Brentwood And Ongar
History
The seat was created for the February 1974 general election, primarily from part of the abolished constituency of Billericay. It has always been a safe Conservative seat.
It was held by Eric Pickles between the General Election in 1992 and 2017 when he stood down. The Liberal Democrats amassed their largest share of the vote in 1992 (including results for their two predecessor parties). At the 2010 election their candidate was second-placed with 13.6% of the vote, ahead of the Labour Party's candidate, but this proved the peak of their support, as they declined to fourth place in 2015 and then behind Labour in 2017 and 2019.
In the 2001 election, Pickles was opposed by Martin Bell, who had represented the Tatton constituency in the last Parliament as an independent and had pledged not to seek re-election there. Bell failed to gain Brentwood and Ongar from the Conservatives, but cut the Conservative majority to just 6.5%, the lowest in the seat's history.
The pattern of elections in the seat was disrupted by the emergence of UKIP who jumped to second place in 2015. Following the retirement of Eric Pickles, in the 2017 and 2019 elections it was the Labour Party candidate who emerged as the main challengers to the Conservatives in the seat.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1974–1983
- The Urban District of Brentwood;
- The Rural District of Epping and Ongar parishes of Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding, Blackmore, Bobbingworth, Doddinghurst, Fyfield, High Laver, High Ongar, Kelvedon Hatch, Lambourne, Little Laver, Moreton, Navestock, Ongar, Stanford Rivers, Stapleford Abbotts, Stapleford Tawney, Stondon Massey, Theydon Mount, and Willingale.
The Urban District of Brentwood was previously part of the abolished constituency of Billericay, and the parishes in the Rural District of Epping and Ongar (which had previously constituted the Rural District of Ongar) had been part of the abolished constituency of Chigwell.
1983–2010
- The District of Brentwood;
- The District of Epping Forest wards of Chipping Ongar, Greensted and Marden Ash, High Ongar, Lambourne, Moreton and Matching, Passingford, Roothing Country, and Shelley.
Two parishes, formerly part of the Rural District of Chelmsford and included in the District of Brentwood under the Local Government Act 1972 transferred from Chelmsford. Other marginal changes.
2010–2024
- The Borough of Brentwood;
- The District of Epping Forest wards of Chipping Ongar, Greensted and Marden Ash, High Ongar, Willingale and The Rodings, Lambourne, Moreton and Fyfield, North Weald Bassett, Passingford, and Shelley.
North Weald Bassett ward transferred from Epping Forest. Other marginal changes due to redistribution of local authority wards.
2024–present
In the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 general election was unchanged, except for a very minor adjustment due to a revision of ward boundaries.
Members of Parliament
Billericay and Chigwell prior to 1974
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Feb 1974 | Sir Robert McCrindle | Conservative | |
1992 | Sir Eric Pickles | Conservative | |
2017 | Alex Burghart | Conservative |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Gareth Barrett | ||||
Conservative | Alex Burghart | ||||
Reform UK | Paul Godfrey | ||||
Liberal Democrats | David Kendall | ||||
Green | Reece Learmouth | ||||
English Democrat | Robin Tilbrook | ||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout |
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alex Burghart | 36,308 | 68.6 | +2.8 | |
Labour | Oliver Durose | 7,243 | 13.7 | −6.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Kendall | 7,187 | 13.6 | +5.2 | |
Green | Paul Jeater | 1,679 | 3.2 | +1.5 | |
English Democrat | Robin Tilbrook | 532 | 1.0 | New | |
Majority | 29,065 | 54.9 | +9.5 | ||
Turnout | 52,949 | 70.4 | −0.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alex Burghart | 34,811 | 65.8 | +7.0 | |
Labour | Gareth Barrett | 10,809 | 20.4 | +7.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Karen Chilvers | 4,426 | 8.4 | −0.4 | |
UKIP | Mick McGough | 1,845 | 3.5 | −13.3 | |
Green | Paul Jeater | 915 | 1.7 | −1.0 | |
Independent | Louca Kousoulou | 104 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 24,002 | 45.4 | +3.4 | ||
Turnout | 52,910 | 70.6 | −1.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −0.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eric Pickles | 30,534 | 58.8 | +1.9 | |
UKIP | Mick McGough | 8,724 | 16.8 | +12.8 | |
Labour | Liam Preston | 6,492 | 12.5 | +2.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Kendall | 4,577 | 8.8 | −14.7 | |
Green | Reza Hossain | 1,397 | 2.7 | +1.5 | |
English Democrat | Robin Tilbrook | 173 | 0.3 | −0.7 | |
Majority | 21,810 | 42.0 | +8.6 | ||
