2010-date

Anne McIntosh, a Conservative, elected for Vale of York in 1997 then in Thirsk and Malton in 2010, having defeated fellow MP John Greenway in the selection, qualified as an advocate and worked for six years as political adviser to the European Democrats group in Brussels, then won election as an MEP for two terms. Since 2010, she chaired the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. In 2014, she was deselected as the Conservative candidate. In 2015, Kevin Hollinrake was elected as MP.

Political history

Traditionally a safe Conservative seat, the main forerunner, Ryedale (abolished in 2010) was taken by Elizabeth Shields for the Liberal Party, following a by-election in 1986, held following the death of MP John Spence, and she held it for one year until the 1987 general election.

Robin Turton was the Minister of Health (note head of department in that era) from December 1955 to January 1957. He also became father of the House and was among the longest-serving MPs for a single constituency, representing his seat for 44 years and 9 months.

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 Hambleton wards of: Bagby & Thorntons; Bedale; Sowerby & Topcliffe; Tanfield; Thirsk.
• The District of Ryedale.
• The Borough of Scarborough wards of: Filey; Hunmanby.^[3]

In order to bring its electorate within the permitted range, the south-western part of the constituency, including Easingwold, will be included in the newly created constituency of Wetherby and Easingwold. To partly compensate, Bedale and Tanfield will be added from Richmond (Yorks) - to be renamed Richmond and Northallerton.

With effect from 1 April 2023, the second tier authorities in the county of North Yorkshire were abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of North Yorkshire.^[4] The constituency will therefore now comprise the following electoral divisions of North Yorkshire from the next general election:

• Amotherby & Ampleforth; Aiskew & Leeming; Bedale; Helmsley & Sinnington; Filey; Hillside & Raskelf (majority); Hunmanby & Sherburn; Kirkbymoorside & Dales; Malton; Norton; Pickering; Sheriff Hutton & Derwent; Sowerby & Topcliffe; Thirsk; Thornton Dales & Wolds.^[5]

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

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: Edmund Turton
• Liberal: George Nicholls

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1930s

Election in the 1940s

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 and by July 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

• Conservative: Robert Turton

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 2010s

Thirsk and Malton was originally scheduled to be contested for the first time at the general election on 6 May 2010. However, the death of UKIP candidate John Boakes from a suspected heart attack, announced on 22 April 2010, caused the poll in the constituency to be postponed until 27 May 2010. Under the Electoral Administration Act, UKIP were allowed to select a replacement candidate, but new nominations by other parties were not permitted.^[16][17][18] The constituent parties of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government formed in the aftermath of the general election fielded competing candidates.^[19]

In January 2014, Conservative Anne McIntosh — the MP at the time — was not re-selected by the local party.^[20] McIntosh originally announced she would stand as an independent,^[20] but withdrew in March 2015.^[21]

Elections in the 2020s