Watford (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Watford is a parliamentary constituency
represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election. Prior to the establishment of this constituency in 1885 the area was part of the three seat constituency of Hertfordshire
.
, together with five wards from Three Rivers
District. Two of the Three Rivers wards, Carpenders Park and Oxhey Hall, are to the south of Watford town and include mostly prosperous commuter villages. The remaining three, Abbots Langley
, Langleybury
and Leavesden
, are to the north of Watford and include the large village of Abbots Langley
which is more mixed in character. There was a considerable Liberal Democrat
advance into second place in 2005, taking many votes off Labour
with the Tories
not too far behind. By the time of the 2010 general election it was a three-way marginal seat that the Tories, Labour and Liberal Democrats were all aiming to win, but was ultimately secured by Tory candidate Richard Harrington with 34.9% of the vote. The Liberal Democrats narrowly missed out on the seat with 32.4% of the vote, with the defeat for Labour's Claire Ward being highlighted by the fact that she came third in the poll with 26.7% of the vote.
in 2001
, was dropped from the candidates list by the Conservative party
after he complained about David Cameron
's leadership style and allegedly after demanding a peerage.
His former campaign manager Ian Oakley, who had been a candidate for Newport East
in 2001
, was selected for Watford in the first Conservative Party "Open Primary" in November 2006. In July 2008, Oakley, stood down after being arrested for conducting a campaign of harassment against the local Liberal Democrats
, for which he was given an 18 week suspended jail sentence and a 12 month supervision order on 13 October 2008.
In December 2008 the Watford Conservative Association selected their new candidate, Richard Harrington. Harrington is a treasurer of the Conservative Party and chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel
.
In August 2008, the Green Party selected their candidate to be Ian Brandon, a member of Hertfordshire County Council
representing Callowland/Leggatts.
as a working peer.
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 elects 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) by the first past the post system of election. Prior to the establishment of this constituency in 1885 the area was part of the three seat constituency of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Hertfordshire was a county constituency covering the county of Hertfordshire in England. It returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
.
Boundaries
The constituency comprises the whole of the Borough of WatfordWatford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, together with five wards from Three Rivers
Three Rivers (district)
Three Rivers is a local government district in Hertfordshire in the East of England. Its council is based in Rickmansworth.It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Rickmansworth Urban District and Chorleywood Urban District with part of Watford Rural District...
District. Two of the Three Rivers wards, Carpenders Park and Oxhey Hall, are to the south of Watford town and include mostly prosperous commuter villages. The remaining three, Abbots Langley
Abbots Langley
Abbots Langley is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is an old settlement and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Economically the village is closely linked to Watford and was formerly part of the Watford Rural District...
, Langleybury
Langleybury
Langleybury was a country house and estate in Hertfordshire, England situated 2 miles north of the town of Watford on a low hill above the valley of the River Gade.-Raymond 1711-1756:...
and Leavesden
Leavesden
Leavesden may mean:*An area near Watford, Hertfordshire, England*Leavesden Film Studios, a film and media complex owned by Warner Bros. on the site of the former Rolls-Royce factory at Leavesden Aerodrome...
, are to the north of Watford and include the large village of Abbots Langley
Abbots Langley
Abbots Langley is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is an old settlement and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Economically the village is closely linked to Watford and was formerly part of the Watford Rural District...
which is more mixed in character. There was a considerable Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
advance into second place in 2005, taking many votes off 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...
with the Tories
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...
not too far behind. By the time of the 2010 general election it was a three-way marginal seat that the Tories, Labour and Liberal Democrats were all aiming to win, but was ultimately secured by Tory candidate Richard Harrington with 34.9% of the vote. The Liberal Democrats narrowly missed out on the seat with 32.4% of the vote, with the defeat for Labour's Claire Ward being highlighted by the fact that she came third in the poll with 26.7% of the vote.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:... |
Frederick Halsey Frederick Halsey Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, 1st Baronet PC was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1906.... |
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... |
|
| 1906 United Kingdom general election, 1906 -Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**... |
Nathaniel Micklem | Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
|
| 1910 | Arnold Sandwith Ward Arnold Sandwith Ward Arnold Sandwith Ward was a journalist and Conservative Member of Parliament for the United Kingdom constituency of Watford between 1910 and 1918.... |
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... |
|
| 1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did... |
Dennis Herbert | 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... |
|
| 1943 | William Helmore William Helmore Air Commodore William Helmore Ph.D., M.S., F.C.S., F.R.Ae.S., CBE was an engineer who had a varied and distinguished career in scientific research with the Air Ministry and the Ministry of Aircraft Production during the Second World War, as a broadcaster, and for two years as Member of Parliament... |
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... |
|
| 1945 United Kingdom general election, 1945 The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to... |
John Freeman | 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... |
|
| 1955 United Kingdom general election, 1955 The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year... |
Frederick Farey-Jones Frederick Farey-Jones Frederick William Farey-Jones was a British air industry executive and politician who served as Member of Parliament for Watford for nine years.-Education:... |
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... |
|
| 1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power... |
Raphael Tuck Raphael Tuck Sir Raphael Herman Tuck was a British Labour Party politician and an academic and lawyer.Born in Cricklewood, London in 1910, Tuck was the son of David Lionel Tuck and a great-grandson of Raphael Tuck, founder of Raphael Tuck & Sons, an art publishing company which became a leading publisher of... |
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... |
|
| 1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... |
Tristan Garel-Jones Tristan Garel-Jones William Armand Thomas Tristan Garel-Jones, Baron Garel-Jones, PC is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament for Watford from 1979–97, before being made a life peer in 1997.... |
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... |
Claire Ward Claire Ward Claire Margaret Ward is a British Labour Party politician. She served as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Watford from 1997 to 2010, and was a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice from 2009 to 2010.... |
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... |
|
| 2010 | Richard Harrington | 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... |
|
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Prospective Candidates for the 2010 Election
In July 2007 former candidate Ali Miraj, who had previously been a candidate for AberavonAberavon (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberavon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returns one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system.-History:...
in 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...
, was dropped from the candidates list by the Conservative party
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...
after he complained about David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's leadership style and allegedly after demanding a peerage.
His former campaign manager Ian Oakley, who had been a candidate for Newport East
Newport East (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport East is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system.-Boundaries:...
in 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...
, was selected for Watford in the first Conservative Party "Open Primary" in November 2006. In July 2008, Oakley, stood down after being arrested for conducting a campaign of harassment against the local Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, for which he was given an 18 week suspended jail sentence and a 12 month supervision order on 13 October 2008.
In December 2008 the Watford Conservative Association selected their new candidate, Richard Harrington. Harrington is a treasurer of the Conservative Party and chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel, abbreviated to CFI, is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party and dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel. CFI is an unincorporated associationIt was founded by the late...
.
In August 2008, the Green Party selected their candidate to be Ian Brandon, a member of Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
representing Callowland/Leggatts.
Prospective Candidates for the next General Election
In November 2010 Sal Brinton, the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2005 and 2010 elections, was appointed to the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a working peer.