Dover and Deal

The seat includes most of Dover District. It comprises the towns of Deal, Dover, Walmer and surrounding villages in a productive chalkland, long-cultivated area adjoining the Strait of Dover. Since 1945 Dover has been a Labour/Conservative swing seat. In local elections, most of its rural villages and the two small towns favour the Conservative Party, whereas Dover favours the Labour Party, as well as the former mixed mining and agricultural villages in the local coal belt (East Kent coalfield), such as Aylesham. Labour's vote held on very solidly here in 2005, but the seat went Conservative in the 2010 election on a swing of 10.4% compared with a 4.9% swing nationally. Electoral Calculus categorises the seat as being part of the “Strong Right” demographic, those who have fiscally conservative views on the economy but are also fairly nationalist and socially conservative, alongside strong support for Brexit. In addition to this, around 55% of Dover and Deal is deprived, in terms of employment, income and education, with 47% of the local population, in particular, being unemployed, according to the site. For general statistics, the average age is 52.4, at least 80% of the local population owns a car, whilst 67% own a home, and the gross household income is £41,120. ==Cinque Port seat==

Dover's representation was originally as a Cinque Port constituency. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports nominated one member, as with other Cinque Ports, but this was outlawed by the Parliamentary Elections Act 1689 (2 Will. & Mar. c. 7). There was still some residual influence, but there was also a local independent element in the borough, with two local leading families, the Papillons and Furneses, starting to send MPs to Parliament. By the mid eighteenth century, it had come under more government authority through the influence of the Earl of Hardwicke, although government control was often more fragile than it seemed. Dover lost its status as a Cinque Port seat, becoming a borough seat under the Reform Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45). ==Boundaries==

1918–1950: The Boroughs of Dover and Deal, the Urban District of Walmer, and the Rural Districts of Dover and Eastry. 1950–1983: The Boroughs of Dover, Deal, and Sandwich, the Rural District of Dover, and the Rural District of Eastry, except the parishes included in the Isle of Thanet constituency. 1983–2010: The District of Dover wards of Aylesham, Barton, Buckland, Capel-le-Ferne, Castle, Cornilo, Eastry, Eythorne, Lower Walmer, Lydden and Temple Ewell, Maxton and Elms Vale, Middle Deal, Mill Hill, Mongeham, Noninstone, North Deal, Pineham, Priory, Ringwould, River, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, St Radigund's, Shepherdswell with Coldred, Tower Hamlets, Town and Pier, and Upper Walmer. 2010–2024: The District of Dover wards of Aylesham, Buckland, Capel-le-Ferne, Castle, Eastry, Eythorne and Shepherdswell, Lydden and Temple Ewell, Maxton, Elms Vale and Priory, Middle Deal and Sholden, Mill Hill, North Deal, Ringwould, River, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, St Radigund's, Tower Hamlets, Town and Pier, Walmer, and Whitfield. 2024–present: The District of Dover wards of Alkham & Capel-le-Ferne, Aylesham, Eythorne & Shepherdswell, Buckland, Dover Downs & River, Eastry Rural, Guston, Kingsdown & St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Maxton & Elms Vale, Middle Deal, Mill Hill, North Deal, St. Radigunds, Tower Hamlets, Town & Castle, Walmer, and Whitfield. :Minor changes due to revision of ward boundaries. ==Charlie Elphicke scandal==

From 2010, the MP was Charlie Elphicke, elected as a member of the Conservative Party. On 3 November 2017, Elphicke was suspended by the Conservative Party after "serious allegations" were made against him, and then sat as an Independent until 12 December 2018, when he had the Conservative whip restored ahead of a party vote on a no-confidence motion against Theresa May. In July 2019, the whip was withdrawn again after he was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service with three counts of sexual assault against two women. Elphicke stood down as an MP shortly before the 2019 UK general election, with his wife, Natalie Elphicke, standing as the Conservative Party candidate in his place. Natalie Elphicke was elected as the Conservative MP for Dover at the 2019 UK general election, achieving a higher majority than her husband's, but she defected to Labour in May 2024, as they gained the seat in the general election two months later, with new MP Mike Tapp. ==Members of Parliament==

Cinque Port/Parliamentary Borough 1386–1918 MPs 1386–1660 No parliament called between 1629 and 1640 MPs 1660–1885 MPs 1885–1918 County constituency 1918–present == Elections ==

Elections in the 2020s Elections in the 2010s 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 Elections in the 1930s • withdrew on 16 October Elections in the 1920s Elections in the 1910s Elections in the 1900s Elections in the 1890s Elections in the 1880s Elections in the 1870s Elections in the 1860s Elections in the 1850s Elections in the 1840s Elections in the 1830s == See also ==