# South Holland and The Deepings (UK Parliament constituency)

South Holland and The Deepings is a constituency in Lincolnshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1997 creation by John Hayes, a Conservative.
At the 2017 general election, the constituency recorded a higher Conservative share of the vote than any constituency since 1970, with 69.9% of voters backing the party. South Holland also delivered the second-highest "Leave" vote in the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union (EU). 73.6% of voters endorsed the UK's withdrawal from the EU, second only to neighbouring Boston. At the 2019 general election, the Conservative majority was 62.7%, the highest of any Conservative in any constituency in any general election since Kensington South in 1955. Hayes took 75.9% of the vote, the third highest for the Conservatives only after Castle Point in Essex and Boston and Skegness.

## Constituency profile

This is a largely rural seat with agriculture, bulb growing and food processing as the main economic activities. Incomes and house prices are below UK averages.

## Boundaries

1997–2010: The District of South Holland, with the wards of Deeping St James, Market Deeping, West Deeping and Truesdale, which are all in the District of South Kesteven.
The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the former seats of Holland with Boston and Stamford and Spalding. It covers the area around Spalding. It corresponds to the local government District of South Holland, but with Market Deeping, Deeping St James and West Deeping added.
2010–present: The District of South Holland, with the District of South Kesteven wards of Deeping St James, and Market & West Deeping.
In minor boundary changes that were put in place for the 2010 general election, parts of the two civil parishes of Baston and Langtoft, forming much of the Truesdale ward, were moved to the neighbouring constituency of Grantham and Stamford. This made Deeping St James, Market Deeping and West Deeping the only South Kesteven civil parishes to stay in the constituency, the remainder comprising South Holland District.
The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.

## History

The last non-Conservative member for the predecessor main seat was Sir Herbert Butcher (served 1937–1966) who for much of that time was in the National Liberal Party set up in 1931.
The member from 1966 until 1997 was Richard Body for the main contributor seat (in later years as MP, knighted), who had previously been an MP during the Eden government and the start of the Macmillan government for Billericay, and later wrote assertive books on agriculture and on the Common Agricultural Policy.
In the 2017 general election, the seat returned the highest vote share for the Conservatives nationally at 69.9%. In the 2019 general election, it was an extremely safe Conservative seat. It had the largest percentage majority, third-largest absolute majority, and third-largest Conservative vote share of any seat held by the party; nationally the seat had the eleventh-largest percentage majority of any constituency.

## Members of Parliament

Holland with Boston and Stamford & Spalding prior to 1997
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1997 | John Hayes | Conservative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: South Holland and the Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 17,462 | 38.0 | −37.9 |
| | Reform UK | Matthew Swainson | 10,606 | 23.1 | N/A |
| | Labour | Paul Hilliar | 9,086 | 19.8 | +6.6 |
| | Independent | Mark Edward Le Sage | 5,031 | 11.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jack Braginton | 1,945 | 4.2 | −2.4 |
| | Green | Rhys Baker | 1,800 | 3.9 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,856 | 14.9 | −47.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,930 | 60.4 | −4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,473 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: South Holland and the Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 37,338 | 75.9 | +6.0 |
| | Labour | Mark Popple | 6,500 | 13.2 | −7.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Davina Kirby | 3,225 | 6.6 | +3.8 |
| | Green | Martin Blake | 1,613 | 3.3 | +1.5 |
| | Independent | Rick Stringer | 503 | 1.0 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 30,838 | 62.7 | +13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,179 | 64.7 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 75,990 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.6 | |
General election 2017: South Holland and the Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 35,179 | 69.9 | +10.3 |
| | Labour | Voyteck Kowalewski | 10,282 | 20.4 | +8.0 |
| | UKIP | Nicola Smith | 2,185 | 4.3 | −17.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julia Cambridge | 1,433 | 2.8 | −0.2 |
| | Green | Daniel Wilshire | 894 | 1.8 | −1.4 |
| | Independent | Rick Stringer | 342 | 0.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,897 | 49.5 | +11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,315 | 65.8 | −1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 76,381 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.2 | |
General election 2015: South Holland and the Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 29,303 | 59.6 | +0.5 |
| | UKIP | David Parsons | 10,736 | 21.8 | +15.3 |
| | Labour | Matthew Mahabadi | 6,122 | 12.4 | −1.6 |
| | Green | Daniel Wilshire | 1,580 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Smid | 1,466 | 3.0 | −12.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,567 | 37.8 | −5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,207 | 63.9 | +1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,015 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −7.9 | |
General election 2010: South Holland and the Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 29,639 | 59.1 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Conroy | 7,759 | 15.5 | +2.6 |
| | Labour | Gareth Gould | 7,024 | 14.0 | −10.5 |
| | UKIP | Richard Fairman | 3,246 | 6.5 | +2.5 |
| | BNP | Roy Harban | 1,796 | 3.6 | New |
| | Green | Ashley Baxter | 724 | 1.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,880 | 43.6 | +11.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,188 | 65.8 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.2 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: South Holland and The Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 27,544 | 57.1 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Linda Woodings | 11,764 | 24.4 | −7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Jarvis | 6,244 | 12.9 | +2.6 |
| | UKIP | Jamie Corney | 1,950 | 4.0 | +1.1 |
| | Independent | Paul Poll | 747 | 1.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,780 | 32.7 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,249 | 60.6 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.4 | |
General election 2001: South Holland and The Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 25,611 | 55.4 | +6.1 |
| | Labour | Graham Walker | 14,512 | 31.4 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Grace Hill | 4,761 | 10.3 | −5.3 |
| | UKIP | Malcolm Charlesworth | 1,318 | 2.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,099 | 24.0 | +8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,202 | 62.1 | −9.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: South Holland and The Deepings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hayes | 24,691 | 49.3 | |
| | Labour | John Lewis | 16,700 | 33.3 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Millen | 7,836 | 15.6 | |
| | Non-party Conservative | Guy Erwood | 902 | 1.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,991 | 16.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,129 | 72.0 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |