Tonbridge and Malling (UK Parliament constituency)

This article is about the parliamentary constituency. For the district of the same name, see Tonbridge and Malling.

Tonbridge and Malling was a constituency in western Kent, in South East England, in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented for its entire creation since 1974 by members of the Conservative Party.

Tonbridge and Malling
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent for the 2010 general election
Location of Kent within England
County	Kent
Electorate	72,671 (2015)[1]
Major settlements	Tonbridge, Edenbridge and West Malling
1974 (1974)–2024
Seats	One
Created from	Sevenoaks, Tonbridge
Replaced by	Tonbridge

Further to the completion of the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. Subject to moderate boundary changes, it will be reformed as Tonbridge, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.^[2]

History

The seat was created in 1974 from parts of the seats of Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.

Boundaries

Map of boundaries 2010–2024

1974–1983: The Urban District of Tonbridge, the Rural District of Malling, and part of the Rural District of Tonbridge.

1983–1997: The District of Tonbridge and Malling.

1997–2010: The Borough of Tonbridge and Malling wards of Birling, Leybourne and Ryarsh, Borough Green, Cage Green, Castle, East Malling, East Peckham, Hadlow, Higham, Hildenborough, Ightham, Judd, Long Mill, Medway, Oast, Trench, Vauxhall, Wateringbury, West Malling, West Peckham and Mereworth, and Wrotham, and the District of Sevenoaks wards of Edenbridge North, Edenbridge South, Leigh, Penshurst and Fordcombe, and Somerden.

2010–2024: The Borough of Tonbridge and Malling wards of Borough Green and Long Mill, Cage Green, Castle, Downs, East Malling, East Peckham and Golden Green, Hadlow, Mereworth and West Peckham, Higham, Hildenborough, Ightham, Judd, Kings Hill, Medway, Trench, Vauxhall, Wateringbury, West Malling and Leybourne, and Wrotham, and the District of Sevenoaks wards of Cowden and Hever, Edenbridge North and East, Edenbridge South and West, Leigh and Chiddingstone Causeway, and Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone.

The constituency was in the west of the county of Kent in south eastern England and included about two-thirds of the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling (the remainder being in the Chatham and Aylesford constituency), and parts of Sevenoaks District.

Constituency profile

This safe Conservative seat was characterised by a large commuter population benefiting from good road and rail links to London. Light engineering, farming and local service industry sectors are represented alongside the public sector, skilled trades and some construction.^[3] Visitor attractions in the constituency include the River Medway, the Eden Valley Walk which covers Edenbridge and Penshurst, including Hever Castle, Chiddingstone Castle, Penshurst Place and Tonbridge Castle. In this seat are numerous oast houses and remaining Wealden woodlands.

Residents' wealth and house prices are both higher than the UK average.^[4]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[5]	Party
	Feb 1974	Sir John Stanley	Conservative
	2015	Tom Tugendhat	Conservative
	2024	constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1970s

General election February 1974: Tonbridge and Malling^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	24,809	45.8
	Liberal	M Vann	14,701	27.1
	Labour	Jack Straw	14,683	27.1
Majority			10,108	18.7
Turnout			54,193	83.4
	Conservative win (new seat)

General election October 1974: Tonbridge and Malling^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	23,188	46.8	+1.0
	Labour	P. Knight	14,579	29.4	+2.3
	Liberal	M. Vann	11,767	23.8	−3.3
Majority			8,609	17.4	−1.3
Turnout			49,534	75.5	−7.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.7

General election 1979: Tonbridge and Malling^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	29,534	54.5	+7.7
	Labour	R. Ackerley	13,282	24.5	−4.9
	Liberal	G. Knopp	10,904	20.1	−3.7
	National Front	G. Burnett	429	0.8	New
Majority			16,252	30.0	+12.6
Turnout			54,149	79.5	+4.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.3

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Tonbridge and Malling^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	30,417	56.1	+1.6
	SDP	Roland JM Freeman	16,897	31.2	+11.1
	Labour	David Bishop	6,896	12.7	−11.8
Majority			13,520	24.9	−5.1
Turnout			54,210	74.7	−4.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.8

