# Oxford East (UK Parliament constituency)

Oxford East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Anneliese Dodds of the Labour Party.
Created in 1983, the constituency covers the eastern and southern parts of Oxford in Oxfordshire. It borders Oxford West and Abingdon to the west and Henley to the north, east and south.

## Constituency profile

The seat includes Cowley (containing a large car factory) and adjoining parts of the city including a broad area of mid-to-low rise council-built housing, Blackbird Leys, which has kept varying amounts of social housing (see Right to Buy) as well as Headington and the two major hospitals in Oxford (the John Radcliffe Hospital and the Churchill Hospital)
A large percentage of the seat's electorate consists of students from Oxford and Oxford Brookes universities (the latter being in the seat). Areas in the seat with a high proportion of private housing include Headington, which is mainly a mixture of student tenants and relatively high-income families, and the similarly prosperous areas of Grandpont and New Hinksey in the south of the city. At the end of 2010 unemployment claimant count was 2.3%, 45th of the 84 South East constituencies and close to the mean of 2.45%.

## History

From 1885 until 1983 the vast bulk of the area of the seat, as it has variously been drawn since 1983, was in the abolished Oxford constituency, historically Liberal then for some decades Conservative, and which then alternated with the Labour Party, who took that seat in the late 1960s and late 1970s.
For the first four years (from 1983) Oxford East was served by Conservative Steven Norris. He was defeated by Labour candidate Andrew Smith who held the seat for the next 30 years before retiring. The Conservative share of the vote fell to a low to date, of 16.7%, in 2005, a year when the seat became an emphatic Labour–Liberal Democrat contest, and the votes for Andrew Smith were only 963 more than the "Lib Dem" candidate: a majority of 2.3% of the votes (electorate voting).
Smith held the seat in 2015 with a much increased majority; it was the 80th-safest of Labour's 232 seats won that year by percentage of majority. On his retirement the local Labour party selected Anneliese Dodds. At the 2017 general election she took the seat with a majority of 23,284 votes (43.2%) – reduced to 17,832 (36.1%) in 2019. From 2015 the runner-up returned to being a Conservative.
The Green Party's candidate has stood in all eight contests since the party was branded as such, once retaining its deposit, in 2015, with almost 12% of the vote.
Ousted ex-MP Norris won the largest runner-up's share of the vote to date (40.4%) during the 1987 general election. Turnout has ranged between 78.9% in 1987 and 55.8% in 2001.

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

* The City of Oxford wards of Blackbird Leys, East, Headington, Iffley, Marston, Quarry, St Clement's, Temple Cowley, and Wood Farm; and
* The District of South Oxfordshire wards of Littlemore, Marston, and Risinghurst.
The constituency was formed largely from the majority of the abolished Borough Constituency of Oxford. it also included three wards in the District of South Oxfordshire, previously part of Henley (Littlemore) and the abolished constituency of Mid-Oxon (Marston and Risinghurst).

### 1997–2010

* The City of Oxford wards of Blackbird Leys, East, Headington, Iffley, Littlemore, Marston, Old Marston and Risinghurst, Quarry, St Clement's, South, Temple Cowley, and Wood Farm.
The 1997 boundary changes reflected changes to local government boundaries with the majority of the area comprising the three South Oxfordshire wards having been absorbed into the City of Oxford. The remaining, semi-rural Conservative-leaning areas were transferred back to Henley. The urban City of Oxford South ward, which was strong for the Liberal Democrats and Labour, was transferred from Oxford West and Abingdon.

### 2010–2024

* The City of Oxford wards of Barton and Sandhills, Blackbird Leys, Carfax, Churchill, Cowley, Cowley Marsh, Headington, Headington Hill and Northway, Hinksey Park, Holywell, Iffley Fields, Littlemore, Lye Valley, Marston, Northfield Brook, Quarry and Risinghurst, Rose Hill and Iffley, St Clement's, and St Mary's.
Under the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies the constituency was slightly altered, in order to equalise electorates and take account of changes to the City's ward structure. These changes added Carfax and Holywell wards from Oxford West and Abingdon; this meant that Oxford city centre and the majority of Oxford colleges, which had previously been mainly in Oxford West and Abingdon, now fell into Oxford East.

