South West Wiltshire
UK Parliament constituency (since 2010)
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South West Wiltshire is a constituency in Wiltshire, England. The constituency has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Andrew Murrison, a Conservative, since its inauguration in 2010.[note 1]
| South West Wiltshire | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Interactive map of boundaries since 2024 | |
Boundary of South West Wiltshire in South West England | |
| County | Wiltshire |
| Electorate | 71,551 (2023)[1] |
| Major settlements | Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Mere |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2010 |
| Member of Parliament | Andrew Murrison (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Westbury, Salisbury |
History
The constituency was created for the 2010 general election, following the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies tasked to the Boundary Commission, by which Parliament increased the number of seats in the county from six to seven.[2]
The previous Westbury constituency was abolished: the northern part (including the town of Bradford-on-Avon) was transferred to the reinstated Chippenham seat, and the southern part (including the towns of Trowbridge, Warminster, and Westbury) formed the bulk of this constituency, which to complete it, received a minority of wards from the Salisbury seat.
Boundaries
2010–2024: The former District of West Wiltshire wards of Dilton Marsh, Ethandune, Mid Wylye Valley, Shearwater, Southwick and Wingfield, Summerham, Trowbridge Adcroft, Trowbridge College, Trowbridge Drynham, Trowbridge John of Gaunt, Trowbridge Park, Warminster East, Warminster West, Westbury Ham, and Westbury Laverton, and the former District of Salisbury wards of Donhead, Fonthill and Nadder, Knoyle, Tisbury and Fovant, and Western and Mere.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 4 May 2021):
- The Wiltshire electoral divisions of: Ethandune; Hilperton; Mere; Southwick; Trowbridge Adcroft; Trowbridge Central; Trowbridge Drynham; Trowbridge Grove; Trowbridge Lambrok; Trowbridge Park; Trowbridge Paxcroft; Warminster Broadway; Warminster East; Warminster North & Rural; Warminster West; Westbury East; Westbury North; Westbury West; Wylye Valley.[3]
In order to bring the electorate within the permitted range, Tisbury and the Nadder Valley were transferred to Salisbury. The village of Hilperton was added from Chippenham, while several rural parishes east of Trowbridge were transferred to Melksham and Devizes.
Constituency profile
As well as the county town of Trowbridge and the former market towns of Westbury and Warminster (the latter with a considerable Army presence), the seat covers a large rural area with smaller settlements. Residents' health and wealth are around the UK average.[4]
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member[5] | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Andrew Murrison | Conservative | Surgeon Commander (RN), retired 2000; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families 2022 – 2024 | |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Andrew Murrison | 15,617 | 33.8 | −24.5 | |
| Labour | Evelyn Akoto | 12,374 | 26.8 | +5.3 | |
| Reform | Garry Irvin | 7,840 | 17.0 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bret Palmer | 7,205 | 15.6 | −0.9 | |
| Green | Fay Whitfield | 2,243 | 4.9 | +1.2 | |
| Independent | James Ward | 448 | 1.0 | N/A | |
| Independent | Thomas Culshaw | 441 | 1.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,243 | 7.0 | −29.8 | ||
| Turnout | 46,168 | 64.5 | −1.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 71,574 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −14.9 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
| 2019 notional result[7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Conservative | 27,546 | 58.3 | |
| Labour | 10,168 | 21.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 7,787 | 16.5 | |
| Green | 1,736 | 3.7 | |
| Turnout | 47,237 | 66.0 | |
| Electorate | 71,551 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Andrew Murrison | 33,038 | 60.2 | +0.2 | |
| Labour | Emily Pomroy-Smith | 11,408 | 20.8 | −5.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Ellen Nicholson | 8,015 | 14.6 | +4.8 | |
| Green | Julie Phillips | 2,434 | 4.4 | +1.8 | |
| Majority | 21,630 | 39.4 | +5.9 | ||
| Turnout | 54,895 | 70.4 | −1.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Andrew Murrison | 32,841 | 60.0 | +7.3 | |
| Labour | Laura Pictor | 14,515 | 26.5 | +13.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Trevor Carbin | 5,360 | 9.8 | −0.8 | |
| Green | Chris Walford | 1,445 | 2.6 | −3.2 | |
| Independent | Liam Silcocks | 590 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 18,326 | 33.5 | −1.7 | ||
| Turnout | 54,751 | 72.0 | +1.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Andrew Murrison | 27,198 | 52.7 | +1.0 | |
| UKIP | Matthew Brown[11] | 9,030 | 17.5 | +12.0 | |
| Labour | George Aylett | 6,948 | 13.5 | +2.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Trevor Carbin | 5,482 | 10.6 | −19.9 | |
| Green | Phil Randle | 2,985 | 5.8 | N/A | |
| Majority | 18,168 | 35.2 | +14.0 | ||
| Turnout | 51,643 | 70.7 | +2.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Andrew Murrison | 25,321 | 51.7 | +2.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Trevor Carbin | 14,954 | 30.5 | +0.3 | |
| Labour | Rebecca Rennison | 5,613 | 11.5 | −5.7 | |
| UKIP | Michael Cuthbert-Murray | 2,684 | 5.5 | +2.0 | |
| Independent | Crispin Black | 446 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 10,367 | 21.2 | +2.2 | ||
| Turnout | 49,018 | 68.4 | +3.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.1 | |||
See also
Notes
- As with all constituencies, South West Wiltshire elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.