Runnymede and Weybridge (UK Parliament constituency)

Runnymede and Weybridge is a constituency^{[n 1]} in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Ben Spencer, a Conservative.^{[n 2]}

Runnymede and Weybridge
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Runnymede and Weybridge in South East England
County	Surrey
Electorate	73,778 (2023) [1]
Major settlements	Addlestone Cobham Chertsey Egham Weybridge
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Ben Spencer (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Chertsey and Walton (majority) North West Surrey (minority)

The constituency was created for the 1997 general election and represented from then until 2019 by Philip Hammond, who served as Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019. Hammond sat as a Conservative before becoming an Independent backbencher for the last two months of his final term.

Boundaries

Map of 2010–2024 boundaries

1997–2024

• The Borough of Runnymede: Addlestone North; Addlestone South; Chertsey Riverside; Chertsey St Ann's; Egham Hythe; Egham Town; Englefield Green East; Englefield Green West; Longcross, Lyne and Chertsey South; New Haw; Ottershaw; Thorpe; Virginia Water; Woodham and Rowtown
• The Borough of Elmbridge: Oatlands and Burwood Park; Weybridge Riverside; Weybridge St George's Hill^[2]

Since 1997 and until 2024 the constituency and comprised the whole of the area of the Borough of Runnymede plus the town of Weybridge in the Borough of Elmbridge, all in north Surrey.

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: Cobham & Downside; Oxshott & Stoke D'Abernon; Weybridge Riverside; Weybridge St. George's Hill.
• The Borough of Runnymede wards of: Addlestone North; Addlestone South; Chertsey Riverside; Chertsey St. Ann's; Egham Hythe; Egham Town; Longcross, Lyne & Chertsey South; New Haw; Ottershaw; Thorpe; Woodham & Rowtown.^[3]

The mainly low-density villages of Englefield Green and Virginia Water were transferred to the Berkshire seat of Windsor, creating a cross-county constituency. To compensate, two similar southern wards that were in Esher and Walton, including Cobham, were gained, partly offset by the similar village of Oatlands moving in the opposite direction.

History

The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the former constituencies of Chertsey and Walton and North West Surrey.

From its creation until 2019, it was represented by Philip Hammond, of the Conservative Party, who served as a Cabinet Minister throughout the Cameron–Clegg coalition before holding in succession two of the Great Offices of State: Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019.

Runnymede and Weybridge is a Conservative safe seat based on both length of tenure and size of majorities – the narrowest margin of victory was in the 2024 general election, of 15.8% of the vote.

Constituency profile

The constituency is roughly bisected by the M25. To the east are a series of affluent towns including part of Staines, Chertsey, Addlestone and Weybridge. There is more open land to the west, bordering Windsor Great Park and Chobham Common.

The constituency has incomes well above the national average, and lower than average reliance upon social housing.^[4] At the end of 2012 the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 1.3% of the population claiming jobseekers allowance, compared to the regional average of 2.4%.^[5] The borough contributing to the bulk of the seat has a low 14.7% of its population without a car, 18.3% of the population without qualifications and a high 29.9% with level 4 qualifications or above.

In terms of tenure 69.2% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage as at the 2011 census across Runnymede.^[6]

Members of Parliament

Chertsey and Walton prior to 1997

Election		Member[7]	Party
	1997	Philip Hammond	Conservative
	September 2019		Independent
	2019	Ben Spencer	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Runnymede and Weybridge^[8][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ben Spencer	18,442	38.2	−15.0
	Liberal Democrats	Ellen Nicholson	10,815	22.4	−0.3
	Labour	Robert King	9,963	20.6	+2.9
	Reform UK	Stewart Mackay	6,419	13.3	N/A
	Green	Steve Ringham	1,954	4.0	+1.3
	Independent	Michael Cressey	518	1.1	N/A
	UKIP	Nicholas Wood	142	0.3	−0.6
Majority			7,627	15.8	−18.5
Turnout			48,253	65.6	−5.8
Registered electors			73,610
	Conservative hold		Swing	−7.4

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[10]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	28,028	53.2
	Liberal Democrats	11,956	22.7
	Labour	9,347	17.7
	Others	1,923	3.7
	Green	1,415	2.7
Turnout		52,669	71.4
Electorate		73,778

General election 2019: Runnymede and Weybridge^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ben Spencer	29,262	54.9	−6.0
	Labour	Robert King	10,992	20.6	−5.3
	Liberal Democrats	Rob O'Carroll	9,236	17.3	+10.0
	Green	Benjamin Smith	1,876	3.5	+0.9
	Independent	Stewart Mackay	777	1.5	New
	Independent	Lorna Rowland	670	1.3	New
	UKIP	Nicholas Wood	476	0.9	−2.4
Majority			18,270	34.3	−0.7
Turnout			53,289	69.0	+0.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.4

General election 2017: Runnymede and Weybridge^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Hammond	31,436	60.9	+1.2
	Labour	Fiona Dent	13,386	25.9	+10.4
	Liberal Democrats	John Vincent	3,765	7.3	+0.6
	UKIP	Nicholas Wood	1,675	3.3	−10.6
	Green	Lee-Anne Lawrance	1,347	2.6	−1.5
Majority			18,050	35.0	−9.2
Turnout			51,609	68.1	0.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.6

General election 2015: Runnymede and Weybridge^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Hammond	29,901	59.7	+3.8
	Labour	Arran Neathey	7,767	15.5	+2.1
	UKIP	Joe Branco[14]	6,951	13.9	+7.4
	Liberal Democrats	John Vincent[15]	3,362	6.7	−14.9
	Green	Rustam Majainah[16]	2,071	4.1	+2.7
Majority			22,134	44.2	+7.9
Turnout			50,224	68.1	+1.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.8

General election 2010: Runnymede and Weybridge^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Hammond	26,915	55.9	+4.5
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Falconer	10,406	21.6	+3.7
	Labour	Paul Greenwood	6,446	13.4	−9.6
	UKIP	Toby Micklethwait	3,146	6.5	+2.6
	Green	Jenny Gould	696	1.4	−1.3
	Independent	David Sammons	541	1.1	+1.1
Majority			16,509	34.3	+5.9
Turnout			48,292	66.5	+7.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.4

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Runnymede and Weybridge^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Hammond	22,366	51.4	+2.7
	Labour	Paul Greenwood	10,017	23.0	−6.0
	Liberal Democrats	Henry Bolton	7,771	17.9	+1.6
	UKIP	Anthony Micklethwait	1,719	3.9	+0.8
	Green	Charles Gilman	1,180	2.7	−0.2
	Monster Raving Loony	Andrew Collett	358	0.8	New
	UK Community Issues Party	Katrina Osman	113	0.3	New
Majority			12,349	28.4	+8.7
Turnout			43,524	58.7	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

• Result declared at 02:19

General election 2001: Runnymede and Weybridge^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Hammond	20,646	48.7	+0.1
	Labour	Jane Briginshaw	12,286	29.0	−0.4
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Bushill	6,924	16.3	0.0
	UKIP	Christopher Browne	1,332	3.1	+1.9
	Green	Charles Gilman	1,238	2.9	New
Majority			8,360	19.7	+0.5
Turnout			42,426	56.1	−15.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.3

• Result declared at 03:21

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Runnymede and Weybridge^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Hammond	25,051	48.6	−12.8
	Labour	Ian Peacock	15,176	29.4	+13.5
	Liberal Democrats	Geoffrey Taylor	8,397	16.3	−4.8
	Referendum	Peter Rolt	2,150	4.2	New
	UKIP	Simon Slater	625	1.2	New
	Natural Law	Jeremy Sleeman	162	0.3	New
Majority			9,875	19.2
Turnout			51,561	71.5
	Conservative win (new seat)

• Result declared at 03:31

See also

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

Notes

1. A county 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 five years.