List of Parliamentary constituencies in Hertfordshire


The county of Hertfordshire in England is divided into eleven Parliamentary constituencies. Each of the eleven elects a Member of Parliament to represent it at the United Kingdom Parliament in Westminster. As of the 2017 general election, all of Hertfordshire's eleven MPs are Conservatives. The county currently has two urban borough constituencies – Broxbourne and Watford – while the other nine are classed as more rural county constituencies.

Constituencies

Limits of the seats were amended by the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies carried out by the Boundary Commission for England for future elections which have included 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019. Each constituency is made up of whole or partial local government wards, which elect councillors at English local elections. Nine are designated as county constituencies. Two are borough constituencies.

2010 boundary changes

The Boundary Commission for England decided not to change Hertfordshire's representation in Parliament for the 2010 election. It did however suggest slight boundary changes to reduce electoral disparity. The recommendations, which became law with the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2007, also ensured that local government wards in Hertfordshire would no longer be split between two Parliamentary constituencies.
No. on mapConstituencyPre-2010 BoundariesPost-2010 Boundaries
1Broxbourne
2Hemel Hempstead
3Hertford and Stortford
4Hertsmere
5Hitchin and Harpenden
6North East Hertfordshire
7South West Hertfordshire
8St Albans
9Stevenage
10Watford
11Welwyn Hatfield

Proposed boundary changes

The Boundary Commission for England submitted their final proposals in respect of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies in September 2018. Although the proposals were immediately laid before Parliament they were not brought forward by the Government for approval. Accordingly, they did not come into effect for the 2019 election which took place on 12 December 2019, and which was contested using the constituency boundaries in place since 2010.
Under the terms of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, the Sixth Review was based on reducing the total number of MPs from 650 to 600 and a strict electoral parity requirement that the electorate of all constituencies should be within a range of 5% either side of the electoral quota.
On 24 March 2020, the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Chloe Smith, issued a written statement to Parliament setting out the Government's thinking with regard to parliamentary boundaries. They propose to bring forward primary legislation to remove the statutory obligation to implement the 2018 Boundary Review recommendations, as well as set the framework for future boundary reviews in time for the next review which is due to begin in early 2021 and report no later than October 2023. It is proposed that the number of constituencies now remains at the current level of 650, rather than being reduced to 600, while retaining the requirement that the electorate should be no more than +/- 5% from the electoral quota.

Results history

Primary data source: House of Commons research briefing - General election results from 1918 to 2019

2019

The number of votes cast for each political party who fielded candidates in constituencies comprising Hertfordshire in the 2019 general election were as follows:
PartyVotes%Change from 2017SeatsChange from 2017
Conservative317,01852.7%1.6%101
Labour141,14320.1%8.6%00
Liberal Democrats110,00618.6%8.4%11
Greens15,1323.3%0.2%00
Others17,7640.6%1.6%00
Total601,063100.011

Percentage votes

11974 & 1979 - Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance
* Included in Other

Seats

11974 & 1979 - Liberal Party; 1983 & 1987 - SDP-Liberal Alliance

Maps

Timeline

Historical representation by party

A cell marked → indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

1885 to 1945

1945 to present

Footnotes