South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)

South West Wiltshire is a constituency in Wiltshire, England. The constituency has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Andrew Murrison, a Conservative, since its inauguration in 2010.^{[note 1]}

South West Wiltshire
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of South West Wiltshire in South West England
County	Wiltshire
Electorate	71,551 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Mere
Current constituency
Created	2010
Member of Parliament	Andrew Murrison (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Westbury, Salisbury

History

The constituency was created for the 2010 general election, following the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies tasked to the Boundary Commission, by which Parliament increased the number of seats in the county from six to seven.^[2]

The previous Westbury constituency was abolished: the northern part (including the town of Bradford-on-Avon) was transferred to the reinstated Chippenham seat, and the southern part (including the towns of Trowbridge, Warminster, and Westbury) formed the bulk of this constituency, which to complete it, received a minority of wards from the Salisbury seat.

Boundaries

Map of current boundaries

2010–2024: The former District of West Wiltshire wards of Dilton Marsh, Ethandune, Mid Wylye Valley, Shearwater, Southwick and Wingfield, Summerham, Trowbridge Adcroft, Trowbridge College, Trowbridge Drynham, Trowbridge John of Gaunt, Trowbridge Park, Warminster East, Warminster West, Westbury Ham, and Westbury Laverton, and the former District of Salisbury wards of Donhead, Fonthill and Nadder, Knoyle, Tisbury and Fovant, and Western and Mere.

2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 4 May 2021):

• The Wiltshire electoral divisions of: Ethandune; Hilperton; Mere; Southwick; Trowbridge Adcroft; Trowbridge Central; Trowbridge Drynham; Trowbridge Grove; Trowbridge Lambrok; Trowbridge Park; Trowbridge Paxcroft; Warminster Broadway; Warminster East; Warminster North & Rural; Warminster West; Westbury East; Westbury North; Westbury West; Wylye Valley.^[3]

In order to bring the electorate within the permitted range, Tisbury and the Nadder Valley were transferred to Salisbury. The village of Hilperton was added from Chippenham, while several rural parishes east of Trowbridge were transferred to Melksham and Devizes.

Constituency profile

As well as the county town of Trowbridge and the former market towns of Westbury and Warminster (the latter with a considerable Army presence), the seat covers a large rural area with smaller settlements. Residents' health and wealth are around the UK average.^[4]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[5]	Party	Notes
	2010	Andrew Murrison	Conservative	Surgeon Commander (RN), retired 2000; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families 2022 – 2024

Elections

For the approximate comparator before 2010, as the main predecessor seat, see Westbury (UK Parliament constituency).

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: South West Wiltshire^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Murrison	15,617	33.8	−24.5
	Labour	Evelyn Akoto	12,374	26.8	+5.3
	Reform UK	Garry Irvin	7,840	17.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Bret Palmer	7,205	15.6	−0.9
	Green	Fay Whitfield	2,243	4.9	+1.2
	Independent	James Ward	448	1.0	N/A
	Independent	Thomas Culshaw	441	1.0	N/A
Majority			3,243	7.0	−29.8
Turnout			46,168	64.5	−1.5
Registered electors			71,574
	Conservative hold		Swing	−14.9

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[7]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	27,546	58.3
	Labour	10,168	21.5
	Liberal Democrats	7,787	16.5
	Green	1,736	3.7
Turnout		47,237	66.0
Electorate		71,551

General election 2019: South West Wiltshire^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Murrison	33,038	60.2	+0.2
	Labour	Emily Pomroy-Smith	11,408	20.8	−5.7
	Liberal Democrats	Ellen Nicholson	8,015	14.6	+4.8
	Green	Julie Phillips	2,434	4.4	+1.8
Majority			21,630	39.4	+5.9
Turnout			54,895	70.4	−1.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.0

General election 2017: South West Wiltshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Murrison	32,841	60.0	+7.3
	Labour	Laura Pictor	14,515	26.5	+13.0
	Liberal Democrats	Trevor Carbin	5,360	9.8	−0.8
	Green	Chris Walford	1,445	2.6	−3.2
	Independent	Liam Silcocks	590	1.1	N/A
Majority			18,326	33.5	−1.7
Turnout			54,751	72.0	+1.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.9

General election 2015: South West Wiltshire^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Murrison	27,198	52.7	+1.0
	UKIP	Matthew Brown[11]	9,030	17.5	+12.0
	Labour	George Aylett	6,948	13.5	+2.0
	Liberal Democrats	Trevor Carbin	5,482	10.6	−19.9
	Green	Phil Randle	2,985	5.8	N/A
Majority			18,168	35.2	+14.0
Turnout			51,643	70.7	+2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 2010: South West Wiltshire^[12][13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Murrison	25,321	51.7	+2.5
	Liberal Democrats	Trevor Carbin	14,954	30.5	+0.3
	Labour	Rebecca Rennison	5,613	11.5	−5.7
	UKIP	Michael Cuthbert-Murray	2,684	5.5	+2.0
	Independent	Crispin Black	446	0.9	N/A
Majority			10,367	21.2	+2.2
Turnout			49,018	68.4	+3.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.1

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Wiltshire

Notes

1. As with all constituencies, South West Wiltshire elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.