South Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency)

South Suffolk is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by James Cartlidge, a Conservative.^{[n 2]}

South Suffolk
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of South Suffolk in the East of England
County	Suffolk
Electorate	71,170 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Sudbury, Hadleigh and Great Cornard
Current constituency
Created	1983
Member of Parliament	James Cartlidge (Conservative)
Seats	One
Created from	Sudbury and Woodbridge and Bury St Edmunds[2]

History

South Suffolk is one of seven constituencies in the county of Suffolk and was created by boundary changes which came into force for the 1983 general election. It was formed primarily from areas to the west of Ipswich and the River Orwell, including the towns of Sudbury and Hadleigh, which had formed the majority of the abolished constituency of Sudbury and Woodbridge. Extended westwards to include Haverhill and surrounding areas, transferred from Bury St Edmunds.

Between 1559 and 1844, the constituency of Sudbury represented the town on the southwestern border with Essex, but this constituency was disenfranchised for corruption in 1844.

In every election, the Conservative candidate has been elected or re-elected; until 2015, said candidate was Tim Yeo, who was deselected prior to the 2015 general election; he was succeeded as Conservative candidate, and subsequently MP, by James Cartlidge.

Constituency profile

South Suffolk is a large and predominantly rural seat, sharing a long border with the county of Essex but retaining a rather different identity and character – distinctly East Anglian rather than Home Counties.

The largest settlements, Sudbury and Hadleigh, are small, quiet towns, somewhat off the beaten track, and the only other significantly built-up area in the seat is the suburb of Pinewood, just outside the limits of Ipswich, where there are many new developments. There is still some industry in Brantham, close to the Essex border, but most of the seat is traditional agriculture, sitting alongside remote commuter bases for those working in London, Ipswich, Colchester or Chelmsford.

In common with many seats of this type, it is fairly safe for the Conservatives, with the opponents being significantly lower in terms of the vote share.

Workless claimants were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.^[3]

Boundaries and boundary changes

Map of boundaries 1997–2024

1983–1997

• The District of Babergh; and
• The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Cangle, Castle, Cavendish, Chalkstone, Clare, Clements, Hundon, Kedington, St Mary's and Helions, Wickhambrook, and Withersfield.^[4]

1997–2024

• The District of Babergh, and
• The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Cavendish, and Clare.^[5][6]

All but two of the Borough of St Edmundsbury wards, including the town of Haverhill, were transferred to the new constituency of West Suffolk.

Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is now coterminous with the District of Babergh.^[7]

The small part previously in the former Borough of St Edmundsbury – now part of the District of West Suffolk – was transferred to the constituency of West Suffolk.

Members of Parliament

Sudbury & Woodbridge prior to 1983

Election		Member[8]	Party
	1983	Tim Yeo	Conservative
	2015	James Cartlidge	Conservative

Elections

Election results 1983–2024

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: South Suffolk^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Cartlidge	16,082	33.0	−29.1
	Labour	Emma Bishton	13,035	26.7	+7.5
	Reform UK	Bev England	9,252	19.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Tom Bartleet	6,424	13.2	+0.5
	Green	Jessie Carter	4,008	8.2	+2.2
Majority			3,047	6.3	−36.6
Turnout			48,801	65.7	−4.8
Registered electors			73,385
	Conservative hold		Swing	−18.3

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[10]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	31,094	62.1
	Labour	9,621	19.2
	Liberal Democrats	6,360	12.7
	Green	3,031	6.0
Turnout		50,106	70.5
Electorate		71,070

General election 2019: South Suffolk^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Cartlidge	33,270	62.2	+1.7
	Labour	Elizabeth Hughes	10,373	19.4	−8.4
	Liberal Democrats	David Beavan	6,702	12.5	+6.7
	Green	Robert Lindsay	3,144	5.9	+2.7
Majority			22,897	42.8	+10.1
Turnout			53,489	70.2	−1.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.1

General election 2017: South Suffolk^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Cartlidge	32,829	60.5	+7.4
	Labour	Emma Bishton	15,080	27.8	+8.5
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne	3,154	5.8	−2.0
	Green	Robert Lindsay	1,723	3.2	−1.1
	UKIP	Aidan Powlesland	1,449	2.7	−12.5
Majority			17,749	32.7	−1.1
Turnout			54,235	71.8	+0.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.5

General election 2015: South Suffolk^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Cartlidge	27,546	53.1	+5.4
	Labour	Jane Basham	10,001	19.3	+5.0
	UKIP	Steven Whalley[14]	7,897	15.2	+8.1
	Liberal Democrats	Grace Weaver	4,044	7.8	−23.0
	Green	Robert Lindsay	2,253	4.3	N/A
	CPA	Stephen Todd[15]	166	0.3	N/A
Majority			17,545	33.8	+16.9
Turnout			51,907	71.0	+0.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.2

General election 2010: South Suffolk^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Yeo	24,550	47.7	+5.7
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel Bennett	15,861	30.8	+2.3
	Labour	Emma Bishton	7,368	14.3	−10.2
	UKIP	David Campbell Bannerman	3,637	7.1	+2.1
Majority			8,689	16.9	+3.3
Turnout			51,416	70.9	+2.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.6

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: South Suffolk^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Yeo	20,471	42.0	+0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Kathy Pollard	13,865	28.5	+3.6
	Labour	Kevin Craig	11,917	24.5	−5.7
	UKIP	James Carver	2,454	5.0	+1.5
Majority			6,606	13.6	+2.4
Turnout			48,707	71.8	+5.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.7

General election 2001: South Suffolk^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Yeo	18,748	41.4	+4.1
	Labour	Marc Young	13,667	30.2	+0.9
	Liberal Democrats	Tessa Munt	11,296	24.9	−2.8
	UKIP	Derek Allen	1,582	3.5	N/A
Majority			5,081	11.2	+3.2
Turnout			45,293	66.2	−11.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.5

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: South Suffolk^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Yeo	19,402	37.3	−14.0
	Labour	Paul Bishop	15,227	29.3	+7.5
	Liberal Democrats	Kathy Pollard	14,395	27.7	+2.5
	Referendum	Somerset Carlo de Chair	2,740	5.3	N/A
	Natural Law	Angela Holland	211	0.4	−0.2
Majority			4,175	8.0	−25.0
Turnout			51,975	77.2	−4.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	−9.1

General election 1992: South Suffolk^[20][21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Yeo	34,793	50.2	−3.2
	Liberal Democrats	Kathy Pollard	17,504	25.2	−2.7
	Labour	Stephen Hesford	16,623	24.0	+5.3
	Natural Law	T. Aisbitt	420	0.6	N/A
Majority			17,289	25.0	−0.5
Turnout			69,340	81.7	+4.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.3

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: South Suffolk^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Yeo	33,972	53.4	+2.8
	Liberal	Christopher Bradford	17,729	27.9	−3.4
	Labour	Anthony Bavington	11,876	18.7	+0.6
Majority			16,243	25.5	+6.2
Turnout			63,577	77.6	+1.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.1

General election 1983: South Suffolk^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Yeo	29,469	50.6
	Liberal	Richard Kemp	18,200	31.3
	Labour	Stephen Billcliffe	10,516	18.1
Majority			11,269	19.3
Turnout			58,185	76.3
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Suffolk
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the East of 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.