### 2024–present

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect 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: Barton & Sandhills; Blackbird Leys; Churchill; Cowley; Donnington; Headington; Headington Hill & Northway; Hinksey Park; Littlemore; Lye Valley; Marston; Northfield Brook; Quarry & Risinghurst; Rose Hill & Iffley; St. Clement’s; St. Mary’s; Temple Cowley.
The electorate was reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring areas to the west of the River Cherwell, including the city centre and Oxford University colleges, back to Oxford West and Abingdon.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Steve Norris | Conservative |
| 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 | Andrew Smith | Labour |
| 2017 2019 2024 | Anneliese Dodds | Labour Co-op |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Anneliese Dodds | 19,541 | 49.7 | −6.7 |
| | Green | Sushila Dhall | 5,076 | 12.9 | +8.2 |
| | Conservative | Louise Brown | 4,739 | 12.0 | −9.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Theodore Jupp | 3,437 | 8.7 | −5.3 |
| | IOA | David Henwood | 2,381 | 6.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Amir Ali | 1,761 | 4.5 | N/A |
| | Workers Party | Zaid Marham | 615 | 1.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Jabu Nala-Hartley | 600 | 1.5 | N/A |
| | Rejoin EU | Andrew Smith | 425 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Party of Women | Katherine Longthorp | 337 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | SDP | Benjamin Adams | 232 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Brandon French | 197 | 0.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,465 | 36.8 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,341 | 54.0 | –9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 71,845 | | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | 7.5 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Labour | 25,738 | 56.4 |
| | Conservative | 9,779 | 21.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 6,391 | 14.0 |
| | Green | 2,143 | 4.7 |
| | Brexit Party | 1,048 | 2.3 |
| | Others | 499 | 1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 45,598 | 63.0 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 72,371 |
General election 2019: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Anneliese Dodds | 28,135 | 57.0 | 8.2 |
| | Conservative | Louise Staite | 10,303 | 20.9 | 1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alistair Fernie | 6,884 | 13.9 | 4.8 |
| | Green | David Williams | 2,392 | 4.8 | 1.5 |
| | Brexit Party | Roger Carter | 1,146 | 2.3 | New |
| | Independent | David Henwood | 238 | 0.5 | New |
| | Independent | Chaka Artwell | 143 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| | Independent | Phil Taylor | 118 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,832 | 36.1 | 7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,359 | 63.3 | 5.5 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | 3.6 | |
General election 2017: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Anneliese Dodds | 35,118 | 65.2 | 15.2 |
| | Conservative | Suzanne Bartington | 11,834 | 22.0 | 2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kirsten Johnson | 4,904 | 9.1 | 1.7 |
| | Green | Larry Sanders | 1,785 | 3.3 | 8.3 |
| | Independent | Chaka Artwell | 255 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,284 | 43.2 | 13.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,896 | 68.8 | 4.6 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | 6.5 | |
General election 2015: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 25,356 | 50.0 | +7.5 |
| | Conservative | Melanie Magee | 10,076 | 19.9 | +1.1 |
| | Green | Ann Duncan | 5,890 | 11.6 | +9.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alasdair Murray | 5,453 | 10.8 | −22.8 |
| | UKIP | Ian Macdonald | 3,451 | 6.8 | +4.5 |
| | Independent | Chaka Artwell | 160 | 0.3 | New |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Mad Hatter | 145 | 0.3 | New |
| | TUSC | James Morbin | 108 | 0.2 | New |
| | Socialist (GB) | Kevin Parkin | 50 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,280 | 30.1 | +21.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,689 | 64.2 | +1.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 2010: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 21,938 | 42.5 | +6.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Goddard | 17,357 | 33.6 | −1.6 |
