Mid Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Mid Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Bedfordshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Alistair Strathern of the Labour Party
since a 2023 by-election.
Constituency profile
This seat comprises small towns and rural areas in the outer parts of the London commuter belt, with the M1 motorway, Midland Main Line, the A1 road, East Coast Main Line and other A roads providing the major north–south commuter links primarily in and out of London. There are several logistics sites including Amazon at Marston Gate. Residents are wealthier than the UK average, and health is around the UK average.
History
Mid Bedfordshire was created under the Representation of the People Act 1918.
It had elected Conservative MPs since the 1931 general election. It was held from 1983 to 1997 by the Attorney General Nicholas Lyell, who then transferred to the newly created seat of North East Bedfordshire; his old seat was won by Jonathan Sayeed, a former MP in Bristol. Sayeed was forced to retire in 2005 due to ill health, following a row over allegations he had profited from his private educational tours of Parliament and a resulting deselection attempt by the constituency party. Nadine Dorries then held the seat until 2023; the Conservative whip was withdrawn from her in 2012 and returned six months later, after she had appeared on the reality television series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. Dorries resigned her seat in August 2023. In the ensuing by-election, the seat was taken by Alistair Strathern of the Labour Party, the first time a Labour member had held the seat in its 105-year history.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1918–1950
The constituency was created as a Division of Bedfordshire by the Representation of the People Act 1918, comprising:
the Urban Districts of Ampthill, Biggleswade, and Leighton Buzzard; and
the Rural Districts of Ampthill, Biggleswade, and Eaton Bray.
Ampthill and Biggleswade had been part of the abolished Biggleswade Division, and Leighton Buzzard was transferred from the Luton Division.
1950–1974
The Urban Districts of Ampthill, Biggleswade, and Sandy1;
the Rural Districts of Ampthill and Biggleswade; and
part of the Rural District of Bedford.
1Created as an Urban District out of the Rural District of Biggleswade in 1927.
Gained southern and eastern rural areas of Bedford. Leighton Buzzard and surrounding rural areas (equivalent to the abolished Rural District of Eaton Bray, which had been absorbed by the Rural District of Luton) transferred to the new constituency of South Bedfordshire.
1974–1983
As above, apart from changes to the Rural District of Bedford.
The village of Eaton Socon had been absorbed by the Urban District of St Neots and was transferred to the county constituency of Huntingdonshire.
1983–1997
The District of Mid Bedfordshire wards of Ampthill, Arlesey, Biggleswade Ivel, Biggleswade Stratton, Blunham, Campton and Meppershall, Clifton and Henlow, Clophill, Haynes and Houghton Conquest, Langford, Maulden, Northill, Old Warden and Southill, Potton, Sandy All Saints, Sandy St Swithun's, Shefford, Shillington and Stondon, Stotfold, Wensley, and Wrest; and
The Borough of North Bedfordshire wards of Eastcotts, Great Barford, Kempston East, Kempston Rural, Kempston West, Wilshamstead, and Wootton.
Kempston transferred from the abolished constituency of Bedford. Parts included in the new constituencies of North Bedfordshire (far north-eastern area), South West Bedfordshire (south-western parts) and North Luton (including Flitwick).
1997–2010
The Borough of Bedford wards of Kempston Rural, Wilshamstead, and Wootton;
The District of Mid Bedfordshire wards of Ampthill, Aspley Guise, Campton and Meppershall, Cranfield, Clifton and Henlow, Clophill, Flitton and Pulloxhill, Flitwick East, Flitwick West, Harlington, Haynes and Houghton Conquest, Marston, Maulden, Shefford, Shillington and Stondon, Westoning, Woburn, and Wrest; and
The District of South Bedfordshire wards of Barton-le-Clay, Streatley, and Toddington.
Wholesale changes, with eastern parts, comprising about half of the electorate, including Biggleswade and Sandy, being transferred to the new constituency of North East Bedfordshire. Kempston was transferred back to the re-established borough constituency of Bedford. Regained parts of the District of Mid Bedfordshire previously transferred to South West Bedfordshire and North Luton (including Flitwick), together with the parts of the District of South Bedfordshire, also previously in North Luton.
2010–present
The Borough of Bedford wards of Turvey, Wilshamstead, and Wootton;
Central Bedfordshire wards of Ampthill, Aspley Guise, Barton-le-Clay, Clifton and Meppershall, Cranfield, Flitton, Greenfield and Pulloxhill, Flitwick East, Flitwick West, Harlington, Houghton, Haynes, Southill and Old Warden, Marston, Maulden and Clophill, Shefford, Campton and Gravenhurst, Shillington, Silsoe, Stondon and Henlow Camp, Streatley, Toddington, Westoning and Tingrith, Woburn.
Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.
Members of Parliament
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
In June 2015 the independent candidate, Tim Ireland, lodged an unsuccessful election petition accusing Nadine Dorries of breaches of section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 by making false statements about his character. The petition was dismissed by the courts on 30 July 2015.
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
Conservative: Alan Lennox-Boyd
Labour: George Matthews
Liberal: Dr Leonard T M Gray
Election in the 1930s
Election in the 1920s
Election in the 1910s
See also
List of parliamentary constituencies in Bedfordshire
Mid Bedfordshire by-election
Notes
References
Parliamentary constituencies in Bedfordshire
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1918
Flitwick
Ampthill
Biggleswade