In terms of electorate, Banbury was the 16th largest constituency in the United Kingdom at the time of the 2015 general election.[3]
Constituency profileedit
The constituency has relatively high economic dependence on agriculture, as well as modern industry (particularly motorsport), research and development, public services and, to a lesser extent, defence. It contains two large market towns, Banbury and Bicester, where the majority of the electorate live. It is a partly rural seat, with the northwest of the constituency on the edge of the Cotswolds. The area has experienced significant urban growth and is popular with commuters who favour its fast transport links to Birmingham, Oxford and London by rail, or the M40. More than one in 10 of the population is employed in higher managerial, administrative and professional work, according to ONS 2011 Census figures for England and Wales. In 2015 the seat was home to 4.3% of EU residents and unemployment was 2.9%.[4] There are some Labour voting wards in Banbury itself, but the remainder of the constituency including Bicester and the smaller rural towns and villages are safely Conservative. However, the 2017 election saw a particularly strong swing for Labour like many towns in southern England. Nonetheless, the Conservative incumbent Victoria Prentis managed to secure a majority of over 12,000, increasing this to nearly 17,000 in 2019.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the Parliamentary Borough was abolished and was reconstituted as the Northern or Banbury Division of Oxfordshire when the three-member Parliamentary County of Oxfordshire was divided into the three single-member seats: Banbury, Woodstock and Henley. It comprised the north-western part of Oxfordshire, including Chipping Norton as well as the abolished borough. Banbury has remained as such since then with varying boundaries (see below).
Political historyedit
Majority views
Banbury has post-World War I unbroken Conservative representation and significant local support for the party. Its MPs since 1922 have all served long terms in office and each since 1922 has been knighted. The seat saw a very close election in 1923. The largest vote since 1922 has at each election been for a Conservative. In 2010 Tony Baldry (Conservative) almost doubled his majority. The 2015 result made the seat the 125th safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority.[6]
Four of the six parties' candidates achieved more than the deposit-retaining threshold of 5% of the vote in 2015. In 2001, the Labour Party candidate Lesley Silbey won the largest opposing-party share of the vote since 1974 — 35% of the vote. Prior to 1974, the highest percentage of votes for the second-placed candidate was in 1945 — 48% of the vote.
Boundaries and boundary changesedit
1885–1918edit
The Borough of Banbury;and
The Sessional Divisions of Banbury and Bloxham, Chadlington, and Wootton North.[8]
1918–1950edit
The Boroughs of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Woodstock;
The Urban District of Witney; and
The Rural Districts of Banbury, Chipping Norton, Witney, and Woodstock.[9]
The constituency was expanded to include the western half of the abolished Woodstock Division, including Witney and Woodstock.
1950–1974edit
The Boroughs of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Woodstock;
The Urban District of Witney;
The Rural Districts of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Witney; and
The Rural District of Ploughley parishes of Begbroke, Gosford and Water Eaton, Hampton Gay and Poyle, Kidlington, Shipton on Cherwell, Thrupp, and Yarnton.[10]
Change to contents due to reorganisation of rural districts. Marginal loss to the Oxford constituency as a result of the expansion of the County Borough of Oxford.
1974–1983edit
The Boroughs of Banbury, Chipping Norton, and Woodstock;
The Urban District of Bicester;
The Rural Districts of Banbury and Chipping Norton; and
The Rural District of Ploughley parishes of Ardley, Bucknell, Caversfield, Chesterton, Cottisford, Finmere, Fringford, Fritwell, Godington, Hardwick with Tusmore, Hethe, Kirtlington, Launton, Lower Heyford, Middleton Stoney, Mixbury, Newton Purcell with Shelswell, Somerton, Souldern, Stoke Lyne, Stratton Audley, and Upper Heyford.[11]
The Urban and Rural Districts of Witney and the parts of the Rural District of Ploughley, including Kidlington, formed the basis of the new constituency of Mid-Oxon. Bicester and northern parts of the Rural District of Ploughley transferred from Henley.
1983–1997edit
The District of Cherwell wards of Adderbury, Ambrosden, Ardley, Bicester East, Bicester South, Bicester West, Bloxham, Bodicote, Calthorpe, Chesterton, Cropredy, Deddington, Easington, Fringford, Grimsbury, Hardwick, Heyford, Hook Norton, Hornton, Kirtlington, Launton, Neithrop, Otmoor, Ruscote, Sibford, Steeple Aston, and Wroxton; and
The District of West Oxfordshire wards of Bartons and Tackley, and Wootton.[12]
Gained a small part of the abolished constituency of Mid-Oxon, to the south of Bicester. The bulk of the area comprising the former Urban and Rural Districts of Chipping Norton transferred to the new constituency of Witney.
