# Gillingham and Rainham (UK Parliament constituency)

Gillingham and Rainham is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Naushabah Khan of the Labour Party. It was previously represented since its 2010 creation by Rehman Chishti of the Conservative Party and replaced the previous constituency of Gillingham.

## Boundaries

2010–2023: The Borough of Medway wards of Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Hempstead and Wigmore, Rainham Central, Rainham North, Rainham South, Twydall and Watling.
2023–present: Further to a local government boundary review which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following wards of the Borough of Medway:
* Gillingham North (nearly all); Gillingham South; Hempstead & Wigmore (nearly all); Rainham North; Rainham South East; Rainham South West; Twydall; Watling.
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020, left the boundaries unchanged.

## Constituency profile

The constituency is generally suburban and centred on Gillingham, historically a small port, which is within the London Commuter Belt. Local retail, industry, business parks, trades and professions provide constituents with a high level of employment, mostly on moderate to middle incomes; however, the area is not wholly resilient to unemployment. Registered claimants who were registered jobseekers were marginally lower than the national average of 3.8% at 3.5% of the population, according to a statistical compilation by The Guardian.
Residents' wealth is around average for the UK, but below average for the South East region. The predecessor constituency of Gillingham was a Labour-Conservative marginal seat though prior to 1997 was a safe Conservative seat. The current constituency had been considered a safe Conservative seat until 2024.

## Members of Parliament

Gillingham prior to 2010
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 2010 | Rehman Chishti | Conservative |
| | 2024 | Naushabah Khan | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Gillingham and Rainham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Naushabah Khan | 15,562 | 37.8 | +9.4 |
| | Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 11,590 | 28.2 | −33.1 |
| | Reform UK | Rizvi Rawoof | 8,792 | 21.4 | N/A |
| | Green | Kate Belmonte | 2,318 | 5.6 | +3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart Bourne | 2,248 | 5.5 | +0.1 |
| | Independent | Peter Cook | 344 | 0.8 | +0.3 |
| | CPA | Roger Peacock | 175 | 0.4 | +0.1 |
| | SDP | Peter Wheeler | 111 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,972 | 9.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,140 | 55.9 | −6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 73,523 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 21.3 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Gillingham and Rainham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 28,173 | 61.3 | +5.9 |
| | Labour | Andy Stamp | 13,054 | 28.4 | –7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Bullion | 2,503 | 5.4 | +2.6 |
| | Green | George Salomon | 1,043 | 2.3 | +1.2 |
| | UKIP | Rob Martin | 837 | 1.8 | –2.5 |
| | Independent | Peter Cook | 229 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | CPA | Roger Peacock | 119 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,119 | 32.9 | +13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,958 | 62.5 | –4.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.8 | |
General election 2017: Gillingham and Rainham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 27,091 | 55.4 | +7.4 |
| | Labour | Andy Stamp | 17,661 | 36.1 | +10.5 |
| | UKIP | Martin Cook | 2,097 | 4.3 | –15.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Chaplin | 1,372 | 2.8 | –0.8 |
| | Green | Clive Gregory | 520 | 1.1 | –1.3 |
| | CPA | Roger Peacock | 127 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,430 | 19.3 | –3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,868 | 66.9 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | –1.5 | |
General election 2015: Gillingham and Rainham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 22,590 | 48.0 | +1.8 |
| | Labour | Paul Clark | 12,060 | 25.6 | –2.1 |
| | UKIP | Mark Hanson | 9,199 | 19.5 | +16.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Chaplin | 1,707 | 3.6 | –14.5 |
| | Green | Neil Williams | 1,133 | 2.4 | +1.6 |
| | TUSC | Jacqui Berry | 273 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Roger Peacock | 72 | 0.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Mike Walters | 44 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,530 | 22.4 | +3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,078 | 64.8 | –1.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election 2010: Gillingham and Rainham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rehman Chishti | 21,624 | 46.2 | +5.5 |
| | Labour | Paul Clark | 12,944 | 27.7 | –13.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Stamp | 8,484 | 18.1 | +2.8 |
| | UKIP | Robert Oakley | 1,515 | 3.2 | +0.6 |
| | BNP | Brian Ravenscroft | 1,149 | 2.5 | N/A |
| | English Democrat | Dean Lacey | 464 | 1.0 | N/A |
| | Green | Trish Marchant | 356 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | Independent | Gordon Bryan | 141 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | Medway Independent Party | George Meegan | 109 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,680 | 18.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,786 | 66.0 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.3 | |
Paul Clark was the incumbent MP for Gillingham.