General election 1987: Tonbridge and Malling^[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	33,990	56.9	+0.8
	SDP	Michael Ward	17,561	29.4	−1.8
	Labour	Derek Still	7,803	13.1	+0.4
	BNP	Michael Easter	369	0.6	New
Majority			16,429	27.5	+2.6
Turnout			59,725	77.8	+3.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.3

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Tonbridge and Malling^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	36,542	57.2	+0.3
	Liberal Democrats	Paul D. Roberts	14,984	23.5	−5.9
	Labour	Margaret A. O'Neill	11,533	18.1	+5.0
	Green	Jim Tidy	612	1.0	New
	Natural Law	Janet I.R. Horvath	221	0.3	New
Majority			21,558	33.7	+6.2
Turnout			63,892	82.7	+4.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.1

General election 1997: Tonbridge and Malling^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	23,640	48.0	−9.2
	Labour	Barbara Withstandley	13,410	27.2	+9.1
	Liberal Democrats	Keith Brown	9,467	19.2	−4.3
	Referendum	John Scrivenor	2,005	4.1	New
	UKIP	B. Bullen	502	1.0	New
	Natural Law	Gerard Valente	205	0.4	+0.1
Majority			10,230	20.8	−12.9
Turnout			49,229	75.8	−6.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	-9.2

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Tonbridge and Malling^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	20,956	49.4	+1.4
	Labour	Victoria Hayman	12,706	29.9	+2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Jean Canet	7,605	17.9	−1.3
	UKIP	Lynne Croucher	1,169	2.8	+1.8
Majority			8,250	19.5	−1.3
Turnout			42,436	64.3	−11.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.7

General election 2005: Tonbridge and Malling^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	24,357	52.9	+3.5
	Labour	Victoria Hayman	11,005	23.9	−6.0
	Liberal Democrats	John Barstow	8,980	19.5	+1.6
	UKIP	Dave Waller	1,721	3.7	+0.9
Majority			13,352	29.0	+9.5
Turnout			46,063	67.3	+3.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.8

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2010: Tonbridge and Malling^[18][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Stanley	29,723	57.9	+5.1
	Liberal Democrats	Elizabeth Simpson	11,545	22.5	+3.0
	Labour	Daniel Griffiths	6,476	12.6	−11.2
	UKIP	David Waller	1,911	3.7	−0.2
	Green	Steve Dawe	764	1.5	New
	National Front	Michael Easter	505	1.0	New
	English Democrat	Lisa Rogers	390	0.8	New
Majority			18,178	35.4	+6.4
Turnout			51,314	71.5	+3.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.1

General election 2015: Tonbridge and Malling^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tom Tugendhat[21]	31,887	59.4	+1.5
	UKIP	Robert Izzard[22]	8,153	15.2	+11.5
	Labour	Claire Leigh[23]	7,604	14.2	+1.6
	Liberal Democrats	Mary Varrall[24]	3,660	6.8	−15.7
	Green	Howard Porter	2,366	4.4	+2.9
Majority			23,734	44.2	+8.8
Turnout			53,670	73.8	+2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.0

General election 2017: Tonbridge and Malling

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tom Tugendhat	36,218	63.6	+4.2
	Labour	Dylan Jones	12,710	22.3	+8.1
	Liberal Democrats	Keith Miller	3,787	6.7	−0.1
	Green	April Clark	2,335	4.1	−0.3
	UKIP	Collin Bullen	1,857	3.3	−11.9
Majority			23,508	41.3	−2.9
Turnout			56,907	73.7	−0.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.0

General election 2019: Tonbridge and Malling^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tom Tugendhat	35,784	62.8	−0.8
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Morris	8,843	15.5	+8.8
	Labour	Dylan Jones	8,286	14.5	−7.8
	Green	April Clark	4,090	7.2	+3.1
Majority			26,941	47.3	+6.0
Turnout			57,003	73.7	0.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Kent (historic)