1997–2010edit
The District of Cherwell wards of Adderbury, Ambrosden, Ardley, Bicester East, Bicester South, Bicester West, Bloxham, Bodicote, Calthorpe, Chesterton, Cropredy, Deddington, Easington, Fringford, Grimsbury, Hardwick, Heyford, Hook Norton, Hornton, Kirtlington, Launton, Neithrop, Otmoor, Ruscote, Sibford, Steeple Aston, and Wroxton.[13]
The District of West Oxfordshire wards of: Chadlington and Churchill; Charlbury and Finstock; Chipping Norton; Kingham, Rollright and Enstone; The Bartons.[15]
Major changes, with the town of Bicester and surrounding areas, comprising 38.5% of the current electorate[16], being included in the newly created constituency of Bicester and Woodstock. This will be partly offset by the transfer from Witney of north-western parts of the District of West Oxfordshire, including Chipping Norton and Charlbury.
Members of Parliamentedit
Banbury borough (until 1885)edit
MPs 1554–1640edit
Constituency created 1554. (Even before the Reform Act of 1832, Banbury only returned one member to Parliament)[17]
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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
Banbury is bordered to the northeast by Northamptonshire South, to the east by Buckingham, to the south by Witney and Henley constituencies, to the east by Stratford-upon-Avon, and to the northeast by Kenilworth and Southam.
^"Conservative Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
^"European Union (Withdrawal) Bill — Reject Third Reading — Membership of the European Union: Recent Votes". TheyWorkForYou.
^The public general acts. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Craig, Fred WS (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0900178094. OCLC 539011.
^"Representation of the People Act, 1948". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
^"Boundary review 2023: Which seats will change in the UK?".
^Knollys claimed and used the title Viscount Wallingford, but his claim was disallowed by the House of Lords
^ abcdefghStooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I, to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via Google Books.
^"Election News". Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser. 10 July 1841. p. 23. Retrieved 15 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. pp. 74, 79. Retrieved 15 November 2018 – via Google Books.
^"Nottingham Review and General Advertiser for the Midland Counties". 25 August 1837. p. 4. Retrieved 15 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"General Election, 1841". Morning Post. 29 June 1841. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 15 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 220. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via Google Books.
^"Election Movements in England". Northern Standard. 19 June 1841. p. 1. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
^ abTancred, Henry William (1969). Trinder, Barrie Stuart (ed.). A Victorian M.P. and his constituents: the correspondence of H. W. Tancred, 1841-1859 (Illustrated ed.). Banbury Historical Society. p. 105.
^ abcdPotts, A (1969). "The educational work of Sir Bernhard Samuelson (1820-1905) with special reference to technical education" (PDF). Durham E-Theses Online. Durham University. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
^"GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES". SDP. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
^"Re-Adoption as Conservative Candidate for Banbury". Victoria Prentis. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
^"Cherwell Labour councillor standing to be Banbury MP". Bicester Advertiser. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
^"Banbury Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Cherwell District Council". Cherwell District Council. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^"Banbury Parliamentary Constituency". Election 2017. BBC News.
^"Victoria Prentis selected as Parliamentary Candidate". Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017. North Oxfordshire Conservatives
^"Oxfordshire PPC Candidates: first in south east". UKIP South East. 12 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
^"Ian Middleton - Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Banbury". Oxfordshire Green Party.
^Total electorate 88420 from Cherwell District Council elections office, 28 May 2015 and accepted by House of Commons Library, 18 June 2015
^"Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"1983 General Election - Banbury". Retrieved 11 December 2023.
^"Complimentary Banquet to L. M. Wynne, Esq". Oxford Journal. 24 September 1892. p. 8. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
^"Representation of Banbury". Derby Telegraph. 19 February 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
^"Banbury". Northampton Mercury. 28 March 1874. p. 8. Retrieved 27 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
^"Banbury". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 16 November 1868. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
^"Banbury". Oxford Times. 22 July 1865. p. 7. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
^"The General Election". North Devon Gazette. 24 March 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 7 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
^"Election Intelligence". Liverpool Mail. 24 July 1847. p. 5. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
^"Banbury Election". Northampton Mercury. 3 July 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.(subscription required)
^"Banbury, June 17". Oxford Journal. 19 June 1841. p. 2. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
^"Tory Misrule!". Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser. 2 January 1835. p. 1. Retrieved 7 September 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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Iain Dale, ed. (2003). The Times House of Commons 1929, 1931, 1935. Politico's (reprint). ISBN 1-84275-033-X.
The Times House of Commons 1945. 1945. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
The Times House of Commons 1950. 1950. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
The Times House of Commons 1955. 1955. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) A Chronological Register of Both Houses of the British Parliament, from the Union in 1708, to the Third Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1807
Stanley T. Bindoff et al. (1982). The House of Commons: 1509 – 1558 ; 1, Appendices, constituencies, members A – C, Volume 4. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 0-436-04282-7. pp. 30–31.
D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)