# South West Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

South West Bedfordshire was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. As with all constituencies of the UK Parliament, it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The serving Member from 2001 to 2024 was Conservative Andrew Selous, who succeeded Conservative David Madel. Selous was re-elected five times: in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was subject to only minor boundary changes, but was renamed Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard with effect from the 2024 general election.

## Constituency profile

At the 2011 Census, the population of the constituency was 102,031, of whom 50,277 were male, and 51,754 were female. 74.30% of residents aged 16–74 are economically active, including 4.22% unemployed. A further 13.27% of the population are retired (lower than both the regional average of 14.4% and national average of 13.7%), and 3.75% are students. A statistical compilation by The Guardian showed unemployment benefits claimants in the constituency for April 2013 were 3.3% of the population, lower than the regional average of 3.6%.
Turnout at the 2015 general election was 51,304, or 64.4% of those eligible to vote; lower than the national turnout of 66.4%. This rose at the time of the 2017 general election to 55,635, or 69.8% of those eligible to vote, which was a percentage point higher than the national turnout of 68.8%.

## History

The constituency was created in 1983, mostly from the former seat of South Bedfordshire. It was represented by Sir David Madel, a Conservative, from its creation until his retirement in 2001; he almost suffered one of the biggest upsets of the 1997 general election, when the Labour candidate spectacularly slashed his majority from 21,273 in 1992 to just 132.
The last MP for the seat was the Conservative Andrew Selous; he won the seat in 2001, when he managed to increase the party's majority, but only just; this increased somewhat more substantially each time in 2005 and 2010, ultimately to more than 16,000. The 2010 election also saw the second-placed candidate's party change, to the Liberal Democrats, similar to the results of 1983 and 1987, when this was the joint platform for R. Byfield and J.R. Burrow respectively, the (SDP-Liberal Alliance).

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

* The District of South Bedfordshire wards of Beaudesert, Brooklands, Dunstable Central, Eaton Bray, Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Houghton Central, Houghton East, Houghton South, Icknield, Kensworth, Linslade, Northfields, Plantation, Priory, Southcott, Stanbridge, Studham, Totternhoe, and Watling; and
* The District of Mid Bedfordshire wards of Aspley, Cranfield, Marston, and Woburn.
The constituency was formed largely from the bulk of the abolished seat of South Bedfordshire, including Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Leighton Buzzard and Linslade. It was extended northwards to include south-western part of Mid Bedfordshire.

### 1997–2010

* The District of South Bedfordshire wards of Beaudesert, Brooklands, Dunstable Central, Eaton Bray, Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Houghton Central, Houghton East, Houghton South, Icknield, Kensworth, Linslade, Northfields, Plantation, Priory, Southcott, Stanbridge, Studham, Totternhoe, and Watling.
Northern areas (comprising the District of Mid Bedfordshire wards) transferred back to Mid Bedfordshire.

### 2010–2024

* The Central Bedfordshire unitary authority wards of All Saints, Chiltern, Dunstable Central, Eaton Bray, Grovebury, Heath and Reach, Houghton Hall, Icknield, Kensworth and Totternhoe, Linslade, Manshead, Northfields, Parkside, Planets, Plantation, Southcott, Stanbridge, Tithe Farm, and Watling.
Local authority wards revised, but no changes to boundaries.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1983 | Sir David Madel | Conservative |
| | 2001 | Andrew Selous | Conservative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Selous | 32,212 | 60.4 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | Callum Anderson | 13,629 | 25.6 | −8.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Emma Matanle | 5,435 | 10.2 | +5.5 |
| | Green | Andrew Waters | 2,031 | 3.8 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,583 | 34.8 | +9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,307 | 66.7 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.7 | |
General election 2017: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Selous | 32,961 | 59.2 | +4.2 |
| | Labour | Daniel Scott | 18,793 | 33.8 | +13.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Daniel Norton | 2,630 | 4.7 | −0.5 |
| | Green | Morvern Rennie | 950 | 1.7 | −2.4 |
| | CPA | Morenike Mafoh | 301 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,168 | 25.4 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,635 | 69.8 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 2015: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Selous | 28,212 | 55.0 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | Daniel Scott | 10,399 | 20.3 | +0.7 |
| | UKIP | John van Weenen | 7,941 | 15.5 | +11.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Rutherford | 2,646 | 5.2 | −14.8 |
| | Green | Emily Lawrence | 2,106 | 4.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,813 | 34.7 | +1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,304 | 64.4 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 2010: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Selous | 26,815 | 52.8 | +4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rod Cantrill | 10,166 | 20.0 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | Jenny Bone | 9,948 | 19.6 | −10.6 |
| | UKIP | Martin Newman | 2,142 | 4.2 | 0.0 |
| | BNP | Mark Tolman | 1,703 | 3.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,649 | 32.8 | +14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,774 | 66.3 | +4.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.7 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Selous | 22,114 | 48.3 | +6.2 |
| | Labour | Joyce Still | 13,837 | 30.2 | −10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Strange | 7,723 | 16.9 | +2.1 |
| | UKIP | Tom Wise | 1,923 | 4.2 | +1.5 |
| | Open-Forum | Kenson Gurney | 217 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,277 | 18.1 | +16.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,814 | 61.8 | −0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 2001: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Selous | 18,477 | 42.1 | +1.4 |
| | Labour | Andrew Date | 17,701 | 40.4 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Pantling | 6,473 | 14.8 | +0.5 |
| | UKIP | Tom Wise | 1,203 | 2.7 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 776 | 1.7 | +1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,854 | 62.1 | −13.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.7 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Madel | 21,534 | 40.7 | −15.5 |
| | Labour | Andrew Date | 21,402 | 40.5 | +14.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Owen | 7,559 | 14.3 | −2.3 |
| | Referendum | Rosalind Hill | 1,761 | 3.3 | New |
| | UKIP | Tom Wise | 446 | 0.8 | New |
| | Natural Law | Alexander Le Carpentier | 162 | 0.3 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 132 | 0.2 | −32.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,864 | 75.8 | −6.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −16.1 | |
General election 1992: Bedfordshire South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Madel | 37,498 | 57.1 | −1.1 |
| | Labour | Barry Elliott | 16,225 | 24.7 | +6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Freeman | 10,988 | 16.7 | −5.6 |
| | Green | Peter Rollings | 689 | 1.0 | −0.3 |
| | Natural Law | John Gilmour | 239 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,273 | 32.4 | −3.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,639 | 81.9 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.7 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Madel | 36,140 | 58.2 | +3.2 |
| | SDP | John Burrow | 13,835 | 22.3 | −5.5 |
| | Labour | Paul Dimoldenberg | 11,352 | 18.3 | +1.1 |
| | Green | Peter Rollings | 822 | 1.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,305 | 35.9 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,149 | 78.7 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: South West Bedfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Madel | 31,767 | 55.0 | |
| | SDP | Richard Byfield | 16,036 | 27.8 | |
| | Labour | William Cochrane | 9,899 | 17.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,731 | 27.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,702 | 75.6 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |