Braintree is a constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by James Cleverly, a member of the Conservative Party.

Cleverly, a former chairman of the Conservative Party, is currently serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government having previously held several ministerial roles including home secretary, foreign secretary and secretary of state for education.

Constituency profile

The Braintree constituency covers a large area of rural Essex. The largest town is Braintree, with a population of around 43,000. Other settlements include the small town of Halstead and the villages of Great Notley and Sible Hedingham. The area is predominantly agricultural, although Braintree and Halstead have a history of textile manufacturing, particularly silk.

Compared to national averages, residents of the constituency are less likely to be degree-educated but have similar levels of professional employment and slightly higher household income. White people make up 95% of the population. At the local county and district councils, most parts of the constituency are represented by Conservative councillors, although Labour Party councillors were elected in parts of Braintree. Voters in the constituency strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 62% voted in favour of Brexit compared to 52% nationally.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1974–1983

  • The Urban Districts of Braintree and Bocking, and Witham;
  • The Rural District of Braintree; and
  • The Rural District of Chelmsford civil parishes of Boreham, Broomfield, Chignall, Good Easter, Great and Little Leighs, Great Waltham, Little Waltham, Mashbury, Pleshey, Roxwell, Springfield, and Writtle.

Formed largely from the existing constituency of Maldon. The northern part of the Rural District of Chelmsford was transferred from Chelmsford and a small part of the Rural District of Braintree was previously in Saffron Walden.

1983–1997

  • The District of Braintree wards of Black Notley, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree West, Coggeshall, Cressing, Hatfield Peverel, Kelvedon, Panfield, Rayne, Terling, Three Fields, Witham Central, Witham Chipping Hill, Witham North, Witham Silver End and Rivenhall, Witham South, and Witham West; and
  • The Borough of Chelmsford wards of Broomfield and Chignall, Good Easter Mashbury and Roxwell, Great and Little Leighs and Little Waltham, Great Waltham and Pleshey, and Writtle.

Following changes to the structure of local authorities in 1974, the seat was largely unchanged, with just the Boreham and Springfield ward of Chelmsford Borough being transferred to the Chelmsford constituency.

1997–2010

  • The District of Braintree wards of Black Notley, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree West, Coggeshall, Cressing, Earls Colne, Gosfield, Hatfield Peveril, Kelvedon, Panfield, Rayne, Terling, Three Fields, Witham Central, Witham Chipping Hill, Witham North, Witham Silver End and Rivenhall, Witham South, and Witham West.

The parts in the Borough of Chelmsford now included in the new constituency of West Chelmsford. Two small wards (Earls Colne and Gosfield) transferred from Saffron Walden.

2010–2024

  • The District of Braintree wards of Bocking Blackwater, Bocking North, Bocking South, Braintree Central, Braintree East, Braintree South, Bumpstead, Cressing and Stisted, Gosfield and Greenstead Green, Great Notley and Braintree West, Halstead St Andrews, Halstead Trinity, Hedingham and Maplestead, Panfield, Rayne, Stour Valley North, Stour Valley South, The Three Colnes, Three Fields, Upper Colne, and Yeldham.

The 2010 redistribution saw a major change, with southern and western areas, including the town of Witham, forming the basis of the new County Constituency of Witham. Extended northwards, gaining the District of Braintree wards previously in Saffron Walden, including the town of Halstead.

2024–present

Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • The District of Braintree wards of: Bocking Blackwater; Bocking North; Bocking South; Braintree Central & Beckers Green; Braintree South; Braintree West; Bumpstead; Gosfield & Greenstead Green; Great Notley & Black Notley; Halstead St. Andrew's; Halstead Trinity; Hedingham; Rayne; Stour Valley North; Stour Valley South; Three Fields; Yeldham.
  • The District of Uttlesford wards of: Felsted & Stebbing; The Sampfords.

Minor changes – the two Uttlesford District wards were transferred from Saffron Walden (renamed North West Essex), offset by a net loss to Witham mainly due to revision of ward boundaries.

Members of Parliament

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!colspan="2"|Election!!Member

!Party

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| Feb 1974

| Tony Newton

| Conservative

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| 1997

| Alan Hurst

| Labour

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| 2005

| Brooks Newmark

| Conservative

|-

|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |

| 2015

| James Cleverly

| Conservative

|}

Elections

thumb|centre|upright=2.5|Braintree election results 1983–2024

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| 34,863 ||align=right| 67.5

|-

|

| Labour ||align=right| 9,397 ||align=right| 18.2

|-

|

| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 5,013 ||align=right| 9.7

|-

|

| Others ||align=right| 2,169 ||align=right| 4.4

|-

|

| Green ||align=right| 233 ||align=right| 0.5

|-

|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|

|-

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|51,675

|align=right|68.3

|-

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|75,662

|}

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" | 2005 notional result

|-

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %

|-

|

| Conservative ||align=right| 22,422 ||align=right|49.9

|-

|

| Labour ||align=right| 13,764 ||align=right|30.7

|-

|

| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 6,100 ||align=right|13.6

|-

|

| Green ||align=right| 1,308 ||align=right|2.9

|-

|

| UKIP ||align=right| 1,076 ||align=right|2.4

|-

|

| Others ||align=right| 228 ||align=right|0.5

|-

|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|

|-

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|44,898

|align=right|64.2

|-

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|69,909

|}

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! colspan="4" | 1970 notional result

|-

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %

|-

|

| Conservative ||align=right| 22,400 ||align=right| 49.0

|-

|

| Labour ||align=right| 18,900 ||align=right| 41.4

|-

|

| Liberal ||align=right| 4,400 ||align=right| 9.6

|-

|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|

|-

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|45,700

|align=right|78.8

|-

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|57,993

|}

See also

  • List of parliamentary constituencies in Essex

Notes

References

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