Castle Point (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Castle Point is a parliamentary constituency
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It returns one Member of Parliament
(MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, elected by the first past the post system.
It was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of South East Essex
. Covering the area of Canvey Island
, Hadleigh
, South Benfleet, and Thundersley
it is normally a strong Conservative
seat, although it fell to Labour
once, in the 1997 landslide
. Bob Spink
regained the seat in 2001, but subsequently resigned from the Conservative Party on 22 April 2008. Spink briefly joined the United Kingdom Independence Party
but resigned shortly afterwards and sat as an Independent MP. In the 2010 election, Spink lost in Castle Point to Rebecca Harris
.
, the Boundary Commission for England has created a Castle Point constituency based entirely within the boundaries of the district council of the same name.
Castle Point is perhaps the archetypal 'South Essex' seat, full of skilled manual workers, commuters and former Eastenders made good. Levels of home- and car-ownership in Hadleigh and Canvey are very high, social deprivation is relatively low, and yet there is a strong sense of identity with ones white working class roots and suspicion towards immigration
This part of the world swung heavily to the Conservatives in the 1980s, and was one of the first places to swing strongly away from New Labour, having narrowly elected a Labour MP in 1997.
The seat is one of only a very few to survive both the 1990s and 2000s boundary reviews without any changes at all.
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It returns one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, elected by the first past the post system.
It was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of South East Essex
South East Essex (UK Parliament constituency)
South East Essex was a parliamentary constituency in Essex in the East of England...
. Covering the area of Canvey Island
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
, Hadleigh
Hadleigh, Essex
Hadleigh is a town in southeast Essex, England, on the A13 between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea with a population of about 18,300.-History:Hadleigh is known for its castle, and the country park that surrounds it. The castle has been a romantic ruin for a few hundred years, but parts of two towers are...
, South Benfleet, and Thundersley
Thundersley
Thundersley is a district in the north west of the Castle Point Borough, in south east Essex, England, about 35 miles east of London.-Toponymy:...
it is normally a strong Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
seat, although it fell to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
once, in the 1997 landslide
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. Bob Spink
Bob Spink
Robert Michael Spink is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was elected as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Castle Point in Essex in 1992, lost his seat in 1997, but regained it in 2001...
regained the seat in 2001, but subsequently resigned from the Conservative Party on 22 April 2008. Spink briefly joined the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
but resigned shortly afterwards and sat as an Independent MP. In the 2010 election, Spink lost in Castle Point to Rebecca Harris
Rebecca Harris
Rebecca Elizabeth Harris is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Castle Point....
.
Boundaries
Following their review of parliamentary representation in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, the Boundary Commission for England has created a Castle Point constituency based entirely within the boundaries of the district council of the same name.
Constituency profile
The seat is coterminous with the Castle Point local authority, taking its name from Hadleigh Castle and Canvey Point, and covering the Canvey Island area in the Thames Estuary plus a segment of the adjoining mainland.Castle Point is perhaps the archetypal 'South Essex' seat, full of skilled manual workers, commuters and former Eastenders made good. Levels of home- and car-ownership in Hadleigh and Canvey are very high, social deprivation is relatively low, and yet there is a strong sense of identity with ones white working class roots and suspicion towards immigration
This part of the world swung heavily to the Conservatives in the 1980s, and was one of the first places to swing strongly away from New Labour, having narrowly elected a Labour MP in 1997.
The seat is one of only a very few to survive both the 1990s and 2000s boundary reviews without any changes at all.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
Sir Bernard Braine Bernard Braine Bernard Richard Braine, Baron Braine of Wheatley, PC was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Hendon County Grammar School, and served with the North Staffordshire Regiment in the Second World War, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... |
Bob Spink Bob Spink Robert Michael Spink is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was elected as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Castle Point in Essex in 1992, lost his seat in 1997, but regained it in 2001... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Christine Butler Christine Butler Christine Margaret Butler is a politician in the United Kingdom.-Early life:... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... |
Bob Spink Bob Spink Robert Michael Spink is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was elected as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Castle Point in Essex in 1992, lost his seat in 1997, but regained it in 2001... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 2008 | UKIP | ||
| 2008 | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
||
| 2010 | Rebecca Harris Rebecca Harris Rebecca Elizabeth Harris is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Castle Point.... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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