Boston and Skegness (UK Parliament constituency): Difference between revisions

Boston and Skegness
Boston and Skegness
County constituency; for the House of Commons
	Boundary of Boston and Skegness in Lincolnshire for the 2010 general election
	Location of Lincolnshire within England
County	Lincolnshire
Electorate	70,620 (December 2010)
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Mark Simmonds (Conservative)
Seats	One

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Revision as of 19:16, 28 October 2013

Boston and Skegness is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2001 by Mark Simmonds of the Conservative Party.^{[n 2]}

Boundaries

Boston and Skegness is bordered by the constituencies of Louth and Horncastle to the north, Sleaford and North Hykeham to the west, and South Holland and The Deepings to the south.

The constituency boundaries changed at the 2010 general election, bringing in the two rural wards of Stickey and Croft from Louth and Horncastle.

Constituency profile

Boston, Lincolnshire is a historically important town with a traditional town square with frequent markets and an iconic church spire. Skegness forms the central hub town of coastal villages including holiday villages, the resort has many amusements, long fine beaches, mini-golf/crazy-golf courses and other holiday activities especially during the summer period.

As to year-round economy, a large proportion of the population is employed in agriculture, with a particular emphasis on arable farming and flowers, alternative sectors of manufacturing, food processing, retail and defence are important to the economy's sustenance.^[2]

Immigration is a significant political issue in the constituency as the 2011 Census revealed that Boston is now "home to a higher proportion of eastern European immigrants than anywhere else in England and Wales."^[3] As a result, the Daily Mail columnist Peter Hitchens infamously referred to the town as 'Boston Lincolngrad'.^[4]

History

The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the former seats of Holland with Boston and East Lindsey. Parts of the more rural south were separated from Holland with Boston to create South Holland and The Deepings. The in part predecessor area's veteran MP Richard Body^{[n 3]} held the seat at the 1997 general election with a wafer-thin majority, attributed partially to his own popularity.^{[by whom?]}^{[citation needed]} Since 2005 with majorities of more than 10%, it has arguably been a safe seat for the Conservative Party.

After retiring from Parliament, Body left the Conservatives and joined the UK Independence Party. His membership later lapsed and he joined the English Democrats.^[5] UKIP came third in Boston and Skegness in the 2005 election with one of its strongest showings in the country.

Mark Simmonds had a narrow win in 2001, but in 2005 was re-elected with a substantially increased majority. After his re-election Simmonds was made Shadow Minister for International Development, before being promoted to a Shadow Health Minister in July 2007. Following the 2010 general election, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.^[6] Following the 2012 reshuffle, he was appointed a junior Foreign Office Minister under William Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.^[7]

Members of Parliament

Holland with Boston and East Lindsey prior to 1997

Election		Member^[8]	Party
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1997	Richard Body	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	2001	Mark Simmonds	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Boston and Skegness^[9]^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Simmonds	21,325	49.4	+3.2
	Labour	Paul Kenny	8,899	20.6	−11.1
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Smith	6,371	14.8	+6.1
	UKIP	Christopher Pain^{[n 4]}	4,081	9.5	−0.1
	BNP	David Owens	2,278	5.3	+2.9
	Independent	Peter Wilson	171	0.4	N/A
Majority			12,426	28.8
Turnout			43,125	61.1	+2.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+7.0

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Boston and Skegness
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Simmonds	19,329	46.2	+3.3
	Labour	Paul Kenny	13,422	32.1	−9.5
	UKIP	Richard Horsnell	4,024	9.6	+7.8
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Riley	3,649	8.7	−3.7
	BNP	Wendy Russell	1,025	2.4	N/A
	Green	Marcus Petz	420	1.0	−0.3
Majority			5,907	14.1
Turnout			41,869	58.8	+0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.4

General Election 2001: Boston and Skegness
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Simmonds	17,298	42.9	+0.5
	Labour	Elaine Bird	16,783	41.6	+0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Duncan Moffatt	4,994	12.4	−4.2
	UKIP	Cyril Wakefield	717	1.8	N/A
	Green	Mark Harrison	521	1.3	N/A
Majority			515	1.3
Turnout			40,313	58.4	−10.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.1

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Boston and Skegness
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Body	19,750	42.4	N/A
	Labour	Philip McCauley	19,103	41.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Jim Dodsworth	7,721	16.6	N/A
Majority			647	1.4	N/A
Turnout			46,574	68.9	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Notes and references

Notes

^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
^ Served Holland with Boston in Westminster from 1966 to 1997
^ This was UKIP's second best result of the election after the special case of Buckingham.

