# Oxford West and Abingdon (UK Parliament constituency)

Oxford West and Abingdon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat.

## Constituency profile

The constituency includes the town of Abingdon, and the central, western and northern parts of the city of Oxford, including most of the colleges of the University of Oxford as well as the villages of Kennington, Cumnor and Hinksey. At the end of 2010, unemployment was the fifth lowest of the 84 South East constituencies, at 1.2% compared to a mean of 2.45%. The area has rapid transit connections to London, Reading and the commercial heart of Oxford, has large business and research parks and a choice of two major railway stations, Oxford and Didcot Parkway.

## History
### Creation

The seat was created in 1983 as part of the reconfiguration of those in the county to avoid malapportionment, abolishing Oxford as a seat. It merged about half the city with the eastern portion of the former Abingdon seat.

### MPs

Conservative John Patten (MP for Oxford in the 1979–1983 Parliament), held the seat from its creation until he retired in 1997. The seat was gained by Liberal Democrat, Evan Harris, who held the seat for thirteen years until the 2010 general election, when the Conservative Nicola Blackwood retook the seat in one of the most marginal results of that election. Blackwood held the seat until the 2017 general election, when she was defeated by Liberal Democrat Layla Moran in another marginal result. Moran retained the seat at the 2019 general election with a much increased majority of 15.2%.

### Contests

The seat has been contested nine times, each of them general elections. At each contest, the Labour party candidate has polled third, with the peak share of votes to date being 20.2% in 1997. The strongest victory, in share of the vote, was that of Harris of the Liberal Democrats in 2001, a 17.8% majority (in a seven-way contest).
The Green Party and its predecessor, the Ecology Party, stood in the first eight contests, in each losing the deposit paid.
In December 2023, the Labour Party included the seat in its published list of 211 non-battleground seats, suggesting they did not see it as winnable.

## Boundaries and boundary changes
### 1983–1997

* The District of Vale of White Horse wards of Abbey, Caldecott, Cumnor, Fitzharris, Hinksey, Kennington, Northcourt, Ock, Radley, St Helen Without, and Sunningwell and Wootton; and
* The City of Oxford wards of Central, Cherwell, North, South, West, and Wolvercote.
The majority of the new constituency, comprising the town of Abingdon-on-Thames and areas to the west of Oxford, was previously part of the abolished constituency of Abingdon in Berkshire. The City of Oxford wards had previously been in the abolished constituency of Oxford.

### 1997–2010

* The District of Vale of White Horse wards of Abbey, Caldecott, Cumnor, Fitzharris, Hinksey, Kennington, Northcourt, Ock, Radley, St Helen Without, and Sunningwell and Wootton;
* The City of Oxford wards of Central, Cherwell, North, West, and Wolvercote; and
* The District of Cherwell wards of Gosford, North West Kidlington, and South East Kidlington.
Kidlington was transferred from Witney. The South ward of the City of Oxford was transferred to Oxford East.

### 2010–2024

* The District of Vale of White Horse wards of Abingdon Abbey and Barton, Abingdon Caldecott, Abingdon Dunmore, Abingdon Fitzharris, Abingdon Northcourt, Abingdon Ock Meadow, Abingdon Peachcroft, Appleton and Cumnor, Kennington and South Hinksey, North Hinksey and Wytham, Radley, and Sunningwell and Wootton;
* The City of Oxford wards of Jericho and Osney, North, St Margaret's, Summertown, and Wolvercote; and
* The District of Cherwell wards of Kidlington North, Kidlington South, and Yarnton, Gosford and Water Eaton.
Further loss to Oxford East, including the city centre, following revision of City of Oxford wards; marginal realignment of boundary with Wantage; Yarnton transferred from Witney.

### 2024–present

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
* The City of Oxford wards of: Carfax & Jericho; Cutteslowe & Sunnymead; Holywell; Osney & St. Thomas; Summertown; Walton Manor; Wolvercote.
* The District of Vale of White Horse wards of: Abingdon Abbey Northcourt; Abingdon Caldecott; Abingdon Dunmore; Abingdon Fitzharris; Abingdon Peachcroft; Botley & Sunningwell; Cumnor; Kennington & Radley; Marcham; Wootton.
The electorate was reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring Kidlington to the newly created constituency of Bicester and Woodstock. To partly compensate, Oxford city centre and University colleges were moved back in from Oxford East. In addition, the village of Marcham was transferred from Wantage.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 198319871992 | John Patten | Conservative |
| 199720012005 | Evan Harris | Liberal Democrats |
| 20102015 | Nicola Blackwood | Conservative |
| 201720192024 | Layla Moran | Liberal Democrats |

