Hove and Portslade (UK Parliament constituency)

Hove and Portslade is a borough constituency in East Sussex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Peter Kyle of the Labour Party, who currently serves as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology in the government of Keir Starmer.

Hove and Portslade
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundaries since 2010
Boundary of Hove and Portslade in South East England
County	East Sussex
Electorate	73,726 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Aldrington Hove Portslade
Current constituency
Created	1950 (as Hove)
Member of Parliament	Peter Kyle (Labour Party)
Created from	Brighton Lewes[2]

It was previously called Hove. Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, there were no changes to the constituency boundaries, but it was renamed from the 2024 general election.^[3][4] Before it was renamed, it had the joint shortest name of any constituency of the UK Parliament, with 4 letters, the same as Bath.

Boundaries

1950–1983: The County Borough of Hove, and the Urban District of Portslade-by-Sea.

1983–2010: The Borough of Hove.

2010–2023: The City of Brighton and Hove wards of Brunswick and Adelaide, Central Hove, Goldsmid, Hangleton and Knoll, Hove Park, North Portslade, South Portslade, Westbourne, and Wish.

2023–present: Further to a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023,^[5][6] the constituency now comprises the following wards of the City of Brighton and Hove:

• Brunswick and Adelaide, Central Hove, Goldsmid, Hangleton & Knoll, North Portslade, South Portslade, Westbourne & Poets' Corner, Westdene & Hove Park (majority), and Wish; and a very small part of Regency.^[7]

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged,^[8] but the name was changed from Hove to Hove and Portslade.

The constituency covers Hove and Portslade in the city of Brighton and Hove.

Constituency profile

The settlement of Hove is an economically active seaside resort which is both a commuter town and centred in an area of high local employment, stretching from Portsmouth to London Gatwick Airport. The seat acted as a barometer of the national result between 1979 and 2015.

History

It was not until the 1950 general election, when major boundary changes occurred in Brighton, that Hove acquired a parliamentary seat of its own, having previously been in the former two-seat Brighton constituency. Hove was a Conservative stronghold until the 1997 general election, when the Labour Party saw a landslide parliamentary victory and with it, as in Greater London, wide success on the developed East Sussex coast.^{[n 1]}

Labour retained the seat, though with narrow majorities, at the 2001 and 2005 general elections. The Liberal Democrats including their two predecessor parties amassed their largest share of the vote in 2010 at 22.6% of the vote. Mike Weatherley, a Conservative, regained the seat at the 2010 general election. Weatherley stood down after one term, and the 2015 election saw Peter Kyle regain the seat for Labour on a 3.1% swing.^[9] The 2015 result gave the seat the 14th-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.^[10] Kyle was reelected in 2017 by a margin of 32.6%, a 15.1% swing to Labour; this was not only the biggest margin Labour had ever won Hove by, but the largest margin any MP for Hove had won since 1987. The Conservative Party polled its lowest number of votes since 2005 and recorded their lowest percentage of the vote (31.6%) in the constituency since its creation. Turnout at the 2017 general election was 77.6%, the highest turnout in the constituency at a general election since its creation in 1950. In the 2024 election,the Greens moved into 2nd place behind Labour, the latter's vote decreasing, but managing their largest majority since they first gained the seat in 1997.

Members of Parliament

Brighton and Lewes prior to 1950

Election	Member[11]	Party
1950	Anthony Marlowe		Conservative
1965 by-election	Martin Maddan		Conservative
1973 by-election	Tim Sainsbury		Conservative
1997	Ivor Caplin		Labour
2005	Celia Barlow		Labour
2010	Mike Weatherley		Conservative
2015	Peter Kyle		Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Hove and Portslade^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Kyle	27,209	52.4	−5.9
	Green	Sophie Broadbent	7,418	14.3	+9.9
	Conservative	Carline Deal	6,630	12.8	−15.3
	Reform UK	Martin Hess	4,558	8.8	+6.8
	Independent	Tanushka Marah	3,048	5.9	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Michael Wang	3,046	5.9	−0.7
Majority			19,881	38.1	7.9
Turnout			51,909	70.1	5.8
Registered electors			74,063
	Labour hold		Swing	7.9

