# Esher and Walton (UK Parliament constituency)

Esher and Walton (/ˌiːʃər  ...  ˈwɔːltənˌ ˈwɒltən/) is a constituency in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since 2024, it has been represented by Monica Harding of the Liberal Democrats. Prior to this, Dominic Raab of the Conservative Party, who served as deputy prime minister before resigning from that role in April 2023 due to bullying allegations, had served as the MP since 2010.

## Constituency profile

The constituency is in the north of Surrey, in the London commuter belt. The area includes heathland and reservoirs, and the built-up areas of Esher, Walton-on-Thames, Claygate, Molesey, Thames Ditton, and Hinchley Wood, all located within the Borough of Elmbridge. A majority of its housing is on private planned estates. The South West Main Line passes through the middle of the seat, with fast trains to central London. The constituency has low unemployment and has until recently been regarded as one of the Conservative Party's safest seats in the UK. The area of the seat includes the last non-tidal section of the River Thames, wooded Esher Commons, the River Mole and Sandown Park racecourse.

## Boundaries
### Historic

From the constituency's creation in 1997, until 2024, it consisted of the Borough of Elmbridge wards of Claygate, Cobham and Downside, Cobham Fairmile, Esher, Hersham North, Hersham South, Hinchley Wood, Long Ditton, Molesey East, Molesey North, Molesey South, Oxshott and Stoke D'Abernon, Thames Ditton, Walton Ambleside, Walton Central, Walton North, Walton South, Weston Green.

### Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is now composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
* The Borough of Elmbridge wards of Claygate, Esher, Hersham Village, Hinchley Wood & Weston Green, Long Ditton, Molesey East, Molesey West, Oatlands & Burwood Park, Thames Ditton, Walton Central, Walton North, and Walton South.
The electorate was reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring southern areas, including Cobham, to Runnymede and Weybridge, partly offset by moving the village of Oatlands in the opposite direction.

