Woking (UK Parliament constituency)

Woking is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Will Forster, a Liberal Democrat. Since it was first created for the 1950 general election, it had only ever returned Conservative Party candidates until it elected a Liberal Democrat for the first time in 2024.

Constituency profile
The seat comprises the Borough of Woking, which has one definitive town: Woking. Voters average wealthier than the UK average.

History
It was created in 1950 from the county constituencies of Chertsey and lightly populated parts of Farnham.

With exceptions only in 1974 (February election), 1997, 2005 and 2010 this constituency, which stood a little larger in geography than in 2024, returned a Conservative whose majority exceeded 15% of votes cast. At successive 2015 and 2017 general elections, the Labour candidates polled in second place whereas in 2019, the Lib Dem candidate did so. Similarly diversely, those results have been emulated locally eight and nine times, respectively.

A Conservative win by 11.2% of the vote, in 1997, was a notably marginal result. By contrast, at the 2015 general election the seat was the 41st-safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority, 40 percentage points ahead of Labour.

The Liberal Democrats in 2024 have a sizeable majority on Woking Borough Council and there is one strong Labour-voting ward (Canalside); historically the Conservatives have been the dominant force on that council. Local Conservatives won previously relevant Guildford wards of Pirbright and Normandy over many election cycles, but these two small villages become part of the Surrey Heath constituency from 2024, per boundary changes.

Boundaries

 * 1950–74: The Urban Districts of Frimley and Camberley, and Woking, and in the Rural District of Guildford the parishes of Ash, Normandy, and Pirbright.
 * 1974–83: as above less Frimley and Camberley. Note in 1974 the areas became parts of Woking (borough) and Guildford (borough).
 * 1983–97: unchanged (i.e. The Borough of Woking, and the Borough of Guildford wards of Ash, Ash Vale, Normandy, and Pirbright.)
 * 1997–2024: as above less Ash and Ash Vale
 * 2024–present: The Borough of Woking wards of: Byfleet & West Byfleet; Canalside; Goldsworth Park; Heathlands; Hoe Valley; Horsell; Knaphill; Mount Hermon; Pyrford; and St. John's.

The 1974-recipient seat of Frimley and Camberley was North West Surrey (abolished in 1997). The 1997-recipient of Ash and Ash Vale was Surrey Heath. The constituency is based around the town of Woking in Surrey. The Boundary Commission for England made no boundary changes for Woking in the review before the 2010 general election.

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 United Kingdom general election reduced further by transferring the Pirbright and Normandy wards to the constituency of Surrey Heath. The boundaries became coterminous with those of the Borough of Woking.

Elections in the 1990s
This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.