South East Cornwall

South East Cornwall is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Anna Gelderd, a Labour politician.

Constituency profile

South East Cornwall is a constituency in Cornwall in South West England. Its largest town is Saltash, which has a population of around 15,000. Other settlements include the towns of Liskeard, Lostwithiel, Looe, Callington and Torpoint and the village of Gunnislake.

This is a large, rural constituency with many small towns and villages. The coastal settlements like Looe, Polperro and Downderry are traditionally fishing villages that have grown popular as tourist destinations. Liskeard, Lostwithiel and Callington are historic, small market towns. Saltash and Torpoint lie across the River Tamar from the city of Plymouth; Saltash largely functions as a suburb of Plymouth despite being the older of the two settlements. Most of the towns and villages in this constituency have below-average levels of wealth whilst Saltash is more affluent. House prices here are generally lower than the regional and UK averages.

South East Cornwall has a large retired population and low proportions of young and middle-aged adults. Residents have below-average levels of income but high rates of homeownership. The child poverty rate is above average. They have average levels of education and a high proportion work in the agriculture, retail and tourism sectors. The percentage of residents claiming unemployment benefits is low. White people made up 98% of the population at the 2021 census and around 10% of residents expressed a Cornish national identity.

At the local council, Looe and Lostwithiel in the west are represented by Liberal Democrats whilst the rest of the constituency elected mostly Reform UK councillors. An estimated 57% of voters in South East Cornwall supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the UK-wide figure of 52%.

Boundaries

1983–2010: The District of Caradon, the Borough of Restormel wards of Fowey, Lostwithiel, St Blaise, and Tywardreath, and the District of North Cornwall ward of Stoke Climsland.

2010–2024: The District of Caradon, and the Borough of Restormel ward of Lostwithiel.

2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which became effective for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral divisions of Cornwall (as they existed on 4 May 2021):

Callington & St Dominic; Calstock; Liskeard Central; Liskeard South & Dobwalls; Looe East & Deviock; Looe West, Pelynt, Lansallos & Lanteglos; Lostwithiel & Lanreath; Lynher; Rame Peninsula & St Germans; St Cleer & Menheniot; Saltash Essa; Saltash Tamar; Saltash Trematon & Landrake; Torpoint.

Very small change to align with revised electoral division boundaries.

The current constituency territory contains the location of several former borough constituencies which were abolished as 'rotten boroughs' by the Reform Act 1832:

Callington East Looe Fowey Lostwithiel Saltash St Germans West Looe and Polperro

History The predecessor county division, Bodmin, serving the area from 1885 until 1983 had (during those 98 years) 15 members (two of whom had broken terms of office serving the area), seeing twelve shifts of preference between the Liberal, Liberal Unionist and Conservative parties, spread quite broadly throughout that period. Consistent with this, since 1983 the preference for an MP has alternated between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. The Labour Party moved into second place in 2017 for the first time in the history of both constituencies, and captured the seat at the 2024 general election.

Members of Parliament ElectionMemberParty 1983 Robert Hicks Conservative 1997 Colin Breed Liberal Democrat 2010 Sheryll Murray Conservative 2024 Anna Gelderd Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 30,839 59.0 Labour 10,614 20.3 Liberal Democrats 8,520 16.3 Green 1,405 2.7 Others 869 1.7Turnout52,24772.8Electorate71,734

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

South East Cornwall

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