Dover and Deal

Dover and Deal is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Michael Tapp, representing the Labour Party.

It was known as Dover until 1974 and from 1983 until 2024. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat reverted to its current name, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.

Dover was considered a Cinque Ports constituency from 1386 to 1832.

Constituency profile

The seat includes most of Dover District. It comprises the towns of Deal, Dover, Walmer and surrounding villages in a productive chalkland, long-cultivated area adjoining the Strait of Dover.

Since 1945 Dover has been a Labour/Conservative swing seat. In local elections, most of its rural villages and the two small towns favour the Conservative Party, whereas Dover favours the Labour Party, as well as the former mixed mining and agricultural villages in the local coal belt (East Kent coalfield), such as Aylesham. Labour's vote held on very solidly here in 2005, but the seat went Conservative in the 2010 election on a swing of 10.4% compared with a 4.9% swing nationally.

Electoral Calculus categorises the seat as being part of the “Strong Right” demographic, those who have fiscally conservative views on the economy but are also fairly nationalist and socially conservative, alongside strong support for Brexit. In addition to this, around 55% of Dover and Deal is deprived, in terms of employment, income and education, with 47% of the local population, in particular, being unemployed, according to the site. For general statistics, the average age is 52.4, at least 80% of the local population owns a car, whilst 67% own a home, and the gross household income is £41,120.

Cinque Port seat

Dover's representation was originally as a Cinque Port constituency. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports nominated one member, as with other Cinque Ports, but this was outlawed by the Parliamentary Elections Act 1689 (2 Will. & Mar. c. 7). There was still some residual influence, but there was also a local independent element in the borough, with two local leading families, the Papillons and Furneses, starting to send MPs to Parliament. By the mid eighteenth century, it had come under more government authority through the influence of the Earl of Hardwicke, although government control was often more fragile than it seemed.

Dover lost its status as a Cinque Port seat, becoming a borough seat under the Reform Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45).

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Boroughs of Dover and Deal, the Urban District of Walmer, and the Rural Districts of Dover and Eastry.

1950–1983: The Boroughs of Dover, Deal, and Sandwich, the Rural District of Dover, and the Rural District of Eastry, except the parishes included in the Isle of Thanet constituency.

1983–2010: The District of Dover wards of Aylesham, Barton, Buckland, Capel-le-Ferne, Castle, Cornilo, Eastry, Eythorne, Lower Walmer, Lydden and Temple Ewell, Maxton and Elms Vale, Middle Deal, Mill Hill, Mongeham, Noninstone, North Deal, Pineham, Priory, Ringwould, River, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, St Radigund's, Shepherdswell with Coldred, Tower Hamlets, Town and Pier, and Upper Walmer.

2010–2024: The District of Dover wards of Aylesham, Buckland, Capel-le-Ferne, Castle, Eastry, Eythorne and Shepherdswell, Lydden and Temple Ewell, Maxton, Elms Vale and Priory, Middle Deal and Sholden, Mill Hill, North Deal, Ringwould, River, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, St Radigund's, Tower Hamlets, Town and Pier, Walmer, and Whitfield.

2024–present: The District of Dover wards of Alkham & Capel-le-Ferne, Aylesham, Eythorne & Shepherdswell, Buckland, Dover Downs & River, Eastry Rural, Guston, Kingsdown & St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Maxton & Elms Vale, Middle Deal, Mill Hill, North Deal, St. Radigunds, Tower Hamlets, Town & Castle, Walmer, and Whitfield.

:Minor changes due to revision of ward boundaries.

Charlie Elphicke scandal

From 2010, the MP was Charlie Elphicke, elected as a member of the Conservative Party. On 3 November 2017, Elphicke was suspended by the Conservative Party after "serious allegations" were made against him, and then sat as an Independent until 12 December 2018, when he had the Conservative whip restored ahead of a party vote on a no-confidence motion against Theresa May. In July 2019, the whip was withdrawn again after he was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service with three counts of sexual assault against two women. Elphicke stood down as an MP shortly before the 2019 UK general election, with his wife, Natalie Elphicke, standing as the Conservative Party candidate in his place. Natalie Elphicke was elected as the Conservative MP for Dover at the 2019 UK general election, achieving a higher majority than her husband's, but she defected to Labour in May 2024, as they gained the seat in the general election two months later, with new MP Mike Tapp.

Members of Parliament

Cinque Port/Parliamentary Borough 1386–1918

MPs 1386–1660

{| class="wikitable"

!Parliament!!First member!!Second member

|1386|| John Gyles|| John Halle I

|1388 (Feb)|| John Gyles|| John Halle I

|1510|| John Warren|| not known

|1512|| Nicholas Templeman|| John Warren

|1562–3|| John Robins||Thomas Warren|| Sir Richard Young

|1625|| Sir John Hippisley || William Beecher

|1626|| Sir John Hippisley || John Pringle

|1628|| Sir John Hippisley || Edward Nicholas

No parliament called between 1629 and 1640

{| class="wikitable"

