Tonbridge is a parliamentary constituency in Kent, centred on the town of Tonbridge. It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is currently held by Conservative Tom Tugendhat, who was MP for the predecessor seat of Tonbridge and Malling from 2015 to 2024.
The constituency was created for the 1918 general election, replacing the previous Tunbridge constituency. It was abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was replaced by the new Tonbridge and Malling constituency.
Following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established and was first contested in the 2024 general election, formed primarily from the previous and largely overlapping constituency of Tonbridge and Malling.
Boundaries
Historic
1918–1950: The Borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells, the Urban Districts of Tonbridge and Southborough, and Tonbridge Rural District.
1950–1974: As 1918 but with redrawn boundaries.
Current
The re-established constituency id defined as being composed of the following as they existed on 1 December 2020:
- The District of Sevenoaks wards of: Ash and New Ash Green; Cowden and Hever; Edenbridge North and East; Edenbridge South and West; Hartley and Hodsoll Street; Leigh and Chiddingstone Causeway; Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone.
- The Borough of Tonbridge and Malling wards of: Borough Green and Long Mill; Cage Green; Castle; Downs and Mereworth; Hadlow and East Peckham; Higham; Hildenborough; Judd; Medway; Trench; Vauxhall; Wateringbury; Wrotham, Ightham and Stansted.
Following a local government boundary review in Tonbridge and Malling which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency is now composed of the following from the 2024 general election:
- The District of Sevenoaks wards of: Ash and New Ash Green; Cowden and Hever; Edenbridge North and East; Edenbridge South and West; Hartley and Hodsoll Street; Leigh and Chiddingstone Causeway; Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone.
- The Borough of Tonbridge and Malling wards of: Birling, Leybourne & Ryarsh (part); Borough Green & Platt; Bourne; Cage Green & Angel; East and West Peckham, Mereworth & Wateringbury; East Malling, West Malling & Offham (small part); Higham; Hildenborough; Judd; Pilgrims with Ightham; Trench; Vauxhall.
The reformed constituency comprises the bulk of the preceding Tonbridge and Malling seat (excluding East and West Malling), plus an additional two District of Sevenoaks wards to the north - Ash and New Ash Green, and Hartley and Hodsoll Street, from the constituencies of Sevenoaks and Dartford respectively.
Constituency profile
The seat includes the commuter town of Tonbridge and its hinterland to the north, plus the smaller town of Edenbridge further west. Electoral Calculus characterises this area as "Strong Right", with right-wing economic and social views, high home ownership levels and strong support for Brexit.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1918–1974
Tunbridge prior to 1918
MPs since 2024
Tonbridge and Malling prior to 2024
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Election results 1918–1974
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
- Conservative: Adrian Baillie
- Labour: R. E. L. Bowyer
- Liberal: Richard Matthews
- British Union: E J Crawford
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
See also
- List of parliamentary constituencies in Kent
- List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)
References
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)
External links
- Tonbridge UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK
