Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)

Brighton Pavilion is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Siân Berry of the Green Party.

Brighton Pavilion
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Brighton Pavilion in South East England
County	East Sussex
Population	103,593 (2011 UK Census)[1]
Electorate	75,722 (2023)[2]
Major settlements	Brighton
Current constituency
Created	1950
Member of Parliament	Siân Berry (Green)
Created from	Brighton

At 11.9% of the population, Brighton Pavilion has the highest proportion of LGBTQ+ people in the country.^[3]

Boundaries

Historic

1950–1955: The County Borough of Brighton wards of Hollingbury, Montpelier, Patcham, Pavilion, Preston, Preston Park, Regency, St Nicholas, St Peters, and West.^[4]

1955–1983: The County Borough of Brighton wards of Hollingbury, Montpelier, Patcham, Preston, Preston Park, Regency, Stanmer, St Nicholas, and St Peter's.^[5]

1983–1997: The Borough of Brighton wards of Hollingbury, Patcham, Preston, Regency, St Peter's, Seven Dials, Stanmer, and Westdene.

1997–2010: The Borough of Brighton wards of Hanover, Hollingbury, Patcham, Preston, Regency, St Peter's, Seven Dials, Stanmer, and Westdene.

2010–2024: The City of Brighton and Hove wards of Hanover and Elm Grove, Hollingdean and Stanmer (called Hollingbury and Stanmer before 2011), Patcham, Preston Park, Regency, St Peter's and North Laine, and Withdean.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the renamed constituency (based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020) was reduced slightly by transferring to Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven part of the Hanover and Elm Grove ward – namely polling district PHEA, and that part of polling district PHEF to the east of Queen's Park Road.^[6]

Following a local government boundary review in Brighton and Hove which came into effect in May 2023,^[7][8] the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:

• Coldean & Stanmer (majority); Hanover & Elm Grove (most – see above); Hollingdean & Fiveways; Moulsecoomb & Bevendean (small part); Patcham & Hollingbury; Preston Park; Regency (nearly all); Round Hill; West Hill & North Laine; Westdene & Hove Park (part).^[9]

Constituency history and profile

Brighton Pavilion beach and seafront with Brighton Pier, the border of Brighton Kemptown in distance

The constituency was created in 1950 from the former two-member constituency of Brighton (one of the last remaining multi-member constituencies), for which Brighton Pavilion's first Member of Parliament, Sir William Teeling, had previously been the joint representative.

The present name is derived from the Royal Pavilion.^{[n 2]} On current boundaries, the pavilion itself is right on the South-Eastern border of the seat; the opposite side of the road is Brighton Kemptown, which includes the Gay Village of St James Street, Brighton Pier, and the beach eastward. Brighton Pavilion encompasses the heart of the city, including the Georgian and Regency alleyway properties of The Lanes and the Bohemian North Laine shopping area. The developed centre of the promenade above the central pebbled beach has major entertainment venues and the city's largest hotels, including the Grand Hotel and Hilton Brighton Metropole. It is a relatively affluent constituency since average income is higher than the UK average (based upon 2001 statistics) and the unemployment rate is lower than average.^[10]

From 1950 to 1997, the seat elected Conservative MPs. In 1997, David Lepper of the Labour Party, aided by somewhat notionally favourable minor boundary changes before the 1997 general election, began service as MP for thirteen years by winning the two subsequent elections. The Conservatives' share of the vote has declined at every election there since 1979.

In July 2007, the Green Party selected Caroline Lucas to contest the seat, at which point she was a Member of the European Parliament for the South East England constituency.^[11] In November 2009, Charlotte Vere was selected as the Conservative Party candidate at an open primary attended by local Conservative Party members and residents.^[12] In January 2010, the Liberal Democrats also selected a female candidate, Bernadette Millam.^[13] Labour had selected Nancy Platts, a local campaigner and former union worker, as their candidate in June 2007.^[14] This meant that, distinctively, all of the four leading parties in the constituency had female candidates. In 2010, Labour's share of the vote fell by 6.5%, and Lucas, then leading the Green Party, won the seat. In contrast to national results, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat share of the vote fell.^[15]

Lucas retained the seat for the Green Party at the 2015 general election with an increased majority. Purna Sen, who held senior roles at the Commonwealth, LSE, and Amnesty International, was selected to contest the seat for Labour. Clarence Mitchell, a former BBC News reporter and spokesman for the family of Madeleine McCann, was selected as the Conservative Party candidate.^[16]

