Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the three two-member county divisions of Norfolk were replaced with six single-member divisions, including the newly created South-Western Division of Norfolk, largely formed from southern parts of the abolished Western Division, including Thetford. From the 1950 general election, it has been formally known as the county constituency of South West Norfolk. South West Norfolk has been held solidly by Conservatives since 1964 but for twenty years before then, it had been ultra-marginal: Labour first held it from 1929–31, and Sidney Dye won it for Labour in 1945 with a tiny majority of 53, holding it at the 1950 election by 260. He lost it to Denys Bullard in 1951 by 442 votes and won it back in 1955 with a majority of 193. Dye died at the end of 1958, and in the by-election Albert Hilton retained the seat for Labour by a margin of 1,354 votes. In the 1959 general election that soon followed, his majority was cut to 78. Although Labour thus had held the seat during two Conservative national election victories, the Conservatives took the seat in the 1964 election, which Labour won nationally. Paul Hawkins, then Gillian Shephard held the seat. Shephard's majority was slashed in the 1997 general election before recovering in the 2001 general election. Shephard decided not to run again in 2005 and was elevated to a peerage. The Conservative Party selected Christopher Fraser, former MP for Mid Dorset and Poole North and he was elected with a majority of over 10,000. On 28 May 2009, Fraser announced that he would be standing down at the 2010 general election citing family reasons. This was after his expenses claims were highlighted in the Daily Telegraph; according to the newspaper, Fraser claimed £1,800 in public money for buying 215 trees and marking out the boundary of his second home in the constituency.
Constituency profile
Workless claimants were in November 2012 lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 3.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1885–1918: The part of the Municipal Borough of Thetford in the county of Norfolk, and the Sessional Divisions of Clackclose, Grimshoe, South Greenhoe, and Wayland. 1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Thetford, the Urban Districts of Downham Market, East Dereham, and Swaffham, the Rural Districts of Mitford and Launditch, and Swaffham, and parts of the Rural Districts of Downham, Marshland, and Thetford. Gained northern areas of the abolished Mid Division of Norfolk, including East Dereham, and a small area in the south of the Northern Division. Transferred a small area in the east to the Southern Division. 1950–1983: The Urban Districts of Downham Market, East Dereham, and Swaffham, and the Rural Districts of Downham, Mitford and Launditch, and Swaffham. Thetford transferred to South Norfolk. Minor changes to boundary with King's Lynn to align with boundaries of local authorities. 1983–2010: The District of Breckland wards of All Saints, Besthorpe, Buckenham, Conifer, East Guiltcross, Haggard De Toni, Harling, Haverscroft, Heathlands, Mid Forest, Nar Valley, Necton, Peddars Way, Queen's, Swaffham, Templar, Thetford Abbey, Thetford Barnham Cross, Thetford Guildhall, Thetford Saxon, Watton, Wayland, Weeting, West Guiltcross, and Wissey, and the Borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk wards of Airfield, Denton, Denver, Downham Market, Emneth, Ten Mile, Upwell Outwell and Delph, Watlington, and Wissey. Thetford transferred back from South Norfolk, together with areas comprising the former Rural District of Wayland, including Attleborough. North-eastern areas, including East Dereham, transferred to the re-established County Constituency of Mid Norfolk. Minor re-alignment of boundary with North West Norfolk. 2010–present: The District of Breckland wards of Conifer, East Guiltcross, Harling and Heathlands, Mid Forest, Nar Valley, Swaffham, Thetford Abbey, Thetford Castle, Thetford Guildhall, Thetford Saxon, Wayland, Weeting, and West Guiltcross, and the Borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk wards of Airfield, Denton, Downham Old Town, East Downham, Emneth with Outwell, Hilgay with Denver, Mershe Lande, North Downham, St Lawrence, South Downham, Upwell and Delph, Walton, Watlington, Wiggenhall, and Wimbotsham with Fincham Wissey. As a result of the Boundary Commission's report which came into effect for the 2010 general election, South West Norfolk gained wards from neighbouring North West Norfolk including Walpole, Tilney St Lawrence, and Wiggenhall villages. It lost to Mid Norfolk the wards of All Saints, Buckenham, Burgh and Haverscroft, Haggard De Toni, Necton, Queen's, Templar and Watton, which included the villages of Necton, Great Ellingham and Watton. The constituency includes Downham Market, Swaffham, Thetford, Outwell, Upwell, and Feltwell.
