From 1997 to 2010 Liberal Democrat majorities were between 2.5% and 15%, contextually marginal in the light of local political history. The large national swing against the
Conservatives in 1997 of −11.2% compared to −16.2% expressed locally. This ended the seat's spell of three widely perceived "strong" or "safe" victories – the weakest lead seen by outgoing MP
Forman was 18.9% in 1992. Results since 2015 have been very
marginal majorities.
The
Liberal Democrats 2010 to 2015 coalition proved very unpopular in most other places prompting an unprecedented swing against the party nationally. The coalition saw no meeting of the party's tuition fees abolition policy and a quite austere credit crunch recovery in fiscal policy. No other seat in the southern half of England, aside from
North Norfolk (on its fringe), was retained by a Liberal Democrat in 2015. The seat became one of eight connected to the party. The result placed the seat ahead of seats the party lost that had returned a Liberal Democrat or Liberal for decades, such as
Truro and St Austell, its member (or that for its direct predecessor version, Truro) having had the party's allegiance since 1974. In 2019, this seat was one of
three Liberal Democrat seats gained by the Conservatives (albeit two went the other way). Brake, the losing incumbent was party spokesman on
Brexit. The party fiercely campaigned against this; however, this seat voted to leave in the
2016 referendum.
Demographically this zone of London has little
social housing and much of the housing, overwhelmingly semi-detached or detached, is to some extent considered to be in the
stockbroker belt; some of the south of the seat has fine views from the slopes of the
Downs and many small parks and recreation grounds characterise the district.
Boundaries
Map of present boundaries
1983–2010: The
London Borough of Sutton wards of Beddington North, Beddington South, Carshalton Beeches, Carshalton Central, Carshalton North, Clockhouse, St Helier North, St Helier South, Wallington North, Wallington South, Wandle Valley, Woodcote, and Wrythe Green.
2010–present: The London Borough of Sutton wards of Beddington North, Beddington South, Carshalton Central, Carshalton South and Clockhouse, St Helier, The Wrythe, Wallington North, Wallington South, and Wandle Valley.
Proposed
Further to the
2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the boundaries of the constituency from the
next general election, due by January 2025, will be virtually unchanged. However, following a review of local authority ward boundaries which came into effect on 4 May 2022, the composition of the seat will now be composed of the following London Borough of Sutton wards:
Beddington; Carshalton Central; Carshalton South & Clockhouse; Hackbridge; St. Helier East; St. Helier West; South Beddington & Roundshaw; The Wrythe; Wallington North; Wallington South.[3]