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Finchley (UK Parliament constituency)

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Finchley was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by first-past-the-post voting; its longest-serving and best-known MP was Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990.

Finchley
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County1918–1965 Middlesex
1965–1997 Greater London
1950–1997
SeatsOne
Replaced byFinchley & Golders Green (newly created seat)
Chipping Barnet (in part)
1918–1950
SeatsOne
Type of constituencyCounty constituency
Created fromHornsey (bulk of seat formed former western part of)
Enfield (as to the Friern Barnet part)
Finchley within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, boundaries used 1918–45
Finchley within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, boundaries used 1945–50
Map that gives each named seat and any constant electoral success for national (Westminster) elections for Middlesex, 1955 to 1974.

Although boundary changes meant that she never again attained the large majority by which she won in 1959, her constituents nonetheless returned her by comfortable (9,000) majorities at general elections throughout her premiership.

The seat was abolished in 1997 and split between the Finchley and Golders Green and Chipping Barnet constituencies.

Boundaries

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  • 1918–1945: The Urban Districts of Finchley and Friern Barnet.
  • 1945–1950: The Municipal Borough of Finchley, part of the Municipal Borough of Hornsey, and part of the Urban District of Friern Barnet.
  • 1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Finchley, and the Urban District of Friern Barnet.
  • 1974–1997: The London Borough of Barnet wards of East Finchley, Finchley, Friern Barnet, St Paul's, and Woodhouse.

In 1918 the constituency was created as a county division of Middlesex, centred on the town of Finchley, which before 1918 had been located in the Hornsey constituency. In 1934 the Finchley district became a Municipal Borough.

In 1945 there was an interim redistribution of parliamentary constituencies to split those with more than 100,000 electors, prior to the general redistribution of 1950. Middlesex was significantly affected by the interim changes.

In 1950 the seat was re-classified as a borough constituency, with the boundaries reverting to those of 1918.

In 1965 the area of the constituency changed counties from Middlesex to London. Specifically its areas joined with others to form the London Borough of Barnet of Greater London.

Members of Parliament

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Event Member Party
1918 John Newman Unionist
1923 Atholl Robertson Liberal
1924 Edward Cadogan Unionist
1935 John Crowder Conservative
1959 Margaret Thatcher
1992 Hartley Booth
1997 constituency abolished

Elections

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Elections in the 1910s

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General election 1918: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist John Pretyman Newman 11,849 68.9
Labour John Leslie 3,140 18.2
Liberal Walter Edwin Martin 2,221 12.9
Majority 8,709 50.7
Turnout 17,210 59.7
Registered electors 28,848
Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

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General election 1922: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Pretyman Newman 11,883 53.2 −15.7
Liberal T. Atholl Robertson 10,440 46.8 +33.9
Majority 1,443 6.4 −44.3
Turnout 22,323 72.4 +12.7
Registered electors 30,843
Unionist hold Swing −24.8
General election 1923: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal T. Atholl Robertson 13,159 54.7 +7.9
Unionist John Pretyman Newman 10,883 45.3 −7.9
Majority 2,276 9.4 N/A
Turnout 24,042 76.0 +3.6
Registered electors 31,650
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +7.9
General election 1924: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Edward Cadogan 15,277 58.3 +13.0
Liberal T. Atholl Robertson 10,942 41.7 −13.0
Majority 4,335 16.6 N/A
Turnout 26,219 79.5 +3.5
Registered electors 32,984
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +13.0
General election 1929: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Edward Cadogan 18,920 48.8 −9.5
Liberal T. Atholl Robertson 14,065 36.2 −5.5
Labour J. George Stone 5,824 15.0 New
Majority 4,855 12.6 −4.0
Turnout 38,809 77.2 −2.3
Registered electors 50,243
Unionist hold Swing −2.0

Elections in the 1930s

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General election 1931: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Cadogan 34,286 84.2 +35.4
Labour J. George Stone 6,440 15.8 +0.8
Majority 27,846 68.4 +55.8
Turnout 40,726 74.3 ―2.9
Conservative hold Swing +17.3

Liberal candidate Lady Domini Crosfield withdrew following the formation of the National Government.

General election 1935: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Crowder 26,960 63.6 ―20.6
Liberal T. Atholl Robertson 8,920 21.0 New
Labour Cyril G Lacey 6,533 15.4 ―0.4
Majority 18,040 42.6 ―31.8
Turnout 42,413 70.2 ―4.1
Conservative hold Swing N/A

General Election 1939–40 Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940, but it was postponed after the outbreak of World War II. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939, and by the end of that year the following candidates had been selected:

Elections in the 1940s

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General election 1945: Finchley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Crowder 24,256 48.5 ―15.1
Labour Cyril G Lacey 18,611 37.2 +21.8
Liberal David Goldblatt 7,164 14.3 ―6.7
Majority 5,645 11.28 ―31.3
Turnout 50,031 74.2 +4.0
Conservative hold Swing +18.4

