# North East Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North East Hertfordshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Chris Hinchliff of the Labour Party.

## Constituency profile

The constituency includes the towns of Letchworth, Baldock and Royston and the undulating rural area, strewn with traditional English villages primarily to their south, most of which are within the more accessible parts of the London Commuter Belt and west of London Stansted Airport.

## History

The constituency was created for the 1997 general election largely from parts of the abolished constituency of North Hertfordshire, including Letchworth, Baldock and Royston. It also included rural areas of the District of East Hertfordshire transferred from Hertford and Stortford and Stevenage.
The seat had been held since its creation for the Conservative Party with comfortable majorities by Sir Oliver Heald, who was previously MP for North Hertfordshire.
In the 2024 general election, the seat was lost to Labour candidate Chris Hinchliff, a councillor for the North Herts District Council.

## Boundaries and boundary changes
### 1997–2010

* The District of North Hertfordshire wards of Arbury, Baldock, Grange, Letchworth East, Letchworth South East, Letchworth South West, Newsells, Royston East, Royston West, Sandon, Weston, and Wilbury; and
* The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Braughing, Buntingford, Cottered, Little Hadham, Munden, Standon St Mary, Stapleford, Tewin, Thundridge, and Watton-at-Stone.

### 2010–2024

* The District of North Hertfordshire wards of Arbury, Baldock East, Baldock Town, Ermine, Letchworth East, Letchworth Grange, Letchworth South East, Letchworth South West, Letchworth Wilbury, Royston Heath, Royston Meridian, Royston Palace, and Weston and Sandon; and
* The District of East Hertfordshire wards of Braughing, Buntingford, Hertford Rural North, Hertford Rural South, Little Hadham, Mundens and Cottered, Puckeridge, Thundridge and Standon, Walkern, and Watton-at-Stone.
Minor changes due to revision of local authority wards.

### 2024–present

The 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, which was based on the ward structures in place on 1 December 2020, left the boundaries virtually unchanged. However, following local government boundary reviews in East Hertfordshire and North Hertfordshire which came into effect in May 2023 and May 2024 respectively, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
* The District of East Hertfordshire wards or part wards of: Aston, Datchworth & Walkern (Bennington and Walkern parishes); Braughing & Standon; Buntingford; Hertford Rural; Little Hadham & The Pelhams; The Mundens; Ware Rural (Thundridge parish); Watton-at-Stone.
* The District of North Hertfordshire wards of: Arbury; Baldock East; Baldock West; Ermine; Letchworth Grange; Letchworth Norton; Letchworth South East; Letchworth South West; Letchworth Wilbury; Royston Heath, Royston Meridian, Royston Palace; Weston & Sandon.

## Members of Parliament

Hertfordshire North, Hertford & Stortford and Stevenage prior to 1997
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1997 | Sir Oliver Heald | Conservative |
| | 2024 | Chris Hinchliff | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Chris Hinchliff | 18,358 | 35.0 | +11.3 |
| | Conservative | Nikki da Costa | 16,435 | 31.3 | −25.3 |
| | Reform UK | Steven Adelantado | 8,462 | 16.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruth Brown | 5,463 | 10.4 | −5.1 |
| | Green | Vicky Burt | 3,802 | 7.2 | +2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,923 | 3.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,520 | 67.6 | −5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,090 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 18.3 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Heald | 31,293 | 56.6 | –2.0 |
| | Labour | Kelley Green | 13,104 | 23.7 | –4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Amy Finch | 8,563 | 15.5 | +7.8 |
| | Green | Tim Lee | 2,367 | 4.3 | –1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,189 | 32.9 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,327 | 72.7 | –0.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
General election 2017: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Heald | 32,587 | 58.6 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | Doug Swanney | 15,752 | 28.3 | +9.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nicky Shepard | 4,276 | 7.7 | +0.1 |
| | Green | Tim Lee | 2,965 | 5.3 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,835 | 30.3 | –6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,764 | 73.4 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | –3.1 | |
General election 2015: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Heald | 28,949 | 55.4 | +1.9 |
| | Labour | Chris York | 9,869 | 18.9 | +2.5 |
| | UKIP | William Compton | 6,728 | 12.9 | +8.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joe Jordan | 3,952 | 7.6 | −15.8 |
| | Green | Mario May | 2,789 | 5.2 | +3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,080 | 36.5 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,500 | 70.7 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.3 | |
General election 2010: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Heald | 26,995 | 53.5 | +6.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hugh Annand | 11,801 | 23.4 | +2.0 |
| | Labour | David Kirkman | 8,291 | 16.4 | −11.6 |
| | UKIP | Adrianne Smyth | 2,075 | 4.1 | +0.8 |
| | Green | Rosemary Bland | 875 | 1.7 | New |
| | Independent | Richard Campbell | 209 | 0.4 | New |
| | Your Right To Democracy Party Limited | David Ralph | 143 | 0.3 | New |
| | Independent | Philip Reichardt | 36 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,194 | 30.1 | +10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,425 | 69.8 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Heald | 22,402 | 47.3 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | Andy Harrop | 13,264 | 28.0 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Iain Coleman | 10,147 | 21.4 | +4.2 |
| | UKIP | David Hitchman | 1,561 | 3.3 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,138 | 19.3 | +11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,374 | 65.6 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.8 | |
General election 2001: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Heald | 19,695 | 44.1 | +2.4 |
| | Labour | Ivan Gibbons | 16,251 | 36.4 | +0.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alison Kingman | 7,686 | 17.2 | −1.0 |
| | UKIP | Malcolm Virgo | 1,013 | 2.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,444 | 7.7 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,645 | 65.0 | −12.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: North East Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Heald | 21,712 | 41.7 | |
| | Labour | Ivan Gibbons | 18,624 | 35.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Jarvis | 9,493 | 18.2 | |
| | Referendum | Jonathan Grose | 2,166 | 4.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,088 | 5.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,995 | 77.1 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Note: Although a Conservative win due to the seat being newly created, the winning candidate was the previous MP for North Hertfordshire, which was abolished and largely reformed as North East Hertfordshire.