Bath (UK Parliament constituency)

Bath is a constituency^{[n 1]} in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom^{[n 2]} represented by Wera Hobhouse of the Liberal Democrats.

Bath
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bath in South West England
County	Somerset
Population	88,859 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate	73,241 (2023)[2]
Current constituency
Created	1295
Member of Parliament	Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrats)
Seats	Two (1295–1918) One (1918–present)

Perhaps its best-known representatives have been the two with international profiles: William Pitt the Elder (Prime Minister 1766–1768) and Chris Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong (1992-1997).^{[n 3]} As of the 2024 general election it has the shortest name of any constituency, with 4 letters, having previously shared the distinction with Hove.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, at the 2024 general election the seat was subject to moderate boundary changes which involved the gain of the Bathavon North ward from the former North East Somerset constituency.^[3]

Constituency profile

Until the 2024 general election the seat was tightly drawn around the historic city including the University of Bath campus. The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies enlarged the Bath constituency to include seven parishes to the north and west of the city. Compared to UK averages residents are wealthier and house prices are higher.^[4]

History

Bath is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century.

Unreformed constituency before 1832

Bath was one of the cities summoned to send members in 1295 and represented ever since,^[5] although Parliaments in early years were sporadic. Like almost all English constituencies before the Great Reform Act of 1832, it originally returned two members to each Parliament.^[6]

The precise way in which Bath's MPs were chosen in the Middle Ages is unknown. It is recorded that "election was by the Mayor and three citizens being sent from thence to the county court who in the name of the whole community, and by the assent of the community, returned their representatives"; but whether the "assent of the community" was real or what form it took is unrecorded, even assuming it was not a completely dead letter. By the 17th century, elections had become more competitive, as the means of election in Bath had become a franchise restricted to the Mayor, Aldermen, and members of the Common Council (the City Corporation), a total of thirty voters.^[6] The freemen of the city challenged this state of affairs in 1661 and again in 1705, claiming the right to vote and petitioning against the election of the candidates chosen by the corporation, but on both occasions the House of Commons, which at the time was still the final arbiter of such disputes, decided against them. The Commons resolution of 27 January 1708, "That the right of election of citizens to serve in Parliament for this city is in the mayor, aldermen and common-council only",^[7] settled the matter until 1832.

Bath was the most populous of the English boroughs where the right to vote was restricted to the corporation.^[6] At the time of the 1801 census, it was one of the ten largest towns or cities in England by population, and was almost unique in that the voters generally exercised their powers independently. As was the case elsewhere, the Common Council was not popularly elected, all vacancies being filled by co-option by the existing members, so that once a united interest had gained majority control it was easy to retain it. Most corporation boroughs quickly became pocket boroughs in this way, the nomination of their members of parliament being entirely decided by a patron who may have given some large benefaction to the area or simply used bribery to ensure only his supporters or croneys became members of the corporation. But in Bath, the Common Council retained its independence in most periods and took pride in electing two suitable members of parliament who had either strong local connections or else a national reputation. Nor was there any suggestion of bribery or other corruption, prolific in other "independent" constituencies. Pitt the Elder wrote to the corporation in 1761, on the occasion of his re-election as one of Bath's members, to pay tribute to "a city ranked among the most ancient and most considerable in the kingdom, and justly famed for its integrity, independence, and zeal for the public good".^[8]

But even in Bath the limited electorate who voted for its members of parliament expected them to work to procure favours for their constituents and enterprises to a degree that would be considered corrupt today. By exercising efforts successfully in this direction, the representatives could in return expect a degree of influence over the voters that differed little from patronage in the pocket boroughs, except that its duration was limited. Thus the lawyer Robert Henley, a Bath MP from 1747 and also Recorder of Bath from 1751, seems to have been assumed to have control over both seats while he held one of them and immediately after; yet when he gained a peerage and thus a seat in the House of Lords, Pitt replaced him on the understanding of being independently chosen. Pitt himself then acquired similar influence: the Council vetoed Viscount Ligonier's suggestion that he should be succeeded by his nephew when he was elevated the Lords in 1763, but instead allowed Pitt to nominate a candidate to be his new colleague, and voted overwhelmingly for him when he was opposed by a local man. But Pitt's influence also waned when he fell out with the Council over the Treaty of Paris later in 1763.^[9]

In the final years before the Reform Act, however, local magnates exerted a more controlling influence in Bath. Oldfield, writing early in the 19th century, stated that at that time the Marquess of Bath nominated one member and John Palmer the other; both were former members of parliament for the city (Lord Bath having sat as Viscount Weymouth, before his father's death took him to the Lords), but neither was then in the Commons – each had a relation sitting as one of the members for Bath. Palmer had succeeded Earl Camden^{[n 4]} who held one of the two seats before 1802. At the time of the Reform Act, the Lord Bath was still being listed as influencing one of the seats, although the second was considered independent once more.^[10]

Reformed constituency (1832–1918)

