Epsom and Ewell (UK Parliament constituency)

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Infobox UK constituency main Epsom and Ewell is a constituency^{[n 1]} in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Helen Maguire, a Liberal Democrat.^{[n 2]}

History

The seat has existed since the February 1974 general election, forming the centre of the previous Epsom constituency. Epsom had been held by a Conservative since its creation in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and the new seat continued to elect Conservative MPs with sizable majorities.

Chris Grayling was first elected in 2001; he went on to serve in the cabinets of the Cameron and May governments from 2010 to 2019. Grayling stood down for the 2024 general election, when Helen Maguire took the seat for the Liberal Democrats for the first time on a swing of 18%.

In Westminster elections, it was, until 2024, one of the strongest Conservative areas in the country. Locally, however, the majority area council (Epsom and Ewell Borough Council) is controlled by the local Residents' Association. Conservatives regularly run the two slightly included neighbouring councils and until recently the party rarely contested the main borough's elections. One ward in Epsom, Court, is quite strongly Labour, and several Residents Association councillors have sided against Conservative-run Reigate and Banstead council, which is also electorally diverse.

In 1987, Barbara Follett, later Member of Parliament for Stevenage, unsuccessfully stood for the Labour Party in the constituency.

Boundaries

Historic

Template:Maplink Before 1997 Epsom and Ewell excluded Ashtead but instead included Banstead from Reigate and Banstead. As the borough of Epsom and Ewell is small and includes relatively sparsely populated areas such as Epsom Downs, the constituency has consistently also included areas of neighbouring Surrey districts.^[1]

1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and the Urban District of Leatherhead.

1983–1997: The Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Banstead Village, Nork, Preston, and Tattenhams.

1997–2010: The Borough of Epsom and Ewell, the District of Mole Valley wards of Ashtead Common, Ashtead Park, and Ashtead Village, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Nork, Preston, and Tattenhams.

2010–2024: The Borough of Epsom and Ewell, the District of Mole Valley wards of Ashtead Common, Ashtead Park, and Ashtead Village, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Nork and Tattenhams.

The boundary with Mole Valley moved slightly the uninhabited portions of land by the M25 motorway adjoining Ashtead and Leatherhead, in line with local government wards. The Preston ward of Reigate & Banstead (in Tadworth) was transferred to Reigate.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is defined as being composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:

The Borough of Epsom and Ewell.
The District of Mole Valley wards of: Ashtead Common; Ashtead Park; Ashtead Village; Leatherhead North; Leatherhead South.^[2]

Following a local government boundary review in Mole Valley^[3]^[4] which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

The Borough of Epsom and Ewell.
The District of Mole Valley wards of Ashtead Lanes & Common, Ashtead Park, Leatherhead North, and Leatherhead South.^[5]

The electorate was reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring the parts in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead to Reigate. To partly compensate, Leatherhead was transferred from the abolished constituency of Mole Valley (its main successor being Dorking and Horley).

Members of Parliament

Election		Member^[6]	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Feb 1974	Peter Rawlinson	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	1978 by-election	Sir Archie Hamilton	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	2001	Chris Grayling	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" \|	2024	Helen Maguire	Liberal Democrats

Elections

File:Epsom results since 1885.png

Epsom (−1970) and Epsom & Ewell (1974–2024) election results