| | Conservative | Edward Argar | 9,727 | 18.8 | +1.5 |
| | Green | Sushila Dhall | 1,238 | 2.4 | −2.1 |
| | UKIP | Julia Gasper | 1,202 | 2.3 | +0.6 |
| | Socialist Equality | David O'Sullivan | 116 | 0.2 | New |
| | Equal Parenting Alliance | Roger Crawford | 73 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,581 | 8.9 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,651 | 63.1 | +5.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.45 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 15,405 | 36.9 | −12.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Goddard | 14,442 | 34.6 | +11.2 |
| | Conservative | Virginia Morris | 6,992 | 16.7 | −2.0 |
| | Green | Jacob Sanders | 1,813 | 4.3 | +0.5 |
| | Independent ('New Loony') | Honest Blair | 1,485 | 3.6 | New |
| | Ind. Working Class | Maurice Leen | 892 | 2.1 | New |
| | UKIP | Peter Gardner | 715 | 1.7 | +0.3 |
| | Independent | Pathmanathan Mylvaganam | 46 | 0.1 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 963 | 2.3 | −23.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,790 | 57.9 | +2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −11.8 | |
General election 2001: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 19,681 | 49.4 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Goddard | 9,337 | 23.4 | +8.7 |
| | Conservative | Cheryl Potter | 7,446 | 18.7 | −3.3 |
| | Green | Pritam Singh | 1,501 | 3.8 | +1.8 |
| | Socialist Alliance | John Lister | 708 | 1.8 | New |
| | UKIP | Peter Gardner | 570 | 1.4 | +0.9 |
| | Socialist Labour | Fahim Ahmed | 274 | 0.7 | New |
| | ProLife Alliance | Linda Hodge | 254 | 0.6 | −0.1 |
| | Independent | Pathmanathan Mylvaganam | 77 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,344 | 26.0 | −8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,848 | 55.8 | −12.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 27,205 | 56.8 | +6.6 |
| | Conservative | Jonathan Djanogly | 10,540 | 22.0 | −11.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Kershaw | 7,038 | 14.7 | +0.7 |
| | Referendum | John Young | 1,391 | 2.9 | New |
| | Green | Craig Simmons | 975 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| | ProLife Alliance | David Harper-Jones | 318 | 0.7 | New |
| | UKIP | Peter Gardner | 234 | 0.5 | New |
| | Natural Law | John Thompson | 108 | 0.2 | New |
| | Independent Anti-majority Democracy | Pathmanathan Mylvaganam | 68 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,665 | 34.8 | +18.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,877 | 68.4 | −5.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.1 | |
General election 1992: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 23,702 | 50.4 | +7.4 |
| | Conservative | Mark Mayall | 16,164 | 34.3 | −6.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Horwood | 6,105 | 13.0 | −2.6 |
| | Green | Caroline Lucas | 933 | 2.0 | +1.1 |
| | Natural Law | Ann Wilson | 101 | 0.2 | New |
| | Revolutionary Communist | Keith Thompson | 48 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,538 | 16.1 | +13.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,053 | 74.6 | −4.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.8 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 21,103 | 43.0 | +5.7 |
| | Conservative | Steven Norris | 19,815 | 40.4 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal | Margaret Godden | 7,648 | 15.6 | −7.1 |
| | Green | Dave Dalton | 441 | 0.9 | New |
| | Independent | Pathmanathan Mylvaganam | 60 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,288 | 2.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,067 | 78.9 | +5.0 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.7 | |
General election 1983: Oxford East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Steven Norris | 18,808 | 40.0 | |
| | Labour | Andrew Smith | 17,541 | 37.3 | |
| | Liberal | Margaret Godden | 10,690 | 22.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,267 | 2.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,039 | 73.9 | |
| | 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 East :
Bicester and Woodstock
Oxford West and Abingdon
Oxford East
Henley and Thame
Didcot and Wantage :