List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset
# List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset

The ceremonial county of Dorset (which comprises the two unitary authorities of Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) is divided into 8 parliamentary constituencies: 3 borough constituencies and 5 county constituencies.

## Constituencies

† Conservative  ‡ Labour  ¤ Liberal Democrat

| Constituency | Electorate | Majority | Member of Parliament | Nearest opposition |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Bournemouth East BC | 74,125 | 8,806 | Tobias Ellwood† | Corrie Drew‡ |
| Bournemouth West BC | 74,205 | 10,150 | Conor Burns† | David Stokes‡ |
| Christchurch CC | 71,520 | 24,617 | Christopher Chope† | Mike Cox¤ |
| Mid Dorset and North Poole CC | 65,427 | 14,898 | Michael Tomlinson† | Vikki Slade¤ |
| North Dorset CC | 76,765 | 24,301 | Simon Hoare† | David Chadwick¤ |
| Poole BC | 73,989 | 19,116 | Robert Syms† | Sue Aitkenhead‡ |
| South Dorset CC | 73,809 | 17,153 | Richard Drax† | Carralyn Parkes‡ |
| West Dorset CC | 81,897 | 14,106 | Chris Loder† | Edward Morello¤ |

## 2010 boundary changes

Under the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England decided to retain Dorset's constituencies for the 2010 election, making minor changes to realign constituency boundaries with the boundaries of current local government wards, and to reduce the electoral disparity between constituencies.

| Name | Boundaries 1997-2010 | Boundaries 2010–present |
| - | - | - |
| Bournemouth East BC Bournemouth West BC Christchurch CC Mid Dorset and North Poole CC North Dorset CC Poole BC South Dorset CC West Dorset CC | Parliamentary constituencies in Dorset | 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. 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 recommendations were published on 28 June 2023.

The commission has proposed retaining the eight current constituencies in Dorset, with minor boundary changes to reflect changes to ward boundaries following the reorganisation of local government authorities within the county.

Containing electoral wards from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

* Bournemouth East
* Bournemouth West
* Christchurch (part)
* Mid Dorset and North Poole (part)
* Poole

Containing electoral wards from Dorset (unitary authority)

* Christchurch (part)
* Mid Dorset and North Poole (part)
* North Dorset
* South Dorset
* West Dorset

## Results history

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

### 2019

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

| Party | Votes | % | Change from 2017 | Seats | Change from 2017 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Conservative | 241,835 | 58.3% | 0.4% | 8 | 0 |
| Liberal Democrats | 78,414 | 18.9% | 6.1% | 0 | 0 |
| Labour | 76,310 | 18.4% | 6.8% | 0 | 0 |
| Greens | 16,020 | 3.9% | 1.3% | 0 | 0 |
| Others | 2,094 | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 414,673 | 100.0 | | 8 | |

### Percentage votes

Note that before 1983 Dorset did not include the Bournemouth and Christchurch areas (see below).

| Election year | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1929 | 1931 | 1935 | 1945 | 1950 | 1951 | 1955 | 1959 | 1964 | 1966 | 1970 | 1974(F) | 1974(O) | 1979 | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Conservative | 39.1 | 51.7 | 60.1 | 46.2 | 56.8 | 54.0 | 45.2 | 47.6 | 52.2 | 53.9 | 52.4 | 46.6 | 47.3 | 54.2 | 48.1 | 48.0 | 58.4 | 58.6 | 57.8 | 54.5 | 41.8 | 45.3 | 44.1 | 48.3 | 51.7 | 58.7 | 58.3 |
| Labour | 21.4 | 19.4 | 18.0 | 17.0 | 12.3 | 16.0 | 30.8 | 37.9 | 32.0 | 32.6 | 28.7 | 29.8 | 32.5 | 28.8 | 21.0 | 23.6 | 20.4 | 10.2 | 11.3 | 13.4 | 18.8 | 21.1 | 18.3 | 12.2 | 13.0 | 25.2 | 18.4 |
| Liberal $Democrat^1$ | 18.0 | 28.9 | 21.9 | 36.8 | 16.3 | 28.7 | 24.0 | 14.5 | 15.8 | 13.6 | 18.9 | 23.6 | 20.2 | 17.0 | 30.9 | 28.4 | 20.9 | 29.7 | 30.8 | 31.2 | 34.1 | 31.5 | 32.8 | 32.8 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 18.9 |
| Green Party | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | * | * | * | * | * | 0.5 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
| UKIP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | * | * | * | 5.6 | 16.2 | 0.3 | * |
| Other | 21.5 | - | - | - | 14.6 | 1.4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 4.7 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.5 |

$^11950-1979:$ Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

* Included in Other

Accurate vote percentages are not applicable for the 1918 election because one candidate stood unopposed.

