East Berkshire (UK Parliament constituency)

East Berkshire was a county constituency in the county of Berkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

East Berkshire
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of East Berkshire in Berkshire for the 1992 general election
Location of Berkshire within England
County	Berkshire
Major settlements	Bracknell
1983–1997
Seats	One
Created from	Wokingham, Windsor & Maidenhead, and Beaconsfield
Replaced by	Bracknell

The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, and abolished for the 1997 general election.

History

This safe Conservative seat was represented for its entire existence by Andrew MacKay.

Boundaries

1983-1997

• The District of Bracknell; and
• The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead wards of Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury, Old Windsor, Sunningdale and South Ascot, and Sunninghill.^[1]

The constituency largely comprised the District of Bracknell (formerly the Rural District of Easthampstead), which had been part of Wokingham. It also included those parts of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead which had formerly made up the Rural District of Windsor (transferred from Windsor and Maidenhead), and those parishes in the former Rural District of Eton in Buckinghamshire which had been transferred to Berkshire by the Local Government Act 1972 (previously part of Beaconsfield).

Its main settlement was Bracknell, and it also included Ascot, Sunningdale, Sunninghill, Datchet, Crowthorne, Sandhurst, and Old Windsor.

The seat was abolished for the 1997 general election with the majority being absorbed into the new constituency of Bracknell. Eastern areas, comprising the parts of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and also including Ascot, were transferred to the re-established constituency of Windsor.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[2]	Party
	1983	Andrew MacKay	Conservative
	1997	constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: East Berkshire^{[3] [4]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew MacKay	33,967	56.8
	SDP	Kevin O'Sullivan	17,868	29.9
	Labour	Elizabeth Rogers	7,953	13.3
Majority			16,099	26.9
Turnout			59,789	73.3
	Conservative win (new seat)

General election 1987: East Berkshire^[5][6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew MacKay	39,094	60.3	+3.5
	SDP	Linda Murray	16,468	25.4	−4.5
	Labour	Robert Evans	9,287	14.3	+1.0
Majority			22,626	34.9	+8.0
Turnout			64,846	73.8	+0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.0

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: East Berkshire^[7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew MacKay	43,898	59.7	−0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Linda Murray	15,218	20.7	−4.7
	Labour	Keith Dibble	14,458	19.7	+5.4
Majority			28,680	39.0	+4.1
Turnout			73,574	81.4	+7.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.0

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Berkshire

Notes and references

1. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)
3. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
8. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.