Bournemouth East (UK Parliament constituency)

Bournemouth East is a parliamentary constituency^{[n 1]} in Dorset represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Tom Hayes, of the Labour Party.^{[n 2]}

Bournemouth East
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bournemouth East in South West England
County	Dorset
Population	102,152 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate	73,173 (2023)[2]
Current constituency
Created	1974 (1974)
Member of Parliament	Tom Hayes (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Bournemouth East and Christchurch

Constituency profile

The seat covers the eastern suburbs of Bournemouth including Boscombe, Muscliff, Springbourne and Southbourne.^[3] Residents' wealth is around average for the UK.^[4]

Boundaries

Bournemouth East 1974–1983 in Hampshire

Map of boundaries from 2024

The constituency is based on the eastern portion of Bournemouth, in Dorset, including the Southbourne district at the border of Christchurch, Boscombe, Throop, Moordown, Muscliff, Townsend, Littledown, Richmond Park, Springbourne, Iford and Queen's Park. Bournemouth Town Centre was in this constituency from 1983 to 1997.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Bournemouth wards of Boscombe East, Boscombe West, King's Park, Moordown North, Moordown South, Queen's Park, Southbourne, and West Southbourne.

1983–1997: The Borough of Bournemouth wards of Boscombe East, Boscombe West, Central, East Cliff, Littledown, Moordown, Muscliff, Queen's Park, Southbourne, Strouden Park, and West Southbourne.

1997–2010: The Borough of Bournemouth wards of Boscombe East, Boscombe West, Littledown, Moordown, Muscliff, Queen's Park, Southbourne, Strouden Park, and West Southbourne.

2010–2024: The Borough of Bournemouth wards of Boscombe East, Boscombe West, East Cliff and Springbourne, East Southbourne and Tuckton, Littledown and Iford, Moordown, Queen's Park, Strouden Park, Throop and Muscliff, and West Southbourne.

For the 2010 general election, the western boundary of the constituency changed so that it aligned with ward boundaries (which had changed since the constituency boundary changes of the 1990s). The main changes saw East Cliff brought into the constituency with the loss of part of east Winton.

2024–present: The District of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole wards of Boscombe East & Pokesdown; Boscombe West; East Cliff & Springbourne; East Southbourne & Tuckton; Littledown & Ilford; Moordown; Muscliff & Strouden Park; Queen's Park; and West Southbourne.^[5]

Very small change following re-organisation of local authorities and wards in Dorset.

History

This was a safe seat for the Conservatives since its creation in 1974 with Liberal-inclined candidates being their main opponents, the Labour Party finishing a distant second place on only one occasion in a 1977 by-election.

Labour finished second behind the Conservatives for the first time in a General Election in 2015, with a large swing in their favour in 2017, as wards within Bournemouth East were beginning to swing to Labour, particularly Boscombe, with Labour eventually winning the seat in 2024 for the first time on a swing of 15%.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[6]	Party
	Feb 1974	John Cordle	Conservative
	1977 by-election	David Atkinson	Conservative
	2005	Tobias Ellwood	Conservative
	2022		Independent
	2022		Conservative
	2024	Tom Hayes	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Bournemouth East^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Hayes	18,316	40.8	+8.1
	Conservative	Tobias Ellwood	12,837	28.6	−22.0
	Reform UK	Martin Houlden	6,268	14.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Jon Nicholas	3,082	6.9	−4.1
	Green	Joe Salmon	2,790	6.2	+2.0
	Independent	Kieron Wilson	1,529	3.4	N/A
	SDP	Miles Penn	88	0.2	N/A
Majority			5,479	12.2	N/A
Turnout			44,910	61.2	–5.3
Registered electors			73,352
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+15.0

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Bournemouth East^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tobias Ellwood	24,926	50.6	–1.3
	Labour	Corrie Drew	16,120	32.7	–2.9
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Dunn	5,418	11.0	+4.5
	Green	Alasdair Keddie	2,049	4.2	+1.7
	Independent	Ben Aston	447	0.9	N/A
	Independent	Emma Johnson	314	0.6	N/A
Majority			8,806	17.9	+1.6
Turnout			49,274	66.5	+1.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.8

General election 2017: Bournemouth East^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tobias Ellwood	25,221	51.9	+2.9
	Labour	Mel Semple	17,284	35.6	+19.0
	Liberal Democrats	Jon Nicholas	3,168	6.5	–1.9
	UKIP	David Hughes	1,405	2.9	–13.6
	Green	Alasdair Keddie	1,236	2.5	–4.8
	Independent	Kieron Wilson	304	0.6	N/A
Majority			7,937	16.3	–16.3
Turnout			48,618	65.2	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	–8.1

