Richmond (Yorks) was a constituency in North Yorkshire in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented from 1910 by members of the Conservative Party. The last MP for Richmond was Rishi Sunak from 2015 to 2024, who served as the Prime Minister and Conservative leader from 2022 to 2024.
Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat had minor boundary changes and was renamed to Richmond and Northallerton, first contested at the 2024 general election.
Constituency profile The constituency was a safe seat for the Conservative Party, which has held it continuously since 1910 (if including the 11 years by the allied Unionist Party from 1918), and in the 2010 general election Richmond produced the largest numerical and percentage majority for a Conservative, 62.8% of the vote.
The Conservative MP and one-time Party leader William Hague held the seat from a by-election in 1989 until he retired from the Commons in 2015. He had held the posts of Leader of the Opposition (1997–2001), Foreign Secretary (2010–2014) and Leader of the House of Commons (2014–2015). His successor, Rishi Sunak, served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022 and as Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024, whilst Hague's predecessor, Leon Brittan, served as Home Secretary. The constituency thus produced three consecutive MPs who served in the Great Offices of State, two of whom served as Leader of the Conservative Party.
The constituency consisted of, in the west, the entire Richmondshire district and, in the east, the northern part of Hambleton District. It was a mostly rural seat with a mostly affluent population.
History Richmond was one of the parliamentary boroughs in the Unreformed House of Commons that dates to the middle of its long existence, first being represented in 1585. Medieval royal charters had specifically exempted the town from sending members to Parliament; at the time this was often seen as an expensive burden.
By the early eighteenth century it was controlled by the Yorke and Darcy families, who each nominated a member; the Darcys gained control in the 1760s and shortly afterwards the interest was purchased by Sir Lawrence Dundas, 1st Baronet, along with the Aske estate. The Dundases or their nominees would retain control of the borough's representation for many years; there was no contested election between 1722 and 1839 and then not another until 1866. The last Dundas family member would not retire from the seat until 1885. During this period the seat was a safe one for the Whigs and later the Liberals; since around 1918 it has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party, with majorities often more than 40%.
From 1983 the seat was represented by the cabinet minister Leon Brittan, after boundary changes saw his Cleveland and Whitby seat abolished; however he resigned from the Commons in December 1988 in order to take up the position of vice-president of the European Commission.
1989 by-election The ensuing by-election, in February 1989, was won by William Hague: it was the last by-election won by a Conservative candidate during the Conservative Governments of 1979–1997. Hague's win has been attributed in part to the decision by the remnants of the Social Democratic Party (those members that objected to the merger with the Liberal Party the previous year) to contest the election as well as the newly merged Social and Liberal Democrats (who subsequently renamed themselves the Liberal Democrats). The SDP candidate, local farmer Mike Potter, came second, and Hague's majority of 2,634 was considerably smaller than the number of votes (11,589) for the SLD candidate, Barbara Pearce. Despite the Labour landslide of 1997, they did not come close to winning the seat, which stayed Conservative with a majority of 10,000. Hague retained the seat at every general election from then on, building the Conservative majority to 23,336, until his decision to step down at the 2015 election.
1992 change in main opposition candidate In 1992 the Labour candidate until a few weeks before the election, David Abrahams, was deselected following a series of rows within the local party over his personal life and business interests. It emerged in 2007 that he used the name "David Martin" when dealing with tenants in his various rental properties in the Newcastle area,Profile: reclusive Labour donor David Abrahams The Times – 26 November 2007 and that he had claimed that he lived with his wife and son, though he had never been married. Divorcee Anthea Bailey later told a local newspaper she and her 11-year-old son had posed as Mr Abrahams' family as part of a business arrangement so that Abrahams could create "the right impression".Profile of David Abrahams BBC News – 27 November 2007
2001–2024 At the 2001 general election Richmond became the Conservatives' safest seat in the UK, both in terms of the actual numerical majority and by percentage, the seat being held by William Hague, then the Conservative leader. Although the numerical majority was surpassed by Buckingham at the 2005 election, Richmond has a smaller electorate and had a greater proportion of Conservative voters so retained the second-largest percentage majority. Again in 2010, Richmond was the safest Conservative seat in the country in terms of numerical and percentage majority, though by 2019 it had slipped out of the top 15 safest Conservative seats. It has been represented since May 2015 by Rishi Sunak, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party.
Boundaries
1918–1950: The Borough of Richmond, the Urban Districts of Kirklington-cum-Upsland, Masham, and Northallerton, and the Rural Districts of Aysgarth, Bedale, Croft, Leyburn, Northallerton, Reeth, Richmond, Startforth, and Stokesley.
1950–1955: The Borough of Richmond, the Urban District of Northallerton, and the Rural Districts of Aysgarth, Croft, Leyburn, Masham, Northallerton, Reeth, Richmond, Startforth, and Stokesley.
1955–1974: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.
1974–1983: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.
1983–1997: The District of Richmondshire, and the District of Hambleton wards of Appleton Wiske, Bedale, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Carlton Miniott, Crakehall, Great Ayton, Hillside, Leeming, Leeming Bar, Morton-on-Swale, Northallerton North East, Northallerton South East, Northallerton West, Osmotherley, Romanby, Romanby Broomfield, Rudby, Sowerby, Stokesley, Swainby, Tanfield, The Cowtons, The Thorntons, Thirsk, Topcliffe, and Whitestonecliffe.
1997–2010: The District of Richmondshire, and the District of Hambleton wards of Appleton Wiske, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Great Ayton, Leeming Bar, Morton-on-Swale, Northallerton North East, Northallerton South East, Northallerton West, Osmotherley, Romanby, Romanby Broomfield, Rudby, Stokesley, Swainby, and The Cowtons.
