Aldershot is a constituency in Hampshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The seat was represented by the Conservative Party from its creation in 1918 to the 2024 general election, when it was won by Alex Baker of the Labour Party.

Political history

Aldershot elected a Conservative as its MP at every election from its creation in 1918 until the 2024 general election, which was won by Labour. From 1974 to 2010 (inclusive) Liberal Democrats (or predecessor, Liberals) polled second. From 2015 to 2019 the Labour candidate was runner-up. The 2015 result saw the seat rank 123rd safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority. In June 2016, 57.9% of local adults voting in the EU membership referendum chose to leave the European Union instead of to remain. This was matched in two January 2018 votes in Parliament by its MP. In the 2017 general election, Leo Docherty won the seat after Sir Gerald Howarth retired. The seat saw a further increase in the Labour vote, achieving its best result since 1970; however this fell back again in 2019. In 2024 Docherty suffered a 23.2% swing against him, one of the highest ever seen at a general election, and Labour's Alex Baker became the first non-Conservative MP to represent the area since 1857.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Aldershot, Farnborough, and Fleet, and the Rural District of Hartley Wintney. 1950–1974: The Borough of Aldershot, the Urban Districts of Farnborough and Fleet, and the Rural District of Hartley Wintney. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged. 1974–1983: The Borough of Aldershot, the Urban Districts of Farnborough and Fleet, and in the Rural District of Hartley Wintney the parishes of Crondall, Crookham Village, Hawley, and Yateley. 1983–1997: The Borough of Rushmoor, and the District of Hart wards of Eversley, Frogmore and Darby Green, Hartley Wintney, Hawley, Whitewater, Yateley East, Yateley North, and Yateley West. 1997–2010: The Borough of Rushmoor, and the District of Hart wards of Frogmore and Darby Green, Hawley, Yateley East, Yateley North, and Yateley West. 2010–2024: The Borough of Rushmoor, and the District of Hart wards of Blackwater and Hawley, and Frogmore and Darby Green. 2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020): Small expansion in boundaries to take account of changes to the ward structure in the District of Hart.

Constituency profile

The constituency includes the towns Aldershot and Farnborough in the north-east of Hampshire which have research, development and production sites of information technology and light industrial major commercial businesses such as in aviation at Farnborough Airport, storage and distribution, and military supply businesses. Aldershot is a major training and residential base of the British Army. Adding to steady employment and high income sectors, two 35 minutes to one-hour journey time passenger lines to Central London, serve the south and north of the mixed functionalist urban and leafy, relatively grand suburbia seat. Aldershot itself has some Labour councillors, along with one strong ward in Farnborough (Cherrywood), but the majority of wards, particularly in the smaller rural towns and villages are safely Conservative, which led to the latter holding the seat with solid or large majorities from its creation 100 years ago up until 2024.

Members of Parliament

Basingstoke prior to 1918

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s