Basingstoke () is a constituency in Hampshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Luke Murphy, a member of the Labour Party.
Constituency profile
The constituency is located within the Basingstoke and Deane local government district in Hampshire. It contains most of the large town of Basingstoke and extends into rural areas to the west of the town, including the village of Oakley.
Basingstoke is a historic market town that was significantly expanded after World War II to accommodate the London overspill. Residents are generally wealthier than the national average and have a similar ethnic makeup to the country as a whole. Local politics are mixed, with Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors all being elected in the town at the most recent borough council election in 2024. The constituency is estimated to have voted marginally in favour of leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, similar to the national average.
Content and regional context
The town was represented in the Model Parliament convened in 1295 but not again until the modern seat was created in 1885 which was done on a broad contents basis. From 1295 inclusive to the one year parliament of 1831–32 its area was part of the Hampshire constituency or election of knights of the shire as the event was more often called and from 1832 to 1885 its area lay in the North Hampshire constituency.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The Borough of Basingstoke, and the Sessional Divisions of Basingstoke and Odiham.
1918–1950: The Boroughs of Basingstoke and Andover, and the Rural Districts of Andover, Basingstoke, Kingsclere, Stockbridge, and Whitchurch.
1950–1955: The Boroughs of Basingstoke and Andover, the Rural Districts of Andover, Basingstoke, and Kingsclere and Whitchurch, and in the Rural District of Romsey and Stockbridge the parishes of Ashley, Bossington, Broughton, Buckholt, East Tytherley, Frenchmoor, Houghton, King's Somborne, Leckford, Little Somborne, Longstock, Nether Wallop, Over Wallop, Stockbridge, and West Tytherley.
1955–1974: The Boroughs of Basingstoke and Andover, and the Rural Districts of Andover, Basingstoke, and Kingsclere and Whitchurch.
1974–1983: The Borough of Basingstoke, the Rural Districts of Basingstoke, and Kingsclere and Whitchurch, and in the Rural District of Hartley Wintney the parishes of Bramshill, Dogmersfield, Eversley, Greywell, Hartley Wintney, Heckfield, Hook, Long Sutton, Mattingley, Odiham, Rotherwick, South Warnborough, and Winchfield. Note: among these Hook was by 1983 commonly considered a town.
1983–1997: The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of Basing, Black Dam, Bramley, Brighton Hill, Buckskin, Chapel, Daneshill, Eastrop, Farleigh Wallop, Kempshott, King's Furlong, Norden, North Waltham, Oakley, Pamber, Popley, Sherborne St John, Sherfield on Loddon, Silchester, South Ham, Upton Grey, Viables, Westside, and Winklebury.
1997–2010: The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of Basing, Brighton Hill, Brookvale, Buckskin, Calleva, Chineham, Eastrop, Grove, Hatch Warren, Kempshott, Norden, Popley, South Ham, Upton Grey, and Winklebury.
2010–2024: The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of Basing, Brighton Hill North, Brighton Hill South, Brookvale and King's Furlong, Buckskin, Chineham, Eastrop, Grove, Hatch Warren and Beggarwood, Kempshott, Norden, Popley East, Popley West, Rooksdown, South Ham, and Winklebury.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane wards of: Brighton Hill; Brookvale & Kings Furlong; Chineham; Eastrop & Grove; Hatch Warren & Beggarwood; Kempshott & Buckskin; Norden; Oakley & The Candovers (polling districts OC01, OC03, OC04, OC05, OC06, OC07, OC08, OC09 and OC11); Popley; South Ham; Winklebury & Manydown.
To bring the electorate within the permitted range, Old Basing was transferred to North East Hampshire. The suburb of Rooksdown was transferred to North West Hampshire in exchange for the village of Oakley.
Members of Parliament
North Hampshire prior to 1885
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Member
!Party
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1885
| George Sclater-Booth
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1887 by-election
| Arthur Frederick Jeffreys
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1906
| Arthur Salter
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1917 by-election
| Auckland Geddes
| Unionist
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1920 by-election
| Arthur Holbrook
| Coalition Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1923
| Reginald Fletcher
| Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1924
| Arthur Richard Holbrook
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1929
| Gerard Wallop
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1934 by-election
| Henry Drummond Wolff
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1935
| Patrick Donner
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1955
| Denzil Freeth
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1964
| David Mitchell
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 1983
|rowspan="3"| Andrew Hunter
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 2002
| Independent Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 2004
| Democratic Unionist
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 2005
| Maria Miller
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| 2024
| Luke Murphy
| Labour
|}
Elections
thumb|Basingstoke Election Results 1900-2024
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 2019 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 26,966 ||align=right| 52.7
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 14,665 ||align=right| 28.7
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 6,797 ||align=right| 13.3
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 2,007 ||align=right| 3.9
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 746 ||align=right| 1.5
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|51,181
|align=right|66.4
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|77,050
|}
For the 2015 election, the Green Party attempted to field two candidates who would job share. Sarah Cope had young children and Clare Lorraine Phipps is disabled,