# Thurrock (UK Parliament constituency)

Thurrock is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jen Craft of the Labour Party.

## Constituency profile

This industrial Essex seat, east of London, includes the towns of Grays, Tilbury and Purfleet, and 18 miles of the north bank of the Thames.
Historically known for quarrying and heavy industry, it is now a retail destination thanks to the Lakeside Shopping Centre. Retail and distribution are big employers, while Tilbury Power Station has closed and Coryton oil refinery is being redeveloped as a business park. Tilbury is also London's major port, handling millions of tonnes of cargo a year and is a major cruise ship terminal.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 4.8% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian. The regional average for the Eastern England region was considerably lower, at 3.2% of the population.

## History
### History of boundaries

The seat was created from South East Essex as a result of the interim redistribution carried out for the 1945 general election. It remained unchanged until the redistribution following the reorganisation of local authorities under the Local Government Act 1972 (not coming into force until the 1983 general election), when it lost northern parts to the new constituency of Billericay. There was a small change for the 2010 general election, when East Tilbury was included in the new constituency of South Basildon and East Thurrock.

### History of results

Thurrock was for 38 years from its creation in 1945 a large-majority Labour seat in parliamentary elections. The post-Falklands War election in 1983 gave a majority of less than 4% of the vote to a recently-split Labour Party (the breakaway faction, the SDP, came third). A Conservative gained Thurrock in 1987 with a small majority. In 1992, it was regained by a Labour candidate, Andrew MacKinlay. During his tenure as MP, MacKinlay was criticised for his questioning technique used on weapons expert Dr. David Kelly.
In the 2010 general election, a Conservative gained the seat, with Jackie Doyle-Price being elected as the MP on a majority of 92 votes, the third most marginal in that election. The 2015 result gave the seat the 8th most marginal majority of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority. In that 2015 election fewer than 1,000 votes separated the top three parties: Conservative, Labour and UKIP. The seat has had bellwether outcome status since 1997.
In 2017, the seat was number 1 on UKIP's 2017 target list, the party only needing a 0.98% swing to win the seat from third place if the previous result were repeated. The constituency was also at number 7 on Labour's target list, with a 0.54% swing needed for their candidate to win the seat. In the event, the swing to Labour was around 0.2% and Doyle-Price held the seat by a mere 345 votes, making it the 26th-closest nationally (of 650 seats). This was also the third consecutive occasion that Thurrock had been held or won very narrowly. At the 2019 general election, The Conservatives were boosted by the Brexit Party having no candidate in the seat, with Doyle-Price's vote share increased by 19.1%, the largest increase in vote share achieved by any Conservative candidate in the United Kingdom at that election, and her majority rose to 11,482 votes.
At the 2024 general election, the seat was gained by Labour's Jen Craft by a comfortable majority of over 17%, with the incumbent Conservative Doyle-Price placing third behind Reform UK.

### Prominent frontbenchers

Dr Oonagh McDonald was Opposition Spokesman on Defence from 1981 to 1983, and then Opposition Spokesman on Treasury and Economic Affairs from 1983 to 1987.

## Boundaries and boundary changes
### 1945–1983

* The Urban District of Thurrock.
The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944 set up Boundaries Commissions to carry out periodic reviews of the distribution of parliamentary constituencies. It also authorised an initial review to subdivide abnormally large constituencies in time for the 1945 election. This was implemented by the Redistribution of Seats Order 1945 under which South East Essex was divided into two constituencies. As a consequence, the new Thurrock Division of Essex was formed, comprising the Urban District of Thurrock (created largely from amalgamating the Urban Districts of Grays Thurrock and Tilbury and the Rural District of Orsett).

### 1983–2010

* The Borough of Thurrock wards of Aveley, Belhus, Chadwell St Mary, East Tilbury, Grays Thurrock North, Grays Thurrock Town, Little Thurrock, Ockendon, Stifford, Tilbury, and West Thurrock.
Northern areas transferred to the re-established constituency of Billericay.

### 2010–2024

* The Borough of Thurrock wards of Aveley and Uplands, Belhus, Chadwell St Mary, Chafford and North Stifford, Grays Riverside, Grays Thurrock, Little Thurrock Blackshots, Little Thurrock Rectory, Ockendon, South Chafford, Stifford Clays, Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park, Tilbury St Chads, West Thurrock, and South Stifford.
Following a redistribution of local authority wards, East Tilbury was transferred to the new constituency of South Basildon and East Thurrock.