References

^ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
^ 2001 Census
^ The, Guardian (11 December 2012). "Census reveals rural town of Boston has most eastern European immigrants". The Guardian. Online. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^ The, Daily Mail (18 September 2011). "Boston Lincolngrad: Peter Hitchens investigates the troubling transformation of a sleepy English town after mass immigration from Eastern Europe". The Daily Mail. Online. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
^ Total, Politics (4 March 2011). "Where are they now? Sir Richard Body". Total Politics. Online. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ Boston, Standard (29 June 2010). "Defra role for Boston MP Mark Simmonds". Boston Standard. Online. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ Boston, Standard (6 September 2012). "UPDATE: Foreign Office reveals Boston MP's responsibilities after reshuffle appointment". Boston Standard. Online. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 4)
^ "General Election candidates". Boston and Skegness General Election 2010. Boston Borough Council. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
^ "UK > England > East Midlands > Boston & Skegness". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.

53°00′N 0°01′E / 53.00°N 0.02°E / 53.00; 0.02

[2] A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)

[3] As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

[7] Served Holland with Boston in Westminster from 1966 to 1997

[14] This was UKIP's second best result of the election after the special case of Buckingham.

[1] "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.

[4] 2001 Census

[5] The, Guardian (11 December 2012). "Census reveals rural town of Boston has most eastern European immigrants". The Guardian. Online. Retrieved 30 May 2013.

[6] The, Daily Mail (18 September 2011). "Boston Lincolngrad: Peter Hitchens investigates the troubling transformation of a sleepy English town after mass immigration from Eastern Europe". The Daily Mail. Online. Retrieved 30 May 2013.

[8] Total, Politics (4 March 2011). "Where are they now? Sir Richard Body". Total Politics. Online. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[9] Boston, Standard (29 June 2010). "Defra role for Boston MP Mark Simmonds". Boston Standard. Online. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[10] Boston, Standard (6 September 2012). "UPDATE: Foreign Office reveals Boston MP's responsibilities after reshuffle appointment". Boston Standard. Online. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[rayment-11] Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 4)

[12] "General Election candidates". Boston and Skegness General Election 2010. Boston Borough Council. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2011.

[13] "UK > England > East Midlands > Boston & Skegness". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.

