Gillingham_and_Rainham_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Gillingham and Rainham (UK Parliament constituency)
UK Parliament constituency
Gillingham and Rainham is a constituency[n 1] in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Rehman Chishti, a Conservative.[n 2] It replaced the previous constituency of Gillingham.
| Gillingham and Rainham | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Gillingham and Rainham in Kent for the 2010 general election | |
Location of Kent within England | |
| County | Kent |
| Electorate | 71,109 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Gillingham, Rainham, Hempstead, Twydall |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2010 |
| Member of Parliament | Rehman Chishti (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Gillingham |
The Medway wards of Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Hempstead and Wigmore, Rainham Central, Rainham North, Rainham South, Twydall and Watling.
Proposed
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be unchanged.[2]
Following a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023,[3][4] the constituency will now comprise the following wards of the Borough of Medway from the next general election:
- Gillingham North (nearly all); Gillingham South; Hempstead & Wigmore (nearly all); Rainham North; Rainham South East; Rainham South West; Twydall; Watling.[5]
The constituency is generally suburban and centred on Gillingham, historically a small port, which is within the London Commuter Belt. Local retail, industry, business parks, trades and professions provide constituents with a high level of employment, mostly on moderate to middle incomes;[6] however, the area is not wholly resilient to unemployment. Registered claimants who were registered jobseekers were marginally lower than the national average of 3.8% at 3.5% of the population, according to a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[7]
Residents' wealth is around average for the UK, but below average for the South East region.[8] The predecessor constituency of Gillingham was a Labour-Conservative marginal seat though prior to 1997 was a safe Conservative seat. The current constituency can be considered a safe Conservative seat.
| Election | Member[9] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rehman Chishti | Conservative | |
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 28,173 | 61.3 | +5.9 | |
| Labour | Andy Stamp | 13,054 | 28.4 | –7.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Alan Bullion | 2,503 | 5.4 | +2.6 | |
| Green | George Salomon | 1,043 | 2.3 | +1.2 | |
| UKIP | Rob McCulloch Martin | 837 | 1.8 | –2.5 | |
| Independent | Peter Cook | 229 | 0.5 | New | |
| CPA | Roger Peacock | 119 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |
| Majority | 15,119 | 32.9 | +13.6 | ||
| Turnout | 45,958 | 62.5 | –4.4 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +6.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 27,091 | 55.4 | +7.4 | |
| Labour | Andy Stamp | 17,661 | 36.1 | +10.5 | |
| UKIP | Martin Cook | 2,097 | 4.3 | –15.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Chaplin | 1,372 | 2.8 | –0.8 | |
| Green | Clive Gregory | 520 | 1.1 | –1.3 | |
| CPA | Roger Peacock | 127 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 9,430 | 19.3 | –3.1 | ||
| Turnout | 48,868 | 66.9 | +2.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –1.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 22,590 | 48.0 | +1.8 | |
| Labour | Paul Clark | 12,060 | 25.6 | –2.1 | |
| UKIP | Mark Hanson | 9,199 | 19.5 | +16.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Chaplin[16] | 1,707 | 3.6 | –14.5 | |
| Green | Neil Williams | 1,133 | 2.4 | +1.6 | |
| TUSC | Jacqui Berry[17] | 273 | 0.6 | New | |
| Independent | Roger Peacock | 72 | 0.1 | New | |
| Independent | Mike Walters | 44 | 0.1 | New | |
| Majority | 10,530 | 22.4 | +3.9 | ||
| Turnout | 47,078 | 64.8 | –1.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 21,624 | 46.2 | +5.5 | |
| Labour | Paul Clark | 12,944 | 27.7 | –13.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Andrew Stamp | 8,484 | 18.1 | +2.8 | |
| UKIP | Robert Oakley | 1,515 | 3.2 | +0.6 | |
| BNP | Brian Ravenscroft | 1,149 | 2.5 | New | |
| English Democrat | Dean Lacey | 464 | 1.0 | New | |
| Green | Trish Marchant | 356 | 0.8 | New | |
| Independent | Gordon Bryan | 141 | 0.3 | New | |
| Medway Independent Party | George Meegan | 109 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 8,680 | 18.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 46,786 | 66.0 | +2.0 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.3 | |||
Paul Clark was the incumbent MP for Gillingham.
- A borough 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.
- "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.
- "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
- LGBCE. "Medway | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- "New Seat Details - Gillingham and Rainham". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
- "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- "Gillingham and Rainham Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- "GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES". SDP. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- "General Election 2019 candidates". www.medway.gov.uk.
- "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "General Election Candidates". Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- "MORE TUSC CANDIDATES IN PLACE AS ELECTION CHALLENGE GROWS". www.tusc.org.uk.
- "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.