General election 2015: Bournemouth East^[10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tobias Ellwood[12]	22,060	49.0	+0.6
	Labour	Peter Stokes	7,448	16.6	+3.3
	UKIP	David Hughes[12]	7,401	16.5	+9.6
	Liberal Democrats	Jon Nicholas	3,752	8.4	−22.5
	Green	Alasdair Keddie[13]	3,263	7.3	N/A
	Independent	David Ross	903	2.0	N/A
Majority			14,612	32.6	+15.1
Turnout			45,014	62.6	+0.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2010: Bournemouth East^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tobias Ellwood	21,320	48.4	+3.4
	Liberal Democrats	Lisa Northover	13,592	30.9	−0.2
	Labour	David Stokes	5,836	13.3	−5.8
	UKIP	David Hughes	3,027	6.9	+2.1
	Independent	Steven Humphrey	249	0.6	N/A
Majority			7,728	17.5	+3.6
Turnout			44,024	61.9	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.8

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Bournemouth East^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tobias Ellwood	16,925	45.0	+1.7
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Garratt	11,681	31.1	−2.6
	Labour	David Stokes	7,191	19.1	−0.8
	UKIP	Thomas Collier	1,802	4.8	+1.7
Majority			5,244	13.9	+4.3
Turnout			37,599	59.3	+1.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.2

General election 2001: Bournemouth East^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Atkinson	15,501	43.3	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Garratt	12,067	33.7	+2.3
	Labour	Paul Nicholson	7,107	19.9	−1.3
	UKIP	George Chamberlaine	1,124	3.1	+1.3
Majority			3,434	9.6	−0.4
Turnout			35,799	58.2	−12.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Bournemouth East^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Atkinson	17,997	41.4	−14.0
	Liberal Democrats	Douglas Eyre	13,655	31.4	+0.4
	Labour	Jessica Stevens	9,181	21.2	+8.3
	Referendum	Alan Musgrave-Scott	1,808	4.2	N/A
	UKIP	Kenneth Benney	791	1.8	N/A
Majority			4,346	10.01	−14.4
Turnout			43,432	70.21
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1992: Bournemouth East^[18][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Atkinson	30,820	56.4	−1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Neil Russell	15,998	29.3	−1.3
	Labour	Peter Brushett	7,541	13.8	+2.7
	Natural Law	Susan Holmes	329	0.6	N/A
Majority			14,822	27.1	−0.6
Turnout			54,688	72.8	+2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.3

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Bournemouth East^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Atkinson	30,925	58.3	+4.8
	Liberal	John Millward	16,242	30.6	+1.4
	Labour	Ian Taylor	5,885	11.1	+2.6
Majority			14,683	27.7	+3.4
Turnout			53,052	70.5	+3.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1983: Bournemouth East^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Atkinson	25,176	53.5	−9.2
	Liberal	John Millward	13,760	29.2	+12.7
	Labour	Michael Shutler	4,026	8.5	−9.9
	Ind. Conservative	Phyllis Hogarth	3,644	7.7	N/A
	Ecology	Trevor Dykes	273	0.6	−0.7
	Monster Raving Loony	Jeremy Stooks	225	0.5	N/A
Majority			11,416	24.3
Turnout			47,104	66.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−11.0

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Bournemouth East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Atkinson	25,808	62.6	+10.8
	Labour	Joseph Goodwin	7,553	18.3	−2.7
	Liberal	Donald Matthew	6,738	16.4	−8.8
	New Britain	John Philip Pratt	581	1.4	N/A
	Ecology	Jacqueline Mary Dempsey	523	1.3	N/A
Majority			18,255	44.3	+17.7
Turnout			41,203	73.1	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

By-election 1977: Bournemouth East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Atkinson	15,235	62.1	+10.3
	Labour	Joseph Goodwin	3,684	15.0	−6.0
	Liberal	Donald Matthew	3,212	13.1	−12.1
	New Britain	John Philip Pratt	1,127	4.6	N/A
	National Front	Kenneth Roderick McKilliam	725	3.0	+0.9
	International Marxist	Brian Heron	494	1.4	N/A
	Democratic Monarchist, Public Safety, White Resident	Bill Boaks	42	0.2	N/A
Majority			11,551	47.1	+20.5
Turnout			24,519	24.5	−46.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Bournemouth East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Cordle	20,790	51.8	+1.6
	Liberal	George Hamilton Musgrave	10,129	25.2	−4.1
	Labour	Desmond Earle Lock	8,422	21.0	+4.3
	National Front	Michael John Hayes	828	2.1	+0.1
Majority			10,661	26.6	+5.7
Turnout			40,149	70.5	−8.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Bournemouth East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Cordle	22,319	50.2
	Liberal	George Hamilton Musgrave	13,005	29.3
	Labour	Desmond Earle Lock	7,423	16.7
	National Front	Michael John Hayes	875	2.0
	Anti-EEC	Alan Stanley Reynolds	834	1.9
Majority			9,314	20.95
Turnout			44,456	78.6
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset

Notes

1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every 5 years.