# North Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Bedfordshire is a county constituency in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system, from the 1983 general election until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for the 2024 general election.

## History

This safe Conservative seat was originally held for its entire initial existence by Trevor Skeet who had been the MP for Bedford since 1970. On its re-establishment in 2024, it was won by Richard Fuller who was MP for Bedford from 2010 to 2017 and for North East Bedfordshire from 2019 to 2024.

## Boundaries
### 1983–1997

The Borough of North Bedfordshire wards of Brickhill, Bromham, Carlton, Castle, Cauldwell, Clapham, De Parys, Felmersham, Goldington, Harpur, Harrold, Kingsbrook, Newnham, Oakley, Putnoe, Queens Park, Renhold, Riseley, Roxton, and Sharnbrook.
The territory the seat covered was virtually the same as Bedford which it replaced. This included the town of Bedford itself, but not the adjoining community of Kempston. In 1997, the constituency was abolished, being dispersed on a roughly seven to three ratio between a re-established Bedford and the new constituency of Bedfordshire North East, with 17 electors being transferred to Huntingdon.

### Current

The re-established constituency was defined as comprising the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
* The Borough of Bedford wards of: Bromham and Biddenham; Clapham; Eastcotts; Great Barford; Harrold; Kempston Rural; Oakley; Riseley; Sharnbrook; Wyboston.
* The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of: Biggleswade North; Biggleswade South; Northill; Potton; Sandy.
Subject to minor changes due to the revision of local authority ward boundaries, the constituency is the successor to North East Bedfordshire – except south eastern areas, including the communities of Arlesey, Langford and Stotfold, which were included in the re-established, cross-county boundary, constituency of Hitchin.
Following further local government boundary reviews in Bedford and Central Bedfordshire which came into effect in May 2023, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
* The Borough of Bedford wards of: Biddenham; Brickhill (small part); Bromham; Clapham & Oakley; Great Barford; Great Denham; Harrold; Kempston West (part); Renhold & Ravensden (most); Riseley; Sharnbrook; Shortstown; Wootton & Kempston Rural (Kempston Rural parish); Wyboston; and a very small part of Harpur.
* The District of Central Bedfordshire wards of: Biggleswade East; Biggleswade West; Northill; Potton; Sandy.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1983–1997

Bedford prior to 1983
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1983 | Trevor Skeet | Conservative |
| | 1997 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

### MPs since 2024

Bedfordshire North East prior to 2024
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 2024 | Richard Fuller | Conservative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: North Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Fuller | 19,981 | 38.8 | −22.3 |
| | Labour | Uday Nagaraju | 14,567 | 28.3 | +9.2 |
| | Reform UK | Pippa Clayton | 8,433 | 16.4 | +16.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joanna Szaub-Newton | 5,553 | 10.8 | −2.4 |
| | Green | Philippa Fleming | 3,027 | 5.9 | +3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,414 | 10.5 | −31.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,561 | 65.4 | −8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,850 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −15.8 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Conservative | 34,360 | 61.1 |
| | Labour | 10,729 | 19.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 7,403 | 13.2 |
| | Others | 2,023 | 3.6 |
| | Green | 1,585 | 2.8 |
| | Brexit Party | 102 | 0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 56,202 | 73.6 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 76,319 |

## Election results 1983–1997
### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: North Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 27,969 | 52.0 | |
| | Liberal | Brian Gibbons | 14,120 | 26.3 | |
| | Labour | Pat Healy | 11,323 | 21.1 | |
| | Independent | N. Hughes | 344 | 0.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,849 | 25.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,756 | 75.2 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1987: North Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 29,845 | 52.6 | +0.6 |
| | Liberal | Janice Lennon | 13,340 | 23.5 | −2.8 |
| | Labour | Carl Henderson | 13,140 | 23.1 | +2.0 |
| | OOBPC | Crispin Slee | 435 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,505 | 29.1 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,760 | 77.2 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.7 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: North Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Trevor Skeet | 29,970 | 50.7 | −1.9 |
| | Labour | Patrick Hall | 18,302 | 31.0 | +7.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mike Smithson | 10,014 | 16.9 | −6.6 |
| | Green | Louise Smith | 643 | 1.1 | New |
| | Natural Law | Bernard Bence | 178 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,668 | 19.7 | −9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,107 | 80.1 | +2.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −4.8 | |