A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Folkestone and Hythe | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Folkestone and Hythe in South East England | |
| County | Kent |
| Electorate | 84,156 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Folkestone and Hythe |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1950 |
| Member of Parliament | Damian Collins (Conservative) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Ashford, Canterbury and Hythe |
Folkestone and Hythe (/ˈfoʊkstən ... ˈhaɪð/) is a constituency[n 1] in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Damian Collins, a Conservative.[n 2]
Since its creation in 1950, Folkestone and Hythe has elected a Conservative MP at every general election; it is therefore regarded as a Conservative safe seat.
Constituency profile
Folkestone and Hythe consists of a hilly swathe of East Kent including the coastal urban area of Folkestone and Hythe. The rural communities of New Romney, Lydd, Dymchurch, Lyminge and Elham contain significant farming communities, commuters to towns and business parks, including a small percentage to London and a large retired population.[2]
Boundaries
1950–1983: The Boroughs of Folkestone, Hythe, Lydd, and New Romney, and the Rural Districts of Elham and Romney Marsh.
1983–2010: The District of Shepway.
2010–present: The District of Shepway (the District of Folkestone and Hythe from 2018), and the Borough of Ashford ward of Saxon Shore.
Proposed
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the General election 2024, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The District of Folkestone and Hythe wards of: Broadmead; Cheriton; East Folkestone; Folkestone Central; Folkestone Harbour; Hythe; Hythe Rural; New Romney; Romney Marsh; Sandgate & West Folkestone; Walland & Denge Marsh.[3]
The electorate will be reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring out the North Downs area in the north, along with the parts in the Borough of Ashford, primarily to the reconfigured constituency of Ashford.
Members of Parliament
The current Member of Parliament is Damian Collins of the Conservative Party who was elected at the 2010 general election. Collins' predecessor for the seat was Michael Howard (served 1983–2010). Howard held a number of political posts during his career in Parliament, most prominently as Home Secretary from 1993 to 1997 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2003 to 2005.
| Election | Member[4] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Harry Mackeson | Conservative | |
| 1959 | Sir Albert Costain | Conservative | |
| 1983 | Michael Howard | Conservative | |
| 2010 | Damian Collins | Conservative | |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairer Voting Party | David Allen | ||||
| Green | Marianne Brett[6] | ||||
| TUSC | Momtaz Khanom[7] | ||||
| Conservative | Damian Collins | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Larry Ngan[8] | ||||
| Socialist (GB) | Andy Thomas | ||||
| Labour | Tony Vaughan[9] | ||||
| Reform UK | William Wright[10] | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Damian Collins | 35,483 | 60.1 | +5.4 | |
| Labour | Laura Davison | 14,146 | 24.0 | -4.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Simon Bishop | 5,755 | 9.8 | +2.6 | |
| Green | Georgina Treloar | 2,706 | 4.6 | +0.4 | |
| Independent | Henry Bolton | 576 | 1.0 | New | |
| SDP | Colin Menniss | 190 | 0.3 | New | |
| Young People's | Rohen Kapur | 80 | 0.1 | New | |
| Socialist (GB) | Andy Thomas | 69 | 0.1 | New | |
| Majority | 21,337 | 36.1 | +9.9 | ||
| Turnout | 59,005 | 66.8 | -1.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Damian Collins | 32,197 | 54.7 | +6.8 | |
| Labour | Laura Davison | 16,786 | 28.5 | +14.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Lynne Beaumont | 4,222 | 7.2 | −1.7 | |
| UKIP | Stephen Priestley | 2,565 | 4.4 | −18.4 | |
| Green | Martin Whybrow | 2,498 | 4.2 | −1.2 | |
| Independent | David Plumstead | 493 | 0.8 | New | |
| Independent | Naomi Slade | 114 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 15,411 | 26.2 | +1.1 | ||
| Turnout | 58,875 | 68.4 | +2.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -3.7 | |||