For the 2017 general election and the 2019 general election, the local Liberal Democrat party chose not to field a candidate in the seat, endorsing Lucas instead due to their shared pro-EU stance.^[17] Lucas retained Brighton Pavilion for the Green Party, which was returned with the biggest numerical majority for any candidate in the seat since 1959. In the 2019 election, the seat had the largest winning margin and the highest winning vote share of any seat not held by the Conservatives or Labour.^{[citation needed]} Lucas announced on 8 June 2023, that she would not be standing in the subsequent UK general election.^[18] On 19 July 2023, the Green Party picked Siân Berry to replace her.^[19] Berry was elected as the MP for Brighton Pavilion at the 2024 election with a slightly reduced majority of 27%.

Members of Parliament

Brighton prior to 1950

Election		Member[20][21]	Party
	1950	William Teeling	Conservative
	1969 by-election	Julian Amery	Conservative
	1992	Derek Spencer	Conservative
	1997	David Lepper	Labour Co-op
	2010	Caroline Lucas	Green
	2024	Siân Berry	Green

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Brighton Pavilion^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Siân Berry	28,809	55.0	−2.0
	Labour	Tom Gray	14,519	27.7	+5.1
	Conservative	Sarah Webster	3,975	7.6	−10.1
	Reform UK	Mark Mulvihill	2,836	5.4	+4.1
	Liberal Democrats	Ashley Ridley	1,604	3.1	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Citizen Skwith	257	0.5	±0.0
	SDP	Carl Buckfield	184	0.4	N/A
	Independent	AI Steve	179	0.3	N/A
Majority			14,290	27.3	−7.2
Turnout			52,363	70.0	−5.4
Rejected ballots			209	0.3
Total ballots			52,572	70.3
Registered electors			74,786
	Green hold		Swing	−3.5

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[23]
Party		Vote	%
	Green	32,575	57.0
	Labour	12,945	22.7
	Conservative	10,129	17.7
	Brexit Party	762	1.3
	Others	690	1.2
Turnout		57,101	75.4
Electorate		75,722

General election 2019: Brighton Pavilion^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Caroline Lucas	33,151	57.2	+4.9
	Labour	Adam Imanpour	13,211	22.8	−4.0
	Conservative	Emma Hogan	10,176	17.5	−1.7
	Brexit Party	Richard Milton	770	1.3	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Citizen Skwith	301	0.5	N/A
	Independent	Bob Dobbs	212	0.4	N/A
	UKIP	Nigel Furness	177	0.3	−0.8
Majority			19,940	34.4	+8.9
Turnout			57,998	73.4	−3.1
Registered electors			79,057
	Green hold		Swing	+4.5

See also: Opinion polling for the United Kingdom general election, 2017 § Brighton Pavilion

General election 2017: Brighton Pavilion^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Caroline Lucas	30,149	52.3	+10.4
	Labour	Solomon Curtis	15,450	26.8	−0.5
	Conservative	Emma Warman	11,082	19.2	−3.6
	UKIP	Ian Buchanan	630	1.1	−3.9
	Independent	Nick Yeomans	376	0.7	+0.4
Majority			14,699	25.5	+10.9
Turnout			57,687	76.4	+5.0
Registered electors			75,486
	Green hold		Swing	+5.5

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Brighton Pavilion

General election 2015: Brighton Pavilion^[26][27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Caroline Lucas	22,871	41.8	+10.5
	Labour	Purna Sen	14,904	27.3	−1.7
	Conservative	Clarence Mitchell	12,448	22.8	−0.9
	UKIP	Nigel Carter	2,724	5.0	+3.2
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Bowers	1,525	2.8	−11.0
	Independent	Nick Yeomans	116	0.2	N/A
	Socialist (GB)	Howard Pilott	88	0.2	N/A
Majority			7,967	14.6	+12.2
Turnout			54,676	71.4	+1.4
Rejected ballots			194	0.3	+0.2
Total ballots			54,870	71.7
Registered electors			76,557
	Green hold		Swing	+6.1

General election 2010: Brighton Pavilion^[28][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Caroline Lucas	16,238	31.3	+10.5
	Labour	Nancy Platts	14,986	28.9	−7.0
	Conservative	Charlotte Vere	12,275	23.7	+0.4
	Liberal Democrats	Berni Millam	7,159	13.8	−2.1
	UKIP	Nigel Carter	948	1.8	+0.6
	Socialist Labour	Ian Fyvie	148	0.3	−0.0
	Citizens for Undead Rights and Equality	Soraya Kara	61	0.1	N/A
	Independent	Leo Atreides	19	0.0	N/A
Majority			1,252	2.4	N/A
Turnout			51,834	70.0	+6.3
Rejected ballots			81	0.1
Total ballots			51,915	70.1
Registered electors			74,009
	Green gain from Labour Co-op		Swing	+8.8

Elections in the 2000s

2005 notional result
Party		Vote	%
	Labour	15,955	35.9
	Conservative	10,343	23.3
	Green	9,252	20.8
	Liberal Democrats	7,070	15.9
	Others	1,799	4.1
Turnout		44,419	63.7
Electorate		69,699

General election 2005: Brighton Pavilion^[30][31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	David Lepper	15,427	35.4	−13.3
	Conservative	Mike Weatherley	10,397	23.9	−1.2
	Green	Keith Taylor	9,530	21.9	+12.5
	Liberal Democrats	Hazel Thorpe	7,171	16.5	+3.3
	UKIP	Kimberley Crisp-Comotto	508	1.2	+0.3
	Alliance for Green Socialism	Tony Greenstein	188	0.4	N/A
	Socialist Labour	Ian Fyvie	152	0.3	−1.1
	Independent	Christopher Rooke	122	0.3	N/A
	Independent	Keith Jago	44	0.1	N/A
Majority			5,030	11.5	−12.1
Turnout			43,580	63.9	+5.3
Registered electors			68,182
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	−6.1

General election 2001: Brighton Pavilion^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	David Lepper	19,846	48.7	−5.9
	Conservative	David Gold	10,203	25.1	−2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Ruth Berry	5,348	13.1	+3.6
	Green	Keith Taylor	3,806	9.3	+6.8
	Socialist Labour	Ian Fyvie	573	1.4	N/A
	Free Party	Bob Dobbs	409	1.0	+0.7
	UKIP	Stuart Hutchin	361	0.9	+0.5
	ProLife Alliance	Marie Paragallo	177	0.4	N/A
Majority			9,643	23.6	−3.2
Turnout			40,723	58.5	−14.8
Registered electors			69,568
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	–1.6

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Brighton Pavilion^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	David Lepper	26,737	54.6	+14.4
	Conservative	Derek Spencer	13,556	27.7	−17.6
	Liberal Democrats	Kenneth Blanshard	4,644	9.5	−2.9
	Referendum	Peter Stocken	1,304	2.7	N/A
	Green	Peter West	1,249	2.6	+0.4
	Ind. Conservative	Richard Huggett	1,098	2.2	N/A
	UKIP	Frank Stevens	179	0.4	N/A
	Independent	Bob Dobbs	125	0.3	N/A
	Rainbow Dream Ticket	Alan Card	59	0.1	N/A
Majority			13,181	26.9	N/A
Turnout			48,951	73.4	−2.3
Registered electors			66,720
	Labour Co-op gain from Conservative		Swing	+16.0

1992 notional result
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	22,619	45.3
	Labour	20,089	40.2
	Liberal Democrats	6,169	12.3
	Others	1,098	2.2
Turnout		49,975	75.7
Electorate		66,008

General election 1992: Brighton Pavilion^[34][35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Spencer	20,630	46.6	−4.2
	Labour Co-op	David Lepper	16,955	38.3	+8.6
	Liberal Democrats	Tom Pearce	5,606	12.7	−6.8
	Green	Iain Brodie	963	2.2	N/A
	Natural Law	Eileen Turner	103	0.2	N/A
Majority			3,675	8.3	−12.8
Turnout			44,257	76.8	+3.1
Registered electors			57,616
	Conservative hold		Swing	−6.4

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Brighton Pavilion^[36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Amery	22,056	50.8	−0.7
	Labour	Dave Hill	12,914	29.7	+5.9
	SDP	Kevin Carey	8,459	19.5	−5.1
Majority			9,142	21.1	−5.8
Turnout			43,416	73.7	+4.4
Registered electors			58,910
	Conservative hold		Swing	–3.3