The Great Reform Act opened up the franchise to all resident (male) householders whose houses had a value of at least £10 a year and imposed uniform voting provisions for all the boroughs. Bath was one of the boroughs which continued to elect two members. Given the city's medium size and its generally high property values, its electorate increased by a factor of almost 100^{[n 5]}, from 30 in 1831 to 2,853 in 1832,^[11] and created a competitive and generally marginal constituency which swung between Whig and Tory (later Liberal and Conservative) control. The parliamentary borough's boundaries were also slightly extended, but only to take in those areas into which the built-up area of the city had expanded. Bath's most notable member during this period was probably the Conservative social reformer Lord Ashley, better remembered under his eventual title of 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, for the Factory Acts, the first of which came into effect while he was one of the MPs for Bath.^[12]

The franchise was further reformed in 1867 and 1885 with only minor boundary changes. Bath was lucky to retain its two-member representation in the 1885 reforms, as its electorate of under 7,000 was near the lower limit, and this situation lasted until the 1918 reforms.^[13] The continued Liberal strength was unusual for a prosperous and predominantly middle-class town, and the seats could until 1918 not be considered safe for the Conservatives.^[14]

Modern single-member constituency (since 1918)

Bath's representation was reduced to a single member in 1918. The Conservatives held the seat continuously until 1992, except in the 1923 Parliament, and until World War II generally won comfortably – the Liberals retained such strength that the non-Conservative vote was split, and Labour could not rise above third place until the landslide of 1945, when the Conservative James Pitman achieved a very marginal majority. From 1945 to 1970, Labour presented the main challenge, and came within 800 votes of taking the seat in 1966.

The Liberal revival in the 1970s saw the two more left-wing parties swap places, helped by the adoption of a nationally known candidate, Christopher Mayhew, who had defected from the Labour Party.^[15] The formation of the SDP–Liberal Alliance made Bath a realistic target. The SDP came 1500 votes from winning in 1987 under Malcolm Dean. In 1992, Conservative Chris Patten was ousted by Liberal Democrat Don Foster in a narrow defeat widely blamed on Patten's strategising, campaign leading and communicating as Conservative Party chairman rather than canvassing his own constituents.^[16] At each election from 1992 to 2015, a different Conservative candidate contested the constituency.

The boundary changes implemented in 1997 took Bathampton, Batheaston, Bathford, Charlcombe and Freshford from the Wansdyke district, containing about 7,000 voters; these were moved elsewhere in 2010. Nominally, these areas had a slightly higher tendency to prefer a Conservative candidate but, the national government suffering from sleaze, in 1997 Don Foster more than doubled his almost 4,000 vote majority to over 9,000 votes. After winning two intervening elections, in 2010 Foster achieved his highest majority of 11,883 votes.^[17]

In the 2015 general election, following the national Liberal Democrat collapse and Foster standing down, the seat was regained by the Conservatives under Ben Howlett with a 3,833-vote majority.^[18]

Bath is estimated to have voted to remain in the European Union by 68.3% in the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.^[19]

In the 2017 general election, the constituency was regained by the Liberal Democrats' Wera Hobhouse, with the second-highest Liberal Democrat vote share increase nationally (after Richmond Park).^[20]

In December 2023, the Labour Party included the seat in its published list of 211 non-battleground seats, suggesting they did not see it as winnable.^[21]

Boundaries

2024-present

Map of boundaries from 2024

Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 general election was expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the Bathavon North ward, as well as the parishes of Kelston and North Stoke, from North East Somerset.^[22]

2010-2024

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

Following the review of the constituencies in the former county of Avon carried out by the Boundary Commission for England, as of the 2010 general election the constituency covered only the city of Bath, and none of the surrounding rural area. Between 1997 and 2010, it also included some outlying villages such as Southstoke and Freshford which were transferred to the North East Somerset constituency. The changes in 2010 also resulted in Bath becoming a borough constituency, instead of a county constituency as it was before. With its 2010 boundaries, Bath was one of only two UK Parliament constituencies to be surrounded by another constituency, being encircled by North East Somerset; the other constituency, York Central, was entirely surrounded by York Outer.

The 2010 constituency's electoral wards were:^{[n 6]}

• Bathwick, Combe Down, Kingsmead, Lambridge, Lansdown, Moorlands, Newbridge, Odd Down, Oldfield Park, Southdown, Twerton, Walcot, Westmoreland, Weston and Widcombe & Lyncombe.

In 2019, taking effect at that year's local elections, boundary changes to the wards took place, which included the abolition of Abbey ward, the merger of Lyncombe and Widcombe wards, the creation of Moorlands ward, and the replacement of Oldfield with Oldfield Park.^[23] These ward changes did not change the parliamentary constituency boundary.

Historic boundaries

• Before 1832: The parishes of St James (Bath), St Peter and St Paul (Bath), and St Michael (Bath), and part of the parish of Walcot
• 1832–1867: As above, plus the parishes of Bathwick and Lyncombe & Widcombe, and a further part of the parish of Walcot
• 1867–1918: As above, plus part of the parish of Twerton
• 1918–1983: The county borough of Bath (boundary changes in 1955)
• 1983–1997: The City of Bath (no boundary changes)
• 1997–2010: The City of Bath, and the District of Wansdyke wards of Bathampton, Batheaston, Bathford, Charlcombe, and Freshford
• 2010-2024: The City of Bath

Members of Parliament

The current Member of Parliament is Wera Hobhouse of the Liberal Democrats.

From 30 July to 4 August 1766, Bath was the constituency of the prime minister: William Pitt the Elder represented the constituency until he was raised to the peerage as Earl of Chatham shortly after becoming prime minister.

