South East Cornwall
| South East Cornwall | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Interactive map of boundaries since 2024 | |
Boundary of South East Cornwall in Cornwall | |
Location of Cornwall within England | |
| County | Cornwall |
| Electorate | 72,654 (2024)[1] |
| Major settlements | Liskeard, Saltash, Lostwithiel and Callington |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1983 |
| Member of Parliament | Anna Gelderd (Labour) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Bodmin, Cornwall North and Truro[2] |

South East Cornwall is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Anna Gelderd, a Labour politician.[n 2]
Constituency profile
[edit]
South East Cornwall is a constituency in Cornwall in South West England. Its largest town is Saltash, which has a population of around 15,000.[3] Other settlements include the towns of Liskeard, Lostwithiel, Looe, Callington and Torpoint and the village of Gunnislake.
This is a large, rural constituency with many small towns and villages. The coastal settlements like Looe, Polperro and Downderry are traditionally fishing villages that have grown popular as tourist destinations. Liskeard, Lostwithiel and Callington are historic, small market towns. Saltash and Torpoint lie across the River Tamar from the city of Plymouth; Saltash largely functions as a suburb of Plymouth despite being the older of the two settlements. Most of the towns and villages in this constituency have below-average levels of wealth whilst Saltash is more affluent.[4] House prices here are generally lower than the regional and UK averages.[5]
South East Cornwall has a large retired population and low proportions of young and middle-aged adults.[6] Residents have below-average levels of income but high rates of homeownership.[5] The child poverty rate is above average.[7] They have average levels of education and a high proportion work in the agriculture, retail and tourism sectors.[5][8] The percentage of residents claiming unemployment benefits is low.[7] White people made up 98% of the population at the 2021 census and around 10% of residents expressed a Cornish national identity.[9][10]
At the local council, Looe and Lostwithiel in the west are represented by Liberal Democrats whilst the rest of the constituency elected mostly Reform UK councillors. An estimated 57% of voters in South East Cornwall supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the UK-wide figure of 52%.[5]
Boundaries
[edit]
1983–2010: The District of Caradon, the Borough of Restormel wards of Fowey, Lostwithiel, St Blaise, and Tywardreath, and the District of North Cornwall ward of Stoke Climsland.
2010–2024: The District of Caradon, and the Borough of Restormel ward of Lostwithiel.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral divisions of Cornwall (as they existed on 4 May 2021):
- Callington & St Dominic; Calstock; Liskeard Central; Liskeard South & Dobwalls; Looe East & Deviock; Looe West, Pelynt, Lansallos & Lanteglos; Lostwithiel & Lanreath; Lynher; Rame Peninsula & St Germans; St Cleer & Menheniot; Saltash Essa; Saltash Tamar; Saltash Trematon & Landrake; Torpoint.[11]
Very small change to align with revised electoral division boundaries.
The current constituency territory contains the location of several former borough constituencies which were abolished as 'rotten boroughs' by the Reform Act 1832:
History
[edit]The predecessor county division, Bodmin, serving the area from 1885 until 1983 had (during those 98 years) 15 members (two of whom had broken terms of office serving the area), seeing twelve shifts of preference between the Liberal, Liberal Unionist and Conservative parties, spread quite broadly throughout that period. Consistent with this, since 1983 the preference for an MP has alternated between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. The Labour Party moved into second place in 2017 for the first time in the history of both constituencies, and captured the seat at the 2024 general election.
Members of Parliament
[edit]| Election | Member[12] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Robert Hicks | Conservative | |
| 1997 | Colin Breed | Liberal Democrat | |
| 2010 | Sheryll Murray | Conservative | |
| 2024 | Anna Gelderd | Labour |
Elections
[edit]
Elections in the 2020s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Anna Gelderd | 15,670 | 31.8 | +11.5 | |
| Conservative | Sheryll Murray | 13,759 | 27.9 | –31.1 | |
| Reform | Paul Wadley | 9,311 | 18.9 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Martin | 8,284 | 16.8 | +0.5 | |
| Green | Martin Corney | 1,999 | 4.1 | +1.4 | |
| Heritage | Graham Cowdry | 263 | 0.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,911 | 3.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 49,286 | 67.8 | –5.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 72,728 | ||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Elections in the 2010s
[edit]| 2019 notional result[15] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Conservative | 30,839 | 59.0 | |
| Labour | 10,614 | 20.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 8,520 | 16.3 | |
| Green | 1,405 | 2.7 | |
| Others | 869 | 1.7 | |
| Turnout | 52,247 | 72.8 | |
| Electorate | 71,734 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sheryll Murray | 31,807 | 59.3 | +3.9 | |
| Labour | Gareth Derrick | 10,836 | 20.2 | −2.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Martin | 8,650 | 16.1 | −3.3 | |
| Green | Martha Green | 1,493 | 2.8 | +0.3 | |
| Liberal | Jay Latham | 869 | 1.6 | N/A | |
| Majority | 20,971 | 39.1 | +6.3 | ||
| Turnout | 53,655 | 74.7 | +0.7 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.2 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sheryll Murray | 29,493 | 55.4 | +4.9 | |
| Labour | Gareth Derrick | 12,050 | 22.6 | +13.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Phil Hutty | 10,346 | 19.4 | +2.5 | |
| Green | Martin Corney | 1,335 | 2.5 | −2.9 | |
| Majority | 17,443 | 32.8 | −0.8 | ||
| Turnout | 53,224 | 74.0 | +2.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -4.2 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sheryll Murray | 25,516 | 50.5 | +5.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Phil Hutty | 8,521 | 16.9 | −21.7 | |
