Reigate () is a constituency in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Rebecca Paul, of the Conservative Party.
Constituency profile
Electoral Calculus characterises the seat's electorate as "Kind Yuppies", with right-wing economic views but more liberal social attitudes. Incomes and house prices in the seat are well above UK averages.
The seat is predominantly in the London commuter belt with good rail services from Reigate, Redhill and Banstead to Central London, and several financial companies are based in the seat.
Boundaries
Historic
1885–1918: The Borough of Reigate, its Sessional Division, and those of Dorking and Godstone except Effingham, Mickleham, Caterham, Warlingham, Chelsham and Farleigh
The seat gained those parts of Reigate and Banstead Borough previously in the Epsom and Ewell constituency – including the residential areas of Nork and Tattenham Corner, offset by the transfer of the Hooley, Merstham & Netherne ward to East Surrey.
The seat is in Surrey bordering Greater London and is centered on the town of Reigate from which it takes its name. The constituency comprises the bulk of the Reigate and Banstead Borough -excluding the town of Horley which is in the new Dorking and Horley seat, and the community of Merstham, which is now part of East Surrey.
History
This constituency was first created with the first election of Burgesses to Parliament in 1295, electing two members. It continued to elect two members until 1832 when its representation was reduced to one member by the Great Reform Act.
In 1868 the constituency was disenfranchised for corruption, but was revived in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 when the East Surrey constituency was abolished. Since 1918 the seat has been held by a candidate in the Conservative Party with the exception of four months during which the anti-EU MP in 1997 before the election of that year joined the Referendum Party (UK). The Liberal Democrats including their two predecessor parties amassed their largest share of the vote in 2010. The largest opposition party changed from Labour to the Liberal Democrats in 2005 and 2010, then UKIP in 2015 and back to Labour in the 2017 general election.
In 1974, the seat saw major boundary changes which removed some of Eastern Surrey which was in the seat into the radically redesigned East Surrey seat and added the Banstead area to the seat.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1295–1660
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
| 1386|| John Aubyn|| Richard atte Mere
|-
| 1388 (February)|| John Chaunce I|| Thomas Ballard
|-
| 1510–1523|| No names known
|-
| 1529|| John Skinner I|| Thomas Michell
|-
| 1562–63|| Sir George Howard|| William Howard!!First party!!colspan="2"|Second member||rowspan="3"| <!-- party -->
|-
|December 1747
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|| Charles Yorke || Whig
|-
|1768
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| John Yorke || <!-- party -->
|-
|1784
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| William Bellingham ||rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| Edward Leeds || <!-- party -->
|-
|1787
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| Reginald Pole-Carew ||rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
|1789
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| The Lord Hood || <!-- party -->
|-
|1790
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| John Somers Cocks || <!-- party -->
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Joseph Sydney Yorke ||rowspan="2"| Tory
|-
|February 1806
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|| Philip James Cocks || <!-- party -->
|-
|November 1806
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"|Edward Charles Cocks ||rowspan="2"| Tory
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1834
| Conservative
| Independent Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|February 1858 by-election
| Henry Rawlinson <!-- 11 April 1810 to 5 March 1895 -->
| Conservative
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|October 1858 by-election
|rowspan="2" | William Monson <!-- 18 February 1829 to 16 April 1898 -->
| Whig
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1859
| Liberal
|-
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|1863 by-election
| Granville William Gresham Leveson-Gower
| Liberal
|-
|colspan="2" | 1868
|colspan="2" | Constituency disenfranchised for corruption
|}
MPs since 1885
- Constituency revived (1885)
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Year!!Member
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| 29,846 ||align=right| 55.8
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 10,626 ||align=right| 19.9
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 9,045 ||align=right| 16.9
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 3,092 ||align=right| 5.8
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 860 ||align=right| 1.6
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|53,469
|align=right|70.2
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|76,139
|}
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation. George Gardiner changed party from the Conservative Party to the Referendum Party following his deselection by the local Conservative association.
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Election results 1918–1950
Election in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
thumb|120px|Cockerill
Election results 1885–1918
Elections in the 1880s
thumb|120px|Lawrence
Elections in the 1900s
thumb|120px|Goldberg
Rawlinson was appointed a member of the Council of India, requiring a by-election