Turnout | 51,897 | 71.6 | −0.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eric Pickles | 28,792 | 56.9 | +2.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | David Kendall | 11,872 | 23.5 | −3.4 | |
Labour | Heidi Benzing | 4,992 | 9.9 | −4.9 | |
UKIP | Michael McGough | 2,037 | 4.0 | −0.1 | |
BNP | Paul Morris | 1,447 | 2.9 | New | |
Green | Jess Barnecutt | 584 | 1.2 | New | |
English Democrat | Robin Tilbrook | 491 | 1.0 | New | |
Independent | James Sapwell | 263 | 0.5 | New | |
Independent | Danny Attfield | 113 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 16,920 | 33.4 | +7.1 | ||
Turnout | 50,591 | 71.9 | +4.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.1 |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eric Pickles | 23,609 | 53.5 | +15.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gavin Stollar | 11,997 | 27.2 | +11.6 | |
Labour | John Adams | 6,579 | 14.9 | +2.3 | |
UKIP | Stuart Gulleford | 1,805 | 4.1 | +2.7 | |
Independent | Anthony Appleton | 155 | 0.4 | +0.3 | |
Majority | 11,612 | 26.3 | +19.8 | ||
Turnout | 44,145 | 68.4 | +1.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eric Pickles | 16,558 | 38.0 | −7.4 | |
Independent | Martin Bell | 13,737 | 31.5 | New | |
Liberal Democrats | David Kendall | 6,772 | 15.6 | −10.7 | |
Labour | Diana Johnson | 5,505 | 12.6 | −9.5 | |
UKIP | Kenneth Gulleford | 611 | 1.4 | +0.5 | |
Independent | Peter Pryke | 239 | 0.5 | New | |
Church of the Militant Elvis | David Bishop | 68 | 0.2 | New | |
Independent | Anthony Appleton | 52 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 2,821 | 6.5 | −12.6 | ||
Turnout | 43,542 | 67.3 | −9.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eric Pickles | 23,031 | 45.4 | −12.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Bottomley | 13,341 | 26.3 | −4.2 | |
Labour | Marc Young | 11,231 | 22.1 | +11.2 | |
Referendum | Angela Kilmartin | 2,658 | 5.2 | New | |
UKIP | David Mills | 465 | 0.9 | New | |
Majority | 9,690 | 19.1 | −8.0 | ||
Turnout | 50,726 | 76.6 | −8.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eric Pickles | 32,145 | 57.6 | −2.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Bottomley | 17,000 | 30.5 | +5.5 | |
Labour | Jeremiah Keohane | 6,080 | 10.9 | −2.3 | |
Green | Carolyn Bartley | 555 | 1.0 | −0.3 | |
Majority | 15,145 | 27.1 | −8.4 | ||
Turnout | 55,780 | 84.7 | +5.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.2 |
Elections in the 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert McCrindle | 32,258 | 60.5 | +2.1 | |
Liberal | Nicholas Amor | 13,337 | 25.0 | −5.3 | |
Labour | James Orpe | 7,042 | 13.2 | +1.8 | |
Green | Margaret Willis | 686 | 1.3 | New | |
Majority | 18,921 | 35.5 | +7.4 | ||
Turnout | 53323 | 79.0 | +2.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert McCrindle | 29,484 | 58.4 | −2.0 | |
Liberal | Nicholas Amor | 15,282 | 30.3 | +16.0 | |
Labour | James Orpe | 5,739 | 11.4 | −13.9 | |
Majority | 14,202 | 28.1 | −7.0 | ||
Turnout | 50505 | 76.6 | −4.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −9.0 |
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert McCrindle | 29,113 | 60.4 | +13.5 | |
Labour | Ian James Crofton Peddie | 12,182 | 25.3 | −4.0 | |
Liberal | Colin Cenydd Jones | 6,882 | 14.3 | −9.5 | |
Majority | 16,931 | 35.1 | +17.5 | ||
Turnout | 48,177 | 80.6 | +3.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +8.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert McCrindle | 21,136 | 46.9 | +0.3 | |
Labour | Henry Edward Miller | 13,190 | 29.3 | +3.7 | |
Liberal | Lionel Rufus Wernick | 10,725 | 23.8 | −4.0 | |
Majority | 7,946 | 17.6 | −1.2 | ||
Turnout | 45,051 | 77.2 | −6.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert McCrindle | 22,545 | 46.6 | ||
Liberal | Lionel Rufus Wernick | 13,452 | 27.8 | ||
Labour | Maurice Howard Rosen | 12,398 | 25.6 | ||
Majority | 9,093 | 18.8 | |||
Turnout | 48,395 | 83.8 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Graphical representation
25.6% | 27.8% | 46.6% |
Labour | Liberal | Conservative |
29.3% | 23.8% | 46.9% |
Labour | Liberal | Conservative |
25.3% | 14.3% | 60.4% |
Labour | Liberal | Conservative |
11.4% | 30.3% | 58.4% |
Labour | Liberal | Conservative |
13.2% | 25.0% | 60.5% | |
Labour | Liberal | Conservative |
10.9% | 30.5% | 57.6% | |
Labour | Lib Dems | Conservative |
22.1% | 26.3% | 45.4% | ||
Labour | Lib Dems | Conservative | Ref |
12.6% | 15.6% | 31.5% | 38.0% | ||||
Labour | Lib Dems | Martin Bell | Conservative |
14.9% | 27.2% | 53.5% | ||
Labour | Lib Dems | Conservative | UKIP |
9.9% | 23.5% | 56.9% | |||||
Lab | Lib Dems | Conservative | UKIP |
12.5% | 58.8% | 16.8% | |||
Labour | Lib Dems | Conservative | UKIP |
20.4% | 65.8% | |||||
Labour | Lib Dems | Conservative | UKIP |
13.7% | 13.6% | 68.6% | |||
Labour | Lib Dems | Conservative |