2010–2024: The District of Richmondshire, and the former District of Hambleton wards of Bedale, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Cowtons, Crakehall, Great Ayton, Leeming, Leeming Bar, Morton-on-Swale, Northallerton Broomfield, Northallerton Central, Northallerton North, Osmotherley, Romanby, Rudby, Stokesley, Swainby, and Tanfield.
The Richmond constituency covered the Richmondshire district and the northern part of the former Hambleton District. It is a mostly affluent rural area with a significant commuter population, covering parts of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, including Wensleydale and Swaledale. It contained the market towns of Northallerton, Richmond, Leyburn, Bedale, Hawes and Stokesley, along with Great Ayton and other villages. It also includes the largest army base in Europe, Catterick Garrison.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1585–1640 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1584 John Pepper Marmaduke Wyvill 1586 Robert Bowes Samuel Coxe 1588 James Dale John Smythe 1593 Talbot Bowes John Pepper 1597 Marmaduke Wyvill Cuthbert Pepper 1601 Cuthbert Pepper Talbot Bowes 1604 Sir John Savile Richard Percevall 1614 Sir Talbot Bowes Sir William Richardson 1621 Sir Talbot Bowes William Bowes 1624 John Wandesford Christopher Pepper 1625 Christopher Wandesford Sir Talbot Bowes 1626 Christopher Wandesford Matthew Hutton 1628 Sir Talbot Bowes James Howell 1629–1640No Parliaments summoned
MPs 1640–1868 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party April 1640 Sir William Pennyman, Bt. Royalist Maulger Norton November 1640 Sir Thomas Danby Royalist August 1642Pennyman disabled to sit(Pennyman died August 1643)September 1642Danby disabled to sit1645Thomas Chaloner Francis Thorpe 1653Richmond was unrepresented in Barebone's Parliament1654 John Wastal Richmond had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate 1656 John Bathurst January 1659 Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt. John Bathurst May 1659Thomas Chaloner Francis Thorpe April 1660James DarcySir Christopher Wyvill, Bt. 1661Sir John YorkeJoseph Cradock 1662John Wandesford 1664Sir William Killigrew 1665Marmaduke Darcy 1679Humphrey WhartonThomas Cradock 1681John Darcy, Lord Conyers 1685Thomas Cradock January 1689Thomas Yorke February 1689Philip Darcy 1690Sir Mark Milbanke, BtTheodore Bathurst 1695Thomas YorkeSir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt. 1698James Darcy 1701John Hutton 1702James Darcy May 1705Wharton Dunch December 1705William Walsh 1708Harry Mordaunt 1710John Yorke Whig 1713Thomas Yorke 1717John YorkeWhig 1720Richard Abell Whig 1722Conyers Darcy Whig 1727Charles BathurstSir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt. 1728At the general election of 1727, Wyvill and Bathurst were returned as elected, but on petition they were unseated in favour of Yorke and Darcy, the dispute turning on who had the right to voteJohn Yorke WhigSir Conyers DarcySir Conyers Darcy was re-elected in 1747 but had also been elected for Yorkshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for RichmondWhig 1747Earl of Ancram 1757Thomas Yorke 1761Sir Ralph Milbanke 1763Thomas Dundas March 1768Alexander WedderburnSir Lawrence Dundas, BtSir Lawrence Dundas was also elected for Edinburgh, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Richmond November 1768William Norton 1769Charles John Crowle 1774Thomas DundasThomas Dundas was also elected for Stirlingshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Richmond in this parliamentSir Lawrence Dundas, Bt January 1775Charles Dundas December 1775William Norton 1780Marquess of GrahamSir Lawrence Dundas, Bt 1781George Fitzwilliam 1784Murrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of ThomondCharles Dundas 1786Sir Grey Cooper 1790Lawrence DundasWhig 1796Charles George Beauclerk 1798Arthur ShakespeareWhig 1802George DundasWhig 1806Charles Lawrence DundasWhig 1808Lawrence DundasWhig 1810Robert ChalonerWhig January 1812George DundasWhig October 1812Dudley Long NorthWhig 1818Thomas DundasWhigViscount MaitlandWhig 1820Samuel Barrett Moulton BarrettWhig 1828Sir Robert DundasWhig 1830John DundasWhig 1835Alexander SpeirsWhigThomas DundasStyled Lord Dundas after his father was created an Earl in 1838Whig 1839Sir Robert DundasWhig February 1841George Wentworth-FitzWilliamWhig June 1841John DundasWhigWilliam Ridley-ColborneWhig 1846Henry RichWhig 1847Marmaduke WyvillWhig 1859LiberalLiberal 1861Sir Roundell PalmerLiberal 1865John DundasLiberal 1866Marmaduke WyvillLiberal Representation reduced to one member
1868–2024
ElectionMemberParty 1868 Sir Roundell Palmer Liberal 1872 by-election Lawrence Dundas Liberal 1873 by-election John Dundas Liberal 1885 Sir Frederick Milbank, Bt Liberal 1886 George ElliotLater Sir George Elliott Conservative 1895 John Hutton Conservative 1906 Francis Dyke Acland Liberal Jan 1910 William Orde-Powlett Conservative 1918 Sir Murrough Wilson Unionist 1929 Thomas Dugdale Conservative 1959 Timothy Kitson Conservative 1983 Leon Brittan Conservative 1989 by-election William Hague Conservative 2015 Rishi Sunak Conservative 2024 Constituency abolishedSee Richmond and Northallerton