The ceremonial county of East Sussex, (which includes the unitary authority of Brighton & Hove) is divided into 9 parliamentary constituencies - 4 borough constituencies and 5 county constituencies.
See also: 2024 United Kingdom general election.
| Constituency[1] | Electorate | Majority[2] | Member of Parliament | Nearest opposition | Electoral wards[3] | Map | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bexhill and Battle CC | 72,209 | 2,657 | Kieran Mullan † | Christine Bayliss ‡ | Rother District Council Bexhill Central, Bexhill Collington, Bexhill Kewhurst, Bexhill Old Town and Worsham, Bexhill Pebsham and St. Michaels, Bexhill Sackville, Bexhill St. Marks, Bexhill St. Stephens, Bexhill Sidley, Brede and Udimore, Burwash and the Weald, Catsfield and Crowhurst, Hurst Green and Ticehurst, North Battle, Netherfield and Whatlington, Northern Rother, Robertsbridge, Sedlescombe and Westfield, South Battle and Telham. Wealden District Council: Herstmonceux and Pevensey Levels, Pevensey Bay. | |||
| Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven BC | 68,784 | 9,609 | Chris Ward ‡ | Khobi Vallais † | Brighton and Hove City Council East Brighton, Hanover and Elm Grove (polling district PHEA and polling district PHEF to the east of Queen's Park Road), Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queen's Park, Rottingdean Coastal, Woodingdean. Lewes District Council: East Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven East, Peacehaven North, Peacehaven West. | |||
| Brighton Pavilion BC | 74,786 | 14,290 | Siân Berry ♣ | Tom Gray ‡ | Brighton and Hove City Council Hanover and Elm Grove (polling districts PHEB, PHEC, PHED and PHEE, and polling district PHEF to the west of Queen’s Park Road), Hollingdean and Stanmer, Patcham, Preston Park, Regency, St Peter's and North Laine, Withdean. | |||
| Eastbourne BC | 72,592 | 12,204 | Josh Babarinde ¤ | Caroline Ansell † | Eastbourne Borough Council Devonshire, Hampden Park, Langney, Meads, Old Town, Ratton, St Anthony's, Sovereign, Upperton. | |||
| East Grinstead and Uckfield CC (part) | 75,385 | 8,480 | Mims Davies † | Benedict Dempsey ¤ | Lewes District Council Chailey, Barcombe and Hamsey, Newick, Wivelsfield. Mid Sussex District Council: Ardingly and Balcombe, Ashurst Wood, Copthorne and Worth, Crawley Down and Turners Hill, East Grinstead Ashplats, East Grinstead Baldwins, East Grinstead Herontye, East Grinstead Imberhorne, East Grinstead Town, High Weald. Wealden District Council: Buxted, Danehill and Fletching, Forest Row, Maresfield, Uckfield East, Uckfield New Town, Uckfield North, Uckfield Ridgewood and Little Horsted. | |||
| Hastings and Rye CC | 75,939 | 8,653 | Helena Dollimore ‡ | Sally-Ann Hart † | Hastings Borough Council Ashdown, Baird, Braybrooke, Castle, Central St Leonards, Conquest, Gensing, Hollington, Maze Hill, Old Hastings, Ore, Silverhill, St Helens, Tressell, West St Leonards, Wishing Tree. Rother District Council: Eastern Rother, Rye and Winchelsea, Southern Rother. | |||
| Hove and Portslade BC | 74,063 | 19,881 | Peter Kyle ‡ | Sophie Broadbent ♣ | Brighton and Hove City Council Brunswick and Adelaide, Central Hove, Goldsmid, Hangleton and Knoll, North Portslade, South Portslade, Westbourne, Wish. | |||
| Lewes CC | 76,166 | 12,624 | James MacCleary ¤ | Maria Caulfield † | Lewes District Council Ditchling and Westmeston, Kingston, Lewes Bridge, Lewes Castle, Lewes Priory, Newhaven North, Newhaven South, Ouse Valley and Ringmer, Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington and St. John, Seaford Central, Seaford East, Seaford North, Seaford South, Seaford West. Wealden District Council: Arlington, Lower Willingdon, Polegate Central, Polegate North, Polegate South and Willingdon Watermill, South Downs, Stone Cross, Upper Willingdon. | |||
| Sussex Weald CC | 72,897 | 6,842 | Nus Ghani † | Danielle Newson ¤ | Wealden District Council Chiddingly, East Hoathly and Waldron, Crowborough Central, Crowborough Jarvis Brook, Crowborough North, Crowborough St. Johns, Crowborough South East, Crowborough South West, Framfield and Cross-in-Hand, Frant and Wadhurst, Hadlow Down and Rotherfield, Hailsham Central, Hailsham East, Hailsham North, Hailsham North West, Hailsham South, Hailsham West, Hartfield, Heathfield North, Heathfield South, Hellingly, Horam and Punnetts Town, Mayfield and Five Ashes, Withyham. | |||
Under the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the Boundary Commission for England decided to retain the existing 8 constituencies in East Sussex, with minor changes to realign constituency boundaries with those of current local government wards, and to reduce the electoral disparity between constituencies.