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Hove^[13][14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Kyle	32,876	58.3	–5.8
	Conservative	Robert Nemeth	15,832	28.1	–3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Beatrice Bass	3,731	6.6	+4.3
	Green	Oliver Sykes	2,496	4.4	+2.7
	Brexit Party	Angela Hancock	1,111	2.0	New
	Monster Raving Loony	Dame Dixon	195	0.3	New
	Independent	Charlotte Sabel	150	0.3	0.0
Majority			17,044	30.2	–2.3
Turnout			56,391	75.9	–1.7
	Labour hold		Swing	–1.2

Peter Kyle's 21.8% vote share increase was the 5th largest for any Labour Party candidate at the 2017 election.^[16]

General election 2017: Hove^[17][14][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Kyle	36,942	64.1	+21.8
	Conservative	Kristy Adams	18,185	31.6	–8.3
	Liberal Democrats	Carrie Hynds	1,311	2.3	–1.3
	Green	Phélim Mac Cafferty	971	1.7	–5.1
	Independent	Charley Sabel	187	0.3	New
Majority			18,757	32.5	+30.1
Turnout			57,596	77.6	+6.6
	Labour hold		Swing	+15.1

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Hove

General election 2015: Hove^[18][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Kyle[20]	22,082	42.3	+9.3
	Conservative	Graham Cox[21]	20,846	39.9	+3.2
	Green	Christopher Hawtree[22]	3,569	6.8	+1.6
	UKIP	Kevin Smith[23][24]	3,265	6.3	+3.9
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Lambell[25]	1,861	3.6	–19.0
	Independent	Jenny Barnard-Langston	322	0.6	New
	TUSC	Dave Hill	144	0.3	New
	Monster Raving Loony	Dame Jon Dixon[26]	125	0.2	New
Majority			1,236	2.4	N/A
Turnout			52,214	71.0	+1.5
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+3.1

General election 2010: Hove^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mike Weatherley	18,294	36.7	+0.2
	Labour	Celia Barlow	16,426	33.0	−4.5
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Elgood	11,240	22.6	+4.7
	Green	Ian Davey	2,568	5.2	−0.5
	UKIP	Paul Perrin	1,206	2.4	+1.1
	Independent	Brian Ralfe	85	0.2	+0.1
Majority			1,868	3.7	N/A
Turnout			49,819	69.5	+5.4
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+2.4

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Hove^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Celia Barlow	16,786	37.5	−8.4
	Conservative	Nick Boles	16,366	36.5	−1.8
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Elgood	8,002	17.9	+8.8
	Green	Anthea P. Ballam	2,575	5.7	+2.4
	UKIP	Stuart N. Bower	575	1.3	+0.4
	Respect	Paddy O'Keefe	268	0.6	New
	Independent	Bob Dobbs	95	0.2	New
	Silent Majority Party	Richard Franklin	78	0.2	New
	Independent	Brian Ralfe	51	0.1	New
Majority			420	1.0	−6.6
Turnout			44,796	64.1	+5.2
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.3

General election 2001: Hove^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ivor Caplin	19,253	45.9	+1.3
	Conservative	Jenny M. Langston	16,082	38.3	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Harold De Souza	3,823	9.1	−0.6
	Green	Anthea P. Ballam	1,369	3.3	+2.0
	Socialist Alliance	Andy K. Richards	531	1.3	New
	UKIP	Richard Franklin	358	0.9	+0.5
	Liberal	Nigel R. Donovan	316	0.8	New
	Free Party	Simon Dobbshead	196	0.5	New
	Independent	Thomas S. Major	60	0.1	New
Majority			3,171	7.6	−0.6
Turnout			41,988	58.9	−10.7
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.3

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Hove^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ivor Caplin	21,458	44.6	+20.1
	Conservative	Robert Guy	17,499	36.4	−12.6
	Liberal Democrats	Thomas Pearce	4,645	9.7	−9.7
	Referendum	Stuart R. Field	1,931	4.0	New
	Ind. Conservative	John P. Furness	1,735	3.6	−1.7
	Green	Philip A.T. Mulligan	644	1.3	−0.3
	UKIP	J.E. Vause	209	0.4	New
Majority			3,959	8.2	N/A
Turnout			48,121	69.6	−4.5
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+16.4

General election 1992: Hove^[31][32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Sainsbury	24,525	49.0	−9.8
	Labour	Donald Turner	12,257	24.5	+6.2
	Liberal Democrats	Anne F. Jones	9,709	19.4	−2.4
	Ind. Conservative	John P. Furness	2,658	5.3	New
	Green	Gordon S. Sinclair	814	1.6	New
	Natural Law	John H. Morilly	126	0.3	New
Majority			12,268	24.5	−12.5
Turnout			50,089	74.1	+6.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−8.0

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Hove^[33][34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Sainsbury	28,952	58.8	−1.7
	SDP	Margaret Collins	10,734	21.8	−2.3
	Labour	Donald Turner	9,010	18.3	+4.4
	Spare the Earth	Thomas Layton	522	1.1	0.0
Majority			18,218	37.0	+0.6
Turnout			49,218	67.8	+2.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.0

General election 1983: Hove^[35][36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Sainsbury	28,628	60.5	+0.4
	Liberal	Theodora Beamish	11,409	24.1	+6.7
	Labour	Chris Wright	6,550	13.9	−7.6
	Spare the Earth	Thomas Layton	524	1.1	New
	Modern Democratic Party	K.H. Lillie	189	0.4	New
Majority			17,219	36.4	−2.2
Turnout			47,300	65.8	−5.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.6

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Hove^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Sainsbury	30,256	60.1	+6.5
	Labour	B. R. Fitch	10,807	21.5	−0.4
	Liberal	James M. M. Walsh	8,771	17.4	−7.1
	National Front	F. Sheridan	508	1.0	New
Majority			19,449	38.6	+9.5
Turnout			50,342	71.6	+1.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.5

General election October 1974: Hove^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Sainsbury	27,345	53.6	−0.6
	Liberal	James M. M. Walsh	12,469	24.5	−9.2
	Labour	L. E. Hamilton	11,179	21.9	+10.6
Majority			14,876	29.1	+8.6
Turnout			50,993	69.8	−7.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.9

General election February 1974: Hove^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Sainsbury	30,451	54.2
	Liberal	Des Wilson	18,942	33.7
	Labour	R. A. Wallis	6,374	11.3
	National Front	Ted Budden	442	0.8
Majority			11,509	20.5
Turnout			56,209	77.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

By-election 1973: Hove^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tim Sainsbury	22,070	47.9	−20.8
	Liberal	Des Wilson	17,224	37.4	New
	Labour	Ronald Wallis	5,335	11.6	−19.7
	National Front	John Harrison-Broadley[41][unreliable source?]	1,409	3.1	New
	Marxist-Leninist (England)	Carole Reakes	128	0.3	New
Majority			4,846	10.5	−26.9
Turnout			46,038
	Conservative hold		Swing	-29.2

General election 1970: Hove^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Martin Maddan	34,287	68.7	+11.5
	Labour	David G. Nicholas	15,639	31.3	+5.6
Majority			18,648	37.4	+5.9
Turnout			49,926	66.7	−5.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.6

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Hove^[43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Martin Maddan	28,799	57.2	−11.2
	Labour	Trevor Williams	12,909	25.7	−6.6
	Liberal	Oliver Moxon	8,037	16.0	N/A
	Independent	Max Cossmann	574	1.1	N/A
Majority			15,890	31.5	−5.4
Turnout			50,319	72.1	+13.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.7