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@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 [[Mark Simmonds]] had a narrow win [[United Kingdom general election, 2001|in 2001]], but in 2005 was re-elected with a substantially increased majority. After his re-election Simmonds was made Shadow Minister for International Development, before being promoted to a Shadow Health Minister in July 2007. Following the [[United Kingdom general election, 2010|2010 general election]], he became [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to [[Caroline Spelman]], [[Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/local/defra-role-for-boston-mp-mark-simmonds-1-1117143| work=Boston Standard| location=Online | title=Defra role for Boston MP Mark Simmonds | first=Standard | last=Boston | date=29 June 2010 | accessdate=13 May 2013}}</ref> Following the 2012 reshuffle, he was appointed a junior Foreign Office Minister under [[William Hague]], [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/local/update-foreign-office-reveals-boston-mp-s-responsibilities-after-reshuffle-appointment-1-4225660| work=Boston Standard| location=Online | title=UPDATE: Foreign Office reveals Boston MP’s responsibilities after reshuffle appointment | first=Standard | last=Boston | date=6 September 2012 | accessdate=13 May 2013}}</ref>
-During the [[Lincolnshire County Council election, 2013|2013 Lincolnshire County Council elections]], UKIP achieved one of their best results in Boston and Skegness, winning nearly all of the county council seats that come within the constituency.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/10037822/Why-did-voters-turn-to-Ukip-in-parts-of-true-blue-Lincolnshire.html| work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=Why did voters turn to Ukip in parts of true blue Lincolnshire?| first=Rowena | last=Mason | date=4 May 2013 | accessdate=13 May 2013}}</ref> This was one of only a few constituencies in England where UKIP received more votes than the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]], which [[Survation]] estimate would lead to a UKIP majority of 11.18% if a similar result took place at a general election.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://survation.com/2013/05/ukip-won-in-8-westminster-constituencies-last-thursday/| work=Survation | location=Online | title=Local Election Analysis: UKIP "won" in 10 Westminster Constituencies| first=Patrick Brione| last=Damian Lyons Lowe and| date=12 May 2013 | accessdate=31 May 2013}}</ref> This lead to speculation that UKIP party leader [[Nigel Farage]] may stand as a candidate in the constituency during the [[next United Kingdom general election]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/05/where-will-nigel-farage-stand-2015| work=The New Statesman| location=London | title=Where will Nigel Farage stand in 2015?| first=Eaton | last=George | date=7 May 2013 | accessdate=13 May 2013}}</ref> In response, the sitting MP [[Mark Simmonds]] said "I would be delighted if Nigel chose to fight Boston and Skegness, because it would be a real opportunity for some of the challenges we face here to be put into the national domain."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22489993| work=BBC News| location=Online | title=Tory MP Mark Simmonds would welcome Farage contest| first=News| last=BBC | date=13 May 2013 | accessdate=13 May 2013}}</ref> Nigel Farage has since stated that it is "more likely" he will stand in Kent rather than Lincolnshire if he decides to fight a seat in May 2015.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://nigelfaragemep.co.uk/pages/posts/farage-more-likely-to-stand-in-kent-in-2015-279.php| work=Nigel Farage MEP| location=Online | title=Ukip's Nigel Farage: I might stand in Kent| first=Farage MEP| last=Nigel | date=25 August 2013 | accessdate=13 September 2013}}</ref>
-Chris Pain, who previously stood as UKIP's candidate at the last election has insisted that he will stand again for the party in the seat.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-22495553| work=BBC News| location=Online | title=Lincolnshire UKIP group leader Chris Pain confident of becoming MP| first=News | last=BBC | date=11 May 2013 | accessdate=13 May 2013}}</ref> He has recently been investigated by Lincolnshire Police for alleged racist comments posted on his Facebook page. He stood down from his role as UKIP's East Midlands regional chairman whilst the investigation took place. The police have since decided not to take any further action, citing a lack of sufficient evidence. Since this incident, Mr Pain has been suspended from UKIP and removed as the party's leader on Lincolnshire County Council owing to a dispute with the party's national chairman, Steve Crowther. He has since formed a breakaway group on the council which sit separately from the main UKIP group.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2013/09/timeline-the-rise-and-troubles-of-lincolnshire-ukip/| work=the Lincolnite| location=Online | title=Timeline: The rise and troubles of Lincolnshire UKIP| first=Lincolnite | last=The | date=13 September 2013 | accessdate=13 September 2013}}</ref>
 == Members of Parliament ==

v t e Constituencies in the East Midlands (47)
Labour (29)	Amber Valley Bassetlaw Bolsover Broxtowe Chesterfield Corby and East Northamptonshire Derby North Derby South Derbyshire Dales Erewash Gedling High Peak Kettering Leicester West Lincoln Loughborough Mansfield Mid Derbyshire North East Derbyshire North West Leicestershire Northampton North Northampton South Nottingham East Nottingham North and Kimberley Nottingham South Rushcliffe Sherwood Forest South Derbyshire Wellingborough and Rushden
Conservative (15)	Daventry Gainsborough Grantham and Bourne Harborough, Oadby and Wigston Hinckley and Bosworth Leicester East Louth and Horncastle Melton and Syston Mid Leicestershire Newark Rutland and Stamford Sleaford and North Hykeham South Holland and The Deepings South Leicestershire South Northamptonshire
Reform UK (2)	Ashfield Boston and Skegness
Independent (1)	Leicester South