Worthing West (UK Parliament constituency)

Worthing West is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Beccy Cooper of the Labour Party. She defeated the long serving incumbent Sir Peter Bottomley, a Conservative who was the Father of the House of Commons from 2019.^{[n 2]}

Worthing West
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2024
Boundary of Worthing West in South East England
County	West Sussex
Electorate	76,293 (2023) [1]
Major settlements	Worthing Salvington Angmering Durrington Goring-by-Sea
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Beccy Cooper (Labour)
Created from	Worthing Shoreham

Boundaries

Map of 1997–2024 boundaries

1997–2024

• Worthing wards of: Castle, Central, Durrington, Goring, Heene, Marine, Northbrook, Salvington, and Tarring.
• Arun wards of: East Preston, Ferring, Rustington East and Rustington West.

2024–present

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

• The District of Arun wards of: Angmering & Findon; East Preston; Ferring.
• The Borough of Worthing wards of: Castle; Central; Durrington; Goring; Heene; Marine; Northbrook; Salvington; Tarring.^[2]

The constituency was expanded to include the ward of Angmering & Findon, while losing the two Rustington wards to Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.^[3]

The constituency covers the central and western two-thirds portion of Worthing, plus the villages of Ferring, East Preston, Angmering and Findon in the district of Arun. The eastern parts of the town are in the East Worthing and Shoreham constituency.

History

The seat was created in 1997 as Worthing and Shoreham were re-divided into Worthing West, and East Worthing and Shoreham.

Before 1945, the area was part of the Horsham and Worthing seat.

The MP from 1997 to 2024 was the Conservative Sir Peter Bottomley. He represented the Woolwich West and related Eltham in south-east London from 1975 to 1997. In 2024, Bottomley was defeated by Labour member Beccy Cooper.

Members of Parliament

Worthing prior to 1997

Election		Member[4]	Party
	1997	Peter Bottomley	Conservative
	2024	Beccy Cooper	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

See also: 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies § Notional 2019 general election results

General election 2024: Worthing West^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Beccy Cooper	20,519	40.2	+10.7
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	16,570	32.5	−23.5
	Reform UK	Edmund Rooke	7,562	14.8	N/A
	Green	Sonya Mallin	3,274	6.4	+2.8
	Liberal Democrats	Morag Chugg	2,708	5.3	−4.6
	Independent	Kathryn Attwood	364	0.7	N/A
Majority			3,949	7.7
Turnout			50,997	66.2
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+17.1

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Worthing West^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	30,475	55.8	+0.4
	Labour	Beccy Cooper	15,652	28.6	−4.6
	Liberal Democrats	Jamie Bennett	6,024	11.0	+5.5
	Green	Joanne Paul	2,008	3.7	+0.7
	Independent	David Aherne	489	0.9	N/A
Majority			14,823	27.2	+5.0
Turnout			54,648	69.5	−0.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.5

General election 2017: Worthing West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	30,181	55.4	+3.9
	Labour	Beccy Cooper	18,091	33.2	+17.5
	Liberal Democrats	Hazel Thorpe	2,982	5.5	−3.3
	UKIP	Mark Withers	1,635	3.0	−15.3
	Green	Benjamin Cornish	1,614	3.0	−2.8
Majority			12,090	22.2	−11.0
Turnout			54,614	70.2	+3.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.8

General election 2015: Worthing West^[7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	26,124	51.5	−0.2
	UKIP	Timothy Cross	9,269	18.3	+12.3
	Labour	Jim Deen	7,955	15.7	+3.9
	Liberal Democrats	Hazel Thorpe	4,477	8.8	−19.1
	Green	David Aherne	2,938	5.8	+3.8
Majority			16,855	33.2	+9.4
Turnout			50,763	67.1	+2.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.3

General election 2010: Worthing West^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	25,416	51.7	+4.1
	Liberal Democrats	Hazel Thorpe	13,687	27.9	+1.2
	Labour	Ian Ross	5,800	11.8	−7.4
	UKIP	John Wallace	2,924	6.0	+0.7
	Green	David Aherne	996	2.0	N/A
	Christian	Stuart Dearsley	300	0.6	N/A
Majority			11,729	23.8	+2.9
Turnout			49,123	64.7	+2.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.5

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Worthing West^[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	21,383	47.6	+0.1
	Liberal Democrats	Claire Potter	12,004	26.7	+0.2
	Labour	Antony Bignell	8,630	19.2	−2.3
	UKIP	Timothy Cross	2,374	5.3	+0.8
	Legalise Cannabis	Chris Baldwin	515	1.2	N/A
Majority			9,379	20.9	−0.1
Turnout			44,906	62.6	+2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.1

General election 2001: Worthing West^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	20,508	47.5	+1.4
	Liberal Democrats	James Walsh	11,471	26.5	−4.6
	Labour	Alan Butcher	9,270	21.5	+5.3
	UKIP	Timothy Cross	1,960	4.5	+2.5
Majority			9,037	21.0	+6.0
Turnout			43,209	59.7	−12.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.0

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Worthing West^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Bottomley	23,733	46.1
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Hare	16,020	31.1
	Labour	John Adams	8,347	16.2
	Referendum	Nick John	2,313	4.5
	UKIP	Timothy Cross	1,029	2.0
Majority			7,713	15.0
Turnout			51,442	71.8
	Conservative win (new seat)

See also

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

Notes

1. A borough 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.