### Current

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency was reduced to meet the electorate size requirements, with the transfer to South Basildon and East Thurrock of the Chadwell St Mary ward.

## Members of Parliament

South East Essex prior to 1945
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1945 | Leslie Solley | Labour |
| 1949 | Leslie Solley | Labour Independent Group |
| 1950 | Hugh Delargy | Labour |
| 1976 by-election | Oonagh McDonald | Labour |
| 1987 | Tim Janman | Conservative |
| 1992 | Andrew MacKinlay | Labour |
| 2010 | Jackie Doyle-Price | Conservative |
| 2024 | Jen Craft | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jen Craft | 16,050 | 42.7 | +9.8 |
| | Reform UK | Sophie Preston-Hall | 9,576 | 25.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Jackie Doyle-Price | 8,009 | 21.3 | −38.6 |
| | Green | Eugene McCarthy | 1,632 | 4.4 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Bukola | 1,157 | 3.1 | ±0.0 |
| | Workers Party | Yousaff Khan | 691 | 1.8 | N/A |
| | Independent | Raj Nimal | 443 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,474 | 17.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,675 | 51.8 | −8.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jackie Doyle-Price | 27,795 | 58.6 | +19.1 |
| | Labour | John Kent | 16,313 | 34.4 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stewart Stone | 1,510 | 3.2 | +1.6 |
| | Independent | James Woollard | 1,042 | 2.2 | N/A |
| | Green | Ben Harvey | 807 | 1.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,482 | 24.2 | +23.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,467 | 59.6 | −4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 79,655 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +11.8 | |
General election 2017: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jackie Doyle-Price | 19,880 | 39.5 | +5.8 |
| | Labour | John Kent | 19,535 | 38.8 | +6.2 |
| | UKIP | Tim Aker | 10,112 | 20.1 | −11.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kevin McNamara | 798 | 1.6 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 345 | 0.7 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,325 | 64.4 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.2 | |
General election 2015: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jackie Doyle-Price | 16,692 | 33.7 | −3.1 |
| | Labour | Polly Billington | 16,156 | 32.6 | −4.0 |
| | UKIP | Tim Aker | 15,718 | 31.7 | +24.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rhodri Jamieson-Ball | 644 | 1.3 | −9.4 |
| | CISTA | Jamie Barnes | 244 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Independent | Daniel Munyambu | 79 | 0.2 | N/A |
| | All People's Party | Aba Kristilolu | 31 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 536 | 1.1 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,564 | 63.9 | +4.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
General election 2010: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jackie Doyle-Price | 16,869 | 36.8 | +3.6 |
| | Labour | Carl Morris | 16,777 | 36.6 | −9.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carys Davis | 4,901 | 10.7 | −0.4 |
| | BNP | Emma Colgate | 3,618 | 7.9 | +2.1 |
| | UKIP | Clive Broad | 3,390 | 7.4 | +4.0 |
| | CPA | Arinola Araba | 267 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 92 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,822 | 59.1 | +4.2 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +6.6 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew MacKinlay | 20,636 | 47.2 | −9.3 |
| | Conservative | Garry Hague | 14,261 | 32.6 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Earnshaw Palmer | 4,770 | 10.9 | +0.6 |
| | BNP | Nick Geri | 2,526 | 5.8 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Carol Jackson | 1,499 | 3.4 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,375 | 14.6 | −11.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,692 | 54.9 | +5.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −6.1 | |
General election 2001: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew MacKinlay | 21,121 | 56.5 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative | Mike Penning | 11,124 | 29.8 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Lathan | 3,846 | 10.3 | +2.2 |
| | UKIP | Christopher Sheppard | 1,271 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,997 | 26.7 | −9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,362 | 49.0 | −16.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew MacKinlay | 29,896 | 63.3 | +17.4 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Rosindell | 12,640 | 26.8 | −16.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joe White | 3,843 | 8.1 | −1.4 |
| | UKIP | Peter Compobassi | 833 | 1.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,256 | 36.5 | +34.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,212 | 65.6 | −12.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +17.2 | |
General election 1992: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew MacKinlay | 24,791 | 45.9 | +4.9 |
| | Conservative | Tim Janman | 23,619 | 43.7 | +1.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan J. Banton | 5,145 | 9.5 | −7.0 |
| | Pensioners' Party | Charles Rogers | 391 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Anti-Federalist League | Peter Compobassi | 117 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,172 | 2.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,063 | 78.1 | +6.6 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.8 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Tim Janman | 20,527 | 42.5 | +7.1 |
