Esher and Walton (UK Parliament constituency)

Esher and Walton (/ˌiːʃər  ...  ˈwɔːltənˌ ˈwɒltən/) is a constituency in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.^{[n 1]} Since 2024, it has been represented by Monica Harding of the Liberal Democrats. Prior to this, Dominic Raab of the Conservative Party, who served as deputy prime minister before resigning from that role in April 2023 due to bullying allegations, had served as the MP since 2010.^[2]

Esher and Walton
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Boundary of Esher and Walton in South East England
County	Surrey
Electorate	73,280 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Esher Walton-on-Thames Molesey Claygate
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Monica Harding (Liberal Democrats)
Seats	One
Created from	Esher Chertsey & Walton

Constituency profile

The constituency is in the north of Surrey, in the London commuter belt. The area includes heathland and reservoirs, and the built-up areas of Esher, Walton-on-Thames, Claygate, Molesey, Thames Ditton, and Hinchley Wood, all located within the Borough of Elmbridge. A majority of its housing is on private planned estates.^[3] The South West Main Line passes through the middle of the seat, with fast trains to central London. The constituency has low unemployment^[4] and has until recently been regarded as one of the Conservative Party's safest seats in the UK. The area of the seat includes the last non-tidal section of the River Thames, wooded Esher Commons, the River Mole and Sandown Park racecourse.^[5]

Boundaries

Historic

From the constituency's creation in 1997, until 2024, it consisted of the Borough of Elmbridge wards of Claygate, Cobham and Downside, Cobham Fairmile, Esher, Hersham North, Hersham South, Hinchley Wood, Long Ditton, Molesey East, Molesey North, Molesey South, Oxshott and Stoke D'Abernon, Thames Ditton, Walton Ambleside, Walton Central, Walton North, Walton South, Weston Green.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is now composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

• The Borough of Elmbridge wards of Claygate, Esher, Hersham Village, Hinchley Wood & Weston Green, Long Ditton, Molesey East, Molesey West, Oatlands & Burwood Park, Thames Ditton, Walton Central, Walton North, and Walton South.^[6]

The electorate was reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring southern areas, including Cobham, to Runnymede and Weybridge, partly offset by moving the village of Oatlands in the opposite direction.

History

Map of 1997–2024 boundaries

The last time a component of this area voted for an MP who was not Conservative before the 2024 general election was in 1906, when a Liberal MP served the four-year term to 1910 for Chertsey, representing the Walton-on-Thames part of the current seat.^[7][8]

Ian Taylor held the seat from 1997 to 2010, having held the previous Esher seat from 1987. Taylor stood down at the 2010 election, and Dominic Raab was elected as the new Conservative MP for this seat.

In the 2019 general election, 60 seats, including this seat, were written into the Remain Alliance, an agreement between the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru not to vie against one another in those seats.^[9] These were parties opposed to Britain's departure from the European Union. In consequence, Laura Harmour,^[10] who had been lined up to fight the seat for the Green Party, did not stand. Axel Thill,^[11] the candidate selected for the Brexit Party, was one of those withdrawn by party leader Nigel Farage before nominations closed,^[12] when Farage decided not to field candidates in Conservative-held seats. This was done to avoid the potential for pro-Remain parties winning seats and holding a People's Vote on Brexit.

The seat, long considered safe for the Conservatives, was heavily targeted by the Liberal Democrats, particularly because the incumbent Conservative, Dominic Raab, had campaigned for a Leave vote in the EU referendum. The constituency itself voted in favour of remaining in the EU and is socially similar to the two Greater London seats it borders, namely Twickenham and Kingston & Surbiton, which are both strongholds for the Lib Dems. This resulted in a large swing to the Liberal Democrats of 18.5%, reducing the seat's majority to make it a marginal for the first time since its creation.

Raab, who had served as deputy prime minister before resigning from that role in April 2023 due to bullying allegations,^[2] did not contest the 2024 election and a further swing of 13.8% resulted in the Liberal Democrat candidate Monica Harding winning the seat, becoming the first MP from a party other than the Conservatives to represent any part of the modern constituency since 1906.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[13]	Party
	1997	Ian Taylor	Conservative
	2010	Dominic Raab	Conservative
	2024	Monica Harding	Liberal Democrats

Elections

Esher and Walton election results

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Esher and Walton^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Monica Harding	28,315	52.6	+8.4
	Conservative	John Cope	16,312	30.3	−19.2
	Reform UK	Alastair Gray	4,777	8.9	N/A
	Labour	Yoel Gordon	2,846	5.3	+0.5
	Green	Maciej Pawlik	1,396	2.6	+2.4
	SDP	Richard Bateson	234	0.4	N/A
Majority			12,003	22.3
Turnout			53,880	72.8	−3.9
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	+13.8

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[15]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	27,819	49.5
	Liberal Democrats	24,804	44.2
	Labour	2,698	4.8
	Others	725	1.3
	Green	132	0.2
Turnout		56,178	76.7
Electorate		73,280

In 2019, Esher and Walton was one^[16] of five English seats (the others being Cheltenham, East Devon, Westmorland and Lonsdale, and Winchester) where the Labour candidate failed to get over 5% votes cast so lost the deposit.

General election 2019: Esher and Walton^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Dominic Raab	31,132	49.4	−9.2
	Liberal Democrats	Monica Harding	28,389	45.0	+27.7
	Labour	Peter Ashurst	2,838	4.5	−15.2
	Independent	Kylie Keens	347	0.6	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Baron Badger	326	0.5	0.0
	Advance	Kyle Taylor	52	0.1	N/A
Majority			2,743	4.4	−34.5
Turnout			63,084	77.7	+3.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	−18.5

General election 2017: Esher and Walton^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Dominic Raab	35,071	58.6	−4.3
	Labour	Lana Hylands	11,773	19.7	+7.0
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Davis	10,374	17.3	+7.9
	Green	Olivia Palmer	1,074	1.8	−2.3
	UKIP	David Ions	1,034	1.7	−8.0
	Monster Raving Loony	Baron Badger	318	0.5	N/A
	Independent	Della Reynolds	198	0.3	−0.1
Majority			23,298	38.9	−11.3
Turnout			59,842	73.9	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.6

General election 2015: Esher and Walton^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Dominic Raab	35,845	62.9	+4.0
	Labour	Francis Eldergill	7,229	12.7	+2.0
	UKIP	Nicholas Wood	5,551	9.7	+6.4
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Davis	5,372	9.4	−15.4
	Green	Olivia Palmer	2,355	4.1	N/A
	CISTA	Matthew Heenan	396	0.7	N/A
	Independent	Della Reynolds	228	0.4	N/A
Majority			28,616	50.2	+16.1
Turnout			56,976	71.3	−0.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2010: Esher and Walton^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Dominic Raab	32,134	58.9	+13.2
	Liberal Democrats	Lionel Blackman	13,541	24.8	−4.8
	Labour	Francis Eldergill	5,829	10.7	−8.7
	UKIP	Bernard Collignon	1,783	3.3	0.0
	Independent	Tony Popham	378	0.7	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Chinners Chinnery	341	0.6	−0.7
	English Democrat	Mike Kearsley	307	0.6	N/A
	Best of a Bad Bunch	Andy Lear	230	0.4	N/A
Majority			18,593	34.1	+18.0
Turnout			54,543	72.0	+9.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+9.0

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Esher and Walton^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ian Taylor	21,882	45.7	−3.3
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Marsh	14,155	29.6	+7.1
	Labour	Richard C.H. Taylor	9,309	19.4	−4.2
	UKIP	Bernard Collignon	1,582	3.3	−1.6
	Monster Raving Loony	Chinners Chinnery	608	1.3	N/A
	Socialist Labour	Richard G. Cutler	342	0.7	N/A
Majority			7,727	16.1	−9.3
Turnout			47,878	62.2	+0.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.2

General election 2001: Esher and Walton^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ian Taylor	22,296	49.0	−0.8
	Labour	Joe McGowan	10,758	23.6	+0.8
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Marsh	10,241	22.5	+2.1
	UKIP	Bernard Collignon	2,236	4.9	+3.9
Majority			11,538	25.4	−1.6
Turnout			45,531	61.9	−12.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.9

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Esher and Walton^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ian Taylor	26,747	49.8	−10.9
	Labour	Julie A. Reay	12,219	22.8	+5.4
	Liberal Democrats	Gary M. Miles	10,937	20.4	−1.6
	Referendum	Andrew A.C. Cruickshank	2,904	5.4	N/A
	UKIP	Bernard Collignon	558	1.0	N/A
	Rainbow Dream Ticket	Simone Kay	302	0.6	N/A
Majority			14,528	27.0
Turnout			53,667	74.3
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

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

Notes

1. As with all constituencies, Esher and Walton elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at most every five years.