−6.2
Turnout			6,504	84.0	+6.4
Registered electors			7,747
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.1

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Farquharson	3,672	59.8	+8.8
	Liberal	Herbert Carey George Batten^[22]	2,467	40.2	-8.8
Majority			1,205	19.6	+17.6
Turnout			6,139	77.6	−9.2
Registered electors			7,914
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.8

General election 1885: Dorset West^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Farquharson	3,507	51.0
	Liberal	Herbert Carey George Batten^[22]	3,366	49.0
Majority			141	2.0
Turnout			6,873	86.8
Registered electors			7,914
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
3. Supported by the local Liberal association

References

1. "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
2. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
3. "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
4. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
6. "Chris Loder MP reselected as Conservative candidate to contest West Dorset". Chris Loder. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
7. "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
8. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
9. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
10. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
11. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
12. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
13. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
14. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
15. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
16. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
17. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
19. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
20. The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 143 (167 in web page), Dorsetshire
21. "West Dorset". Salisbury and Winchester Journal. 11 May 1895. p. 2. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
22. Mayers, Rachel (November 2015). Barber, Bob (ed.). "What's in a name: Ainslie and Stanfield" (PDF). The Greenwood Tree. 40 (4). Sherborne: The Somerset and Dorset Family History Society: 120. Retrieved 25 November 2017.

50°47′20″N 2°35′53″W / 50.7889°N 2.5980°W / 50.7889; -2.5980