The ceremonial county of East Sussex, (which includes the unitary authority of Brighton & Hove) is divided into 8 parliamentary constituencies - 4 borough constituencies and 4 county constituencies.

Constituencies

Further information: 2019 United Kingdom general election

  Conservative †   Labour ‡   Liberal Democrat ¤   Green ♣

Constituency[nb 1] Electorate[1] Majority[2][nb 2] Member of Parliament[2] Nearest opposition[2] Electoral wards[3][4] Map
Bexhill and Battle CC 81,963 26,059   Huw Merriman † Christine Bayliss ‡ Rother District Council: Battle Town, Central, Collington, Crowhurst, Darwell, Ewhurst and Sedlescombe, Kewhurst, Old Town, Rother Levels, Sackville, St Marks, St Michaels, St Stephens, Salehurst, Sidley, Ticehurst and Etchingham. Wealden District Council: Cross In Hand/Five Ashes, Heathfield East, Heathfield North and Central, Herstmonceux, Ninfield and Hooe with Wartling, Pevensey and Westham.
Brighton, Kemptown BC 69,833 8,061   Lloyd Russell-Moyle ‡   Joe Miller † Brighton and Hove City Council: East Brighton, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queen's Park, Rottingdean Coastal, Woodingdean. Lewes District Council: East Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven East, Peacehaven North, Peacehaven West.
Brighton, Pavilion BC 79,057 19,940   Caroline Lucas ♣   Adam Imanpour ‡ Brighton and Hove City Council: Hanover and Elm Grove, Hollingbury and Stanmer, Patcham, Preston Park, Regency, St Peter's and North Laine, Withdean.
Eastbourne BC 79,307 4,331 Caroline Ansell †   Stephen Lloyd ¤ Eastbourne Borough Council: Devonshire, Hampden Park, Langney, Meads, Old Town, Ratton, St Anthony's, Sovereign, Upperton; Wealden District Council: Willingdon
Hastings and Rye CC 80,524 4,043   Sally-Ann Hart †   Peter Chowney ‡ Hastings Borough Council: Ashdown, Baird, Braybrooke, Castle, Central St Leonards, Conquest, Gensing, Hollington, Maze Hill, Old Hastings, Ore, St Helens, Silverhill, Tressell, West St Leonards, Wishing Tree. Rother District Council: Brede Valley, Eastern Rother, Marsham, Rye.
Hove BC 74,313 17,044   Peter Kyle ‡   Robert Nemeth † Brighton and Hove City Council: Brunswick and Adelaide, Central Hove, Goldsmid, Hangleton and Knoll, North Portslade, South Portslade, Stanford, Westbourne, Wish.
Lewes CC 71,503 2,457   Maria Caulfield † Oli Henman ¤ Lewes District Council: Barcombe and Hamsey, Chailey and Wivelsfield, Ditchling and Westmeston, Kingston, Lewes Bridge, Lewes Castle, Lewes Priory, Newhaven Denton and Meeching, Newhaven Valley, Newick, Ouse Valley and Ringmer, Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington and St John (Without), Seaford Central, Seaford East, Seaford North, Seaford South, Seaford West. Wealden District Council: Alfriston, East Dean, Polegate North, Polegate South.
Wealden CC 82,998 25,655   Nus Ghani † Chris Bowers ¤ Wealden District Council: Buxted and Maresfield, Chiddingly and East Hoathly,

Crowborough East, Crowborough Jarvis Brook, Crowborough North, Crowborough St. Johns, Crowborough West, Danehill/Fletching/Nutley, Forest Row, Framfield, Frant/Withyham, Hailsham Central and North, Hailsham East, Hailsham South and West, Hartfield, Hellingly, Horam, Mayfield, Rotherfield, Uckfield Central, Uckfield New Town, Uckfield North, Uckfield Ridgewood, Wadhurst.

2010 boundary changes

Under the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England decided to retain the existing 8 constituencies in East Sussex, with minor changes to realign constituency boundaries with those of current local government wards, and to reduce the electoral disparity between constituencies.

Name Boundaries 1997-2010 Boundaries 2010–present
  1. Bexhill and Battle CC
  2. Brighton, Kemptown BC
  3. Brighton, Pavilion BC
  4. Eastbourne BC
  5. Hastings and Rye CC
  6. Hove BC
  7. Lewes CC
  8. Wealden CC
Parliamentary constituencies in East Sussex
Parliamentary constituencies in East Sussex
Proposed Revision
Proposed Revision

Proposed boundary changes

See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.

Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commission for England formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021.[5] Initial proposals were published on 8 June 2021 and, following two periods of public consultation, revised proposals were published on 8 November 2022. The final proposals were published on 28 June 2023.

