Cambridgeshire_South_East_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
South East Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards
South East Cambridgeshire is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Lucy Frazer, a member of the Conservative Party who has served as the Culture Secretary since 2023.[n 2] It was established for the 1983 general election. The constituency has always been based on the cathedral city of Ely.
| South East Cambridgeshire | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of South East Cambridgeshire in Cambridgeshire | |
Location of Cambridgeshire within England | |
| County | Cambridgeshire |
| Electorate | 84,668 (2018)[1] |
| Major settlements | Ely |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1983 |
| Member of Parliament | Lucy Frazer (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Cambridgeshire, Isle of Ely |
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency will be subject to major boundary changes. As a result, the seat will be renamed Ely and East Cambridgeshire, to be first contested at the next general election.[2]
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely. Its first MP, Francis Pym, was a Conservative Cabinet Minister, serving in roles such as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1973–1974) in the Heath government and Secretary of State for Defence (1979–1981), Leader of the House of Commons (1981–1982) and most prominently Foreign Secretary (1982–1983, during the Falklands War) under Margaret Thatcher. However, during the four years he served South East Cambridgeshire, he was a Tory 'wet' backbencher, having been sacked by Thatcher for famously remarking during the 1983 election that "Landslides don't on the whole produce successful governments".
It has to date been a safe Conservative seat, although in 2010 the margin was cut to a relatively small 10.3% by the Liberal Democrat candidate (possibly helped by controversies surrounding the Labour candidate). In 2015 and 2017 Labour achieved the largest increase in their share of the vote; in 2017 they achieved their highest ever vote share in the seat (27.7%) and overtook the Liberal Democrats for the first time since 1997; despite this, the Conservatives achieved over 50% of the vote in the seat for the first time since 1992.
According to approximate analysis of the 2016 EU membership referendum, South East Cambridgeshire (which is made up of wards from East Cambridgeshire District Council, which voted 51% to leave, as well as South Cambridgeshire District Council, which voted 60% to remain) voted 54% to remain in the EU.[3]
 | This section needs to be updated. (October 2021) |
The constituency is predominantly low-lying and agricultural, with many residents commuting to work in Cambridge. Workless claimants 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]
1983–1997
- The District of East Cambridgeshire wards of Bottisham, Burwell, Cheveley, Dullingham Villages, Ely North, Ely South, Ely West, Fordham Villages, Isleham, Soham, The Swaffhams, and Woodditton; and
- The District of South Cambridgeshire wards of Abington, Balsham, Bar Hill, Castle Camps, Coton, Cottenham, Elsworth, Fulbourn, Girton, Histon, Linton, Longstanton, Milton, Over, Swavesey, Teversham, The Wilbrahams, Waterbeach, and Willingham.[6]
The seat was created for the 1983 general election which followed on from the merger under the Local Government Act 1972, of the two administrative counties of Huntingdon and Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely to form the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, with effect from 1 April 1974. It was formed from eastern parts of the abolished constituency of Cambridgeshire, together with the city of Ely, which had been in the abolished constituency of Isle of Ely.
1997–2010
- The District of East Cambridgeshire wards of Bottisham, Burwell, Cheveley, Dullingham Villages, Ely North, Ely South, Ely West, Fordham Villages, Haddenham, Isleham, Soham, Stretham, The Swaffhams, Witchford, and Woodditton; and
- The District of South Cambridgeshire wards of Abington, Balsham, Castle Camps, Cottenham, Fulbourn, Histon, Linton, Milton, Over, Teversham, The Wilbrahams, Waterbeach, and Willingham.[7]
The westernmost area was transferred to the new constituency of South Cambridgeshire. Minor gain from North East Cambridgeshire.