1965 Hove by-election^[43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Martin Maddan	25,339	62.0	−6.4
	Labour	Thomas James Marsh	8,387	21.0	−10.7
	Liberal	Oliver Moxon	6,867	16.7	New
	Independent	Max Cossman	121	0.3	New
Majority			16,952	41.0	+4.1
Turnout			40,714	58.2	−11.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.1

General election 1964: Hove^[43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Marlowe	32,923	68.4	−6.4
	Labour	Thomas James Marsh	15,214	32.3	+7.1
Majority			17,709	36.9	–12.6
Turnout			48,137	69.6	−2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.4

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Hove

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Marlowe	36,150	74.76	+0.61
	Labour	Thomas James Marsh	12,206	25.24	−0.61
Majority			23,944	49.52
Turnout			48,356	72.15
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.61

General election 1955: Hove

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Marlowe	34,314	74.15	−0.07
	Labour	Harry F. Parker	11,961	25.85	+0.07
Majority			22,353	48.30
Turnout			46,275	70.96
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.07

General election 1951: Hove

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Marlowe	37,230	74.22	+7.30
	Labour	Alfred D. Bermel	12,934	25.78	+2.40
Majority			24,296	48.44
Turnout			50,164	77.40
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.85

General election 1950: Hove

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Marlowe	33,748	66.92
	Labour	Finlay R. Rea	11,791	23.38
	Liberal	John Richard Colclough	4,893	9.70
Majority			21,957	43.54
Turnout			50,432	81.93
	Conservative hold		Swing

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in East Sussex
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)

Notes

1. (Brighton Kemptown, Brighton Pavilion, Hastings and Rye also were won by candidates for New Labour

References

1. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
2. Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1985-1972. Chichester, Sussex: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0-900178-09-4.
3. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
4. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South East | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
5. LGBCE. "Brighton and Hove | LGBCE". lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
6. "The Brighton & Hove (Electoral Changes) Order 2023".
7. "New Seat Details – Hove and Portslade". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
8. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
9. "Electoral Commission – Previous UK general elections". electoralcommission.org.uk.
10. "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
11. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 4)
12. "Hove and Portslade Results". BBC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
13. Raw, Geoff (14 November 2019). "Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll. Election of a Member of Parliament for Hove Constituency" (PDF). Brighton and Hove City Council.
14. "Historical Data and Plots".
15. "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
16. "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
17. "General election latest – 14 candidates stand for the three seats in Brighton and Hove". Brighton and Hove News. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
18. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
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21. "The Conservative Party". Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
22. "Two experienced campaigners stand for Parliament – Christopher Hawtree and Davy Jones". Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
23. Mills, William (18 December 2014). "UKIP Selects Hove Candidate-Race Is On – THE NEWS".
24. "News – Brighton & Hove Independent". brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
25. "PETER LAMBELL TO STAND FOR LIB DEMS IN HOVE". Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
26. "Hove". YourNextMP. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
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28. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
29. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
30. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
31. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
32. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
33. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
34. "UK General Election results: June 1987 [Archive]". politicsresources.net. 12 October 2022.
35. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
36. "UK General Election results: June 1983 [Archive]". politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
37. "UK General Election results: May 1979 [Archive]". politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
38. "UK General Election results: October 1974 [Archive]". politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
39. "UK General Election results: February 1974 [Archive]". politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
40. "1973 By Elections". 24 October 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009.
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43. The Times House of Commons, 1966

Sources

• Election result, 2005 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2001 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2001 (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1983 – 1992 Archived 19 August 2000 at the Wayback Machine (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1992 – 2005 Archived 28 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine (Guardian)
• Election results, 1951 – 2001 Archived 5 May 2004 at the Wayback Machine (Keele University)
• F. W. S. Craig. British Parliamentary Election Results 1950–1973. (ISBN 0-900178-07-8)

External links

• Hove UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Hove UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Hove and Portslade UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

50.84°N 0.18°W / 50.84; -0.18