Members of Parliament 1295–1640

• Constituency created (1295)

Parliament	First member	Second member
1386	Sewal Fraunceys	John Honybrigge[24]
1388 (February)	John Palmer	Edmund Ford[24]
1388 (September)	William Shropshire	Roger Skinner[24]
1390 (January)	Richard Clewer	William Rous[24]
1390 (November)
1391	Hugh de la Lynde	Nicholas Sambourne I[24]
1393	Hugh de la Lynde	Thomas Ryton[24]
1394	John Touprest	John Marsh I[24]
1395	Robert Draper	John Marsh I[24]
1397 (January)	Robert Aunger	John Marsh I[24]
1397 (September)	Hugh de la Lynde	John Chaunceys[24]
1399	John Chaunceys	John Whittocksmead[24]
1401
1402	John Whittocksmead	John Haygoby[24]
1404 (January)
1404 (October)
1406	Thomas Rymour	Henry Bartlett[24]
1407	Henry Bartlett	John Whittocksmead[24]
1410	Henry Bartlett	John Whittocksmead[24]
1411
1413 (February)
1413 (May)	Richard Widcombe	Roger Hobbes[24]
1414 (April)	John Marsh II	Walter Rich[24]
1414 (November)	Richard Widcombe	William Radstock[24]
1415
1416 (March)	William Chapman[25]
1416 (October)
1417	Ralph Hunt	Walter Rich[24]
1419	Richard Widcombe	John Marsh II[24]
1420	Richard Widcombe	William Philips[24]
1421 (May)	Richard Widcombe	John Marsh II[24]
1421 (December)	Walter Rich	Robert Newlyn[24]
1510–1523	No names known[26]
1529	John Bird	Thomas Welpley[26]
1536	?
1539	John Reynold	John Clement[26]
1542	?
1545	Matthew Colthurst	Silvester Sedborough[26]
1547	Richard Denys	John Clerke[26]
1553 (March)	?
1553 (October)	Richard Chapman	Edward Ludwell[26][27]
1554 (April)	William Crowche	Edward Ludwell[26]
1554 (November)	John Story	William Crowche[26]
1555	?Henry Hodgkins	?[26]
1558	Edward Ludwell	John Bale[26]
1558–59	Edward St Loe	William Robinson[28]
1562–63	Edward Ludwell, died and replaced 1566 by John Gwynne	Thomas Turner[28]
1571	Edward Baber	George Pearman[28]
1572	George Pearman	Edward Baber[28]
1584	Thomas Ayshe	William Shareston[28]
1586	Thomas Ayshe	William Shareston[28]
1588	John Court	John Walley[28]
1593	William Shareston	William Price[28]
1597	William Shareston	William Heath[28]
1601	William Shareston	William Heath[28]
1604–1611	William Shareston	Christopher Stone
1614	Sir James Ley	Nicholas Hyde
1621–1622	Sir Robert Phelips	Sir Robert Pye
1624	Sir Robert Pye	John Malet
1625	Nicholas Hyde sat for Bristol replaced by Ralph Hopton	Edward Hungerford
1626	Richard Gay	William Chapman
1628–1629	John Popham	Sir Walter Long
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

Members of Parliament 1640–1918

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party[29]
April 1640		Sir Charles Berkley			Alexander Popham
November 1640		William Bassett	Royalist		Alexander Popham	Parliamentarian
February 1642	Bassett disabled from sitting – seat vacant
1645		James Ashe
1653	Bath was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654		Alexander Popham[30]		Bath had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656		James Ashe
January 1659					John Harrington
May 1659				One seat vacant
March 1660		Alexander Popham			William Prynne
November 1669					Sir Francis Popham
November 1669		Sir William Bassett
1675					Sir George Speke
1679		Sir Walter Long
1681		Viscount Fitzhardinge			Sir William Bassett
1690		Joseph Langton
1693					William Blathwayt	Whig
1695		Sir Thomas Estcourt
1698		Alexander Popham
1707		Samuel Trotman
1710					John Codrington
1720		Robert Gay
1722		General George Wade[31]
1727					Robert Gay
1734					John Codrington
1741					Philip Bennet
1747					Robert Henley
1748		General Sir John Ligonier[32]
1757					William Pitt the Elder	Whig
1763		Major-General Sir John Sebright	Whig[33]
1766					John Smith	Tory[33]
1774		Abel Moysey	Tory[33]
1775					Lieutenant-General Sir John Sebright	Whig[33]
1780					Hon. John Pratt[34]	Tory[33]
1790		Viscount Weymouth	Tory[33]
1794					Sir Richard Pepper Arden	Tory[33]
1796		Lord John Thynne	Tory[33]
1801					John Palmer	Whig[33]
1808					Charles Palmer	Whig[33][35]
1826					Earl of Brecknock	Tory[33]
1830					Charles Palmer	Whig[33][35]
1832		John Arthur Roebuck	Radical[33][36]
1837		Viscount Powerscourt	Conservative[33]		William Heald Ludlow Bruges	Conservative[33]
1841		Viscount Duncan	Whig[36][37][38][39]		John Arthur Roebuck	Radical[33][36]
1847					Lord Ashley	Conservative
1851					George Treweeke Scobell	Whig[40]
1852		Thomas Phinn	Whig[41]
1855		William Tite	Whig[42]
1857					Sir Arthur Elton	Whig[43]
1859			Liberal		Arthur Edwin Way	Conservative
1865					James McGarel-Hogg	Conservative
1868					Donald Dalrymple	Liberal
May 1873		Viscount Chelsea	Conservative
June 1873		Viscount Grey de Wilton	Conservative
October 1873					Arthur Hayter	Liberal
1874		Nathaniel Bousfield	Conservative
1880		Edmond Wodehouse	Liberal
1885					Robert Stickney Blaine	Conservative
1886			Liberal Unionist		Colonel Robert Laurie	Conservative
1892					Wyndham Murray	Conservative
1906		Donald Maclean	Liberal		George Peabody Gooch	Liberal
1910		Lord Alexander Thynne	Conservative		Sir Charles Hunter	Conservative
1918	Representation reduced to one Member

