Hitchin and Harpenden was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1997 general election until 2024 general election. The seat was represented by the Conservative Party for the duration of its existence. Following its abolition in 2024, the contents of the constituency were distributed to the new seats of Hitchin and Harpenden and Berkhamsted.

History

The constituency was created for the 1997 general election from parts of several former Hertfordshire seats. Prior to 1997, Hitchin was included in the abolished North Hertfordshire constituency and Harpenden in the St Albans constituency, while the village of Wheathampstead was part of the Welwyn Hatfield constituency. The seat's first MP was Peter Lilley, a former Secretary of State for various government departments in the Major ministry in the 1990s, who had previously represented St Albans from 1983 to 1997. He announced he would not contest the seat at the 2017 general election. He was succeeded in 2017 by Bim Afolami of the Conservatives, who retained it at the 2019 general election, albeit with a reduced majority. The seat was abolished at the 2024 general election, and was divided between the new seats of Hitchin (containing 54.9% of the abolished seat's electorate) and Harpenden and Berkhamsted (containing the remaining 45.1%). Afolami attempted to seek re-election in Hitchin, but was defeated by the Labour candidate Alistair Strathern.

Boundaries

1997–2010

2010–2024

Minor gain from North East Hertfordshire due to revision of local authority wards.

Abolition

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed to two new constituencies:

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s