The commission has proposed that East Sussex be combined with West Sussex as a sub-region of the South East Region, resulting in the creation of a new cross-county boundary constituency named East Grinstead and Uckfield. The resultant changes to existing constituencies would entail the abolition of Wealden and the creation of the new constituency of Sussex Weald. Brighton Kemptown will be renamed Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, and, although its boundaries are unchanged, it is proposed that Hove be renamed Hove and Portslade.[6][7][8]

The following constituencies are proposed:

Containing electoral wards from Brighton and Hove

Containing electoral wards from Eastbourne

Containing electoral wards from Hastings

Containing electoral wards from Lewes

Containing electoral wards from Rother

Containing electoral wards from Wealden

1 Also contains part of Mid Sussex District in West Sussex

Results history

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019[9]

2019

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising East Sussex in the 2019 general election were as follows:

Party Votes % Change from 2017 Seats Change from 2017
Conservative 197,728 44.2% Decrease0.1% 5 Increase1
Labour 121,935 27.3% Decrease4.9% 2 0
Liberal Democrats 75,754 16.9% Increase2.8% 0 Decrease1
Greens 45,128 10.1% Increase2.3% 1 0
Brexit 4,738 1.1% new 0 0
Others 1,898 0.4% Decrease1.2% 0 0
Total 447,181 100.0 8

Percentage votes

Election year 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019
Conservative 58.4 57.8 52.8 39.4 39.6 39.8 40.9 42.3 44.3 44.2
Labour 13.6 15.2 17.5 29.2 30.2 25.4 20.1 22.9 32.2 27.3
Liberal Democrat1 27.2 26.3 27.5 24.0 24.0 26.3 28.0 12.9 14.1 16.9
Green Party - * * * * * 5.7 10.1 7.8 10.1
UKIP - - - * * * 2.8 11.6 1.3 *
Brexit Party - - - - - - - - - 1.1
Other 0.9 0.7 2.1 7.4 6.2 8.6 2.4 0.3 0.3 0.4

11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

* Included in Other

Seats

Election year 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019
Conservative 8 8 8 3 3 3 5 6 4 5
Labour 0 0 0 4 4 4 0 1 2 2
Liberal Democrat1 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 1 0
Greens 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
Total 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

11983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

1885-1910

1918-1945

1950-1979

1983-present

Historic representation by party

A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

The Local Government Act 1972 moved the District of Mid Sussex into West Sussex from East Sussex. This change was put into effect in the Parliamentary constituency boundaries for the 1983 boundary changes.

1885 to 1918

  Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1885 1886 86 89 1892 93 1895 1900 03 05 1906 08 Jan 1910 10 Dec 1910 11 14
Brighton (Two members) Smith Robertson Loder Villiers Tryon
Marriott Vernon-Wentworth Ridsdale Rice Gordon Thomas-Stanford
East Grinstead Gregory Gathorne-Hardy Goschen Corbett Cautley
Eastbourne Field Hogg Beaumont Gwynne
Hastings Brassey Noble Lucas-Shadwell Freeman-Thomas H. du Cros A. du Cros
Lewes Aubrey-Fletcher Campion
Rye Brookfield Hutchinson Courthope

1918 to 1950

  Conservative

Constituency 1918 21 1922 1923 24 1924 25 1929 1931 32 35 1935 36 37 40 41 44 1945
Brighton (Two members) Tryon Erskine Marlowe
Thomas-Stanford Rawson Teeling
East Grinstead Cautley Clarke
Eastbourne Gwynne Lloyd Hall Marjoribanks Slater Taylor
Hastings Lyon Percy Hely-Hutchinson Cooper-Key
Lewes Campion T. P. Beamish Loder T. P. Beamish T. V. Beamish
Rye Courthope Cuthbert

1950 to 1983

  Conservative   Labour

Constituency 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 65 1966 69 1970 73 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979
Brighton Kemptown Johnson James Hobden Bowden
Brighton Pavilion Teeling Amery
East Grinstead Clarke Emmet Johnson Smith
Eastbourne Taylor Gow
Hastings Cooper-Key Warren
Hove Marlowe Maddan Sainsbury
Lewes Beamish Rathbone
Rye Irvine
Sussex Mid Renton

1983 to present

  Conservative   Green   Independent   Labour   Liberal Democrats

Constituency 1983 1987 90 1992 1997 01 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 18 19 2019
Brighton Kemptown Bowden Turner Kirby Russell-Moyle
Brighton Pavilion Amery Spencer Lepper Lucas
Hastings and Rye Warren Lait Foster Rudd → Hart
Hove Sainsbury Caplin Barlow Weatherley Kyle
Lewes Rathbone Baker Caulfield
Eastbourne Gow Bellotti Waterson Lloyd Ansell Lloyd → Ansell
Bexhill and Battle Wardle → Barker Merriman
Wealden Johnson Smith Hendry Ghani

See also

Notes

  1. ^ BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.
  2. ^ The majority is the number of votes the winning candidate receives more than their nearest rival.

References

  1. ^ Baker, Carl; Uberoi, Elise; Cracknell, Richard (28 January 2020). "General Election 2019: full results and analysis". ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ a b c "Constituencies A-Z - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, page 4". Office of Public Sector Information. Crown copyright. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  4. ^ Boundary Commission for England pp. 1004–1007
  5. ^ "2023 Review | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ Donnelly, Luke (8 June 2021). "How Sussex's constituency map is set to change forever". sussexlive. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  7. ^ "The Sussex border changes planned that would affect where you live". The Argus. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  8. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". paras 968-989. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  9. ^ Watson, Christopher; Uberoi, Elise; Loft, Philip (17 April 2020). "General election results from 1918 to 2019". ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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