| Gillingham and Rainham | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Type: | Borough |
| Electorate: | 73,951 (2023)[1] |
| Region: | England |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
Gillingham and Rainham is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Naushabah Khan of the Labour Party.[2] It was previously represented since its 2010 creation by Rehman Chishti of the Conservative Party and replaced the previous constituency of Gillingham.
2010–present: The Borough of Medway wards of: Gillingham North (nearly all); Gillingham South; Hempstead & Wigmore (nearly all); Rainham North; Rainham South East; Rainham South West; Twydall; Watling.[3]
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 general election remained unchanged.[4]
The constituency is generally suburban and centred on Gillingham, historically a small port, which is within the London Commuter Belt. Local retail, industry, business parks, trades and professions provide constituents with a high level of employment, mostly on moderate to middle incomes;[5] however, the area is not wholly resilient to unemployment. Registered claimants who were registered jobseekers were marginally lower than the national average of 3.8% at 3.5% of the population, according to a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[6]
Residents' wealth is around average for the UK, but below average for the South East region.[7] The predecessor constituency of Gillingham was a Labour-Conservative marginal seat though prior to 1997 was a safe Conservative seat. The current constituency had been considered a safe Conservative seat until 2024.
Gillingham prior to 2010
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rehman Chishti | Conservative | ||
| 2024 | Naushabah Khan | Labour | ||
Paul Clark was the incumbent MP for Gillingham.