Horsham () is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, centred on the eponymous town in West Sussex. The seat was won in 2024 by John Milne of the Liberal Democrats, making it the first time since 1876 that a non-Conservative Party candidate has held the seat.
Constituency profile The Horsham constituency is located in West Sussex and covers most of Horsham District. It is centred on the historic market town of Horsham, which has a population of around 52,000, and covers a large rural area surrounding the town. This area includes the large villages of Billingshurst and Southwater. The Arun Valley railway line travels through Horsham and Billingshurst and connects them to the south coast, Crawley, Gatwick Airport and London, making the area home to many commuters. The constituency is generally affluent with low levels of deprivation, particularly in Southwater and its surroundings, which fall within the top 10% least-deprived areas of England. House prices in the constituency are higher than regional and national averages.
In general, residents of the constituency have high levels of education and income. A high proportion of residents work in retail and in professional or scientific occupations. White people made up 92% of the population at the 2021 census. Most of the constituency, including the town of Horsham, is represented by Liberal Democrats at the local council level. Some Conservatives were elected in the rural areas. An estimated 51% of voters in the constituency supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, marginally higher than the nationwide figure of 48%.
History Horsham has existed as a constituency for three distinct periods. It first sent members to Parliament in 1295. However, the constituency was abolished in 1918 to make way for Horsham and Worthing. In 1945 the constituency was recreated, until 1974 when Horsham and Crawley was created. In 1983 the constituency of Horsham was again created and has existed since.
Until the 1885, the seat was constituted as a Parliamentary Borough, sending two MPs (burgesses) to the House of Commons up to 1832, when its representation was reduced to one member by the Reform Act 1832. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the parliamentary borough was abolished, but the name of Horsham was retained as a division of the parliamentary county of Sussex, covering northern areas of what is now West Sussex. Further to the Representation of the People Act 1918, the seat was abolished and largely absorbed into the new constituency of Horsham and Worthing, which also incorporated the coastal towns of Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Southwick – previously part of the Lewes division of Sussex.
By the 1940s, the Horsham and Worthing seat had an electorate of over 100,000 and, for the 1945 general election, the seat was divided in two with the re-establishment of Horsham and the creation of a separate constituency of Worthing. For the following election in 1950, Horsham lost Shoreham and Southwick to the new seat of Arundel and Shoreham. Under the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the February 1974 election, the seat was renamed Horsham and Crawley to reflect the growing proportion of the electorate coming from the new town of Crawley.
Under the Third Periodic Review, the Boundary Commission decided Crawley now justified a constituency in its own right and Horsham was again re-created as a constituency for the 1983 general election.
Political history
The constituency (including the two versions under other names) was held by members of the Conservative Party from 1880 to 2024, when it was taken by the Liberal Democrats at the 4th July general election. Edward Turnour held the seat for 47 years from a 1904 byelection until the 1951 general election, which included the whole period of Horsham and Worthing's existence. Similarly, Peter Hordern held the seat for 33 years from 1964 to 1997, including the whole period of Horsham and Crawley's existence.
Its Member of Parliament (MP) was Francis Maude between 1997 and 2015; followed by fellow Conservative Jeremy Quin until 2024 when the seat was taken from Quin by John Milne of the Liberal Democrats, making it the first time since 1876 that a non-Conservative Party candidate has won the seat. The Liberal Democrats (or one of its predecessors, the Social Democratic Party) had come second to the Conservatives at every general election from 1983 to 2019, except 2015 (UKIP) and 2017 (Labour).
Boundaries
Historic 1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Horsham, Midhurst, Petworth, the civil parish of Crawley.
1945–1950: The Urban Districts of Horsham, Shoreham-by-Sea, Southwick, the Rural Districts of Chanctonbury and Horsham.
1950–1974: The Urban District of Horsham, the Rural Districts of Horsham, Midhurst, Petworth.
1983–1997: The District of Horsham.
