Worthing (UK Parliament constituency)

Worthing was a parliamentary constituency in West Sussex, centred on the town of Worthing in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

Worthing
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyWest Sussex
19451997
SeatsOne
Created fromHorsham and Worthing
Replaced byEast Worthing & Shoreham and Worthing West

History

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The constituency was created for the 1945 general election by dividing Horsham and Worthing, and abolished for the 1997 general election. Its territory was then divided between the new constituencies of Worthing West and East Worthing and Shoreham.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member[1] Party
1945 Sir Otho Prior-Palmer Conservative
1964 Sir Terence Higgins Conservative
1997 constituency abolished

Elections

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Elections in the 1940s

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General election 1945: Worthing [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 31,337 64.45
Labour Arthur Wellesley Wright 11,570 23.43
Liberal Walter Parnell-Smith 6,483 13.13
Majority 19,767 40.02
Turnout 49,390 72.21
Registered electors 68,393
Conservative win (new seat)

Elections in the 1950s

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General election 1950: Worthing [2][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 29,475 66.76 +3.31
Labour E Duchin 10,028 22.71 −0.72
Liberal William Horne 4,647 10.53 −2.60
Majority 19.447 44.05 +4.03
Turnout 44,150 83.98 +11.77
Registered electors 52,573
Conservative hold Swing +2.02
General election 1951: Worthing [2][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 32,302 74.63 +7.87
Labour Gerry Reynolds 10,978 25.37 +2.66
Majority 21,324 49.26 +5.21
Turnout 43,280 79.96 −4.02
Registered electors 54,125
Conservative hold Swing +2.61
General election 1955: Worthing [2][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 31,106 77.12 +2.49
Labour Brian Ronald Stevens 9,231 22.88 −2.49
Majority 21,875 54.24 +4.98
Turnout 40,337 72.75 −7.21
Registered electors 55,449
Conservative hold Swing +2.49
General election 1959: Worthing [2][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Otho Prior-Palmer 31,396 68.16 −8.96
Labour Frederick Roy Mason 7,618 16.54 −6.34
Liberal Deryck Abel 7,045 15.30 New
Majority 23,778 51.62 −2.62
Turnout 46,059 76.12 +3.37
Registered electors 60,505
Conservative hold Swing -1.31

Elections in the 1960s

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General election 1964: Worthing [2][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 30,203 61.02 −7.14
Liberal Paul L Rose 11,320 22.87 +7.57
Labour Russell L Butler 7,976 16.11 −0.43
Majority 18,883 38.15 −13.48
Turnout 49,499 79.93 +3.81
Registered electors 61,931
Conservative hold Swing -7.36
General election 1966: Worthing [2][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 29,903 59.59 −1.43
Labour Anthony Lester 10,281 20.49 +4.38
Liberal Robert Roberts 8,955 17.84 −5.03
Ind. Conservative Edward Moloney 1,044 2.08 New
Majority 19,622 39.10 +0.95
Turnout 50,183 75.71 −4.22
Registered electors 66,279
Conservative hold Swing -2.91

Elections in the 1970s

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General election 1970: Worthing
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 33,051 65.61
Labour Suzanne M Bartlett 8,989 17.84
Liberal Michael J Rooke 8,336 16.55
Majority 24,062 47.77
Turnout 50,376 69.99
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Worthing
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 33,613 59.41
Liberal MHC Foley 14,683 25.95
Labour Michael Neves 8,286 14.64
Majority 18,930 33.46
Turnout 56,582 78.43
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Worthing
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 30,036 58.19
Liberal MHC Foley 12,691 24.59
Labour Michael Neves 8,890 17.22
Majority 17,345 33.60
Turnout 51,617 71.10
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: Worthing
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 33,624 61.22
Liberal B Sudbury 13,244 24.11
Labour K Underwood 7,163 13.04
National Front A Hough 893 1.63 New
Majority 20,380 37.11
Turnout 54,924 73.27
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1983: Worthing[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 32,807 60.9 −0.3
Alliance Bob Clare 17,554 32.6 +8.5
Labour Ashley Minto 3,158 5.7 −6.3
National Front Martin Wingfield 292 0.5 New
BNP D Monks 103 0.2 New
Majority 15,253 28.3 −8.8
Turnout 53,914 71.2 −2.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1987: Worthing[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 34,579 61.7 +0.8
Alliance Bob Clare 16,072 28.7 −3.9
Labour Jim L.W. Deen 5,387 9.6 +3.9
Majority 18,501 33.0 +4.7
Turnout 56,032 72.8 +1.6
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

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General election 1992: Worthing[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terence Higgins 34,198 57.0 −4.7
Liberal Democrats Sue Bucknall 17,665 29.4 +0.7
Labour Jim L.W. Deen 6,679 11.1 +1.5
Green P.J. Beever 806 1.3 New
Liberal Nicholas J. Goble 679 1.1 New
Majority 16,533 27.5 −5.5
Turnout 60,027 77.4 +4.6
Conservative hold Swing -2.7

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g British Parliamentary Election Results 1950–1973, FWS Craig
  3. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1945". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  4. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1950". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  5. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  6. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  7. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  8. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  9. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  12. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.