Elections in the 1950s

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General election 1950: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Crowder 32,262 52.9 +4.4
Labour Dorothy Pickles 19,683 32.3 ―5.0
Liberal Andrew McFadyean 9,094 14.9 +0.6
Majority 12,579 20.6 +9.3
Turnout 60,999 84.9 +10.7
Conservative hold Swing +4.2
General election 1951: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Crowder 33,308 54.9 +2.0
Labour Jack Ashley 20,520 33.8 +1.6
Liberal Walter John Done 6,853 11.3 ―3.6
Majority 12,788 21.1 +0.5
Turnout 60,411 84.0 ―0.9
Conservative hold Swing +0.3
General election 1955: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Crowder 30,233 54.5 ―0.4
Labour Terence Lancaster 17,408 31.4 ―2.4
Liberal Manuela Sykes 7,775 14.0 +2.7
Majority 12,825 23.1 +2.0
Turnout 55,416 78.3 ―5.7
Conservative hold Swing ―1.0
General election 1959: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 29,697 53.2 ―1.3
Labour Eric Deakins 13,437 24.1 ―7.3
Liberal Henry Ivan Spence 12,701 22.7 +8.7
Majority 16,260 29.1 +6.0
Turnout 55,835 80.8 +2.5
Conservative hold Swing +3.0

Elections in the 1960s

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General election 1964: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 24,591 46.6 ―6.6
Liberal John Pardoe 15,789 29.9 +7.2
Labour Albert Edward Tomlinson 12,408 23.5 ―0.6
Majority 8,802 16.7 ―12.4
Turnout 52,788 78.2 ―2.6
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 23,968 46.5 ―0.1
Labour Yvonne Sieve 14,504 28.1 +4.6
Liberal Frank Davis 13,070 25.4 ― 4.5
Majority 9,464 18.4 +1.7
Turnout 51,542 75.3 ―2.9
Conservative hold Swing ―2.4

Elections in the 1970s

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General election 1970: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 25,480 53.8 +7.3
Labour Michael Freeman 14,295 30.2 +2.1
Liberal Graham Mitchell 7,614 16.1 ―9.3
Majority 11,185 23.6 +5.2
Turnout 47,389 65.6 ―9.7
Conservative hold Swing +2.6
General election February 1974: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 18,180 43.7 ―8.6
Labour Martin O'Connor 12,202 29.3 ―2.3
Liberal Laurence Brass 11,221 27.0 +10.9
Majority 5,978 14.4
Turnout 41,603 78.0
Conservative hold Swing ―3.1
General election October 1974: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 16,498 44.0 +0.3
Labour Martin O'Connor 12,587 33.6 +4.3
Liberal Laurence Brass 7,384 19.7 ―7.3
National Front Janet Godfrey 993 2.7 New
Majority 3,911 10.4 ―4.0
Turnout 37,462 69.5 ―8.5
Conservative hold Swing ―2.0
General election 1979: Finchley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 20,918 52.5 +8.5
Labour Richard May 13,040 32.7 ―0.9
Liberal Anthony Paterson 5,254 13.2 ―6.5
National Front William Verity 534 1.3 ―1.4
Independent Democrat Elizabeth Lloyd 86 0.2 New
Majority 7,878 19.8 +9.4
Turnout 39,832 72.5 +3.0
Conservative hold Swing +4.7

Elections in the 1980s

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General election 1983: Finchley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 19,616 51.1 ―1.4
Labour Laurence Spigel 10,302 26.8 ―5.9
Liberal Margaret Joachim 7,763 20.2 +7.0
Ecology Simone Wilkinson 279 0.7 New
Monster Raving Loony Screaming Lord Sutch 235 0.6 New
Ban Every Licensing Law Society Anthony Noonan 75 0.2 New
Rail Not Motorway Helen Anscomb 42 0.1 New
Law and Order in Gotham City Anthony Whitehead 37 0.1 New
Anti-Censorship David Webb 28 0.1 New
Party of Associates with Licensees Brian Wareham 27 0.1 New
Belgrano Blood-Hunger Benjamin Wedmore 13 0.0 New
Majority 9,314 24.3 +4.5
Turnout 38,417 69.0 ―3.5
Conservative hold Swing +2.2
General election 1987: Finchley[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Thatcher 21,603 53.9 +2.8
Labour John Davies 12,690 31.7 +4.9
Liberal David Howarth 5,580 13.9 ―7.3
Gremloid Party Lord Buckethead 131 0.3 New
Gold Party Michaelle St Vincent 59 0.2 New
Majority 8,913 22.2 ―2.1
Turnout 40,063 69.4 +0.4
Conservative hold Swing ―1.0

Elections in the 1990s

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General election 1992: Finchley[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hartley Booth 21,039 51.2 ―2.7
Labour Ann Marjoram 14,651 35.7 +4.0
Liberal Democrats Hilary Leighter 4,568 11.1 ―2.8
Green Ashley Gunstock 564 1.4 New
Monster Raving Loony Sally Johnson 130 0.3 New
Natural Law James Macrae 129 0.3 New
Majority 6,388 15.5 ―6.7
Turnout 41,081 77.6 +8.2
Conservative hold Swing ―3.3

Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
  2. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.

Sources

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  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency UK Parliament constituency
1918–1997 		Succeeded by
Finchley and Golders Green (newly created seat)
Succeeded by
Chipping Barnet (in part)
Preceded by Constituency represented by the leader of the opposition
1975–1979 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Constituency represented by the prime minister
1979–1990 		Succeeded by
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