Members of Parliament since 1918

Election		Member	Party
	1918	Charles Foxcroft	Unionist
	1923	Frank Raffety	Liberal
	1924	Charles Foxcroft	Unionist
	1929 by-election	Charles Baillie-Hamilton	Unionist
	1931	Loel Guinness	Conservative
	1945	James Pitman	Conservative
	1964	Sir Edward Brown	Conservative
	1979	Chris Patten	Conservative
	1992	Don Foster	Liberal Democrat
	2015	Ben Howlett	Conservative
	2017	Wera Hobhouse	Liberal Democrat

Elections

Bath election results

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Bath^[44]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Wera Hobhouse	19,883	41.3	–12.1
	Labour	Dan Bewley	8,665	18.0	+5.5
	Conservative	James Wright	7,659	15.9	–16.2
	Green	Dominic Tristram	5,952	12.4	+12.1
	Reform UK	Teresa Hall	3,798	7.9	+6.8
	Independent	Colin David Blackburn	1,749	3.6	N/A
	Workers Party	Matthew Alford	230	0.5	N/A
	Independent	Bill Blockhead	169	0.4	–0.2
	Independent	A.N.ON	25	0.1	N/A
Majority			11,218	23.3	–0.3
Turnout			48,130	69.1	–8.6
Registered electors			69,655
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	–8.8

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[45]
Party		Vote	%
	Liberal Democrats	30,376	53.4
	Conservative	18,251	32.1
	Labour	7,120	12.5
	Brexit Party	642	1.1
	Others	341	0.6
	Green	146	0.3
Turnout		56,876	77.7
Electorate		73,241

Candidates at the Bath 2019 general election declaration

General election 2019: Bath^[46][47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Wera Hobhouse	28,419	54.5	+7.2
	Conservative	Annabel Tall	16,097	30.9	−4.9
	Labour	Mike Davies	6,639	12.7	−2.0
	Brexit Party	Jimi Ogunnusi	642	1.2	N/A
	Independent	Bill Blockhead	341	0.7	N/A
Majority			12,322	23.6	+12.1
Turnout			52,138	76.9	+2.6
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	+6.0

General election 2017: Bath^{[48][49][50][51][52]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Wera Hobhouse	23,436	47.3	+17.6
	Conservative	Ben Howlett	17,742	35.8	−2.0
	Labour	Joe Rayment	7,279	14.7	+1.5
	Green	Eleanor Field	1,125	2.3	−9.6
Majority			5,694	11.5	N/A
Turnout			49,582	74.3	−1.2
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	+9.8

General election 2015: Bath^[53]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ben Howlett[54]	17,833	37.8	+6.4
	Liberal Democrats	Steve Bradley[55]	14,000	29.7	−26.9
	Labour	Ollie Middleton[56][57]	6,216	13.2	+6.3
	Green	Dominic Tristram[58]	5,634	11.9	+9.5
	UKIP	Julian Deverell[59]	2,922	6.2	+4.3
	Independent	Loraine Morgan-Brinkhurst[60][61]	499	1.1	N/A
	English Democrat	Jenny Knight	63	0.1	N/A
Majority			3,833	8.1	N/A
Turnout			47,167	77.5	+5.7
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing	+16.7

General election 2010: Bath^[62][63]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Don Foster	26,651	56.6	+11.2
	Conservative	Fabian Richter	14,768	31.4	−0.5
	Labour	Hattie Ajderian	3,251	6.9	−7.5
	Green	Eric Lucas	1,120	2.4	−3.6
	UKIP	Ernie Warrender	890	1.9	+0.2
	Christian	Steve Hewett	250	0.5	N/A
	Independent	A.N.ON	69	0.1	N/A
	Independent	Sean Geddis	56	0.1	N/A
	All The South Party	Robert Craig	31	0.1	N/A
Majority			11,883	25.2	+15.1
Turnout			47,086	71.8	+2.7
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	+5.8

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Bath^[64]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Don Foster	20,101	43.9	−6.6
	Conservative	Sian Dawson	15,463	33.7	+4.6
	Labour	Hattie Ajderian	6,773	14.8	−0.9
	Green	Eric Lucas	2,494	5.4	+2.2
	UKIP	Richard Crowder	770	1.7	+0.2
	Independent	Patrick Cobbe	177	0.4	N/A
	Independent	Graham Walker	58	0.1	N/A
Majority			4,638	10.2	−11.2
Turnout			45,836	68.6	+3.7
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	−5.6

General election 2001: Bath^[65]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Don Foster	23,372	50.5	+2.0
	Conservative	Ashley Fox	13,478	29.1	−2.1
	Labour	Marilyn Hawkings	7,269	15.7	−0.7
	Green	Michael Boulton	1,469	3.2	+2.1
	UKIP	Andrew Tettenborn	708	1.5	+0.9
Majority			9,894	21.4	+4.1
Turnout			46,296	64.9	−11.3
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	+2.1

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Bath^[66]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Don Foster	26,169	48.5	−0.4
	Conservative	Alison McNair	16,850	31.2	−9.4
	Labour	Tim Bush	8,828	16.4	+8.6
	Referendum	Tony Cook	1,192	2.2	N/A
	Green	Richard Scrase	580	1.1	+0.3
	UKIP	Peter Sandell	315	0.6	N/A
	Natural Law	Nicholas Pullen	55	0.1	N/A
Majority			9,319	17.3	+10.2
Turnout			53,989	76.2	−9.2
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	+4.9

General election 1992: Bath^[67][68]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Don Foster	25,718	48.9	+6.2
	Conservative	Chris Patten	21,950	41.8	−3.6
	Labour	Pamela Richards	4,102	7.8	−2.8
	Green	Duncan McCanlis	433	0.8	−0.5
	Liberal	May Barker	172	0.3	N/A
	Anti-Federalist League	Alan Sked	117	0.2	N/A
	Independent	John Rumming	79	0.2	N/A
Majority			3,768	7.1	N/A
Turnout			52,571	82.4	+3.0
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	+4.9

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Bath^[69]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Chris Patten	23,515	45.4	−1.7
	SDP	Malcolm Dean	22,103	42.7	+6.7
	Labour	Jenny Smith	5,507	10.6	−4.6
	Green	Derek Wall	687	1.3	+0.4
Majority			1,412	2.7	−8.4
Turnout			51,812	79.4	+5.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.2

General election 1983: Bath^[70]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Chris Patten	22,544	47.1	+0.7
	SDP	Malcolm Dean	17,240	36.0	+8.0
	Labour	Adrian Pott	7,259	15.2	−7.8
	Ecology	Don Grimes	441	0.9	−1.3
	Progressive Liberal	R. S. Wandle	319	0.7	N/A
	World Government	Gilbert Young	67	0.1	N/A
Majority			5,304	11.1	−7.3
Turnout			47,870	74.4	−3.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.4

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Chris Patten	23,025	46.4	+8.7
	Liberal	Christopher Mayhew	13,913	28.0	−5.4
	Labour	M. Baber	11,407	23.0	−5.6
	Ecology	Don Grimes	1,082	2.2	N/A
	National Front	Thomas Mundy	206	0.4	N/A
Majority			9,112	18.4	+14.1
Turnout			49,633	78.1	−0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+7.0

General election October 1974: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Brown	18,470	37.7	−3.1
	Liberal	Christopher Mayhew	16,348	33.4	+2.7
	Labour	Malcolm Bishop	14,011	28.6	+0.7
	United Democratic	John Vernon Kemp	150	0.3	N/A
Majority			2,122	4.3	−5.8
Turnout			48,979	78.6	−4.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.9

General election February 1974: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Brown	20,920	40.8	−8.2
	Liberal	Peter Downey	15,738	30.7	+17.6
	Labour	Malcolm Bishop	14,396	27.9	−8.2
	Ind. Conservative	H. B. de Laterriere	204	0.4	N/A
	World Government	Gilbert Young	118	0.2	−1.6
Majority			5,182	10.1	−2.8
Turnout			51,376	83.0	+5.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	−12.9

General election 1970: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Brown	22,344	49.0	+6.0
	Labour	David Young	16,493	36.1	−5.1
	Liberal	Roger H. Crowther	5,957	13.1	−2.7
	World Government	Gilbert Young	840	1.8	N/A
Majority			5,851	12.9	+11.1
Turnout			45,634	77.1	−3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.5

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Brown	19,344	43.0	−3.5
	Labour	Frederick S. Moorhouse	18,544	41.2	+6.8
	Liberal	Roger H. Crowther	7,095	15.8	−2.6
Majority			800	1.8	−10.3
Turnout			44,983	80.5	−3.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1964: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Brown	22,255	46.5	−3.8
	Labour	Frederick S. Moorhouse	16,464	34.4	−2.3
	Liberal	Brian R. Pamplin	8,795	18.4	+5.4
	World Government	Gilbert Young	318	0.7	N/A
Majority			5,791	12.1	−1.6
Turnout			45,832	84.2	+0.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Pitman	24,048	50.33
	Labour	George E Mayer	17,515	36.66
	Liberal	George Allen	6,214	13.01
Majority			6,533	13.67
Turnout			47,777	83.60
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1955: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Pitman	24,489	51.94
	Labour Co-op	Thomas W Richardson	17,646	37.43
	Liberal	Barbara Burwell	5,011	10.63	N/A
Majority			6,843	14.51
Turnout			47,146	82.46
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1951: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Pitman	27,826	55.26
	Labour	Victor Mishcon	22,530	44.74
Majority			5,296	10.52
Turnout			50,356	85.64
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1950: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Pitman	23,070	47.16
	Labour	Hugh Bruce Oliphant Cardew	19,340	39.54
	Liberal	Philip William Hopkins	6,508	13.30
Majority			3,730	7.62
Turnout			48,918	87.28
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Pitman	20,196	43.6	−13.0
	Labour	Dorothy Archibald	18,120	39.2	+19.5
	Liberal	Philip William Hopkins	7,952	17.2	−6.5
Majority			2,076	4.4	−28.5
Turnout			46,268
	Conservative hold		Swing

