List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset explained

The ceremonial county of Dorset (which comprises the two unitary authorities of Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)is divided into 8 parliamentary constituencies: 3 borough constituenciesand 5 county constituencies.

Constituencies

See also: 2024 United Kingdom general election.

Constituency^[1]	Electorate^[2]	Majority	Member of Parliament^[3]		Nearest opposition		Map
Bournemouth East BC	73,173	5,479		Tom Hayes‡		Tobias Ellwood†
Bournemouth West BC	72,094	3,224		Jessica Toale‡		Conor Burns†
Christchurch CC	71,598	7,455		Christopher Chope†		Mike Cox¤
Mid Dorset and North Poole CC	74,305	1,352		Vikki Slade¤		Michael Tomlinson†
North Dorset CC	72,109	1,589		Simon Hoare†		Gary Jackson¤
Poole BC	72,162	18		Neil Duncan-Jordan‡		Robert Syms†
South Dorset CC	76,640	1,048		Lloyd Hatton‡		Richard Drax†
West Dorset CC	75,390	7,789		Edward Morello¤		Chris Loder†

Boundary changes

2024

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 recommendations were published on 28 June 2023.

The commission proposed retaining the eight current constituencies in Dorset, with minor boundary changes to reflect changes to ward boundaries following the reorganisation of local government authorities within the county.^[5]

Containing electoral wards from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

• Bournemouth East
• Bournemouth West
• Christchurch (part)
• Mid Dorset and North Poole (part)
• Poole

Containing electoral wards from Dorset (unitary authority)

• Christchurch (part)
• Mid Dorset and North Poole (part)
• North Dorset
• South Dorset
• West Dorset

Results history

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019^[6]

2024

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Dorset in the 2024 general election were as follows:

Party	Votes	%	Change from 2019	Seats	Change from 2019
Conservative	127,188	33.7%	24.6%	2	6
Liberal Democrats	95,463	25.3%	6.4%	2	2
Labour	82,652	21.9%	3.5%	4	4
Reform	45,367	12.0%	New	0
Greens	18,400	4.9%	1.0%	0
Others	8,287	2.2%	1.7%	0
Total	377,357	100.0		8

Percentage votes

Note that before 1983 Dorset did not include the Bournemouth and Christchurch areas (see below).

Election year	1922	1923	1924	1929	1931	1935	1945	1950	1951	1955	1959	1964	1966	1970	1974(F)	1974(O)	1979	1983	1987	1992	1997	2001	2005	2010	2015	2017	2019	2024
Conservative	39.1	51.7	60.1	46.2	56.8	54.0	45.2	47.6	52.2	53.9	52.4	46.6	47.3	54.2	48.1	48.0	58.4	58.6	57.8	54.5	41.8	45.3	44.1	48.3	51.7	58.7	58.3	33.7
Liberal Democrat^1	18.0	28.9	21.9	36.8	16.3	28.7	24.0	14.5	15.8	13.6	18.9	23.6	20.2	17.0	30.9	28.4	20.9	29.7	30.8	31.2	34.1	31.5	32.8	32.8	12.9	12.8	18.9	25.3
Labour	21.4	19.4	18.0	17.0	12.3	16.0	30.8	37.9	32.0	32.6	28.7	29.8	32.5	28.8	21.0	23.6	20.4	10.2	11.3	13.4	18.8	21.1	18.3	12.2	13.0	25.2	18.4	21.9
Reform	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12.0
Green Party	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-						0.5	5.3	2.6	3.9	4.9
UKIP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-				5.6	16.2	0.3
Other	21.5	-	-	-	14.6	1.4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.3	1.4	0.1	0.9	5.3	2.1	4.7	0.6	0.9	0.4	0.5	2.2

¹1950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

* Included in Other

Accurate vote percentages are not applicable for the 1918 election because one candidate stood unopposed.

Seats

Election year	1950-1979	1983-1992	1997	2001-2005	2010	2015-2019	2024
Labour	0	0	0	1	0	0	4
Conservative	4	7	8	6	7	8	2
Liberal Democrat^1	0	0	0	1	1	0	2
Total	4	7	8	8	8	8	8

¹1950-1979: Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

1983-present

Historical representation by party

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.

Before 1885

Constituency	Established	Abolished
Bridport	1295	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Corfe Castle	1572	Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Dorchester	1295	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Dorset	1290	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Lyme Regis	1572	Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
Poole	1362	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Shaftesbury	1295	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis	1572	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Wareham	1302	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

1885 to 1918

Constituency	1885	1886	91	1892	95	1895	1900	04	05	1906	Jan 10	Dec 10
Dorset East	Glyn	Bond	Napier Sturt					Lyell			H. Guest^1	F. Guest
Dorset North	Portman			Wingfield-Digby					Wills		Baker
Dorset South	bgcolor=	Sturgis	C. Hambro	Brymer							Scarisbrick	A. Hambro
Dorset West	Farquharson				Williams

¹original candidate, F. Guest (Lib), disqualified; fresh by-election held June 1910

1918 to 1950

Constituency	1918	1922	23	1923	1924	1929	1931	1935	37	41	1945
Dorset East	→	Caine	→			Glassey	Caine				Wheatley
Dorset North	Colfox	Emlyn-Jones			Hanbury				A. Hambro		Byers
Dorset South	A. Hambro	Yerburgh				Gascoyne-Cecil				Montagu
Dorset West	Williams	Colfox								Digby

1950 to 1983

Constituency	1950	1951	1955	57	1959	62	1964	1966	1970	Feb 1974	Oct 1974	1979
Dorset North	Crouch			Glyn					James			Baker
Dorset South	Montagu					Barnett	King					Gascoyne-Cecil
Dorset West	Digby									Spicer
Poole	Wheatley	Pilkington					Murton					Ward

1983 to present (7, then 8 MPs)

Constituency	1983	1987	1992	93	1997	2001	2005	2010	2015	2017	19	2019	2024
Bournemouth East	Atkinson						Ellwood						Hayes
Bournemouth West	Butterfill							Burns					Toale
Christchurch	Adley			Maddock	Chope
North Dorset	Baker				Walter				Hoare
Poole	Ward				Syms								Duncan-Jordan
South Dorset	Gascoyne-Cecil	Bruce				Knight		Drax					Hatton
West Dorset	Spicer				Letwin						→	Loder	Morello
Mid Dorset and North Poole	Seat not created				Fraser	Brooke			Tomlinson				Slade

See also

• List of constituencies in South West England

Notes and References

1. BC denotes borough constituency, CC denotes county constituency.
2. Web site: The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries - Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition. Boundary Commission for England. 9 July 2024.
3. Web site: Constituencies A-Z - Election 2014. BBC News. en-GB. 2024-07-09.
4. Web site: 2023 Review Boundary Commission for England. 2021-10-06. boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk.
5. Web site: The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report Boundary Commission for England . 2023-07-10 . boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk . paras 1179-1203.
6. Watson. Christopher. Uberoi. Elise. Loft. Philip. 2020-04-17. General election results from 1918 to 2019. en-GB.