Ashford is a constituency in Kent created in 1885 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Sojan Joseph of the Labour Party.

Constituency profile

The constituency includes all of the large town of Ashford, which is seeing significant housing expansion and has a manufacturing and services employment base; and surrounding rural areas to the east, including the village of Wye. The seat previously included the town of Tenterden but, due to population growth in Ashford itself, the 2023 boundary review proposed that Tenterden be removed from the Ashford constituency and included in the new constituency of Weald of Kent. Residents' health and wealth are in line with UK averages.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Sessional Divisions of Ashford and Cranbrook, the corporate towns of Lydd and New Romney, and part of the Liberty of Romney Marsh. 1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Lydd, New Romney, and Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of Cranbrook, East Ashford, Romney Marsh, Tenterden, and West Ashford. 1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of Cranbrook, East Ashford, Tenterden, and West Ashford. 1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Tenterden, the Urban District of Ashford, and the Rural Districts of East Ashford, Tenterden, and West Ashford. Cranbrook Rural District was transferred to the new Royal Tunbridge Wells constituency. 1983–2010: The Borough of Ashford. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged from 1974. 2010–2024: The Borough of Ashford wards of Aylesford Green, Beaver, Biddenden, Bockhanger, Boughton Aluph and Eastwell, Bybrook, Charing, Downs North, Downs West, Godinton, Great Chart with Singleton North, Highfield, Isle of Oxney, Kennington, Little Burton Farm, Norman, North Willesborough, Park Farm North, Park Farm South, Rolvenden and Tenterden West, St Michael's, Singleton South, South Willesborough, Stanhope, Stour, Tenterden North, Tenterden South, Victoria, Washford, Weald Central, Weald East, Weald North, Weald South, and Wye. 2024–present: Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for 2024 United Kingdom general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020): The bulk of the geographic area of the constituency, including the town of Tenterden, and comprising approximately 35% of the current electorate, was moved to the newly created constituency of Weald of Kent. To partly compensate, the two North Downs wards were transferred from Folkestone and Hythe.

Political history

Created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Ashford has been won by a Conservative at every election except that of 1929 when it was won by a Liberal, after that party's turn towards the left marked by the People's Budget in 1911, who won with a majority of less than 1% of the vote. The most marginal victory since 1929 occurred in 1997 when its voters returned a Conservative who won by a 9.7% majority. The 2015 result made the seat the 106th safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority. In June 2016, an estimated 60% 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. The Conservatives lost the seat at the 2024 general election to Sojan Joseph of the Labour Party, the first time in the seat's history that it was won by Labour.

Members of Parliament

West Kent prior to 1885

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

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1880s

Sources