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 from its creation in 1918 to the 2024 general election.
From 1974 to 2010 (inclusive) Liberal Democrats (or predecessor, Liberals) polled second. In 2015 and 2017 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.[3] 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.[4]
In the 2017 general election, Leo Docherty won the seat after Howarth retired. The seat saw a further increase in the Labour vote, like some of the South East, amid its national rise to 34% of the vote, the highest since 2017 when the party was in opposition.
Boundaries
Map of boundaries 2010-2024
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.[n 3]
The District of Hart wards of: Blackwater and Hawley; Yateley East.
The Borough of Rushmoor.[5]
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.[n 4]
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. At that election, Conservative MP Leo 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.
^A borough 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.
^Wards were in the interim period reformed as their primary purpose is that of local government, see wards of the United Kingdom
^"Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
^"Conservative Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 1)
^"STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED, NOTICE OF POLL AND SITUATION OF POLLING STATIONS" (PDF). 7 June 2024.
^"Aldershot - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
^"Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
^"Aldershot parliamentary constituency - Election 2019" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
^"UK Parliamentary election - Aldershot Constituency". Rushmoor Borough Council. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
^"Aldershot - 2017 Election Results - General Elections Online". electionresults.parliament.uk.
^"General Election 2017 – Candidate List – (A – M)". labour.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
^"General Election 2017-Candidate List". libdems.org.uk. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
^"UKIP Farnborough and Aldershot: Candidate for General Election". 2 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Aldershot". Politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results: June 1987". Politicsresources.net. 11 June 1987. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results: June 1983". Politicsresources.net. 9 June 1983. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results: 1979". Politicsresources.net. 3 May 1979. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results: October 1974". Politicsresources.net. 10 October 1974. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results: February 1974". Politicsresources.net. 28 February 1974. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results 1970". Politicsresources.net. 18 June 1970. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results 1966". Politicsresources.net. 31 March 1966. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results 1964". Politicsresources.net. 15 October 1964. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results 1959". Politicsresources.net. 8 October 1959. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results 1955". Politicsresources.net. 26 May 1955. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"1954 By Elections". 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009.
^"UK General Election results 1951". Politicsresources.net. 25 October 1951. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results 1950". Politicsresources.net. 23 February 1950. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
^"UK General Election results 1945". Politicsresources.net. 5 July 1945. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.