!Parliament!!First member!!Second member

|1640 (Apr)||Sir Edward Boys|| Sir Peter Heyman

|1640 (Nov)||Sir Edward Boys|| Benjamin Weston

|1645|| John Dixwell|| Benjamin Weston

|1648|| John Dixwell|| Benjamin Weston

|1653|| colspan="2"|Dover not represented in Barebones Parliament

|1654|| William Cullen||one seat only

|1656|| Thomas Kelsey||one seat only

|1658|| John Dixwell|| Thomas Kelsey

|1659|| John Dixwell|| Benjamin Weston

MPs 1660–1885

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!First member

!colspan="2"|First party

!Second member

| colspan="2" |

| 1674

|rowspan="2"| Thomas Papillon

|rowspan="2" colspan="2" |

| 1679

| William Stokes

| colspan="2" |

| 1685

| Arthur Herbert

| colspan="2" |

| William Chapman

| colspan="2" |

| 1689

| Sir Basil Dixwell, Bt

| colspan="2" |

|rowspan="2"| Thomas Papillon

|rowspan="2" colspan="2" |

| 1690

|rowspan="2"| James Chadwick

|rowspan="2" colspan="2" |

| 1695

|rowspan="2"| Sir Basill Dixwell, Bt

|rowspan="2" colspan="2" |

| 1697

|rowspan="3"| Admiral Matthew Aylmer

|rowspan="3" colspan="2" |

|January 1701

| Sir Charles Hedges

| colspan="2" |

|November 1701

|rowspan="3"| Philip Papillon

|rowspan="3" colspan="2" |

| 1710

| Sir William Hardres, Bt

| colspan="2" |

| 1715

| Admiral Matthew Aylmer

| colspan="2" |

| 1720

| George Berkeley

| colspan="2" |

| Henry Furnese

| colspan="2" |

| 1734

| David Papillon

| colspan="2" |

|rowspan="2"| Thomas Revell

|rowspan="2" colspan="2" |

| 1741

|rowspan="5"| Lord George Sackville

|rowspan="5" colspan="2" |

| 1752

| William Cayley

| colspan="2" |

| 1755

| Peter Burrell

| colspan="2" |

| 1756

| Hugh Valence Jones

| colspan="2" |

| 1759

|rowspan="2"| Sir Edward Simpson

|rowspan="2" colspan="2" |

| 1761

|rowspan="6"| Hon. Sir Joseph Yorke

|rowspan="6" colspan="2" |

| 1765

| John Campbell

| colspan="2" |

| 1766

| John Bindley

| colspan="2" |

| 1768

| George Villiers

| colspan="2" |

| 1770

| Sir Thomas Hales, Bt

| colspan="2" |

| 1773

| Thomas Barret

| colspan="2" |

| 1774

| John Henniker

| colspan="2" |

| John Trevanion

| colspan="2" |

| 1784

|rowspan="2"| Robert Preston

| Captain the Hon. James Luttrell

| Sir William Russell, Bt

| 1859

| Sir Henry Leeke

| William Nicol

| 1865

|rowspan="4"| Alexander George Dickson

| Charles Freshfield

| 1868

| George Jessel

| 1873

| Edward William Barnett

| 1874

| Charles Freshfield

|1885

|colspan="6"| Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1885–1918

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Member

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

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

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

| Conservative ||align=right| 29,117 ||align=right| 56.9

| Labour ||align=right| 16,696 ||align=right| 32.6

| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 2,927 ||align=right| 5.7

| Green ||align=right| 1,404 ||align=right| 2.7

| Others ||align=right| 1,053 ||align=right| 2.1

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

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|51,197

|align=right|67.5

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|75,855

Elections in the 2010s

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" | 2005 notional result

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

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

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

| Labour ||align=right| 21,833 ||align=right|45.3

| Conservative ||align=right| 16,828 ||align=right|35.0

| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 7,605 ||align=right|15.8

| UKIP ||align=right| 1,273 ||align=right|2.6

| Others ||align=right| 606 ||align=right|1.3

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

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|48,145

|align=right|67.3

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|71,518

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" | 1992 notional result

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

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

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

| Conservative ||align=right| 25,443 ||align=right| 44.1

| Labour ||align=right| 24,583 ||align=right| 42.6

| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 6,234 ||align=right| 10.8

| Others ||align=right| 1,422 ||align=right| 2.5

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

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|57,682

|align=right|82.8

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|69,646

Elections in the 1980s

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" | 1979 notional result

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

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

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

| Conservative ||align=right| 25,974 ||align=right| 48.3

| Labour ||align=right| 20,799 ||align=right| 38.7

| Liberal ||align=right| 6,067 ||align=right| 11.3

| Others ||align=right| 896 ||align=right| 1.7

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

|colspan="2"|Turnout

|align=right|53,736

|align=right|

|colspan="2"|Electorate

|align=right|

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

withdrew on 16 October

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1880s

Election results 1832–1885

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1870s

Notes

References

Sources

Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh2wKY2rkDUC&q=Return+of+Members+of+Parliament]
The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)

External links

Dover UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
Dover UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
Dover and Deal UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

Constituency profile

Cinque Port seat

Boundaries

Charlie Elphicke scandal

Members of Parliament

Cinque Port/Parliamentary Borough 1386–1918

MPs 1386–1660

MPs 1660–1885

MPs 1885–1918

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1880s

Election results 1832–1885

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1870s

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links