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5th May 2005 |
| Constituency:
Basildon and East Thurrock |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Angela Smith |
Labour Co-operative |
18,720 |
Aaron Powell |
Conservative |
15,578 |
Martin Thompson |
Liberal Democrat |
4,473 |
Emma Colgate |
BNP (British National Party) |
2,055 |
Alix Blythe |
UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) |
1,143 |
Vikki Copping |
Green |
662 |
Kim Gandy |
English Democrats |
510 |
Electorate:
43,141
Turnout:
58.04%
Majority:
3,142
Seat Status:
Labour Hold |
| Constituency:
Billericay (including Pitsea and parts of Laindon) |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
John Baron |
Conservative |
25,487 |
Anneliese Dodds |
Labour |
14,281 |
Mike Hibbs |
Liberal Democrat |
6,471 |
Bryn Robinson |
BNP (British National Party) |
1,435 |
Seantino Callaghan |
UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) |
1,184 |
Electorate:
48,858
Turnout:
61.04%
Majority:
11,206
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
7th June 2001 |
| Constituency:
Basildon and East Thurrock |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Angela Smith |
Labour Co-operative |
21,551 |
Dominic Schofield |
Conservative |
13,813 |
Jane Smithard |
Liberal Democrat |
3,691 |
Frank Mallon |
UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) |
1,397 |
Richard Duane |
Socialist Alliance |
423 |
Electorate:
74,121
Turnout:
55.02%
Majority:
7,738
Seat Status:
Labour Hold |
| Constituency:
Billericay (including Pitsea and parts of Laindon) |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
John Baron |
Conservative |
21,608 |
Amanda Campbell |
Labour |
16,595 |
Frank Bellard |
Liberal Democrat |
6,323 |
Nick Yeomans |
UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) |
1,072 |
Electorate:
45,598
Turnout:
68.01%
Majority:
5,013
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
1st May 1997 |
| Constituency:
Basildon and East Thurrock |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Angela Smith |
Labour Co-operative |
29,646 |
John Baron |
Conservative |
16,366 |
Lindsay Granshaw |
Liberal Democrat |
4,608 |
Craig Robinson |
The Referendum Party |
2,462 |
Electorate:
73,714
Turnout:
72.01%
Majority:
13,280
Seat Status:
New Seat |
| Constituency:
Billericay (including Pitsea and parts of Laindon) |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Teresa Gorman |
Conservative |
22,033 |
Paul Richards |
Labour |
20,677 |
Geoff Williams |
Liberal Democrat |
8,763 |
Brian Hughes |
Independent (Loyal Conservative) |
3,377 |
John Buchanan |
ProLife Alliance |
570 |
Electorate:
55,420
Turnout:
72.63%
Majority:
1,356
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
9th April 1992 |
| Constituency:
Basildon |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
David Amess |
Conservative |
24,159 |
John Potter |
Labour |
22,679 |
Geoff Williams |
Liberal Democrat |
6,967 |
Electorate:
67,585
Turnout:
79.61%
Majority:
1,480
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
11th June 1987 |
| Constituency:
Basildon |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
David Amess |
Conservative |
21,858 |
Julian Fulbrook |
Labour |
19,209 |
Ray Auvray |
Liberal |
9,139 |
Electorate:
67,985
Turnout:
73.8%
Majority:
2,649
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
9th June 1983 |
| Constituency:
Basildon |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
David Amess |
Conservative |
17,516 |
Julian Fulbrook |
Labour |
16,137 |
(Miss) Sue Slipman |
SDP (Social Democratic Party) |
11,634 |
Electorate:
65,604
Turnout:
69.0%
Majority:
1,379
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
3rd May 1979 |
| Constituency:
Basildon |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
(Keith) Harvey Proctor |
Conservative |
37,919 |
Eric Moonman |
Labour |
32,739 |
Ray Auvray |
Liberal |
9,280 |
George Sawyer |
National Front |
880 |
Electorate:
103,595
Turnout:
78.01%
Majority:
5,180
Seat Status:
Conservative gain from Labour
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
10th October 1974 |
| Constituency:
Basildon |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Eric Moonman |
Labour |
32,298 |
David Atkinson |
Conservative |
21,747 |
Edward Fortune |
Liberal |
12,816 |
Robert Chaplin |
Independent Labour |
599 |
Electorate:
91,416
Turnout:
73.79%
Majority:
10,551
Seat Status:
Labour Hold
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
23rd February 1974 |
| Constituency:
Basildon |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Eric Moonman |
Labour |
33,499 |
Ronald Denney |
Conservative |
22,832 |
Edward Fortune |
Liberal |
17,794 |
Electorate:
90,357
Turnout:
82.4%
Majority:
11,000
Seat Status:
New Seat
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
18th June 1970 |
| Constituency:
Billericay |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Robert McCrindle |
Conservative |
47,719 |
Eric Moonman |
Labour |
43,765 |
Electorate:
123,297
Turnout:
74.20%
Majority:
3,954
Seat Status:
Conservative gain from Labour
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
31st March 1966 |
| Constituency:
Billericay |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Eric Moonman |
Labour |
40.013 |
Edward Gardner |
Conservative |
38,371 |
Lionel Wernick |
Liberal |