2010–present
- The District of East Cambridgeshire wards of Bottisham, Burwell, Cheveley, Dullingham Villages, Ely East, Ely North, Ely South, Ely West, Fordham Villages, Haddenham, Isleham, Soham North, Soham South, Stretham, and The Swaffhams; and
- The District of South Cambridgeshire wards of Balsham, Fulbourn, Histon and Impington, Linton, Milton, Teversham, The Wilbrahams, Waterbeach, and Willingham and Over.[8]
Further minor loss to South Cambridgeshire.
The constituency includes the eastern half of South Cambridgeshire district and the southern part of East Cambridgeshire. Ely, the largest community, has cathedral city status, and there are many smaller settlements including Burwell, Fulbourn, Isleham, Linton, Milton, Soham and Waterbeach.
| Election | Member[9] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Francis Pym | Conservative | |
| 1987 | Sir Jim Paice | Conservative | |
| 2015 | Lucy Frazer | Conservative | |
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lucy Frazer | 32,187 | 50.0 | –3.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Pippa Heylings | 20,697 | 32.1 | +13.1 | |
| Labour | James Bull | 10,492 | 16.3 | –11.4 | |
| Independent | Edmund Fordham | 1,009 | 1.6 | New | |
| Majority | 11,490 | 17.9 | –7.7 | ||
| Turnout | 64,385 | 74.2 | +1.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –8.3 | |||
Edmund Fordham was originally the Brexit Party candidate for the Bury St Edmunds constituency in the 2019 general election.[11][12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lucy Frazer | 33,601 | 53.3 | +4.8 | |
| Labour | Huw Jones | 17,443 | 27.7 | +12.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Lucy Nethsingha | 11,958 | 19.0 | –1.2 | |
| Majority | 16,158 | 25.6 | –2.7 | ||
| Turnout | 63,002 | 73.2 | +2.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –3.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lucy Frazer[18][n 3] | 28,845 | 48.5 | +0.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Chatfield[18] | 12,008 | 20.2 | –17.6 | |
| Labour | Huw Jones[18] | 9,013 | 15.1 | +7.5 | |
| UKIP | Deborah Rennie[20] | 6,593 | 11.1 | +7.4 | |
| Green | Clive Semmens[21] | 3,047 | 5.1 | +3.8 | |
| Majority | 16,837 | 28.3 | +17.9 | ||
| Turnout | 59,506 | 70.4 | +1.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +9.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | James Paice | 27,629 | 48.0 | +0.8[n 4] | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Chatfield | 21,683 | 37.6 | +6.2 | |
| Labour | John Cowan | 4,380 | 7.6 | –13.8 [n 5] | |
| UKIP | Andy Monk | 2,138 | 3.7 | New | |
| Green | Simon Sedgwick-Jell | 766 | 1.3 | New | |
| Independent | Geoffrey Woollard | 517 | 0.9 | New | |
| CPA | Daniel Bell | 489 | 0.8 | New | |
| Majority | 5,946 | 10.4 | –5.0 | ||
| Turnout | 57,602 | 69.3 | +4.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –2.7 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | James Paice | 26,374 | 47.1 | +2.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Chatfield | 17,750 | 31.7 | +4.8 | |
| Labour | Fiona Ross | 11,936 | 21.3 | –5.1 | |
| Majority | 8,624 | 15.4 | –1.9 | ||
| Turnout | 56,060 | 65.3 | +1.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –1.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | James Paice | 22,927 | 44.2 | +1.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Sal Brinton | 13,937 | 26.9 | +1.8 | |
| Labour | Andrew Inchley | 13,714 | 26.4 | –0.1 | |
| UKIP | Neil Scarr | 1,308 | 2.5 | New | |
| Majority | 8,990 | 17.3 | 0.0 | ||
| Turnout | 51,886 | 63.5 | –10.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –0.3 | |||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | James Paice | 24,397 | 42.9 | –15.0 | |
| Labour | Rex Collinson | 15,048 | 26.5 | +6.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Sal Brinton | 14,246 | 25.1 | +4.8 | |
| Referendum | John Howlett | 2,838 | 5.0 | New | |
| Building a Fair Society | Karl Lam | 167 | 0.3 | New | |
| Natural Law | Peter While | 111 | 0.2 | –0.2 | |
| Majority | 9,349 | 17.3 | –20.2 | ||
| Turnout | 56,807 | 75.1 | –5.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –10.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | James Paice | 36,693 | 57.9 | –0.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Ronald Wotherspoon | 12,883 | 20.3 | –7.2 | |
