# Plymouth Sutton (UK Parliament constituency)

Plymouth, Sutton was, from 1918 until 2010, a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

## History

Plymouth Sutton covered parts of the city of Plymouth, in South West England, and was first contested at the 1918 general election. In a by-election in 1919, it became the second constituency in the UK (and the first in Great Britain) to elect a female MP: Nancy Astor became the first woman to take a seat in the House of Commons (the first female MP was the Sinn Féin member Constance Markievicz, who did not take her seat). Three of its MPs have been members of the Astor family. A more recent prominent MP was the flamboyant Conservative Alan Clark, who represented Plymouth Sutton from 1974 until 1992.

### Abolition

Following the Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies by the Boundary Commission for England, constituencies in Plymouth were reorganised, with both Plymouth Sutton and Plymouth Devonport being replaced by new constituencies of Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and Plymouth Moor View from 2010. The vast majority of the Plymouth Sutton constituency became part of the new Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Charles, Compton, Friary, Laira, St Andrew, Sutton, and Vintry.
1950–1951: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Charles, Compton, Crownhill, Drake, Friary, Laira, Mutley, St Andrew, Sutton, Valletort, and Vintry, and the parish of Bickleigh in the Rural District of Plympton St Mary.
1951–1955: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Charles, Compton, Crownhill, Drake, Efford, Friary, Mount Gold, St Andrew and Sutton.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Charles, Compton, Crownhill, Efford, Friary, Mount Gould, Peverell, Sutton, Tamerton, and Trelawney.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Crownhill, Efford, Mount Gould, Plympton Erle, Plympton St Mary, Plymstock Dunstone, Plymstock Radford, and Sutton.
1983–1997: The City of Plymouth wards of Efford, Eggbuckland, Mount Gould, Plympton Erle, Plympton St Mary, Plymstock Dunstone, and Plymstock Radford.
1997–2010: The City of Plymouth wards of Compton, Drake, Efford, Mount Gould, St Peter, Stoke, Sutton, and Trelawny.
The 1997 boundary changes were highly favourable to Labour in this constituency: what had been a safe Conservative seat became a marginal seat. As such the seat from 1997 until 2010 was closer in its wards to the defunct marginal seat of Plymouth Drake.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | Waldorf Astor | Conservative |
| 1919 by-election | Nancy Astor | Conservative |
| 1945 | Lucy Middleton | Labour |
| 1951 | Jakie Astor | Conservative |
| 1959 | Ian Fraser | Conservative |
| 1966 | David Owen | Labour |
| Feb 1974 | Alan Clark | Conservative |
| 1992 | Gary Streeter | Conservative |
| 1997 | Linda Gilroy | Labour |
| 2010 | constituency abolished: see Plymouth Moor View & Plymouth Sutton and Devonport | constituency abolished: see Plymouth Moor View & Plymouth Sutton and Devonport |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Plymouth Sutton Electorate 43,444 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Waldorf Astor | 17,091 | 65.9 | |
| | Labour | William Thomas Gay | 5,334 | 20.6 | |
| | Liberal | Sidney Ransom | 3,488 | 13.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,757 | 45.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,913 | 59.6 | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
1919 Plymouth Sutton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Nancy Astor | 14,495 | 51.9 | −14.0 |
| | Labour | William Thomas Gay | 9,292 | 33.3 | +12.7 |
| | Liberal | Isaac Foot | 4,139 | 14.8 | +1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,203 | 18.6 | −26.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,926 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -13.3 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Nancy Astor | 13,924 | 47.4 | −18.5 |
| | Labour | Frederick George Woulfe-Brenan | 10,831 | 36.8 | +16.2 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Hugh Wansey Bayly | 4,643 | 15.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,093 | 10.6 | −34.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,398 | 78.0 | +18.4 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Nancy Astor | 16,114 | 54.5 | +7.1 |
| | Labour | Frederick George Woulfe-Brenan | 13,438 | 45.5 | +8.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,676 | 9.0 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,552 | 77.9 | −0.1 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -0.8 | |
General election 1924: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Nancy Astor | 18,174 | 58.1 | +3.6 |
| | Labour | Frederick George Woulfe-Brenan | 13,095 | 41.9 | −3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,079 | 16.2 | +7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,269 | 81.6 | +3.7 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General election 1929: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Nancy Astor | 16,625 | 43.2 | −15.9 |
| | Labour | William Westwood | 16,414 | 42.7 | +0.8 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Henry Aggett | 5,430 | 14.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 211 | 0.5 | −15.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,469 | 81.1 | −0.5 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -7.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Plymouth Sutton Electorate 47,862 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Nancy Astor | 24,277 | 63.3 | +20.1 |
| | Labour | George Ward | 14,073 | 36.7 | −6.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,204 | 26.6 | +26.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,350 | 80.1 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Plymouth Sutton Electorate 47,540 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Nancy Astor | 21,491 | 58.3 | −5.0 |
| | Labour | George Ward | 15,394 | 41.7 | +5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,097 | 16.6 | −10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,425 | 77.6 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Conservative: Nancy Astor
* Labour: Lucy Middleton

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Plymouth Sutton Electorate 41,493 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lucy Middleton | 15,417 | 51.6 | +9.9 |
| | Conservative | Laurence Douglas Grand | 10,738 | 36.0 | −22.3 |
| | Liberal | Joan Arundell Gaved | 3,695 | 12.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,679 | 15.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,850 | 71.9 | −5.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Lucy Middleton | 27,512 | 47.73 |
| | Conservative | Jakie Astor | 26,588 | 46.13 |
| | Liberal | Kenneth Henry B Major | 3,541 | 6.14 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 924 | 1.60 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,641 | 86.40 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jakie Astor | 28,908 | 50.62 | |
| | Labour | Lucy Middleton | 28,198 | 49.38 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 710 | 1.24 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,106 | 85.37 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Jakie Astor | 30,051 | 53.38 |
| | Labour | Lucy Middleton | 26,241 | 46.62 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,810 | 6.76 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,292 | 78.88 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Ian Fraser | 32,752 | 55.75 |
| | Labour | Julian D. Richards | 25,991 | 44.52 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,761 | 11.23 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,743 | 79.30 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Fraser | 24,722 | 43.82 | |
| | Labour | John Dunwoody | 24,312 | 43.09 | |
| | Liberal | Graham Cocks | 7,383 | 13.09 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 410 | 0.73 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,417 | 76.66 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Owen | 31,567 | 54.51 | |
| | Conservative | Ian Fraser | 26,345 | 45.49 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,222 | 9.02 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,912 | 78.90 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | David Owen | 29,383 | 50.64 |
| | Conservative | John M. Goss | 28,636 | 49.36 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 747 | 1.28 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,019 | 72.27 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
New constituency boundaries came into effect in time for the following election in February 1974.
General election February 1974: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Clark | 21,649 | 45.22 | |
| | Labour | BW Fletcher | 13,545 | 28.29 | |
| | Liberal | Simon Godfrey Banks | 12,683 | 26.49 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,104 | 16.93 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,876 | 79.07 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Alan Clark | 20,457 | 44.61 |
| | Labour | Julian Priestley | 15,269 | 33.30 |
| | Liberal | Simon Godfrey Banks | 10,131 | 22.09 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,188 | 11.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,858 | 75.17 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.8 |
General election 1979: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Alan Clark | 28,892 | 54.80 |
| | Labour | Julian Priestley | 17,605 | 33.39 |
| | Liberal | J Scannell | 6,226 | 11.81 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,287 | 21.41 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,723 | 76.95 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Clark | 25,203 | 55.12 | |
| | Liberal | Anthony Puttick | 13,516 | 29.56 | |
| | Labour | Frances Holland | 6,358 | 14.30 | |
| | Ecology | Stephen Shaw | 470 | 1.03 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,687 | 25.56 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,726 | 76.35 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1987: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Alan Clark | 23,187 | 45.76 |
| | Liberal | Bruce Tidy | 19,174 | 37.84 |
| | Labour | Ralph Maddern | 8,310 | 16.40 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,013 | 7.92 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,674 | 79.03 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.8 |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gary Streeter | 27,070 | 49.5 | +3.7 |
| | Labour | Andrew Pawley | 15,120 | 27.6 | +11.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julian P. Brett-Freeman | 12,291 | 22.5 | −15.3 |
| | Natural Law | Jeremy J. Bowler | 256 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,950 | 21.9 | +14.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,737 | 81.2 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.8 | |
General election 1997: Plymouth Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Linda Gilroy | 23,881 | 50.1 | +11.3 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Crisp | 14,441 | 30.3 | −11.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Melia | 6,613 | 13.9 | +0.7 |
| | Referendum | Tim Hanbury | 1,654 | 3.5 | New |
| | UKIP | Roger Bullock | 499 | 1.1 | New |
| | Plymouth First Group | Kevin Kelway | 396 | 0.8 | New |
| | Natural Law | Frank Lyons | 168 | 0.4 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,440 | 19.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,650 | 67.4 | −13.8 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +11.4 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Plymouth, Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Linda Gilroy | 19,827 | 50.7 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | Oliver Colvile | 12,310 | 31.5 | +1.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Connett | 5,605 | 14.3 | +0.4 |
| | UKIP | Alan Whitton | 970 | 2.5 | +1.4 |
| | Socialist Labour | Henry Leary | 361 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,517 | 19.2 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,073 | 57.1 | −10.3 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | −0.3 | |
General election 2005: Plymouth, Sutton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Linda Gilroy | 15,497 | 40.6 | −10.1 |
| | Conservative | Oliver Colvile | 11,388 | 29.8 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Karen Gillard | 8,685 | 22.7 | +8.4 |
| | UKIP | Robert Cumming | 2,392 | 6.3 | +3.8 |
| | Socialist Labour | Rob Hawkins | 230 | 0.6 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,109 | 10.8 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,192 | 56.8 | −0.3 |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | −4.2 | |