Election in the 1930s

General Election 1939–40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

• Conservative: Lord Ronaldshay^[71]
• Liberal: Philip William Hopkins^[72]
• Labour: George Gilbert Desmond^[73]
• A minority of Bath Conservatives, led by the town Mayor, Adrian Hopkins objected to Ronaldshay who had no link with the town. Hopkins was considering running as an Independent.^[74] Desmond was under pressure to withdraw in favour of the Liberal candidate fighting on a Popular Front programme

General election 14 November 1935: Bath^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Loel Guinness	20,670	56.6	−7.4
	Liberal	Sidney Reginald Daniels	8,650	23.7	+2.4
	Labour	George Gilbert Desmond	7,185	19.7	+5.0
Majority			12,020	32.9	−9.8
Turnout			36,505	74.5	−6.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.7

General election 27 October 1931: Bath^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Loel Guinness	24,696	64.0	+17.1
	Liberal	Sidney Reginald Daniels	8,241	21.3	−8.8
	Labour	George Gilbert Desmond	5,680	14.7	−8.3
Majority			16,455	42.7	+25.9
Turnout			38,617	80.6	−0.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+12.9

Election in the 1920s

General election 30 May 1929: Bath^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Charles Baillie-Hamilton	17,845	46.9	−8.9
	Liberal	Sidney Reginald Daniels	11,485	30.1	−0.5
	Labour	George Gilbert Desmond	8,769	23.0	+9.4
Majority			6,360	16.8	−8.4
Turnout			38,099	81.3	−3.2
	Unionist hold		Swing	+0.5

1929 Bath by-election^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Charles Baillie-Hamilton	11,171	45.1	−10.7
	Liberal	Sidney Reginald Daniels	7,255	29.3	−1.3
	Labour	George Gilbert Desmond	6,359	25.7	+12.1
Majority			3916	15.8	−9.4
Turnout			24,785	72.8	−11.7
	Unionist hold		Swing	−4.6

General election 29 October 1924: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Charles Foxcroft	16,067	55.8	+7.4
	Liberal	Frank Raffety	8,800	30.6	−21.0
	Labour	Walter Barton Scobell	3,914	13.6	N/A
Majority			7,267	25.2	N/A
Turnout			23,781	84.5	+5.4
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+14.2

General election 6 December 1923: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Frank Raffety	13,694	51.6	+19.6
	Unionist	Charles Foxcroft	12,830	48.4	−1.8
Majority			864	3.2	N/A
Turnout			26,524	79.1	−3.3
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	+10.7

E.H. Spender

General election 15 November 1922: Bath^[76]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Charles Foxcroft	13,666	50.2	−24.6
	Liberal	Harold Spender	8,699	32.0	N/A
	Labour	Herbert Elvin	4,849	17.8	−7.4
Majority			4,967	18.2	−31.4
Turnout			27,214	82.4	+16.2
	Unionist hold		Swing

Election in the 1910s

General election 1918: Bath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Charles Foxcroft	15,605	74.8
	Labour	Alfred James Bethell	5,244	25.2	N/A
Majority			10,361	49.6
Turnout			20,849	66.2
Registered electors			31,512
	Unionist hold		Swing	N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Charles Hunter, Lord Alexander Thynne
• Liberal: Harry Geen,^[77] J.C. Meggott^[78]

Hardy

General election December 1910: Bath^[79]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lord Alexander Thynne	3,875	26.0	+0.2
	Conservative	Charles Hunter	3,841	25.7	+0.4
	Liberal	George Peabody Gooch	3,631	24.3	−0.2
	Liberal	George Hardy	3,585	24.0	−0.4
Majority			210	1.4	+0.6
Turnout			14,932	92.0	−2.7
Registered electors			8,144
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.4

Gooch

General election January 1910: Bath^[79]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lord Alexander Thynne	3,961	25.8	+4.1
	Conservative	Charles Hunter	3,889	25.3	+3.8
	Liberal	Donald Maclean	3,771	24.5	−4.0
	Liberal	George Peabody Gooch	3,757	24.4	−3.9
Majority			118	0.8	N/A
Turnout			15,378	94.7	+3.9
Registered electors			8,144
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+2.1
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+3.9

Elections in the 1900s

Maclean

General election 1906: Bath^[80][81]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Donald Maclean	4,102	28.5	+6.9
	Liberal	George Peabody Gooch	4,069	28.3	+7.2
	Conservative	Lord Alexander Thynne	3,123	21.7	−6.8
	Conservative	Wyndham Murray	3,088	21.5	−7.3
Majority			946	6.6	N/A
Turnout			14,382	90.8	+7.3
Registered electors			7,968
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+6.9
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+7.3

