Rutland and Melton (UK Parliament constituency)

Rutland and Melton
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Rutland and Melton in Rutland and Leicestershire for the 2019 general election
Outline map
Location of Rutland and Leicestershire within England
County1983–1997 Leicestershire
1997–present Leicestershire and Rutland
Electorate77,324 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsMelton Mowbray, Oakham and Uppingham
1983–2024
SeatsOne
Created fromRutland and Stamford, and Melton
Replaced byRutland and Stamford, and Melton and Syston

Rutland and Melton was a county constituency spanning Leicestershire and Rutland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 2024. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election. For its entire existence, the seat elected members of the Conservative Party.

History

The constituency was created in 1983 from the former seats of Rutland and Stamford and Melton. Initially, it covered all of Rutland and Melton borough and part of Charnwood. A boundary change implemented in 1997 saw the area of Charnwood replaced with part of Harborough district up to the boundary of the city of Leicester (for example Scraptoft).

The constituency was considered a safe Conservative seat throughout its existence, electing a Conservative with a significant margin even with the 1997 national swing towards the Labour Party. Sir Alan Duncan held the seat from 1992 to 2019, when he was replaced by Alicia Kearns.[2]

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed as follows:[3]

Boundaries

Map
Map of boundaries 2010-2024

1983–1997: The district of Rutland, the Borough of Melton, and the borough of Charnwood wards of East Goscote, Queniborough, Six Hills, Syston, and Thurmaston.

1997–2010: The county of Rutland, the Borough of Melton, and the District of Harborough wards of Billesdon, Easton, Houghton, Scraptoft, Thurnby, and Tilton.

2010–2024: The county of Rutland, the Borough of Melton, and the District of Harborough wards of Billesdon, Nevill, Thurnby and Houghton, and Tilton.

Members of Parliament

Election Member[4] Party
1983 Michael Latham Conservative
1992 Sir Alan Duncan Conservative
2019 Alicia Kearns Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Rutland and Melton[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alicia Kearns 36,507 62.6 −0.2
Labour Andy Thomas 9,583 16.4 −6.3
Liberal Democrats Carol Weaver 7,970 13.7 +5.5
Green Alastair McQuillan 2,875 4.9 +1.9
UKIP Marietta King 917 1.6 −1.7
Independent Anthony Watchorn[note 1] 458 0.8 New
Majority 26,924 46.2 +6.1
Turnout 58,310 70.5 −2.9
Conservative hold Swing +3.0
General election 2017: Rutland and Melton[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Duncan 36,169 62.8 +7.2
Labour Heather Peto 13,065 22.7 +7.3
Liberal Democrats Ed Reynolds 4,711 8.2 +0.1
UKIP John Scutter 1,869 3.2 −12.7
Green Alastair McQuillan 1,755 3.0 −1.3
Majority 23,104 40.1 +0.4
Turnout 57,569 73.4 +5.0
Conservative hold Swing -0.05
General election 2015: Rutland and Melton[8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Duncan 30,383 55.6 +4.4
UKIP Richard Billington[9] 8,678 15.9 +11.3
Labour James Moore 8,383 15.4 +1.2
Liberal Democrats Ed Reynolds 4,407 8.1 −17.7
Green Alastair McQuillan 2,325 4.3 New
Independent Marilyn Gordon 427 0.8 New
Majority 21,705 39.7 +14.3
Turnout 54,603 68.4 −3.3
Conservative hold Swing −3.4
General election 2010: Rutland and Melton[10][11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Duncan 28,228 51.2 ±0.0
Liberal Democrats Grahame Hudson 14,228 25.8 +7.2
Labour John Morgan 7,839 14.2 −10.8
UKIP Peter Baker 2,526 4.6 +1.4
BNP Keith Addison 1,757 3.2 New
Independent Leigh Higgins 588 1.1 New
Majority 14,000 25.4 −0.8
Turnout 55,166 71.7 +6.7
Conservative hold Swing −3.6

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Rutland and Melton[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Duncan 25,237 51.2 +3.1
Labour Linda Arnold 12,307 25.0 −4.8
Liberal Democrats Grahame Hudson 9,153 18.6 +0.8
UKIP Peter Baker 1,554 3.2 +0.6
Veritas Duncan Shelley 696 1.4 New
Independent Helen Pender 337 0.7 New
Majority 12,930 26.2 +7.9
Turnout 49,284 65.0 +0.8
Conservative hold Swing +4.0
General election 2001: Rutland and Melton[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Duncan 22,621 48.1 +2.3
Labour Matthew O'Callaghan 14,009 29.8 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Kim Lee 8,386 17.8 −1.4
UKIP Peter Baker 1,223 2.6 +1.0
Green Chris Davies 817 1.7 New
Majority 8,612 18.3 +1.5
Turnout 47,056 64.2 −10.8
Conservative hold Swing +0.8

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Rutland and Melton[15][16][17][note 2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Duncan 24,107 45.8 −15.6
Labour John Meads 15,271 29.0 +13.3
Liberal Democrats Kim Lee 10,112 19.2 −1.6
Referendum Rupert King 2,317 4.4 New
UKIP Jeff Abbott 823 1.6 New
Majority 8,836 16.8 −23.8
Turnout 52,630 75.0 −5.2
Conservative hold Swing -14.5
General election 1992: Rutland and Melton[18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Duncan 38,603 59.0 −3.0
Labour Joan Taylor 13,068 20.0 +5.5
Liberal Democrats Richard Lustig 12,682 19.4 −4.1
Green Jim Berreen 861 1.3 New
Natural Law R Gray 237 0.4 New
Majority 25,535 39.0 +0.5
Turnout 65,451 80.8 +4.0
Conservative hold Swing −4.2

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Rutland and Melton[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Latham 37,073 62.0 +0.6
Liberal Robert Renold 14,051 23.5 −3.6
Labour Leslie Burke 8,680 14.5 +2.9
Majority 23,022 38.5 +5.2
Turnout 59,804 76.8 +3.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Rutland and Melton[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Latham 33,262 60.4
Liberal David Farrer 14,909 27.1
Labour John Whitby 6,414 11.6
Ecology Heather Goddard 532 1.0
Majority 18,353 33.3
Turnout 59,804 73.3
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Watchorn died on 26 November 2019 during the election campaign.[6]
  2. ^ The 1997 election result is calculated relative to the notional, not the actual, 1992 result.

References

  1. ^ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Sir Alan Duncan will not stand for re-election". 30 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  3. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – East Midlands | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 2)
  5. ^ "Rutland & Melton Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Melton election contenders send condolences after death of Independent candidate". Melton Times. 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2020. Watchorn, who was 69, and who was a farmer at Whissendine, had been taken ill on Tuesday and passed away at Peterborough Hospital the following morning.
  7. ^ "General Election 2017: Rutland and Melton". The Daily Express. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. ^ a b "UK Polling Report". Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 2010. Politics Resources. 6 May 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  13. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1997. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  17. ^ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.142 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
  18. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  20. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

52°42′N 0°48′W / 52.7°N 0.8°W / 52.7; -0.8