7,587 |
Electorate:
102,198
Turnout:
84.12%
Majority:
1,642
Seat Status:
Labour gain from Conservative
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
15th October 1964 |
| Constituency:
Billericay |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Edward Gardner |
Conservative |
35,347 |
Rita Smythe |
Labour |
33,755 |
Peter Sheldon-Williams |
Liberal |
10,706 |
Electorate:
96,762
Turnout:
82.48%
Majority:
1,592
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
8th October 1959 |
| Constituency:
Billericay |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Edward Gardner |
Conservative |
29,224 |
Rita Smythe |
Labour |
24,402 |
Peter Sheldon-Williams |
Liberal |
9,347 |
Electorate:
78,628
Turnout:
80.77%
Majority:
4,822
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
26th May 1955 |
| Constituency:
Billericay |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Richard Body |
Conservative |
24,327 |
Brian Clapham |
Labour |
20,121 |
Electorate:
58,872
Turnout:
Majority:
4,206
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
25th October 1951 |
| Constituency:
Billericay |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Bernard Braine |
Conservative |
|
|
Labour |
|
|
Liberal |
|
Electorate:
Turnout:
Majority:
6,323
Seat Status:
Conservative Hold
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
23rd February 1950 |
| Constituency:
Billericay |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Bernard Braine |
Conservative |
|
|
Labour |
|
|
Liberal |
|
Electorate:
Turnout:
Majority:
4,366
Seat Status:
-
General Election Winners:
Conservative |
|
5th July 1945 |
| Constituency:
South East Essex |
Candidate | Party |
Votes |
Raymond Gunter |
Labour |
|
|
Conservative |
|
|
Liberal |
|
Electorate:
Turnout:
Majority:
3,591
Seat Status:
-
General Election Winners:
Labour |
|
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| General Election Results 1945 - 2005 |
At the time of Basildon becoming a designated new town in
1949, the area still fell within the South East Essex parliamentary constituency. The MP
representing the district was Ray Gunter, who won the seat in 1945 for Labour. The
constituency had been in existence since the 'Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885' and would
remain so until 1955 when it was reorganised and renamed South East Essex. The following
elections in 1950 and 1951 saw the seat reorganised following boundary changes, becoming part
of the new Billercay constituency, and the Conservative party, representated by Bernard Braine
(later Lord Braine of Wheatley), won each time.
For the next election in 1955 Bernard
Braine opted to stand in a re-established South East Essex seat, and the result, which was also
the first declared nationally, was another Conservative success with Richard Body (later Sir)
declared the winner. For
1959 Richard Body stood down but the seat remained Conservative when Edward Gardner took it in
the first of his two victories over his Labour opponent Rita Smythe. Another feature of the
1959 election was the declaration time which came in at 59 minutes. This stood as the record
until beaten in 1997 by Sunderland South in a new time of 46 minutes.
As mentioned
earlier, Edward Gardner (later Sir) won again in 1964 but lost to Eric Moonman in 1966 when the seat fell to
Labour for the first, and so far, only time. Robert McCrindle (later Sir) won the seat back for the tories in 1970 but new boundary changes meant
certain areas moving and the seat became Basildon for the two 1974 elections. The first in February
saw Eric Moonman once again the victor, a position he retained in October with another very
substantial majority. 1979 saw the seat return to the Conservative Party when Eric Moonman - now
standing in his 5th election - lost by 5,180 votes to Harvey Proctor.
Further boundary changes in 1983 saw Harvey Proctor leave Basildon to stand as the candidate in
a new Billericay constituency. The Basildon seat was now for the first and so far only time,
made up of those wards that came to make up the new town, along with Bowers Gifford.
The next
three elections in 1983, 1987 and 1992 were won by Conservative David Amess, who can claim to be
the only MP to have solely represented the area of Basildon.
The next election, in 1997,
saw the constituency once again reorganised, as parts of Thurrock joined with the majority
of Basildon to form the Basildon and East Thurrock seat. After serving Basildon for almost 14
years, David Amess chose not to contest it, and instead moved to the Southend West
constituency. The election result that followed saw the Labour Co-operative candidate Angela Smith duly
elected and the Labour party returned to power for the first time since 1974. The elections
of 2001 and 2005 were again won by Angela Smith although her majority was much reduced
on each occasion.
Since 1945 the seat has been a marginal one - the sole exception being
1964 - with the elected MPs party always forming the next government. Also in recent
times - particularly during the David Amess years - Basildon had become something of a
barometer in deciding the next government.
Text written 2001 with revisions 2002-2008.
Copyright © 2001-2008, Basildon History Online. All rights reserved.
Contact: E-Mail
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