| UKIP | Bradley Monk | 7,698 | 15.2 | +9.0 | |
| Labour | Declan Lloyd | 4,692 | 9.3 | +2.2 | |
| Green | Martin Corney | 2,718 | 5.4 | +3.7 | |
| Mebyon Kernow | Andrew Long | 1,003 | 2.0 | +0.7 | |
| Independent | George Trubody | 350 | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 16,995 | 33.6 | +28.1 | ||
| Turnout | 50,498 | 71.1 | +2.4 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +13.6 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sheryll Murray | 22,390 | 45.1 | +10.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Karen Gillard | 19,170 | 38.6 | −8.1 | |
| Labour | Michael Sparling | 3,507 | 7.1 | −3.4 | |
| UKIP | Stephanie McWilliam | 3,083 | 6.2 | +1.1 | |
| Green | Roger Creagh-Osborne | 826 | 1.7 | N/A | |
| Mebyon Kernow | Roger Holmes | 641 | 1.3 | −0.4 | |
| Majority | 3,220 | 6.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 49,617 | 68.7 | +1.0 | ||
| Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +9.1 |
Elections in the 2000s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Breed | 24,986 | 46.7 | +0.8 | |
| Conservative | Ashley Gray | 18,479 | 34.6 | −0.9 | |
| Labour | Colin Binley | 6,069 | 11.4 | −1.0 | |
| UKIP | David Lucas | 2,693 | 5.0 | +1.2 | |
| Mebyon Kernow | Graham Sandercock | 769 | 1.4 | −0.9 | |
| Veritas | Anne Assheton-Salton | 459 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 6,507 | 12.1 | +1.7 | ||
| Turnout | 53,455 | 66.2 | +0.8 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +0.9 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Breed | 23,756 | 45.9 | −1.2 | |
| Conservative | Ashley Gray | 18,381 | 35.5 | −0.3 | |
| Labour | William Stevens | 6,429 | 12.4 | −0.4 | |
| UKIP | Graham Palmer | 1,978 | 3.8 | +1.3 | |
| Mebyon Kernow | Kenneth George | 1,209 | 2.3 | +1.3 | |
| Majority | 5,375 | 10.4 | −0.9 | ||
| Turnout | 51,753 | 65.4 | −10.3 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −0.5 |
Elections in the 1990s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Breed | 27,044 | 47.1 | +9.0 | |
| Conservative | Warwick Lightfoot | 20,564 | 35.8 | −15.1 | |
| Labour | Dorothy M. Kirk | 7,358 | 12.8 | +3.6 | |
| UKIP | James Wonnacott | 1,428 | 2.5 | N/A | |
| Mebyon Kernow | Paul Dunbar | 573 | 1.0 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Bill Weights | 268 | 0.5 | −0.6 | |
| Natural Law | Margot Hartley | 197 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |
| Majority | 6,480 | 11.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 57,432 | 75.7 | −6.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +12.0 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Robert Hicks | 30,565 | 51.0 | −0.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Robin Teverson | 22,861 | 38.1 | −1.6 | |
| Labour Co-op | Linda Gilroy | 5,536 | 9.2 | +0.5 | |
| Liberal | Maureen Cook | 644 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Anti-Federalist League | Anthony Quick | 227 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Natural Law | Rosaleen Allen | 155 | 0.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 7,704 | 12.9 | +1.0 | ||
| Turnout | 59,988 | 82.1 | +2.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +0.5 |
Elections in the 1980s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Robert Hicks | 28,818 | 51.6 | −3.7 | |
| Liberal | Ian Tunbridge | 22,211 | 39.7 | +0.8 | |
| Labour | Paul Clark | 4,847 | 8.7 | +3.8 | |
| Majority | 6,607 | 11.9 | −4.5 | ||
| Turnout | 55.876 | 79.5 | +0.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.3 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Robert Hicks | 28,326 | 55.3 | ||
| Liberal | David Blunt | 19,972 | 38.9 | ||
| Labour | Andrew Bebb | 2,507 | 4.9 | ||
| Ecology | John Chadwick | 337 | 0.7 | ||
| Independent | Joy Dent | 94 | 0.2 | ||
| Majority | 8,354 | 16.4 | |||
| Turnout | 51,236 | 78.6 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- ↑ 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.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Result for Camborne and Redruth constituency - 4 July 2024". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ↑ "'Cornwall South East', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ↑ "Saltash". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Constituency data: Deprivation in England". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Seat Details - Cornwall South East". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Constituency data: Population, by age". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Constituency dashboard". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Constituency data: businesses and industries". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "2021 census results: Ethnic groups in your constituency". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "National identity detailed - Census Maps, ONS". ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
- ↑ Kate Kennally (7 June 2024). "STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED, NOTICE OF POLL AND SITUATION OF POLLING STATIONS - South East Cornwall" (PDF). Cornwall Council. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ "Result for South East Cornwall constituency - 4 July 2024 - Cornwall Council". cornwall.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ↑ "UK election results live". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ↑ "Cornwall South East parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
- ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election results for South East Cornwall Constituency, 7 May 2015". democracy.cornwall.gov.uk. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ Lavery, Kevin (20 April 2010). "South East Cornwall statement of persons nominated and notice of poll" (MSWord). Acting Returning Officer. Cornwall Council. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ↑ "BBC NEWS Election 2005 Results Cornwall South East". BBC Online. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
External links
[edit]- South East Cornwall UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
- South East Cornwall UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- South East Cornwall UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK
