# North Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)

North Thanet was a constituency in Kent. It was represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1983 creation until abolition by Sir Roger Gale, a Conservative.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. Subject to moderate boundary changes, it will be reformed as Herne Bay and Sandwich, to be first contested in the 2024 general election.

## History

North Thanet and South Thanet were created by a rearrangement of the former Thanet West and Thanet East constituencies in 1983, which in turn had been created in 1974 by the splitting of the single Isle of Thanet seat. Apart from 1997, when it was marginal, the seat has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party.
The third-placed opponent in the 1983 election, for Labour, was Cherie Blair whose husband Tony Blair, was Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007. He entered Parliament that same year, representing Sedgefield: the couple are said to have had a pact that whichever one of them became an MP first would be the one to pursue that career, and not the other. Cherie thus continued with her legal career whilst Tony was an MP.

## Constituency profile

Tourism forms an important economic activity with sandy beaches, particularly at Margate: among the main attractions, the seat has a small amount of fishing relative to the 19th century or major ports of North East and Scotland. It also has a slightly higher proportion of retired people than the national average and incomes tending to be clustered towards the national mean. Economic developments have included the Thanet Offshore Wind Project, as well as commercial, recreational and tourism activities. Manston Airport is now closed but is subject to competing development plans, including reopening the airport for freight terminal or alternatively as a mixed development business park. In unemployment terms the claimant count was third highest of the South East's 84 constituencies at the end of 2010.

## Boundaries

1983–2010: The District of Thanet wards of Birchington East, Birchington West, Cecil, Cliftonville, Dane Park, Ethelbert, Margate West, Marine, Northdown Park, Pier, Salmestone, Thanet Parishes, and Westgate-on-Sea, and the City of Canterbury wards of Herne, Heron, Reculver, and West Bay.
2010–2024: The District of Thanet wards of Birchington North, Birchington South, Dane Valley, Garlinge, Margate Central, Salmestone, Thanet Villages, Westbrook, and Westgate-on-Sea, and the City of Canterbury wards of Greenhill and Eddington, Herne and Broomfield, Heron, Marshside, Reculver, and West Bay.
North Thanet contained the northern and western parts of Thanet District (most of Margate, apart from the Cliftonville area), Westgate-on-Sea, Birchington-on-Sea, and several villages including Acol, St Nicholas-at-Wade, Minster, Manston, Monkton and Sarre) as well as the town of Herne Bay in the City of Canterbury district.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1983 | Sir Roger Gale | Conservative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 30,066 | 62.4 | +6.2 |
| | Labour | Coral Jones | 12,877 | 26.7 | −7.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Angie Curwen | 3,439 | 7.1 | +3.8 |
| | Green | Robert Edwards | 1,796 | 3.7 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,189 | 35.7 | +13.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,178 | 66.2 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.8 | |
General election 2017: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 27,163 | 56.2 | +7.2 |
| | Labour | Frances Rehal | 16,425 | 34.0 | +16.1 |
| | UKIP | Clive Egan | 2,198 | 4.5 | −21.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martyn Pennington | 1,586 | 3.3 | −0.2 |
| | Green | Ed Targett | 825 | 1.7 | −2.0 |
| | CPA | Iris White | 128 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,738 | 22.2 | −1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,325 | 66.6 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −4.5 | |
General election 2015: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 23,045 | 49.0 | −3.7 |
| | UKIP | Piers Wauchope | 12,097 | 25.7 | +19.2 |
| | Labour | Frances Rehal | 8,411 | 17.9 | −3.6 |
| | Green | Edward Targett | 1,719 | 3.7 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Cunningham | 1,645 | 3.5 | −15.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,948 | 23.3 | −8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,053 | 70.1 | +6.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.7 | |
General election 2010: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 22,826 | 52.7 | +4.7 |
| | Labour | Michael Britton | 9,298 | 21.5 | −11.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Laura Murphy | 8,400 | 19.4 | +3.8 |
| | UKIP | Rosamund Parker | 2,819 | 6.5 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,528 | 31.2 | +15.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,343 | 63.2 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.9 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 21,699 | 49.6 | −0.7 |
| | Labour | Iris Johnston | 14,065 | 32.2 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Barnard | 6,279 | 14.4 | +3.4 |
| | UKIP | Timothy Stocks | 1,689 | 3.9 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,634 | 17.4 | +1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,732 | 60.1 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.8 | |
General election 2001: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 21,050 | 50.3 | +6.2 |
| | Labour | James Laing | 14,400 | 34.4 | −4.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Seth Proctor | 4,603 | 11.0 | −0.4 |
| | UKIP | John Moore | 980 | 2.3 | +1.4 |
| | Independent | David Shortt | 440 | 1.1 | New |
| | National Front | Tom Holmes | 395 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,650 | 15.9 | +10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,868 | 59.0 | −9.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 21,586 | 44.1 | −13.1 |
| | Labour | Iris Johnston | 18,820 | 38.4 | +14.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Kendrick | 5,576 | 11.4 | −6.3 |
| | Referendum | Marcus Chambers | 2,535 | 5.2 | New |
| | UKIP | Jean Haines | 438 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,766 | 5.7 | −28.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,955 | 68.8 | −7.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −14.0 | |
General election 1992: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 30,867 | 57.2 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Alan Bretman | 12,657 | 23.5 | +6.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joanna Phillips | 9,563 | 17.7 | −5.6 |
| | Green | Hazel Dawe | 873 | 1.6 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,210 | 33.7 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,960 | 76.0 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.8 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 29,225 | 58.0 | −0.4 |
| | SDP | Nicholas Cranston | 11,745 | 23.3 | −3.4 |
| | Labour | Alan Bretman | 8,395 | 16.7 | +2.6 |
| | Green | David Condor | 996 | 2.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,480 | 34.7 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,361 | 72.2 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: North Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Gale | 26,801 | 58.4 | |
| | SDP | William MacMillan | 12,256 | 26.7 | |
| | Labour | Cherie Blair | 6,482 | 14.1 | |
| | BNP | Brian Dobing | 324 | 0.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,051 | 31.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,863 | 70.0 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |