is a
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.
The seat is based on the market town of
Bridgwater in
Somerset and currently incorporates significant portions of the surrounding north Somerset coast.
Following its review of parliamentary representation in Somerset, the
Boundary Commission For England has finalised the proposals which expands the existing Bridgwater seat into a new
Bridgwater And West Somerset division.
is one of the oldest
Parliamentary Constituencies in the
House Of Commons , having elected
Members Of Parliament since
1295 .
Bridgwater has traditionally had a radical tradition, though in recent years this has become less noticeable in election results as the constituency has expanded considerably beyond Bridgwater town itself.
The seat received particular fame in late
1938 when a
By-election took place in the aftermath of the signing of the
Munich Agreement . Opponnents of the agreement persuaded the local
Labour and
Liberal parties to not field candidates of their own against the
Conservative candidate, but to instead jointly back an independent standing on a platform of opposition to the Government's foreign policy, in the hope that this would be the precursor to the formation of a more general
Popular Front of opposition to the government of
Neville Chamberlain in anticipation of the
General Election due in either
1939 or
1940 . The noted journalist
Vernon Bartlett stood as the independent Popular Front candidate and achieved a sensational victory in what was hitherto a Conservative seat. He represented the constituency for the next twelve years.
In
1970 another
By-election in the constituency achieved fame as it was the first occasion when 18, 19 and 20 year olds were able to vote in the UK Parliamentary election. The first under-21 year old to cast a vote was Susan Wallace. The by-election was won by the future Conservative Cabinet Minister
Tom King who held the seat for the next thirty-one years.
The
Member Of Parliament since the
2001 General Election is
Ian Liddell-Grainger of the
Conservative Party . He succeeded the retiring
Tom King who had represented the seat since a by-election in 1970.
| |
Labour Party (UK)
|
| |
Matthew Burchell
|
| |
12,771
|
| |
265
|
| |
&minus03
|
|
| |
Liberal Democrats (UK)
|
| |
James Main
|
| |
10,940
|
| |
227
|
| |
&minus73
|
|
| |
United Kingdom Independence Party
|
| |
Ray Weinstein
|
| |
1,767
|
| |
37
|
| |
+09
|
|
| |
Green Party of England and Wales
|
| |
Charlie Graham
|
| |
1,391
|
| |
29
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Conservative Party (UK)
|
| |
+20
|
|
| |
Liberal Democrats (UK)
|
| |
Ian Thorn
|
| |
14,367
|
| |
300
|
| |
-36
|
|
| |
Labour Party (UK)
|
| |
Bill Monteith
|
| |
12,803
|
| |
268
|
| |
+20
|
|
| |
United Kingdom Independence Party
|
| |
Victoria Gardner
|
| |
1,323
|
| |
28
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