| | Labour | Oonagh McDonald | 19,837 | 41.0 | +1.8 |
| | SDP | Donald Benson | 7,970 | 16.5 | −5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 690 | 1.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,334 | 71.5 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Oonagh McDonald | 17,600 | 39.2 | −9.3 |
| | Conservative | Julie Tallon | 15,878 | 35.4 | −3.8 |
| | SDP | Donald Benson | 9,761 | 21.7 | N/A |
| | Independent | M Bibby | 1,200 | 2.7 | N/A |
| | BNP | R Sinclair | 252 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Communist | J Paul | 199 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,722 | 3.8 | −5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,891 | 67.7 | −7.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.2 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Oonagh McDonald | 33,449 | 48.55 | |
| | Conservative | Tony Baldry | 27,030 | 39.24 | |
| | Liberal | M Crowson | 6,445 | 9.36 | |
| | National Front | E Burdett | 1,358 | 1.97 | N/A |
| | Independent | B Chattaway | 365 | 0.53 | N/A |
| | Workers Revolutionary | M Daly | 242 | 0.35 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,419 | 9.31 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 68,884 | 75.11 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1976 by-election: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Oonagh McDonald | 22,191 | 45.27 | −10.30 |
| | Conservative | Percy Lomax | 17,352 | 35.39 | +10.95 |
| | Liberal | Anthony Charlton | 5,977 | 12.19 | −7.80 |
| | National Front | John Roberts | 3,255 | 6.64 | N/A |
| | English National | Frank Hansford-Miller | 187 | 0.38 | N/A |
| | World Grid Sunshine Room Party | Peter Bishop | 72 | 0.15 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,839 | 9.88 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,034 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 34,066 | 55.57 |
| | Conservative | P Lomax | 14,986 | 24.44 |
| | Liberal | A Charlton | 12,255 | 19.99 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,080 | 31.13 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,307 | 68.54 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election February 1974: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 36,217 | 52.15 |
| | Conservative | Graham Bright | 17,699 | 25.48 |
| | Liberal | Kaye Fleetwood | 15,534 | 22.37 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,518 | 26.67 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 69,450 | 78.41 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1970: Thurrock Electorate 84,337 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 30,874 | 55.75 |
| | Conservative | Graham Bright | 19,486 | 35.18 |
| | Liberal | Kaye Fleetwood | 5,024 | 9.07 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,388 | 20.57 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,384 | 65.67 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Thurrock Electorate 72,502 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 31,998 | 60.67 |
| | Conservative | Cedric J Hodgson | 14,094 | 26.72 |
| | Liberal | James C Moran | 6,648 | 12.61 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,904 | 33.95 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,740 | 72.74 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1964: Thurrock Electorate 71,519 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 30,372 | 57.22 | |
| | Conservative | Robert McCrindle | 14,615 | 27.53 | |
| | Liberal | A Noel H Blackburn | 8,094 | 15.25 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,757 | 29.69 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,081 | 74.22 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Thurrock Electorate 67,054 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 32,270 | 61.52 |
| | Conservative | William E McNamara | 20,188 | 38.48 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,082 | 23.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,458 | 78.23 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Thurrock Electorate 63,030 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 31,375 | 66.16 |
| | Conservative | Gerald A Petty | 16,046 | 33.84 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,329 | 32.32 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,421 | 75.24 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Thurrock Electorate 53,157 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 28,851 | 65.55 |
| | Conservative | Godfrey Lagden | 15,166 | 34.45 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,685 | 31.10 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,017 | 82.81 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1950: Thurrock Electorate 50,962 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Delargy | 22,893 | 52.68 | |
| | Conservative | Airey Neave | 13,306 | 30.62 | |
| | Labour Independent Group | Leslie Solley | 4,250 | 9.78 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Harold Henry Siddons | 3,010 | 6.93 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,587 | 22.06 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,459 | 85.28 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Thurrock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Leslie Solley | 23,171 | 70.0 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Adam | 9,909 | 30.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,262 | 40.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,080 | 76.9 |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |