Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Plymouth Sutton (UK Parliament constituency)

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County
  
Devon

Number of members
  
1

Plymouth Sutton (UK Parliament constituency)

Replaced by
  
Plymouth Moor View, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Plymouth, Sutton was, from 1918 until 2010, a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents

History

Plymouth Sutton covered parts of the city of Plymouth, in South West England, and was first contested at the 1918 general election. In a by-election in 1919, it became the second constituency in the UK (and the first in Great Britain) to elect a female MP: Nancy Astor became the first woman to take a seat in the House of Commons (the first female MP was the Sinn Féin member Constance Markievicz, who did not take her seat). Three of its MPs have been members of the Astor family. A more recent prominent MP was the flamboyant Conservative Alan Clark, who represented Plymouth Sutton from 1974 until 1992.

Abolition

Following a review of parliamentary representation in Devon by the Boundary Commission for England, constituencies in Plymouth have been reorganised, with both Plymouth Sutton and Plymouth Devonport being replaced by new constituencies of Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and Plymouth Moor View from 2010.

Boundaries

1918-1950: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Charles, Compton, Friary, Laira, St Andrew, Sutton, and Vintry.

1950-1955: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Charles, Compton, Crownhill, Drake, Friary, Laira, Mutley, St Andrew, Sutton, Valletort, and Vintry, and in the Rural District of Plympton St Mary the civil parish of Bickleigh.

1955-1974: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Charles, Compton, Crownhill, Efford, Friary, Mount Gould, Peverell, Sutton, Tamerton, and Trelawney.

1974-1983: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Crownhill, Efford, Mount Gould, Plympton Erle, Plympton St Mary, Plymstock Dunstone, Plymstock Radford, and Sutton.

1983-1997: The City of Plymouth wards of Efford, Eggbuckland, Mount Gould, Plympton Erle, Plympton St Mary, Plymstock Dunstone, and Plymstock Radford.

1997-2010: The City of Plymouth wards of Compton, Drake, Efford, Mount Gould, St Peter, Stoke, Sutton, and Trelawny.

The 1997 boundary changes were superficially helpful to Labour in this constituency: what had been a safe Conservative seat became a marginal seat. As such the seat from 1997 until 2010 was closer in its wards to the defunct marginal seat of Plymouth Drake.

Elections in the 1910s

  • endorsed by the Coalition Government
  • Elections in the 1930s

    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 the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

  • Conservative: Lady Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor
  • Labour: Lucy Annie Middleton
  • Elections in the 1970s

    New constituency boundaries came into effect in time for the following election in February 1974.

    References

    Plymouth Sutton (UK Parliament constituency) Wikipedia