1997–2010: The District of Horsham wards of Billingshurst, Broadbridge Heath, Cowfold, Denne, Forest, Holbrook, Itchingfield and Shipley, Nuthurst, Riverside, Roffey North, Rudgwick, Rusper, Slinfold, Southwater, Trafalgar, Warnham, the District of Mid Sussex wards of Balcombe, Copthorne and Worth, Crawley Down, Slaugham, Turners Hill, the District of Chichester wards of Plaistow and Wisborough Green.
2010–2024: The District of Horsham wards of Billingshurst and Shipley, Broadbridge Heath, Denne, Forest, Holbrook East, Holbrook West, Horsham Park, Itchingfield, Slinfold and Warnham, Nuthurst, Roffey North, Roffey South, Rudgwick, Rusper and Colgate, Southwater, and Trafalgar, and the District of Mid Sussex wards of Ardingly and Balcombe, Copthorne and Worth, and Crawley Down and Turners Hill.
2024–present: The District of Horsham wards of Billingshurst, Broadbridge Heath, Colgate & Rusper, Cowfold, Shermanbury & West Grinstead, Denne, Forest, Holbrook East, Holbrook West, Itchingfield, Slinfold & Warnham, Nuthurst & Lower Beeding, Roffey North, Roffey South, Rudgwick, Southwater North, Southwater South & Shipley, and Trafalgar. Electorate reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring rural wards to the east and south of Crawley to the newly created constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield. The Cowfold, Shermanbury & West Grinstead ward was added from Arundel and South Downs.
Members of Parliament MPs before 1660 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386Henry Boteler(?William Rydelere I)1388 (Feb) Roger WyldegoseWilliam Rydelere I1388 (Sep) John BakerThomas Jewdry1390 (Jan)Henry Boteler1390 (Nov)1391 Henry BotelerThomas Jewdry1393 William ChodeWilliam Rydelere II13941395Henry BotelerRoger Eylove1397 (Jan)William Rydelere IRoger Wyldegose1397 (Sep) Henry BotelerRichard Coudene1399 William ChodeRichard Coudene14011402 Thomas BolterRobert atte Lynde1404 (Jan)1404 (Oct)1406 Thomas ChodeJohn Stoute1407 Thomas BolterThomas Chode141014111413 (Feb)1413 (May) Henry Boteler IIThomas Pylfold1414 (Apr)1414 (Nov) Thomas ChodeThomas Wodehach14151416 (Mar)Henry Boteler IIWalter Urry1416 (Oct)1417 John HaselhurstWilliam Hynekere1419 William StouteWalter Ury1420 William HynekereWilliam Stoute1421 (May) Thomas ChodePeter Hent1421 (Dec) Henry Boteler IIRoger Elyot1510–1523 No names known1529 Alfred BerwickHenry Hussey1536 ?1539 ?1542 ?1545 Sir Anthony WingfieldFrancis Knollys1547 Andrew BayntonJohn Vaughan1553 (Mar)Henry HusseyEdward Lewknor1553 (Oct) Anthony HusseyJohn Michell1554 (Apr)Richard BakerJohn Baker1554 (Nov) William TookeJohn Purvey1555 Robert ColshillWilliam Hogan1558 John BlennerhassettRichard Fulmerston1558 (Dec)Richard LestrangeNicholas Mynn1562/3 Peter OsborneRobert Buxton1571 John HusseyJohn Gresham1572 Nicholas HareJohn Hare1584 Nicholas HareJohn Hare1586 Nicholas HareJohn Hare1588/9 Nicholas HareJohn Hare1593 John HareRichard Franke1597 John HareJames Booth1601 Sir William HerveyMichael Hicks1604John Dodderidge Michael Hicks1614 John Middleton Sir Thomas Vavasour1621 Thomas Cornwallis John Middleton1624 John Borough John Middleton1625 John Borough John Middleton1626 John Borough John Middleton1628 Dudley North John Middleton1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned
MPs 1660–1832 YearFirst memberFirst PartySecond memberSecond Party 1660 Thomas Middleton Hall Ravenscroft 1661 Sir John Covert, Bt Henry Chowne 1669 Orlando Bridgeman 1679 Anthony Eversfield John Michell 1681 John Machell 1685 Anthony Eversfield 1690 Thomas White 1695 Henry Yates January 1701 Henry Cowper November 1701 John Wicker 1702 Henry Cowper 1705 Charles Eversfield 1707 Henry Goring 1708 John Wicker 1710 John Middleton 1713 Charles Eversfield January 1715 Sir Henry Goring, Bt June 1715 Hon. Arthur Ingram Arthur Ingram 1721 Charles Eversfield 1722 Hon. Henry Ingram 1737 Hon. Charles Ingram 1741 Sir Richard Mill, Bt 1747 Charles Ingram 1748 Sir Lionel Pilkington, Bt 1763 Robert Pratt 1768 James Grenville 1770 James Wallace Tory 1774 Jeremiah Dyson Tory 1776 Charles Moore Tory September 1780 George Legg Tory November 1780 Sir George Osborn, Bt Tory 1783 James Craufurd 1784 Jeremiah Crutchley Philip Metcalfe 1790 Timothy Shelley Whig Wilson Braddyll 1792 Lord William Gordon James Baillie 1793 William Fullarton 1796 Sir John MacPherson James Fox-Lane 1802 Edward Hilliard Patrick Ross 1804 James Harris Tory 1806 Francis John Wilder Whig Love Jones-Parry Whig 1807 Sir Samuel Romilly Whig 1808 Joseph Marryat Tory Henry Goulburn Tory 1812 Arthur Piggott Whig Robert Hurst Whig 1818 George Phillips Whig 1820 Sir John Aubrey, Bt Whig 1826 Henry Fox Whig 1827 Nicholas Ridley-Colborne Whig 1829 The Earl of Arundel Whig Representation reduced to one (1832)
MPs 1832–1918 ElectionMemberParty 1832 Robert Henry Hurst Radical 1841 Robert Scarlett Conservative 1844 by-election Robert Henry Hurst Radical 1847 John Jervis Radical 1848 by-election William Vesey-FitzGerald Conservative 1848 by-election Lord Edward Howard Whig 1852 William Vesey-FitzGerald Conservative 1865 Robert Henry Hurst Liberal 1868 John AldridgeAfter the 1868 election, petitions were lodged against both candidates and Aldridge chose not to defend his claim so Hurst was declared elected in 1869 Conservative Robert Henry Hurst Liberal 1874 Sir William Vesey-FitzGerald Conservative 1875 by-election Robert Henry Hurst Liberal 1876 by-election James Clifton Brown Liberal 1880 Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, Bt Conservative 1885 Sir Walter Barttelot, Bt Conservative 1893 by-election John Heywood Johnstone Conservative 1904 by-election Edward Turnour Conservative 1918 Constituency abolished: see Horsham and Worthing
MPs 1945–1974 ElectionMemberParty 1945 Edward Turnour Conservative 1951 Frederick Gough Conservative 1964 Sir Peter Hordern ConservativeFeb 1974 constituency abolished: see Horsham and Crawley
MPs since 1983 ElectionMemberParty 1983 Sir Peter Hordern Conservative 1997 Francis Maude Conservative 2015 Sir Jeremy Quin Conservative 2024 John Milne Liberal Democrats
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
2019 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 31,155 55.8 Liberal Democrats 13,802 24.7 Labour 8,736 15.6 Green 1,680 3.0 Others 477 0.9Turnout55,85072.6Electorate76,981
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
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1900s
= N/A
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
Caused by Aubrey-Fletcher's appointment as a Groom in Waiting.
Elections in the 1870s
Caused by the by-election being declared void on petition.
Caused by Vesey-FitzGerald's appointment as Chief Charity Commissioner for England and Wales.
Elections in the 1860s