| Labour | Arthur Jones | 12,688 | 20.0 | +6.3 | |
| Green | John Marsh | 836 | 1.3 | New | |
| Natural Law | Bridget Langridge | 231 | 0.4 | New | |
| Majority | 23,810 | 37.5 | +6.2 | ||
| Turnout | 63,331 | 80.6 | +3.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.2 | |||
Elections in the 1980s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | James Paice | 32,901 | 58.8 | +1.2 | |
| SDP | Peter Lee | 15,399 | 27.5 | –2.3 | |
| Labour | Thomas Ling | 7,694 | 13.7 | +1.1 | |
| Majority | 17,502 | 31.3 | +3.5 | ||
| Turnout | 55,994 | 77.4 | +3.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Francis Pym | 28,555 | 57.6 | ||
| SDP | Christopher Slee | 14,791 | 29.8 | ||
| Labour | Mary Jackson | 6,261 | 12.6 | ||
| Majority | 13,764 | 27.8 | |||
| Turnout | 49,607 | 74.2 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
- A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- 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.
- Note: In January 2014 Lucy Frazer, a barrister, was "reaffirmed" as Conservative candidate for South East Cambridgeshire on Friday despite claims that she had been beaten in an open primary by another woman, Heidi Allen,[19] who is the Conservative candidate in the neighbouring constituency, South Cambridgeshire.
- Percentage changes based on 2005 notional results due to boundary changes
- Note: In April 2010 John Cowan was suspended from the Labour Party following controversy over comments he had made which, if elected, would have led to a period as an independent MP. As nominations for candidates had closed, Labour were unable to replace him, nor did he withdraw his candidature.[24] He had previously been expelled from the Liberal Democrats.[25]
- "England Parliamentary electorates 2010-2018". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- "Eastern | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- Baxter, Martin. "Cambridgeshire South East: Seat, Ward and Prediction Details". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017.
- Unemployment claimants by constituency Archived 2017-08-02 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian
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- "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- "Cambridgeshire South East Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- "Brexit Party names its Bury St Edmunds prospective parliamentary candidate". 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- "'Disappointment' at Brexit Party's election decision to withdraw from Conservative seats". 11 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- "General Election 2019: South East Cambridgeshire candidates answer four key questions". 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- Hill, John (11 May 2017). "PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION THURSDAY, 8 JUNE 2017, SOUTH EAST CAMBRIDGESHIRE CONSTITUENCY. STATEMENT AS TO PERSONS NOMINATED AND NOTICE OF POLL" (PDF). East Cambridgeshire District Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- "Candidates standing in the General Election in Cambridgeshire". ITV News. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "Election 2019: Cambridgeshire South East". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "UK ELECTION RESULTS: CAMBRIDGESHIRE SOUTH EAST 2015". Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "The battle of the Tory women: Farcical scenes after 'invalid' vote to select candidate for safe seat". Independent. 12 January 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- "The Cambridge & South East Cambs Branch of the UK Independence Party". ukip-cambridge.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- "Clive Semmens confirmed as candidate for South East Cambridgeshire seat". eastcambs.greenparty.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Election 2010: Cambridgeshire South East". BBC News. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- "Labour axes Muslim row candidate". BBC News. 26 April 2010.
- "General Election 2010: Labour suspends candidate over online messages". The Daily Telegraph. London. 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- "British Parliamentary Election results 1983-97: English Counties". www.election.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 August 2000. Retrieved 4 May 2010.