Finchley (UK Parliament constituency)

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Finchley
Borough constituency
Created: 1950
Abolished: 1997
Type: House of Commons
Members: one
Finchley
County constituency
Created: 1918
Abolished: 1950
Type: House of Commons
Members: one

Finchley was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election; its best-known MP was Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. The constituency was abolished in 1997 with the area becoming part of the new constituency of Finchley and Golders Green.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

In 1918 the constituency was created as a county division of Middlesex, centred on the town of Finchley. The local government areas included in the seat were the Finchley and Friern Barnet Urban Districts. In 1934 the Finchley district became a Municipal Borough.

In 1945 there was an interim redistribution of parliamentary constituencies to split those with more than 100,000 electors, prior to the general redistribution which took effect in 1950. Middlesex was significantly affected by the interim changes. This constituency had a minor revision. In the 1945-1950 Parliament it included the Municipal Borough of Finchley, part of the Municipal Borough of Hornsey, and part of the Friern Barnet Urban District.

In the redistribution of 1950, the seat was re-classified as a borough constituency. The boundaries reverted to those which had existed before 1945, with the constituency comprising the Municipal Borough of Finchley and the Friern Barnet Urban District.

In 1965 the area of the constituency was joined to other districts to form the London Borough of Barnet in Greater London.

In the 1974 changes to parliamentary boundaries, the constituency was redefined as comprising the wards of East Finchley, Finchley, Friern Barnet, St Paul's, and Woodhouse. The boundaries were left unchanged in the 1983 redistribution.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1918 Sir John Robert Pretyman Newman Conservative
1923 Thomas Atholl Robertson Liberal
1924 Hon. Sir Edward Cadogan Conservative
1935 John Crowder Conservative
1959 Margaret Thatcher Conservative
1992 Hartley Booth Conservative
1997 constituency abolished: see Finchley and Golders Green

[edit] Results

General Election 1992: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hartley Booth 21,039 51.2 −2.7
Labour A. C. Marjoram 14,651 35.7 +4.0
Liberal Democrat H. F. Leighter 4,568 11.1 −2.8
Green Ashley Gunstock 564 1.4 N/A
Monster Raving Loony S. A. Johnson 130 0.3 N/A
Natural Law J. D. Macrae 129 0.3 N/A
Majority 6,388 15.5 -6.7
Turnout 77.6 +8.2
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1987: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 21,603 53.9 +2.8
Labour J. R. M. Davies 12,690 31.7 +4.9
Liberal D. Howarth 5,580 13.9 −7.3
Gremloid Party Lord Buckethead 131 0.3 N/A
Gold Party M. J. St Vincent 59 0.2 N/A
Majority 8,913 22.2 -2.0
Turnout 69.4 +0.4
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1983: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 19,616 51.1 -1.4
Labour L. G. Spigel 10,302 26.8 -5.9
Liberal Margaret Joachim 7,763 20.2 +7.0
Ecology S. J. Wilkinson 279 0.7 N/A
Monster Raving Loony Screaming Lord Sutch 235 0.6 N/A
Ban Every Licensing Law Society A. J. Noonan 75 0.2 N/A
Independent H. M. Anscomb 42 0.1 N/A
Law and Order in Gotham City A. P. Whitehead 37 0.1 N/A
Anti-Censorship D. A. Webb 28 0.1 N/A
Party of Associates with Licensees B. C. Wareham 27 0.1 N/A
Belgrano Blood-Hunger B. C. Wedmore 13 0.0 N/A
Majority 9,314 24.2 +4.4
Turnout 69.0 -2.8
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1979: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 20,918 52.5
Labour Richard May 13,040 32.7
Liberal A. Paterson 5,254 13.2
National Front W. Verity 534 1.3
Independent Democrat E. Lloyd 86 0.2 N/A
Majority 7,878 19.8
Turnout 71.8
Conservative hold Swing

[edit] References

  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)

[edit] Successors and Predecessors

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Cardiff South East
Constituency represented by the Prime Minister
1979 – 1990
Succeeded by
Huntingdon
Preceded by
First constituency
UK Parliament constituency
1918–1997
Succeeded by
Finchley and Golders Green
UK Parliament constituency
1918–1997
Succeeded by
Chipping Barnet
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