See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for further details.
Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commission for England formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021.[4] Initial proposals were published on 8 June 2021 and, following two periods of public consultation, revised proposals were published on 8 November 2022. The final proposals were published on 28 June 2023.
The commission has proposed that East Sussex be combined with West Sussex as a sub-region of the South East Region, resulting in the creation of a new cross-county boundary constituency named East Grinstead and Uckfield. The resultant changes to existing constituencies would entail the abolition of Wealden and the creation of the new constituency of Sussex Weald. Brighton Kemptown will be renamed Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, and, although its boundaries are unchanged, it is proposed that Hove be renamed Hove and Portslade.[5] [6] [7]
The following constituencies are proposed:
Containing electoral wards from Brighton and Hove
Containing electoral wards from Eastbourne
Containing electoral wards from Hastings
Containing electoral wards from Lewes
Containing electoral wards from Rother
Containing electoral wards from Wealden
1 Also contains part of Mid Sussex District in West Sussex
Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019[8]
The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising East Sussex in the 2019 general election were as follows:
| Party | Votes | % | Change from 2017 | Seats | Change from 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 197,728 | 44.2% | 0.1% | 5 | 1 | |
| Labour | 121,935 | 27.3% | 4.9% | 2 | 0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 75,754 | 16.9% | 2.8% | 0 | 1 | |
| Greens | 45,128 | 10.1% | 2.3% | 1 | 0 | |
| Brexit | 4,738 | 1.1% | new | 0 | 0 | |
| Others | 1,898 | 0.4% | 1.2% | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 447,181 | 100.0 | 8 |
| Election year | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 58.4 | 57.8 | 52.8 | 39.4 | 39.6 | 39.8 | 40.9 | 42.3 | 44.3 | 44.2 | |
| Labour | 13.6 | 15.2 | 17.5 | 29.2 | 30.2 | 25.4 | 20.1 | 22.9 | 32.2 | 27.3 | |
| Liberal Democrat1 | 27.2 | 26.3 | 27.5 | 24.0 | 24.0 | 26.3 | 28.0 | 12.9 | 14.1 | 16.9 | |
| Green Party | - | 5.7 | 10.1 | 7.8 | 10.1 | ||||||
| UKIP | - | - | - | 2.8 | 11.6 | 1.3 | |||||
| Brexit Party | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | |
| Other | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 8.6 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
* Included in Other
| Election year | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | |
| Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Liberal Democrat1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Greens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.
The Local Government Act 1972 moved the District of Mid Sussex into West Sussex from East Sussex. This change was put into effect in the Parliamentary constituency boundaries for the 1983 boundary changes.
| Constituency | 1885 | 1886 | 86 | 89 | 1892 | 93 | 1895 | 1900 | 03 | 05 | 1906 | 08 | Jan 1910 | 10 | Dec 1910 | 11 | 14 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton (Two members) | Smith | Robertson | Loder | Villiers | Tryon | |||||||||||||
| Marriott | Vernon-Wentworth | Ridsdale | Rice | Gordon | Thomas-Stanford | |||||||||||||
| East Grinstead | Gregory | Gathorne-Hardy | Goschen | Corbett | Cautley | |||||||||||||
| Eastbourne | Field | Hogg | Beaumont | Gwynne | ||||||||||||||
| Hastings | Brassey | Noble | Lucas-Shadwell | Freeman-Thomas | H. du Cros | A. du Cros | ||||||||||||
| Lewes | Aubrey-Fletcher | Campion | ||||||||||||||||
| Rye | Brookfield | Hutchinson | Courthope | |||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 1918 | 21 | 1922 | 1923 | 24 | 1924 | 25 | 1929 | 1931 | 32 | 35 | 1935 | 36 | 37 | 40 | 41 | 44 | 1945 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton (Two members) | Tryon | Erskine | Marlowe | ||||||||||||||||
| Thomas-Stanford | Rawson | Teeling | |||||||||||||||||
| East Grinstead | Cautley | Clarke | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastbourne | Gwynne | Lloyd | Hall | Marjoribanks | Slater | Taylor | |||||||||||||
| Hastings | Lyon | Percy | Hely-Hutchinson | Cooper-Key | |||||||||||||||
| Lewes | Campion | T. P. Beamish | Loder | T. P. Beamish | T. V. Beamish | ||||||||||||||
| Rye | Courthope | Cuthbert | |||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 1950 | 1951 | 1955 | 1959 | 1964 | 65 | 1966 | 69 | 1970 | 73 | Feb 1974 | Oct 1974 | 1979 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton Kemptown | Johnson | James | Hobden | Bowden | ||||||||||
| Brighton Pavilion | Teeling | Amery | ||||||||||||
| East Grinstead | Clarke | Emmet | Johnson Smith | |||||||||||
| Eastbourne | Taylor | Gow | ||||||||||||
| Hastings | Cooper-Key | Warren | ||||||||||||
| Hove | Marlowe | Maddan | Sainsbury | |||||||||||
| Lewes | Beamish | Rathbone | ||||||||||||
| Rye | Irvine | |||||||||||||
| Sussex Mid | Renton | |||||||||||||