South Dorset County constituency
South Dorset shown within Dorset, and Dorset shown within England
Created:	1885
MP:	Jim Knight
Party:	Labour
Type:	House of Commons
County:	Dorset
EP constituency:	South West England

South Dorset is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. James Knight known as Jim Knight (born 6 March 1965, Sidcup) is a British politician for the Labour Party who has been This is a list of political parties in the United Kingdom. Brief history and overview Prior to the mid-19th century Politics in the United Kingdom The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member

Boundaries

The constituency covers a similar area to the borough of Weymouth and Portland and the Purbeck district in Dorset. Settlements Settlements with a Population over 2500 are in bold. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Weymouth is one of the few large towns in Dorset, but Purbeck is largely rural. The constituency includes Bovington army camp. The Bovington Tank Museum is the a collection of Armoured vehicles in the United Kingdom.

History

In the 1997 election, this seat was won by the Conservatives by a margin of only 77 votes, one of the smallest margins in the UK. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The constituency went on to be won by Labour from the Conservatives in the 2001 election, but with Labour's smallest majority in England, at 153. Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown In the 2005 election this constituency was one of the few in which Labour significantly increased their majority. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general Labour may have been helped by the fact that Tony Blair started his official campaign in this seat. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to In both elections, the left-wing singer-songwriter Billy Bragg ran an anti-Conservative tactical voting campaign in Dorset constituencies. Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957 in Essex, England) better known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician who In Voting systems tactical voting (or strategic voting or sophisticated voting) occurs when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her

Members of Parliament

The Roman numerals after the courtesy title of the Viscounts Cranborne, who represented this constituency, are to distinguish between them. A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of Nobility used by children former wives and other close relatives of a peer. It is not suggested that roman numerals were used in this way at the time.

• In this section by-elections are indicated by an asterisk after the date.

Notes

1. ^ Died 1891
2. ^ Called to the House of Lords, by a writ in acceleration, as Lord Cecil of Essendon in 1941. Results |} Total votes cast 4638235 All parties shown Voting summary Seats summary See also Results |} Total votes cast 4638235 All parties shown Voting summary Seats summary See also The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party Results |} Vote summary Seats summary See also MPs elected in the UK general election 1886 Charles Joseph Theophilus Hambro ( 2 October 1834 &ndash 11 April 1891) was a British politician The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom general election of 1906 was held from 12 January to 8 February 1906 Sir Thomas Talbot Leyland Scarisbrick, 1st Baronet ( 28 April 1874 &ndash 18 May 1933) was a British politician The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party The United Kingdom general election of January 1910 was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The UK general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922 It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Robert Daniel Thwaites Yerburgh 1st Baron Alvingham ( 10 December 1889 – 27 November 1955) was a British Conservative The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The 1929 UK general election was held on 30 May 1929 and resulted in a Hung parliament. Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil 5th Marquess of Salisbury, KG PC ( August 27, 1893 &ndash February 23, 1972) was a The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Alexander Victor Edward Paulet Montagu 10th Earl of Sandwich ( 22 May 1906 &ndash 25 February 1995) known as Viscount Hinchingbrooke The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The South Dorset by-election 1962 occurred following the death of George Montagu 9th Earl of Sandwich. Nicolas Guy Barnett ( 23 August 1928 &ndash 24 December 1986) was a British Labour Party politician and Member The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Campaign The pre-election campaign was prolonged as Douglas-Home delayed calling a general election in order to try to give himself the maximum time to improve the Evelyn Mansfield King ( 30 May 1907 &ndash 14 April 1994) was a British member of parliament for both the Labour Party and The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Background Callaghan had succeeded Harold Wilson as Labour Prime Minister after the latter's surprise resignation in April 1976 Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil 7th Marquess of Salisbury, PC (born September 30, 1946) is a The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Results |} All parties gaining over 500 votes listed Campaign and policies The Conservatives' campaign emphasized lower taxes a strong economy and defence Ian Cameron Bruce (born March 14, 1947) is a politician in the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown James Knight known as Jim Knight (born 6 March 1965, Sidcup) is a British politician for the Labour Party who has been The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration was a type of writ of summons to the House of Lords that enabled the eldest son and Heir apparent Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain.
3. ^ Succeeded as the 10th Earl of Sandwich

Election results

See also

• Richard Drax
• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Dorset

External links

• Jim Knight MP official site
• BBC News article on the 2001 South Dorset election