### Seats

| Election year | 1950-1979 | 1983-1992 | 1997 | 2001-2005 | 2010 | 2015-2019 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Conservative | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Liberal $Democrat^1$ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |

$^11950-1979:$ Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

### Maps

**1885-1910**

* 1885
* 1886
* 1892
* 1895
* 1900
* 1906
* Jan 1910
* Dec 1910

**1918-1945**

* 1918
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1929
* 1931
* 1935
* 1945

**1950-1979**

* 1950
* 1951
* 1955
* 1959
* 1964
* 1966
* 1970
* Feb 1974
* Oct 1974
* 1979

**1983-present**

* 1983
* 1987
* 1992
* 1997
* 2001
* 2005
* 2010
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019

## Historical 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.

### Before 1885

| Constituency | Established | Abolished |
| - | - | - |
| Bridport | 1295 | Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |
| Corfe Castle | 1572 | Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 |
| Dorchester | 1295 | Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |
| Dorset | 1290 | Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |
| Lyme Regis | 1572 | Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 |
| Poole | 1362 | Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |
| Shaftesbury | 1295 | Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |
| Weymouth and Melcombe Regis | 1572 | Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |
| Wareham | 1302 | Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 |

### 1885 to 1950

Coalition Liberal (1918-22) / National Liberal (1922-23)  Conservative  Independent Conservative  Liberal

| Constituency | 1885 | 1886 | 91 | 1892 | 95 | 1895 | 1900 | 04 | 05 | 1906 | Jan 10 | Dec 10 | 1918 | 1922 | 23 | 1923 | 1924 | 1929 | 1931 | 1935 | 37 | 41 | 1945 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dorset East | Glyn | Bond | Napier Sturt | Napier Sturt | Napier Sturt | Napier Sturt | Napier Sturt | Lyell | Lyell | Lyell | H. $Guest^1$ | F. Guest | → | Caine | → | → | → | Glassey | Caine | Caine | Caine | Caine | Wheatley |
| Dorset North | Portman | Portman | Portman | Wingfield-Digby | Wingfield-Digby | Wingfield-Digby | Wingfield-Digby | Wingfield-Digby | Wills | Wills | Baker | Baker | Colfox | Emlyn-Jones | Emlyn-Jones | Emlyn-Jones | Hanbury | Hanbury | Hanbury | Hanbury | A. Hambro | A. Hambro | Byers |
| Dorset South | Sturgis | C. Hambro | Brymer | Brymer | Brymer | Brymer | Brymer | Brymer | Brymer | Scarisbrick | A. Hambro | A. Hambro | A. Hambro | Yerburgh | Yerburgh | Yerburgh | Yerburgh | Gascoyne-Cecil | Gascoyne-Cecil | Gascoyne-Cecil | Gascoyne-Cecil | Montagu | Montagu |
| Dorset West | Farquharson | Farquharson | Farquharson | Farquharson | Williams | Williams | Williams | Williams | Williams | Williams | Williams | Williams | Williams | Colfox | Colfox | Colfox | Colfox | Colfox | Colfox | Colfox | Colfox | Digby | Digby |

$^1original$ candidate, F. Guest (Lib), disqualified; fresh by-election held June 1910

### 1950 to 1983

Conservative  Labour

| Constituency | 1950 | 1951 | 1955 | 57 | 1959 | 62 | 1964 | 1966 | 1970 | Feb 1974 | Oct 1974 | 1979 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dorset North | Crouch | Crouch | Crouch | Glyn | Glyn | Glyn | Glyn | Glyn | James | James | James | Baker |
| Dorset South | Montagu | Montagu | Montagu | Montagu | Montagu | Barnett | King | King | King | King | King | Gascoyne-Cecil |
| Dorset West | Digby | Digby | Digby | Digby | Digby | Digby | Digby | Digby | Digby | Spicer | Spicer | Spicer |
| Poole | Wheatley | Pilkington | Pilkington | Pilkington | Pilkington | Pilkington | Murton | Murton | Murton | Murton | Murton | Ward |

### 1983 to present (7, then 8 MPs)

Conservative  Independent  Labour  Liberal Democrats

| Constituency | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 93 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 19 | 2019 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bournemouth East | Atkinson | Atkinson | Atkinson | Atkinson | Atkinson | Atkinson | Ellwood | Ellwood | Ellwood | Ellwood | Ellwood | Ellwood |
| Bournemouth West | Butterfill | Butterfill | Butterfill | Butterfill | Butterfill | Butterfill | Butterfill | Burns | Burns | Burns | Burns | Burns |
| Christchurch | Adley | Adley | Adley | Maddock | Chope | Chope | Chope | Chope | Chope | Chope | Chope | Chope |
| Mid Dorset and North Poole | | | | | Fraser | Brooke | Brooke | Brooke | Tomlinson | Tomlinson | Tomlinson | Tomlinson |
| North Dorset | Baker | Baker | Baker | Baker | Walter | Walter | Walter | Walter | Hoare | Hoare | Hoare | Hoare |
| Poole | Ward | Ward | Ward | Ward | Syms | Syms | Syms | Syms | Syms | Syms | Syms | Syms |
| South Dorset | Gascoyne-Cecil | Bruce | Bruce | Bruce | Bruce | Knight | Knight | Drax | Drax | Drax | Drax | Drax |
| West Dorset | Spicer | Spicer | Spicer | Spicer | Letwin | Letwin | Letwin | Letwin | Letwin | Letwin | → | Loder |
