The seat has throughout its history consisted of the town of Henley, a part of the Chiltern HillsAONB interspersed by the larger settlements of Thame and Chinnor, and a narrow, more developed area adjoining the Thames on one bank. The local economy, interconnected with London, Oxford and in the far south Reading, ensures a high rate of employment and its natural environment attracts retirees and high income owners.[3] The seat has good rail connections to Central London.[4] As of 2021, the largest town in the constituency is Thame.
An unbroken succession of Conservative candidates have won the seat since 1910. The 2008 by-election was closer than general elections since 2001 and won by the Conservative candidate, John Howell. Howell was re-elected at the 2010 general election and again in 2015, when Labour finished second for the first time since 1970 in Henley. The 2015 GE result made the seat the twelfth safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority.[6]
Other parties
All five parties' candidates achieved more than deposit-retaining threshold of 5% of the vote in 2015, reflecting frequent such results for the Green Party and UKIP in that election. Liberal Democrat or predecessor-party Liberal candidates were second-placed between February 1974 and 2010 (inclusive). The closest contest for Henley was in 1966, when Labour's George Cunningham took 44.6% of the vote in a two-candidate contest.
Turnout
At general elections, turnout in the constituency has ranged between 52.9% in the "khaki election" of 1918 to 81.7% in 1950.
The part of the Municipal Borough of Abingdon in the county of Oxfordshire.[7]
1918–1950
The Municipal Borough of Henley-on-Thames;
The Urban Districts of Bicester, Thame, and Wheatley; and
The Rural Districts of Bicester, Crowmarsh, Culham, Goring, Headington, Henley, and Thame.[8]
Expanded to include eastern half of the abolished Woodstock Division, including Bicester. Caversham, which had been absorbed by the County Borough of Reading, was transferred to the Parliamentary Borough of Reading in Berkshire.
Change to contents due to reorganisation of urban and rural districts. Minor losses to the Oxford constituency, including Cowley and Headington, as a result of the expansion of the County Borough of Oxford.
The District of South Oxfordshire wards of Aston Rowant, Benson, Berinsfield, Chalgrove, Chinnor, Clifton Hampden, Crowmarsh, Dorchester, Forest Hill, Garsington, Goring, Goring Heath, Great Milton, Henley, Kidmore End, Nettlebed, Rotherfield Peppard, Shiplake, Sonning Common, Thame North, Thame South, Watlington, Wheatley, and Woodcote.[9]
Gained the rural area to the east of Oxford from the abolished County Constituency of Mid-Oxon. The Littlemore ward to the south of Oxford was included in the new Borough Constituency of Oxford East.
1997–2010
As above plus Horspath ward which was added following a change to local authority boundaries.[10]
Minor gain from Oxford East.
2010–2024
Map of boundaries 2010-2024
The District of South Oxfordshire wards of Aston Rowant, Benson, Berinsfield, Chalgrove, Chilton Woods, Chinnor, Clifton Hampden, Crowmarsh, Forest Hill, Garsington, Goring, Great Milton, Henley North, Henley South, Stoke Row, Kidmore End, Nettlebed, Rotherfield Peppard, Shiplake, Sonning Common, Thame North, Thame South, Watlington, Wheatley, and Woodcote; and
The District of Cherwell wards of Fringford & Heyfords and Launton & Otmoor.[11]
The constituency covered most of the local government district of South Oxfordshire, excluding Wallingford, Didcot and surrounding areas in the west. Main settlements include Henley-on-Thames itself, Thame, Chinnor and Sonning Common. The two wards of Cherwell are to the north, close to Oxford; they are predominantly rural.
Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
S., Craig, Fred W. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN0900178094. OCLC539011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