General election 1983: Brighton Pavilion^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Amery	21,323	51.5	−1.9
	SDP	Michael Neves	10,191	24.6	+10.2
	Labour	Harold Spillman	9,879	23.9	−5.8
Majority			11,132	26.9	+3.1
Turnout			41,393	69.3	−3.3
Registered electors			59,769
	Conservative hold		Swing	–6.1

Elections in the 1970s

1979 notional result[38]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	23,239	53.5
	Labour	12,893	29.7
	Liberal	6,253	14.4
	Others	1,092	2.5
Turnout		43,477
Electorate

General election 1979: Brighton Pavilion

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Amery	22,218	53.7	+5.3
	Labour	Dave Hill	12,099	29.3	−0.3
	Liberal	D. Venables	5,965	14.4	−7.6
	Ecology	J Beale	638	1.5	N/A
	National Front	H Jones	436	1.1	N/A
Majority			10,119	24.5	+5.6
Turnout			41,355	72.6	+4.0
Registered electors			57,003
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.8

General election October 1974: Brighton Pavilion

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Amery	19,041	48.4	−2.1
	Labour	G W Humphrey	11,624	29.6	+3.5
	Liberal	D Venables	8,648	22.0	−0.5
Majority			7,417	18.9	−5.6
Turnout			39,313	68.5	−7.6
Registered electors			57,351
	Conservative hold		Swing	–2.8

General election February 1974: Brighton Pavilion

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Amery	21,910	50.5	−11.4
	Labour	Francis Tonks	11,292	26.0	−9.0
	Liberal	K Hooper	9,764	22.5	N/A
	Independent	Harvey Holford	428	1.0	N/A
Majority			10,618	24.5	−2.5
Turnout			43,394	76.2	+9.4
Registered electors			56,982
	Conservative hold		Swing	–1.2

General election 1970: Brighton Pavilion^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Amery	24,365	61.9	+3.8
	Labour	Francis Tonks	13,771	35.0	−6.9
	Independent	George Thomas	1,205	3.1	N/A
Majority			10,594	26.9	+10.6
Turnout			39,341	66.5	−3.8
Registered electors			59,150
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.3

Elections in the 1960s

By-election, 1969: Brighton Pavilion

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Amery	17,636	70.5	+12.5
	Labour	Thomas Skeffington-Lodge	4,654	18.6	−23.2
	Liberal	Nesta Ellis	2,711	10.8	N/A
Majority			12,982	51.9	+35.6
Turnout			25,001
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing	+17.8

General election 1966: Brighton Pavilion

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Teeling	22,687	58.1	+5.0
	Labour	Alistair Graham	16,333	41.9	+13.6
Majority			6,354	16.3	−8.6
Turnout			39,020	70.3	+0.3
Registered electors			55,532
	Conservative hold		Swing	–4.3

General election 1964: Brighton Pavilion^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Teeling	20,998	53.1	−16.8
	Labour	Peter Nurse	11,148	28.2	−1.8
	Liberal	David Randall Sinnatt	7,362	18.6	N/A
Majority			9,850	24.9	−15.0
Turnout			39,508	70.1	+0.2
Registered electors			56,391
	Conservative hold		Swing	–7.5

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Brighton Pavilion^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Teeling	27,972	70.0	+1.9
	Labour	Reginald G White	11,998	30.0	−1.9
Majority			15,974	40.0	+3.9
Turnout			39,970	69.8	+2.3
Registered electors			57,238
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.9

General election 1955: Brighton Pavilion^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Teeling	27,128	68.0	−0.5
	Labour	Leonard Knowles	12,742	32.0	+0.5
Majority			14,386	36.0	−0.9
Turnout			39,870	67.5	−8.0
Registered electors			59,053
	Conservative hold		Swing	–0.5

General election 1951: Brighton Pavilion^[43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Teeling	29,167	68.5	+7.0
	Labour	Elisabeth Littlejohn	13,410	31.5	+3.5
Majority			15,757	37.0	+3.5
Turnout			42,577	75.5	−3.4
Registered electors			56,361
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.8

General election 1950: Brighton Pavilion

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	William Teeling	26,917	61.5
	Labour	Leonard Knowles	12,264	28.0
	Liberal	John Choate	4,555	10.4
Majority			14,653	33.5
Turnout			43,736	78.9
Registered electors			55,401
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in East Sussex
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)

Notes

1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. Silhouette used as the Council's symbol see Brighton and Hove website