## History

The last time a component of this area voted for an MP who was not Conservative before the 2024 general election was in 1906, when a Liberal MP served the four-year term to 1910 for Chertsey, representing the Walton-on-Thames part of the current seat.
Ian Taylor held the seat from 1997 to 2010, having held the previous Esher seat from 1987. Taylor stood down at the 2010 election, and Dominic Raab was elected as the new Conservative MP for this seat.
In the 2019 general election, 60 seats, including this seat, were written into the Remain Alliance, an agreement between the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru not to vie against one another in those seats. These were parties opposed to Britain's departure from the European Union. In consequence, Laura Harmour, who had been lined up to fight the seat for the Green Party, did not stand. Axel Thill, the candidate selected for the Brexit Party, was one of those withdrawn by party leader Nigel Farage before nominations closed, when Farage decided not to field candidates in Conservative-held seats. This was done to avoid the potential for pro-Remain parties winning seats and holding a People's Vote on Brexit.
The seat, long considered safe for the Conservatives, was heavily targeted by the Liberal Democrats, particularly because the incumbent Conservative, Dominic Raab, had campaigned for a Leave vote in the EU referendum. The constituency itself voted in favour of remaining in the EU and is socially similar to the two Greater London seats it borders, namely Twickenham and Kingston & Surbiton, which are both strongholds for the Lib Dems. This resulted in a large swing to the Liberal Democrats of 18.5%, reducing the seat's majority to make it a marginal for the first time since its creation.
Raab, who had served as deputy prime minister before resigning from that role in April 2023 due to bullying allegations, did not contest the 2024 election and a further swing of 13.8% resulted in the Liberal Democrat candidate Monica Harding winning the seat, becoming the first MP from a party other than the Conservatives to represent any part of the modern constituency since 1906.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1997 | Ian Taylor | Conservative |
| 2010 | Dominic Raab | Conservative |
| 2024 | Monica Harding | Liberal Democrats |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Monica Harding | 28,315 | 52.6 | +8.4 |
| | Conservative | John Cope | 16,312 | 30.3 | −19.2 |
| | Reform UK | Alastair Gray | 4,777 | 8.9 | N/A |
| | Labour | Yoel Gordon | 2,846 | 5.3 | +0.5 |
| | Green | Maciej Pawlik | 1,396 | 2.6 | +2.4 |
| | SDP | Richard Bateson | 234 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,003 | 22.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,880 | 72.8 | −3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.8 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Conservative | 27,819 | 49.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 24,804 | 44.2 |
| | Labour | 2,698 | 4.8 |
| | Others | 725 | 1.3 |
| | Green | 132 | 0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 56,178 | 76.7 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 73,280 |
In 2019, Esher and Walton was one of five English seats (the others being Cheltenham, East Devon, Westmorland and Lonsdale, and Winchester) where the Labour candidate failed to get over 5% votes cast so lost the deposit.
General election 2019: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dominic Raab | 31,132 | 49.4 | −9.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Monica Harding | 28,389 | 45.0 | +27.7 |
| | Labour | Peter Ashurst | 2,838 | 4.5 | −15.2 |
| | Independent | Kylie Keens | 347 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Baron Badger | 326 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| | Advance | Kyle Taylor | 52 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,743 | 4.4 | −34.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 63,084 | 77.7 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −18.5 | |
General election 2017: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dominic Raab | 35,071 | 58.6 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Lana Hylands | 11,773 | 19.7 | +7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Davis | 10,374 | 17.3 | +7.9 |
| | Green | Olivia Palmer | 1,074 | 1.8 | −2.3 |
| | UKIP | David Ions | 1,034 | 1.7 | −8.0 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Baron Badger | 318 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Independent | Della Reynolds | 198 | 0.3 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,298 | 38.9 | −11.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,842 | 73.9 | +2.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.6 | |
General election 2015: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dominic Raab | 35,845 | 62.9 | +4.0 |
| | Labour | Francis Eldergill | 7,229 | 12.7 | +2.0 |
| | UKIP | Nicholas Wood | 5,551 | 9.7 | +6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Davis | 5,372 | 9.4 | −15.4 |
| | Green | Olivia Palmer | 2,355 | 4.1 | N/A |
| | CISTA | Matthew Heenan | 396 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Independent | Della Reynolds | 228 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28,616 | 50.2 | +16.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,976 | 71.3 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 2010: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dominic Raab | 32,134 | 58.9 | +13.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lionel Blackman | 13,541 | 24.8 | −4.8 |
| | Labour | Francis Eldergill | 5,829 | 10.7 | −8.7 |
| | UKIP | Bernard Collignon | 1,783 | 3.3 | 0.0 |
| | Independent | Tony Popham | 378 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Chinners Chinnery | 341 | 0.6 | −0.7 |
| | English Democrat | Mike Kearsley | 307 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Best of a Bad Bunch | Andy Lear | 230 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,593 | 34.1 | +18.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,543 | 72.0 | +9.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.0 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Taylor | 21,882 | 45.7 | −3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Marsh | 14,155 | 29.6 | +7.1 |
| | Labour | Richard C.H. Taylor | 9,309 | 19.4 | −4.2 |
| | UKIP | Bernard Collignon | 1,582 | 3.3 | −1.6 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Chinners Chinnery | 608 | 1.3 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Richard G. Cutler | 342 | 0.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,727 | 16.1 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,878 | 62.2 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.2 | |
General election 2001: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Taylor | 22,296 | 49.0 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Joe McGowan | 10,758 | 23.6 | +0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Marsh | 10,241 | 22.5 | +2.1 |
| | UKIP | Bernard Collignon | 2,236 | 4.9 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,538 | 25.4 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,531 | 61.9 | −12.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.9 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Esher and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Taylor | 26,747 | 49.8 | −10.9 |
| | Labour | Julie A. Reay | 12,219 | 22.8 | +5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary M. Miles | 10,937 | 20.4 | −1.6 |
| | Referendum | Andrew A.C. Cruickshank | 2,904 | 5.4 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Bernard Collignon | 558 | 1.0 | N/A |
| | Rainbow Dream Ticket | Simone Kay | 302 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,528 | 27.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,667 | 74.3 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |