| Epsom and Ewell | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1974 |
| Type: | Borough |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
| Electorate: | 76,844 (2023)[1] |
| Region: | England |
Epsom and Ewell is a constituency in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Helen Maguire, a Liberal Democrat.
The seat has existed since the February 1974 general election, forming the centre of the previous Epsom constituency. Epsom had been held by a Conservative since its creation in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
In Westminster elections, it was one of the strongest Conservative areas in the country. Locally, however, the majority area council (Epsom and Ewell Borough Council) is controlled by the local Residents' Association. Conservatives regularly run the two slightly included neighbouring councils and until recently the party rarely contested the main borough's elections. One ward in Epsom, Court, is quite strongly Labour, and several Residents Association councillors have sided against Conservative-run Reigate and Banstead council which is also electorally diverse.
In 1987, Barbara Follett, later Member of Parliament for Stevenage, unsuccessfully stood for the Labour Party in the constituency.
Before 1997 Epsom and Ewell excluded Ashtead but instead included Banstead from Reigate and Banstead. As the borough of Epsom and Ewell is small and includes relatively sparsely populated areas such as Epsom Downs, the constituency has consistently also included areas of neighbouring Surrey districts.[2]
1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and the Urban District of Leatherhead.
1983–1997: The Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Banstead Village, Nork, Preston, and Tattenhams.
1997–2010: The Borough of Epsom and Ewell, the District of Mole Valley wards of Ashtead Common, Ashtead Park, and Ashtead Village, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Nork, Preston, and Tattenhams.
2010–2024: The Borough of Epsom and Ewell, the District of Mole Valley wards of Ashtead Common, Ashtead Park, and Ashtead Village, and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead wards of Nork and Tattenhams.
The boundary with Mole Valley moved slightly the uninhabited portions of land by the M25 motorway adjoining Ashtead and Leatherhead, in line with local government wards. The Preston ward of Reigate & Banstead (in Tadworth) was transferred to Reigate.
2024–present: The Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and the District of Mole Valley wards of Ashtead Lanes & Common, Ashtead Park, Leatherhead North, and Leatherhead South.[3]
The electorate was reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring the parts in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead to Reigate. To partly compensate, Leatherhead joined from extinct Mole Valley (its main successor being Dorking and Horley).
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1974 | Peter Rawlinson | Conservative | ||
| 1978 by-election | Sir Archie Hamilton | Conservative | ||
| 2001 | Chris Grayling | Conservative | ||
| 2024 | Helen Maguire | Liberal Democrats | ||
| 2019 notional result[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| 30,752 | 53.6 | ||
| 13,896 | 24.2 | ||
| 9,653 | 16.8 | ||
| 1,896 | 3.3 | ||
| Others | 1,200 | 2.1 | |
| Turnout | 57,397 | 74.7 | |
| Electorate | 76,844 | ||