The seat includes all of Woking borough plus the two Guildford borough villages of Pirbright and Normandy. There is an armed forces presence at Pirbright Camp and the Ash Ranges. Voters are wealthier than the UK average.[1]
With exceptions in 1974 (February election), 1997, 2005 and 2010, when the majority was less, Woking has returned a Conservative candidate whose majority has exceeded 15% of the votes cast. At both the 2015 and 2017 general elections, the Labour candidates polled in second place. In 2019, the Lib Dems moved into second place. During the history of the constituency since it was formed in 1950, the Labour Party has been the runner-up in 10 general elections and the Liberals/Lib Dems have also been runners-up 10 times. Jonathan Lord has been the MP for the constituency since 2010.
The narrowest margin of victory was 11.2% of the vote, in 1997, its most marginal result. By contrast, at the 2015 general election the seat was the 41st-safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority, with the Conservatives fully 40 percentage points ahead of Labour.[2]
The Liberal Democrats currently have a sizeable majority on Woking Borough Council and there is one strong Labour-voting ward (Canalside), but historically the Conservatives have been the dominant force on Woking Borough Council. The Conservatives have also consistently won both of the Guildford Borough Council wards of Pirbright and Normandy over many election cycles, but these two wards become part of the Surrey Heath constituency at the next General Election due to boundary changes.
Boundariesedit
Map of current boundaries
1950–74: The Urban Districts of Frimley and Camberley, and Woking, and in the Rural District of Guildford the parishes of Ash, Normandy, and Pirbright.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be reduced further by transferring the Pirbright and Normandy wards to the constituency of Surrey Heath. The boundaries will now be coterminous with those of the Borough of Woking.[3]
This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.
^"Conservative Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
^Ese Erheriene [@Ese_Journo] (16 March 2024). "Very happy to confirm I've been selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Woking. More than ready to get to work sharing our party's vision with hardworking voters who are keen for change 🌹" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
^"Woking Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
^"Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations" (PDF). Woking Borough Council. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
^"Woking Parliamentary constituency". BBC News Online. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
^"Known candidates for Woking in the 2017 general election". Democracy Club. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"UK 2015 general election results in full". The Guardian. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.