Chesham and Amersham (UK Parliament constituency)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox UK constituency Chesham and Amersham is a parliamentary constituency in Buckinghamshire, South East England, represented in the House of Commons by Sarah Green, a Liberal Democrat elected at a 2021 by-election.

Profile

The local authority is Buckinghamshire Council and the seat formerly coincided with the now-abolished Chiltern District. It includes the towns of Chesham, Amersham and Gerrards Cross, together with outlying villages within the Metropolitan Green Belt. The area is connected with Central London by the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, as well as the London to Aylesbury Line and the Chiltern Main Line, both operated by Chiltern Railways. The constituency is also close to the M40 and M25 motorways. It is home to many affluent professionals. The two main towns are the only part of the London Underground network amid an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (viz Chiltern Hills).

History

Creation

The seat was created for the general election in February 1974. It comprised the southern part of the former Rural District of Amersham, including Amersham and the Chalfonts, previously part of the abolished constituency of South Buckinghamshire; and Chesham and the northern part of the former Rural District of Amersham, transferred from Aylesbury.

Political history

Until the 2021 by-election was won by the Liberal Democrats candidate, the previous general election results in the seat since its creation had seen a Conservative winning margin of between 10,416 (Feb 1974) and 23,920 (2015) votes, in each case an absolute majority of the votes cast. In each of the general elections except two the Liberals, or subsequently Liberal Democrats, had come second, with results as high as 31.15 per cent of the votes cast. Labour came second only once, in 2017, when it achieved its best ever result of 20.6 per cent. UKIP came second in 2015, Labour in 2017 and the Liberal Democrats in 2019.

In June 2016, an estimated 55 per cent of adults voting in the EU referendum in the constituency voted to remain in the European Union, compared with 48% in the UK as a whole. The estimated turnout of 83.6 per cent was the highest in any constituency in the UK, the only higher turnout in the referendum being in Gibraltar. In the 2019 EU Parliament elections more than 50 per cent voted for parties supporting continued UK membership of the EU, although the turnout was only 42.8 per cent. The pro-EU Liberal Democrats were the most popular party with 31.9 per cent, with the pro-Leave Brexit Party in second place on 30 per cent. Despite the seat's support for remaining in the EU, its pro-Brexit MP, Dame Cheryl Gillan, was re-elected in both general elections held after the 2016 referendum (in the case of 2017 with her highest vote share since her first election in 1992), albeit with slightly reduced majorities.

Dame Cheryl Gillan MP died in office on 4 April 2021, and the seat was gained by the Liberal Democrats' pro-EU Sarah Green in the subsequent by-election on 17 June 2021 with a majority of 8,028 votes. The Liberal Democrat win in the 2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election was seen as an upset in a historically safe Conservative seat, and party leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted that the result had "sent a shockwave through British politics". It was the first in a series of likewise safe Conservative seats that were lost to the Liberal Democrats through by-elections in that Parliament.

In December 2023, the Labour Party included the seat in its published list of 211 non-battleground seats, suggesting they did not see it as winnable. Sarah Green retained the seat for the Liberal Democrats at the 2024 General Election with a swing of 22.4%, giving her a majority of 5,451 (10.0%).

Boundaries

1974–1983: Chesham Urban District and Amersham Rural District.

1983–1997:

• The District of Chiltern wards of Amersham Common, Amersham-on-the-Hill, Amersham Town, Asheridge Vale, Ashley Green and Latimer, Austenwood, Chalfont Common, Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter Central, Chartridge, Chenies, Chesham Bois and Weedon Hill, Cholesbury and The Lee, Coleshill and Penn Street, Gold Hill, Hilltop, Holmer Green, Little Chalfont, Little Missenden, Lowndes, Newtown, Penn, Pond Park, St Mary's, Seer Green and Jordans, Townsend, and Waterside; and
• The District of Wycombe wards of Hazlemere North and Hazlemere South.

Hazlemere was transferred from Wycombe. Great Missenden was transferred to Aylesbury.

1997–2010:

• The Chiltern District except the wards of Ballinger and South Heath, Great Missenden, and Prestwood and Heath End; and
• The Wycombe District wards of Hazlemere Central, Hazlemere East and Hazlemere West.

Template:Maplink 2010–2024: The Chiltern District.

Great Missenden transferred back from Aylesbury and Hazlemere returned to Wycombe.

2024–present: Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The District of Buckinghamshire wards of Amersham and Chesham Bois, Chalfont St. Giles, Chalfont St. Peter, Chesham, Chess Valley, Chiltern Ridges (polling districts CD and CDA), Denham (polling district SGE), Gerrards Cross ( polling districts SGN and SGS), Hazlemere, Little Chalfont and Amersham Common, and Penn Wood and Old Amersham.

The boundaries are similar to those of 1983 to 2010, with Great Missenden and the nearby village of Chartridge now included in the new constituency of Mid Buckinghamshire, and Hazlemere returned from Wycombe. In addition, the town of Gerrards Cross was transferred in from Beaconsfield.

Members of Parliament

The present Member of Parliament for Chesham and Amersham is the Liberal Democrat Sarah Green MP who was elected at the 2021 by-election. Previous MPs were the Conservative Cheryl Gillan, who held the position from 1992 until her death in 2021, and Ian Gilmour, who served from 1974 to 1992.