Murray

General election 1900: Bath^[80][82][81]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Wyndham Murray	3,486	28.8	+1.5
	Liberal Unionist	Edmond Wodehouse	3,439	28.5	+1.8
	Liberal	Donald Maclean	2,605	21.6	−1.6
	Liberal	Alpheus Morton	2,549	21.1	−1.7
Turnout			12,079	83.5	−6.2
Registered electors			7,300
Majority			881	7.2	+3.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.6
Majority			834	6.9	+3.4
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	+1.8

Elections in the 1890s

Conway

Fuller

General election 1895: Bath (2 seats)^[80][83][82]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Wyndham Murray	3,445	27.3	+1.2
	Liberal Unionist	Edmond Wodehouse	3,358	26.7	+0.9
	Liberal	Martin Conway	2,917	23.2	−1.0
	Liberal	John Fuller	2,865	22.8	−1.1
Turnout			12,585	89.7	+0.4
Registered electors			7,059
Majority			528	4.1	+2.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.1
Majority			441	3.5	+1.9
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	+1.0

Adye

General election 1892: Bath (2 seats)^[80][83]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Wyndham Murray	3,198	26.1	−1.7
	Liberal Unionist	Edmond Wodehouse	3,177	25.8	−2.5
	Liberal	Thomas P Baptie[84]	2,981	24.2	+2.0
	Liberal	John Miller Adye	2,941	23.9	+2.2
Turnout			12,297	89.3	+0.9
Registered electors			6,922
Majority			217	1.9	−3.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.9
Majority			196	1.6	−4.5
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	−2.3

Elections in the 1880s

Verney

Murray

General election 1886: Bath (2 seats)^[80][83]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Edmond Wodehouse	3,309	28.3	+1.9
	Conservative	Robert Peter Laurie	3,244	27.8	+3.3
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	2,588	22.2	−2.2
	Liberal	Frederick Verney	2,529	21.7	−2.8
Turnout			5,870	88.4	−3.5
Registered electors			6,637
Majority			721	6.1	N/A
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+2.1
Majority			656	5.6	+4.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.1

Wodehouse

Hayter

General election 1885: Bath (2 seats)^[80][83]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Stickney Blaine	3,208	26.4	+2.8
	Liberal	Edmond Wodehouse	2,990	24.7	−2.3
	Conservative	Robert Peter Laurie	2,971	24.5	+2.1
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	2,953	24.4	−2.7
Turnout			6,099	91.9	+1.4 (est)
Registered electors			6,637
Majority			255	2.0	N/A
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+2.8
Majority			19	0.2	−3.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.2

By-election, 8 May 1880: Bath (1 seat)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

• Caused by Hayter's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.

General election 1880: Bath (2 seats)^[85][86]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	2,712	27.1	+1.0
	Liberal	Edmond Wodehouse	2,700	27.0	+2.2
	Conservative	Reginald Hardy	2,359	23.6	−1.2
	Conservative	Thomas James Smyth	2,241	22.4	−1.9
Majority			341	3.4	+2.1
Turnout			5,006 (est)	90.5 (est)	+2.0
Registered electors			5,534
	Liberal hold		Swing	+1.1
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.1

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Bath (2 seats)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	2,520	26.1	−10.9
	Conservative	Nathaniel Bousfield	2,397	24.8	+9.6
	Liberal	John William Nicholas Hervey[87]	2,391	24.8	−7.9
	Conservative	Arthur Egerton	2,348	24.3	+9.1
Turnout			4,828 (est)	88.5 (est)	+1.8
Registered electors			5,454
Majority			123	1.3	−1.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	−10.0
Majority			6	0.0	N/A
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+8.7

By-election, 9 Oct 1873: Bath (1 seat)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	2,210	50.9	−18.8
	Conservative	William Forsyth[88]	2,071	47.7	+17.4
	Independent Liberal	Charles Thompson[89]	57	1.3	N/A
Majority			139	3.2	+0.8
Turnout			4,338	83.7	−3.0
Registered electors			5,182
	Liberal hold		Swing	−18.1

• Caused by Dalrymple's death.

By-election, 27 June 1873: Bath (1 seat)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Egerton	2,194	50.4	+20.1
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	2,143	49.2	−20.5
	Independent Liberal	John Charles Cox[90][91]	15	0.3	N/A
Majority			51	1.2	N/A
Turnout			4,352	84.0	−2.7
Registered electors			5,182
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+20.3

• Caused by Cadogan's elevation to the peerage, becoming Earl Cadogan.

By-election, 7 May 1873: Bath (1 seat)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Viscount Chelsea	2,251	53.1	+22.8
	Liberal	Jerom Murch[92]	1,991	46.9	−22.8
Majority			260	6.2	N/A
Turnout			4,242	81.9	−4.8
Registered electors			5,182
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+22.8

• Caused by Tite's death.