## Elections

* Election results for Oxford West and Abingdon

### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Layla Moran | 23,414 | 50.9 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative | Vinay Raniga | 8,520 | 18.5 | −15.6 |
| | Labour | Stephen Webb | 5,981 | 13.0 | +1.2 |
| | Reform UK | James Gunn | 4,164 | 9.1 | +7.6 |
| | Green | Chris Goodall | 3,236 | 7.0 | +6.5 |
| | SDP | Anni Byard | 259 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | CPA | Ian Shelley | 256 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Josh Phillips | 168 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,894 | 32.4 | +14.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,998 | 64.5 | –9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 71,318 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 7.2 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | 27,616 | 52.2 |
| | Conservative | 18,039 | 34.1 |
| | Labour | 6,242 | 11.8 |
| | Brexit Party | 769 | 1.5 |
| | Green | 249 | 0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 52,915 | 73.5 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 72,004 |
General election 2019: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Layla Moran | 31,340 | 53.3 | +9.6 |
| | Conservative | James Fredrickson | 22,397 | 38.1 | –4.3 |
| | Labour | Rosie Sourbut | 4,258 | 7.2 | –5.4 |
| | Brexit Party | Allison Wild | 829 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,943 | 15.2 | +13.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,824 | 76.4 | –3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +6.9 | |
General election 2017: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Layla Moran | 26,256 | 43.7 | +14.8 |
| | Conservative | Nicola Blackwood | 25,440 | 42.4 | –3.3 |
| | Labour | Marie Tidball | 7,573 | 12.6 | –0.1 |
| | UKIP | Alan Harris | 751 | 1.3 | –5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 816 | 1.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,020 | 79.6 | +4.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.1 | |
General election 2015: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Nicola Blackwood | 26,153 | 45.7 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Layla Moran | 16,571 | 28.9 | –13.1 |
| | Labour | Sally Copley | 7,274 | 12.7 | +2.1 |
| | UKIP | Alan Harris | 3,963 | 6.9 | +4.2 |
| | Green | Larry Sanders | 2,497 | 4.4 | +2.3 |
| | NHA | Helen Salisbury | 723 | 1.3 | N/A |
| | Socialist (GB) | Mike Foster | 66 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,582 | 16.7 | +16.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,247 | 75.2 | +5.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.2 | |
General election 2010: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Nicola Blackwood | 23,906 | 42.3 | +9.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Evan Harris | 23,730 | 42.0 | –4.1 |
| | Labour | Richard Stevens | 5,999 | 10.6 | –5.2 |
| | UKIP | Paul Williams | 1,518 | 2.7 | +1.2 |
| | Green | Chris Goodall | 1,184 | 2.1 | –1.7 |
| | Animal Protection | Keith Mann | 143 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 176 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,480 | 70.2 | +3.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +6.9 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Evan Harris | 24,336 | 46.3 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative | Amanda McLean | 16,653 | 31.7 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Antonia Bance | 8,725 | 16.6 | −1.1 |
| | Green | Tom Lines | 2,091 | 4.0 | +1.2 |
| | UKIP | Marcus Watney | 795 | 1.5 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,683 | 14.6 | −3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,600 | 65.6 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −1.6 | |
General election 2001: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Evan Harris | 24,670 | 47.8 | +4.9 |
| | Conservative | Ed Matts | 15,485 | 30.0 | −2.7 |
| | Labour | Gillian Kirk | 9,114 | 17.7 | −2.5 |
| | Green | Mike Woodin | 1,423 | 2.8 | +1.7 |
| | UKIP | Marcus Watney | 451 | 0.9 | +0.5 |
| | Independent | Sigrid Shreeve | 332 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Extinction Club | Robert Twigger | 93 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,185 | 17.8 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,568 | 64.5 | −13.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +3.8 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Evan Harris | 26,268 | 42.9 | +7.1 |
| | Conservative | Laurence Harris | 19,983 | 32.7 | −13.6 |
| | Labour | Susan Brown | 12,361 | 20.2 | +4.1 |
| | Referendum | Gillian Eustace | 1,258 | 2.1 | N/A |
| | Green | Mike Woodin | 691 | 1.1 | −0.1 |
| | UKIP | Rodney Buckton | 258 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | ProLife Alliance | Linda Hodge | 238 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Anne Wilson | 91 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| | Local Government | John Rose | 48 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,285 | 10.2 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,196 | 78.0 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +10.4 | |
General election 1992: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Patten | 25,163 | 45.4 | −1.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Goodhart | 21,624 | 39.0 | +1.6 |
| | Labour | Bruce Kent | 7,652 | 13.8 | −1.1 |
| | Green | Mike Woodin | 660 | 1.2 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal | Roger Jenking | 194 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | Anti-Federalist League | Susan Nelson | 98 | 0.2 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Geoffrey Wells | 75 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,539 | 6.4 | −2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,466 | 76.7 | −1.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.3 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Patten | 25,171 | 46.4 | −1.3 |
| | SDP | Chris Huhne | 20,293 | 37.4 | +4.1 |
| | Labour | John Power | 8,108 | 14.9 | −2.0 |
| | Green | Donald Smith | 695 | 1.3 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,878 | 9.0 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,267 | 78.4 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.7 | |
General election 1983: Oxford West and Abingdon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Patten | 23,778 | 47.7 | |
| | SDP | Evan Luard | 16,627 | 33.3 | |
| | Labour | Julian Jacottet | 8,440 | 16.9 | |
| | Ecology | Suzette Starmer | 544 | 1.1 | |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Robert Jones | 267 | 0.5 | |
| | Independent | Christopher Smith | 95 | 0.2 | |
| | Independent | Peter Doubleday | 86 | 0.2 | |
| | Independent | Ruth Pinder | 26 | 0.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,151 | 14.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,863 | 74.0 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

## Neighbouring constituencies

vteConstituencies bordering Oxford West and Abingdon :
Bicester and Woodstock
Witney
Oxford West and Abingdon
Oxford East
Didcot and Wantage
Didcot and Wantage :