1950–1983: The County Borough of Brighton wards of Hollingbury, Montpelier, Patcham, Pavilion, Preston, Preston Park, Regency, St Nicholas, St Peters, and West.[3]
1955–1983: The County Borough of Brighton wards of Hollingbury, Montpelier, Patcham, Preston, Preston Park, Regency, Stanmer, St Nicholas, and St Peter's.[4]
1983–1997: The Borough of Brighton wards of Hollingbury, Patcham, Preston, Regency, St Peter's, Seven Dials, Stanmer, and Westdene.
1997–2010: The Borough of Brighton wards of Hanover, Hollingbury, Patcham, Preston, Regency, St Peter's, Seven Dials, Stanmer, and Westdene.
2010–2024: The City of Brighton and Hove wards of Hanover and Elm Grove, Hollingdean and Stanmer (called Hollingbury and Stanmer before 2011), Patcham, Preston Park, Regency, St Peter's and North Laine, and Withdean.
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the renamed constituency (based on the ward structure in place at 1 December 2020) was reduced slightly by transferring to Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven part of the Hanover and Elm Grove ward – namely polling district PHEA, and that part of polling district PHEF to the east of Queen's Park Road.[5]
Following a local government boundary review in Brighton and Hove which came into effect in May 2023,[6][7] the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
Coldean & Stanmer (majority); Hanover & Elm Grove (most – see above); Hollingdean & Fiveways; Moulsecoomb & Bevendean (small part); Patcham & Hollingbury; Preston Park; Regency (nearly all); Round Hill; West Hill & North Laine; Westdene & Hove Park (part).[8]
Brighton Pavilion beach and seafront with Brighton Pier, the border of Brighton Kemptown in distance
The constituency was created in 1950 from the former two-member constituency of Brighton (one of the last remaining multi-member constituencies), for which Brighton Pavilion's first Member of Parliament, Sir William Teeling, had previously been the joint representative.
The present name is derived from the Royal Pavilion.[n 2] On current boundaries, the pavilion itself is right on the South-Eastern border of the seat; the opposite side of the road is Brighton Kemptown, which includes the Gay Village of St James Street, Brighton Pier, and the beach eastward. Brighton Pavilion encompasses the heart of the city, including the Georgian and Regency alleyway properties of The Lanes and the Bohemian North Laine shopping area. The developed centre of the promenade above the central pebbled beach has major entertainment venues and the city's largest hotels, including the Grand Hotel and Hilton Brighton Metropole. It is a relatively affluent constituency since average income is higher than the UK average (based upon 2001 statistics) and the unemployment rate is lower than average.[9]
From 1950 to 1997, the seat elected Conservative MPs. In 1997, David Lepper of the Labour Party, aided by somewhat notionally favourable minor boundary changes before the 1997 general election, began service as MP for thirteen years by winning the two subsequent elections. The Conservatives' share of the vote has declined at every election there since 1979.
In July 2007, the Green Party selected Caroline Lucas to contest the seat, at which point she was a Member of the European Parliament for the South East England constituency.[10] In November 2009, Charlotte Vere was selected as the Conservative Party candidate at an open primary attended by local Conservative Party members and residents.[11] In January 2010, the Liberal Democrats also selected a female candidate, Bernadette Millam.[12] Labour had selected Nancy Platts, a local campaigner and former union worker, as their candidate in June 2007.[13] This meant that, distinctively, all of the four leading parties in the constituency had female candidates. In 2010, Labour's share of the vote fell by 6.5%, and Lucas, then leading the Green Party, won the seat. In contrast to national results, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat share of the vote fell.[14]
Lucas retained the seat for the Green Party at the 2015 general election with an increased majority. Purna Sen, who held senior roles at the Commonwealth, LSE, and Amnesty International, was selected to contest the seat for Labour. Clarence Mitchell, a former BBC News reporter and spokesman for the family of Madeleine McCann, was selected as the Conservative Party candidate.[15]
For the 2017 general election and the 2019 general election, the local Liberal Democrat party chose not to field a candidate in the seat, endorsing Lucas instead due to their shared pro-EU stance.[16] Lucas retained Brighton Pavilion for the Green Party, which was returned with the biggest numerical majority for any candidate in the seat since 1959. In the 2019 election, the seat had the largest winning margin and the highest winning vote share of any seat not held by the Conservatives or Labour.[citation needed] Lucas announced on 8 June 2023, that she would not be standing in the subsequent UK general election.[17] On 19 July 2023, the Green Party picked Siân Berry to replace her.[18] Berry was elected as the MP for Brighton Pavilion at the 2024 election with a slightly reduced majority of 27%.
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