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Bath (2 seats)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Tite	2,478	37.0	N/A
	Liberal	Donald Dalrymple	2,187	32.7	N/A
	Conservative	James Hogg	2,024	30.3	N/A
Majority			163	2.4	N/A
Turnout			4,357 (est)	86.7 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			5,024
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

General election 1865: Bath (2 seats)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Tite	Unopposed
	Conservative	James Hogg	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,960
	Liberal hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1859: Bath (2 seats)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Tite	1,349	34.7	+1.7
	Conservative	Arthur Edwin Way	1,339	34.5	+1.6
	Liberal	Thomas Phinn	1,198	30.8	−3.3
Turnout			2,613 (est)	82.0 (est)	+5.1
Registered electors			3,185
Majority			10	0.2	+0.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.5
Majority			141	3.7	N/A
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+1.2

General election 1857: Bath (2 seats)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Arthur Elton	1,243	34.1	−0.3
	Whig	William Tite	1,200	33.0	−0.3
	Conservative	Arthur Edwin Way	1,197	32.9	+0.6
Majority			3	0.1	−0.9
Turnout			2,419 (est)	76.9 (est)	−1.3
Registered electors			3,144
	Whig hold		Swing	−0.3
	Whig hold		Swing	−0.3

By-election, 5 June 1855: Bath^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Tite	1,176	51.0	−16.7
	Peelite	William Whateley[93]	1,129	49.0	+16.7
Majority			47	0.2	−0.8
Turnout			2,305	73.1	−5.1
Registered electors			3,155
	Whig hold		Swing	−16.7

• Caused by Phinn's resignation after his appointment as Assistant Secretary to the Admiralty

General election 1852: Bath (2 seats)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Treweeke Scobell	1,332	34.4	+17.3
	Whig	Thomas Phinn	1,290	33.3	+16.2
	Peelite	William Whateley[94][95]	1,253	32.3	−3.2
Majority			37	1.0	−2.7
Turnout			2,564 (est)	78.2 (est)	−8.1
Registered electors			3,278
	Whig hold		Swing	+9.5
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	+8.9

By-election, 25 June 1851: Bath^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Treweeke Scobell	1,110	51.6	+17.5
	Conservative	William Sutcliffe[96]	1,041	48.4	+12.9
Majority			69	3.2	N/A
Turnout			2,151	68.7	−17.6
Registered electors			3,310
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.3

• Caused by Ashley-Cooper's succession to the peerage, becoming 7th Earl of Shaftesbury

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1847: Bath (2 seats)^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Ashley-Cooper	1,278	35.5	−8.4
	Whig	Adam Haldane-Duncan	1,228	34.1	+5.2
	Radical	John Arthur Roebuck	1,093	30.4	+3.1
Turnout			2,439 (est)	86.3 (est)	+13.0
Registered electors			2,825
Majority			50	1.4	N/A
	Conservative gain from Radical		Swing	−6.8
Majority			135	3.7	+2.1
	Whig hold		Swing	+4.7

General election 1841: Bath (2 seats)^[85][33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Adam Haldane-Duncan	1,223	28.9	+4.7
	Radical	John Arthur Roebuck	1,157	27.3	+4.5
	Conservative	William Heald Ludlow Bruges	930	22.0	−3.7
	Conservative	Richard Wingfield	926	21.9	−5.4
Turnout			2,189	73.3	+4.3
Registered electors			2,985
Majority			66	1.6	N/A
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	+4.6
Majority			227	5.3	N/A
	Radical gain from Conservative		Swing	+4.5

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1837: Bath (2 seats)^[85][33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Wingfield	1,087	27.3	+14.9
	Conservative	William Heald Ludlow Bruges	1,024	25.7	+13.3
	Whig	Charles Palmer	962	24.2	−14.4
	Radical	John Arthur Roebuck	910	22.8	−13.8
Majority			62	1.6	N/A
Turnout			2,051	69.0	+4.7
Registered electors			2,973
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+14.7
	Conservative gain from Radical		Swing	+13.6

General election 1835: Bath (2 seats)^[85][33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Palmer	1,097	38.6	−2.1
	Radical	John Arthur Roebuck	1,042	36.6	+5.6
	Conservative	Henry Daubeney[97]	706	24.8	N/A
Turnout			1,776	64.3	−17.3
Registered electors			2,764
Majority			55	2.0	−7.7
	Whig hold		Swing	−3.9
Majority			336	11.8	+9.1
	Radical hold		Swing	+3.9

General election 1832: Bath (2 seats)^[85][33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Palmer	1,492	40.7	N/A
	Radical	John Arthur Roebuck	1,138	31.0	N/A
	Whig	Henry William Hobhouse	1,040	28.3	N/A
Turnout			2,329	81.6	N/A
Registered electors			2,853
Majority			354	9.7	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			98	2.7	N/A
	Radical gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

General election 1831: Bath (2 seats)^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Palmer	Unopposed
	Tory	John Thynne	Unopposed
	Whig hold
	Tory hold

General election 1830: Bath (2 seats)^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Palmer	Unopposed
	Tory	John Thynne	Unopposed
	Whig gain from Tory
	Tory hold

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. Previously represented by two MPs in the House of Commons of England
3. Also the Conservative Party chairman from 1990 to 1992
4. Formerly known as John Jeffreys Pratt
5. 2,853 voters registered at the first reformed election, in December 1832)
6. These form the City of Bath in Bath and North East Somerset

References

1. "Bath: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
2. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
3. "South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
4. Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Bath
5. "2018 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in England" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. p. 28. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
6. "Bath Borough 1690-1715". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
7. Oldfield, Thomas (1820). A Key to the House of Commons. Being a history of the last general election in 1818 ... to which is added, an abstract of the state of representation in Scotland and Ireland. p. 160 – via Google Books.
8. "Bath Double Member Borough". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
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External links

• Election 2005 - Bath BBC News, 23 May 2005
• Bath UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Bath UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

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