Chichester is a constituency in West Sussex, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jess Brown-Fuller, a Liberal Democrat.
History Chichester centres on the small medieval cathedral city by the South Downs National Park. It is one of the oldest constituencies in the UK, having been created when commoners were first called to the Model Parliament in 1295 as one of the original Parliamentary boroughs returning two members. The seat has sent one member since 1868, after the Reform Act 1867.
In its various forms, Chichester was a Conservative stronghold from 1868 to 2024 (except for a brief period of 10 months in 1923-24 when it was held by the Liberal Party's Charles Rudkin), but at the 2024 general election, it was won decisively by the Liberal Democrats on a huge swing of 31% with the election of Jess Brown-Fuller.
Boundaries
The seat forms a far western strip of West Sussex and covers the southern half of the Chichester district (including the City of Chichester and the coastal area).
Before the 1974 redistribution Chichester was a more compact seat, taking in the eastern towns of Arundel and Bognor Regis in latter years. Emergence of newer urban centres meant that the area was expanded to the north to avoid malapportionment.
1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Chichester, the Sessional Divisions of Arundel and Chichester, and part of the Sessional Division of Steyning.
1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Arundel and Chichester, the Urban Districts of Bognor and Littlehampton, and the Rural Districts of East Preston, Midhurst, Petworth, Westbourne, and Westhampnett.
1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Chichester, the Urban District of Bognor Regis, and the Rural District of Chichester.
1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Chichester, the Rural Districts of Midhurst and Petworth, and part of the Rural District of Chichester.
1983–1997: The District of Chichester. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.
1997–2010: All the wards of the District of Chichester except the Bury, Plaistow and Wisborough Green wards.
2010–2024: The District of Chichester wards of Bosham, Boxgrove, Chichester East, Chichester North, Chichester South, Chichester West, Donnington, Easebourne, East Wittering, Fernhurst, Fishbourne, Funtington, Harting, Lavant, Midhurst, North Mundham, Plaistow, Rogate, Selsey North, Selsey South, Sidlesham, Southbourne, Stedham, Tangmere, West Wittering, and Westbourne.
2024–present: The District of Arun wards of Bersted and Pagham, and District of Chichester wards of Chichester Central, Chichester East, Chichester North, Chichester South, Chichester West, Goodwood (part), Harbour Villages, Lavant, North Mundham & Tangmere, Selsey South, Sidlesham with Selsey North, Southbourne, The Witterings, and Westbourne. Electorate reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring northern, largely rural areas, including the town of Midhurst, to Arundel and South Downs. To partly compensate, Bersted and Pagham were transferred in from Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.
Constituency profile Physical geography The constituency runs from the county's border with Surrey, through a partly wooded broad swathe of the South Downs, to the town of Selsey and paired villages The Witterings on the English Channel. The small cathedral city Chichester and Selsey account for 6 of 24 wards but comprise a higher proportion of councillors as these are larger three-member wards. The highest density of villages is near the Hampshire border, in the west.
Social geography The city has relatively little social housing and few homes which are cheap to buy or rent, as epitomised in the National Park status of much of the land north of Chichester. In Chichester itself the percentage of social housing in 2011 was 20.5%, including 3% directly in local authority homes. The area is linked to London by train and the A3. Modestly deprived areas of Chichester, Selsey and the rural South Downs are dominated by the working poor and poorer pensioners with little generational unemployment. The local economy has many entry-level or intensive manual jobs in food production, retail, driving, warehousing as well as intermittent or traditionally low paid labour such as road repair and the care sector. Some of these workers commute from the outskirts of nearest major cities Brighton and Portsmouth. The contributory districts occupy the top two rankings out of all seven in terms of fuel poverty in West Sussex.
Results The seat was held by the Conservatives from 1924 to 2024 continuously; in 2017 the new Conservative candidate Gillian Keegan polled over 60% of the vote, a share which dropped slightly in 2019. The 2024 election saw the seat gained by the Liberal Democrat Jess Brown-Fuller who polled over 49%. The closest election before then was the 1997 general election, where a Liberal Democrat took 29.0% of the vote. The best performances by Labour candidates were in 2001 and 2017, with 21.4% and 22.4% of the vote, respectively. In terms of the fourth party since 2001, the three general elections to 2010 saw an increase in support for the UK Independence Party to their highest level to date, 6.8%.
Members of Parliament MPs 1295–1660
Constituency created 1295
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1386 Thomas Patching John Sherare 1388 (Feb) Thomas Patching William Neel 1388 (Sep) William Horlebat Simon Vincent 1390 (Jan) Thomas Patching John Sherare 1390 (Nov) 1391 Thomas Patching John Sherare 1393 Thomas Patching John Sherare 1394 1395 John atte Mille John Sherare 1397 (Jan) John Goldston John Hebbe 1397 (Sep) Thomas Patching John Okehurst 1399 Thomas Patching William Neel 1401 William Combe Thomas Hayne 1402 Robert Jugler Simon Vincent 1404 (Jan) 1404 (Oct) 1406 John Dolyte Thomas Neel 1407 Robert Jugler Thomas Neel 1410 1411 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) Geoffrey Hebbe Robert Jugler 1414 (Apr) 1414 (Nov) Robert Stryvelyne Robert Jugler 1415 William Farnhurst Thomas Neel 1416 (Mar) William Farnhurst John Vincent 1416 (Oct) 1417 Thomas Russell Robert Stryvelyne 1419 John Dolyte Richard Sherter 1420 John Cok William Hore 1421 (May) William Farnhurst Robert Stryvelyne 1421 (Dec) John Dolyte Richard Fust 1431 William Hore 1510–1523No names known 1529 Robert Bowyer I Robert Trigges 1536 ? 1539 ? 1542 William Erneley ? 1545 ? 1547 Richard Sackville Robert Bowyer I 1553 (Mar) Thomas Stoughton Thomas Carpenter 1553 (Oct) Thomas Stoughton Thomas Carpenter 1554 (Apr) Thomas Stoughton Thomas Carpenter 1554 (Nov) John Digons Walter Roynon 1555 Richard Knight Robert Bowyer II 1558 Peter Tolpat Lawrence Ardren 1558–9 Sir Henry Radcliffe Robert Bowyer II 1562–3 Thomas Stoughton John Sherwin 1571 Thomas Kyrle Thomas West 1572 Valentine Dale Richard Lewknor 1584 Valentine Dale Richard Lewknor 1586 Valentine Dale Richard Lewknor 1588 Valentine Dale Richard Lewknor 1593 Richard Lewknor William Ashby 1597 Richard Lewknor Adrian Stoughton 1601 Adrian Stoughton Stephen Barnham 1604 Adrian Stoughton Sir John Morley 1614 Adrian Stoughton Sir John Morley 1621 Sir Edward CecilDictionary of National Biography, later editions, and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Thomas Whatman 1624 Thomas Edmondes Thomas Whatman 1625 Algernon Percy Humphrey Haggett 1626 Algernon Percy Humphrey Haggett April 1626 Edward Dowse Humphrey Haggett 1628 William Cawley Henry Bellingham 1629–1640No Parliaments summoned 1640 (Apr) Christopher Lewknor Edward Dowse 1640 (Nov) Christopher Lewknor Sir William Morley, disabled 23 November 1642 1645 Sir John Temple Henry Peck 1648 ? 1653Chichester not represented in Barebones Parliament 1654 Henry Peckham(one seat only) 1656 Henry Peckham (one seat only) 1659 Henry Peckham William Cawley
MPs 1660–1868 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1660Henry Peckham John Farrington 1661William Garway 1673Richard May February 1679John Braman September 1679John Farrington 1681Richard Farington Whig 1685Sir Richard May George Gounter 1689Thomas Miller Thomas May 1695The Earl of Ranelagh William Elson 1698Sir Richard Farington, 1st Bt WhigJohn Miller Tory January 1701Sir Thomas May William Elson November 1701John Miller ToryMay 1705Sir Thomas Littleton, 3rd Bt WhigNovember 1705Thomas Onslow 1708Thomas Carr TorySir Richard Farington, 1st Bt Whig1710Sir John Miller, 2nd Bt Tory 1713William Elson James Brudenell 1715Sir Richard Farington, 1st Bt WhigThomas Miller 1719Henry Kelsall 1722Charles Lennox 1724Lord William Beauclerk 1727Charles Lumley 1729James Lumley 1733Sir Thomas Prendergast, 2nd Baronet 1734James Brudenell Thomas Yates 1741John Page 1746George Keppel 1755Augustus Keppel Whig1761Lord George Lennox 1767William Keppel 1768Thomas Conolly 1780Thomas Steele Tory1782Percy Charles Wyndham 1784George White-Thomas Whig1807James du Pre Tory 1812Charles Gordon-Lennox ToryWilliam Huskisson Tory1819Lord John Lennox Whig1823William Stephen Poyntz Whig1830 John Smith Whig1831 Lord Arthur Lennox WhigJohn Abel Smith Whig1837 Conservative1846Lord Henry Lennox Conservative1859Humphrey William Freeland Liberal1863John Abel Smith Liberal1868Representation reduced to one member
MPs since 1868 ElectionMemberParty1868Lord Henry Lennox Conservative1885Charles Gordon-Lennox Conservative1888 by-electionLord Walter Gordon-Lennox Conservative1894 by-election Lord Edmund Talbot Conservative 1918 Coalition Conservative1921 by-election Sir William Bird Coalition Conservative 1922 Conservative1923Charles Rudkin Liberal1924John Courtauld Conservative1942 by-electionSir Lancelot Joynson-Hicks Conservative1958 by-electionBill Loveys Conservative1969 by-electionChristopher Chataway ConservativeOct 1974Anthony Nelson Conservative1997Andrew Tyrie Conservative2017Gillian Keegan Conservative2024Jess Brown-Fuller Liberal Democrats
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 29,981 58.8 Liberal Democrats 10,359 20.3 Labour 7,850 15.4 Green 2,499 4.9 Others 333 0.6Turnout51,02266.5Electorate76,765
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.
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: John Courtauld Labour: E A Weston Liberal: Gerald KiddBognor Regis Observer 30 December 1939 British Union: Charles Hudson
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; Unionist: Edmund Talbot Liberal:
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
Caused by Gordon-Lennox's resignation.
Elections in the 1870s
Caused by Lennox's appointment as First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings
Elections in the 1860s
Seat reduced to one member
Caused by Freeland's resignation.
Elections in the 1850s
Caused by Gordon-Lennox's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.
Caused by Gordon-Lennox's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.
Elections in the 1840s
Caused by Lennox's resignation by accepting the office of Steward of the Manor of Hempholme
Caused by Lennox's appointment as Clerk of the Ordnance
Caused by Lennox's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
Elections in the 1830s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in West Sussex