Folkestone and Hythe (UK Parliament constituency)

Folkestone and Hythe () is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Tony Vaughan, a Labour MP.

Constituency profile

The Folkestone and Hythe constituency is located in Kent on the south coast of England and covers most of the local government district of the same name. Its largest settlement is the town of Folkestone, which has a population of around 54,000 and is connected to the smaller town of Hythe. Folkestone was developed during the Victorian era as a popular seaside resort town but has experienced an economic decline similar to other coastal towns in recent decades. The town now has high levels of deprivation with the town centre falling within the 10% most-deprived areas in England, whilst Hythe is comparatively wealthier. On the edge of Folkestone is the Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal which forms one end of the Channel Tunnel and connects it to High Speed 1.

To the west of Folkestone are the sparsely-populated areas of Romney Marsh and Dungeness, which contain the small towns of New Romney and Lydd and the coastal village of Dymchurch. Dungeness is a large shingle beach and is the site of two decommissioned nuclear power stations. Dungeness is sometimes described as "Britain's only desert", although the Met Office has refuted this. It is an important ecological site and contains a third of Great Britain's plant species. Like Folkestone, these rural areas also experience high levels of deprivation.

In general, residents of the constituency are older and have low levels of education. Rates of household income and professional employment are lower than national averages and considerably lower than the rest of South East England. White people made up 92% of the population at the 2021 census.

:Electorate reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring out the North Downs area in the north, along with the parts in the Borough of Ashford, primarily to the reconfigured constituency of Ashford.

Members of Parliament

The current Member of Parliament is Tony Vaughan of the Labour Party who was elected at the 2024 general election. Vaughan's predecessors for the seat were Damian Collins (served 2010–2024) and Michael Howard (served 1983–2010). Howard held a number of political posts during his career in Parliament, most prominently as Home Secretary from 1993 to 1997 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2003 to 2005.

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