South Buckinghamshire and Aylesbury prior to 1974

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1974	Ian Gilmour	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1992	Dame Cheryl Gillan	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2021 by-election	Sarah Green	Liberal Democrats

Elections

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Results over time

Elections in the 2020s

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General election 2024: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Gareth Williams	18,971	34.8
		Laurence Jarvis	5,310	9.8
		Chris Chilton	3,502	6.4
		Justine Fulford	1,673	3.1
		Muhammad Pervez Khan	466	0.9
		Julian Foster	111	0.2
Majority			5,451	10.1
Turnout			54,455	72.7
Registered electors			74,889
	hold		Swing	+22.0

Vote share changes for the 2024 election are compared to the notional results from the 2019 election, not the 2021 by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

2021 by-election: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Peter Fleet	13,489	35.5
		Carolyne Culver	1,480	3.9
		Natasa Pantelic	622	1.6
		Alex Wilson	414	1.1
	Breakthrough Party	Carla Gregory	197	0.5
style="color:inherit;background-color:Template:Party color" |	Freedom Alliance	Adrian Oliver	134	0.4
	Rejoin EU	Brendan Donnelly	101	0.3
Majority			8,028	21.2
Registered electors			72,828
Turnout			37,954	52.1
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+25.2

Cheryl Gillan died on 4 April 2021, triggering a by-election held on 17 June 2021.

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	30,264	56.3
	Liberal Democrats	12,048	22.4
	Labour	7,473	13.9
	Green	2,600	4.8
	Others	1,326	2.5
Turnout		53,711	72.4
Electorate		74,155

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2019: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Dan Gallagher	14,627	26.3
		Matt Turmaine	7,166	12.9
		Alan Booth	3,042	5.5
Majority			16,223	29.1
Turnout			55,685	76.8
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2017: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Nina Dluzewska	11,374	20.6
		Peter Jones	7,179	13.0
		Alan Booth	1,660	3.0
		David Meacock	1,525	2.8
Majority			22,140	40.1
Turnout			55,252	77.1
	hold		Swing	N/A

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General election 2015: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alan Stevens	7,218	13.7
		Ben Davies	6,712	12.7
		Kirsten Johnson	4,761	9.0
		Gill Walker	2,902	5.5
Majority			23,920	45.4
Turnout			52,731	72.7
	hold		Swing

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General election 2010: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Tim Starkey	14,948	28.5
		Anthony Gajadharsingh	2,942	5.6
		Alan Stevens	2,129	4.1
		Nick Wilkins	767	1.5
Majority			16,710	31.9
Turnout			52,444	74.6
	hold		Swing	+2.2

Elections in the 2000s

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General election 2005: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Ford	11,821	25.1
		Rupa Huq	6,610	14.0
		Nick Wilkins	1,656	3.5
		David Samuel-Camps	1,391	3.0
Majority			13,798	29.3
Turnout			47,097	68.0
	hold		Swing	+1.5

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General election 2001: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Ford	10,985	24.3
		Kenneth Hulme	8,497	18.8
		Ian Harvey	1,367	3.0
		Nick Wilkins	1,114	2.5
		Gillian Duval	453	1.0
Majority			11,882	26.2
Turnout			45,283	64.7
	hold		Swing	−0.1

Elections in the 1990s

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General election 1997: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Michael Brand	12,439	23.8
		Paul Farrelly	10,240	19.6
		Paul Andrews	2,528	4.8
		C Shilson	618	1.2
		Hugh Godfrey	74	0.1
Majority			13,859	26.6
Turnout			52,197	74.5
	hold		Swing	−6.1

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General election 1992: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Andrew Ketteringham	14,053	24.5
		Candy Atherton	5,931	10.4
		CL Strickland	753	1.3
		MTL Griffith-Jones	255	0.4
Majority			22,220	38.8
Turnout			57,265	81.9
	hold		Swing	+1.9

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1987: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Andrew Ketteringham	15,064	27.1
		Paul Goulding	5,170	9.3
		Ann Darnbrough	760	1.4
Majority			19,440	35.1
Turnout			55,498	77.4
	hold		Swing	+2.6

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1983: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Bradnock	16,556	31.2
		Clive Duncan	4,150	7.8
Majority			15,879	29.8
Turnout			53,141	75.94
	hold		Swing	−3.9

Elections in the 1970s

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General election 1979: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		R Bradnock	12,328	23.0
		Elizabeth Barratt	7,645	14.3
		S Clinch	697	1.3
Majority			20,596	38.4
Turnout			53,594	79.7
	hold		Swing	+7.6

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election October 1974: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		DA Stoddart	14,091	28.5
		JR Poston	10,325	20.9
Majority			10,987	22.1
Turnout			49,494	78.1
	hold		Swing	−1.3

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election February 1974: Chesham and Amersham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		D A Stoddart	16,619	31.2
		BM Warshaw	9,700	18.2
Majority			10,416	19.5
Turnout			53,354	85.0
	win (new seat)

See also

• 2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Buckinghamshire
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)

External links

• nomis Constituency Profile for Chesham and Amersham — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.
• Chesham and Amersham UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Chesham and Amersham UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Chesham and Amersham UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK