Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Suffolk Coastal

County constituency
for the House of Commons

Boundaries since 2024

Boundary of Suffolk Coastal in the East of England

County| Suffolk
Electorate| 72,663 (2023)[1]
Major settlements| Felixstowe
Current constituency
Created| 1983
Member of Parliament| Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour Party)
Seats| One
Created from| Sudbury & Woodbridge, and Eye[2]

Suffolk Coastal (sometimes known as Coastal Suffolk) is a parliamentary constituency in the county of Suffolk, England,[n 1] which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, a Labour Party Member of Parliament.

## Constituency profile[edit]

The constituency is in the far East of England, and borders the North Sea. The main town is Felixstowe, which is a commercial port for imports and exports. The ONS considers Woodbridge to form part of the extended Ipswich Built-up Area.[3] The seat includes the seaside destinations of Aldeburgh and Southwold.

Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.[4] Since its inception Suffolk Coastal has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party typical of more rural districts of East Anglia. In the 1997 Labour national landslide the Conservative candidate held on by a margin of a few thousand votes.

## History[edit]

This East Anglian constituency was created for the 1983 general election from eastern parts of the abolished county constituencies of Eye, and Sudbury and Woodbridge, including the towns of Felixstowe and Woodbridge. Its initial boundaries were coterminous with the recently created District of Suffolk Coastal.

The current constituency area includes three former borough constituencies which sent their own MPs to Parliament until abolished as 'rotten boroughs' by the Great Reform Act, 1832 – Aldeburgh, Dunwich and Orford.

The seat was held from its creation until the 2010 election by the Conservative John Gummer who had previously represented the former seat of Eye from 1979. He was the Secretary of State for the Environment for four years during the second Major ministry and before that was for four years the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. He stood down in 2010 and was elevated to the House of Lords as Lord Deben.

The MP between 2010 and 2024 was Conservative Thérèse Coffey,[5] who served in the Sunak ministry as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She also previously served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions between 2019 and 2022,[6][7] and as the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care[8] during the short-lived Truss ministry from September to October 2022.[9]

Labour's Jenny Riddell-Carpenter was voted in as the MP, with a majority of just over 1,000 in the 5th July 2024 election[10].

## Boundaries and boundary changes[edit]

### 1983–1997[edit]

* The District of Suffolk Coastal.[11]

### 1997–2010[edit]

* The District of Suffolk Coastal wards of Aldeburgh, Alderton and Sutton, Bramfield and Cratfield, Buxlow, Felixstowe Central, Felixstowe East, Felixstowe North, Felixstowe South, Felixstowe South East, Felixstowe West, Hollesley, Kelsale, Kirton, Leiston, Martlesham, Melton, Nacton, Orford, Saxmundham, Snape, Trimleys, Tunstall, Ufford, Walberswick, Westleton, Woodbridge Centre, Woodbridge Farlingaye, Woodbridge Kyson, Woodbridge Riverside, Woodbridge Seckford, and Yoxford; and
* The District of Waveney wards of Blything, Halesworth, and Southwold.[12]

Westernmost areas included in the new constituency of Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. Extended northwards to include three wards from the District of Waveney, transferred from the constituency of Waveney.

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

### 2010–2024[edit]

* The District of Suffolk Coastal wards of Aldeburgh, Farlingaye, Felixstowe East, Felixstowe North, Felixstowe South, Felixstowe South East, Felixstowe West, Hollesley with Eyke, Kyson, Leiston, Martlesham, Melton and Ufford, Nacton, Orford and Tunstall, Peasenhall, Rendlesham, Riverside, Saxmundham, Seckford, Snape, Sutton, Trimleys with Kirton, Walberswick and Wenhaston, and Yoxford; and
* The District of Waveney wards of Blything, Halesworth, Southwold and Reydon, and Wrentham.[13]

Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.

NB on 1 April 2019, the District of Suffolk Coastal was abolished and absorbed into the newly established District of East Suffolk.[14]

### Current[edit]

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

* The District of East Suffolk wards of: Aldeburgh & Leiston; Deben; Eastern Felixstowe; Kelsale & Yoxford; Martlesham & Purdis Farm; Melton; Orwell & Villages; Rendlesham & Orford; Saxmundham; Southwold; Western Felixstowe; Woodbridge; Wrentham, Wangford & Westleton.[15]

Largely unchanged, except the inclusion of Halesworth in the newly created constituency of Waveney Valley.

## Members of Parliament[edit]

Election | Member[16] | Party

|
|

| 1983 | John Gummer | Conservative
| 2010 | Thérèse Coffey | Conservative
| 2024 | Jenny Riddell-Carpenter | Labour

Sudbury & Woodbridge and Eye prior to 1983

## Elections[edit]

### Elections in the 2020s[edit]

General election 2024: Suffolk Coastal  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Jenny Riddell-Carpenter[17] | 15,672  | 31.7  | +10.3
| Conservative | Thérèse Coffey[18] | 14,602  | 29.5  | −26.9
| Reform UK | Matthew Jackson[19] | 7,850  | 15.9  | N/A
| Liberal Democrats | Julia Ewart[20] | 6,947  | 14.0  | −1.1
| Green | Julian Cusack[21] | 4,380  | 8.9  | +4.5
Majority  | 1,070  | 2.2  | N/A
Turnout | 49,451  | 66.4  | –5.7
Registered electors | 74,522  |  |
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 18.7  |

### Elections in the 2010s[edit]

2019 notional result[22]

Party  | Vote  | %
| Conservative | 29,558 | 56.4
| Labour | 11,203 | 21.4
| Liberal Democrats | 7,921 | 15.1
| Green | 2,308 | 4.4
| Others | 1,375 | 2.6
Turnout | 53,365  | 72.1
Electorate | 72,663
General election 2019: Suffolk Coastal[23] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Thérèse Coffey | 32,958  | 56.5  | −1.6
| Labour | Cameron Matthews  | 12,425  | 21.3  | −9.2
| Liberal Democrats | Julia Ewart  | 8,719  | 15.0  | +8.0
| Green | Rachel Smith-Lyte  | 2,713  | 4.7  | +1.6
| Independent | Tony Love  | 1,493  | 2.6  | New
Majority  | 20,533  | 35.2  | +7.6
Turnout | 58,308  | 71.2  | −2.0
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.9  |

Tony Love was originally standing as the Brexit Party candidate for this constituency.[24]

General election 2017: Suffolk Coastal[25] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Thérèse Coffey | 33,713  | 58.1  | +6.2
| Labour | Cameron Matthews  | 17,701  | 30.5  | +12.5
| Liberal Democrats | James Sandbach  | 4,048  | 7.0  | −1.6
| Green | Eamonn O'Nolan  | 1,802  | 3.1  | −2.8
| Independent | Philip Young  | 810  | 1.4  | New
Majority  | 16,012  | 27.6  | −6.3
Turnout | 58,074  | 73.2  | +2.6
| Conservative hold | Swing | -3.2  |
General election 2015: Suffolk Coastal[26][27] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Thérèse Coffey | 28,855  | 51.9  | +5.5
| Labour | Russell Whiting  | 10,013  | 18.0  | +1.9
| UKIP | Daryll Pitcher  | 8,655  | 15.6  | +9.9
| Liberal Democrats | James Sandbach  | 4,777  | 8.6  | −21.2
| Green | Rachel Smith-Lyte  | 3,294  | 5.9  | +3.9
Majority  | 18,842  | 33.9  | +17.3
Turnout | 55,594  | 70.6  | −0.6
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.8  |
General election 2010: Suffolk Coastal[28] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Thérèse Coffey | 25,475  | 46.4  | +1.8
| Liberal Democrats | Daisy Cooper | 16,347  | 29.8  | +7.7
| Labour | Adam Leeder  | 8,812  | 16.1  | −10.1
| UKIP | Stephen Bush  | 3,156  | 5.7  | +1.9
| Green | Rachel Fulcher  | 1,103  | 2.0  | −1.3
Majority  | 9,128  | 16.6  | −1.8
Turnout | 54,893  | 71.2  | +3.9
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.9  |

### Elections in the 2000s[edit]

General election 2005: Suffolk Coastal[29] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Gummer | 23,415  | 44.6  | +1.3
| Labour | David Rowe  | 13,730  | 26.1  | −8.7
| Liberal Democrats | David Young  | 11,637  | 22.1  | +3.9
| UKIP | Richard Curtis  | 2,020  | 3.8  | +0.1
| Green | Paul Whitlow  | 1,755  | 3.3  | New
Majority  | 9,685  | 18.5  | +10.0
Turnout | 52,557  | 67.9  | +2.3
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.0  |
General election 2001: Suffolk Coastal[30] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Gummer | 21,847  | 43.3  | +4.7
| Labour | Nigel Gardner  | 17,521  | 34.8  | +2.0
| Liberal Democrats | Tony Schur  | 9,192  | 18.2  | −3.2
| UKIP | Michael Burn  | 1,847  | 3.7  | New
Majority  | 4,326  | 8.5  | +2.7
Turnout | 50,407  | 65.6  | −10.2
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4  |

### Elections in the 1990s[edit]

General election 1997: Suffolk Coastal[31] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Gummer | 21,696  | 38.6  | −15.0
| Labour | Mark Campbell  | 18,442  | 32.8  | +9.0
| Liberal Democrats | Alexandra Jones  | 12,036  | 21.4  | −2.4
| Referendum | Stephen Caulfield  | 3,416  | 6.1  | New
| Green | Anthony Slade  | 514  | 0.9  | −0.6
| Natural Law | Felicity Kaplan  | 152  | 0.3  | −0.1
Majority  | 3,254  | 5.8  | −24.0
Turnout | 56,256  | 75.8  | −5.8
| Conservative hold | Swing | −12.0  |
General election 1992: Suffolk Coastal[32][33] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Gummer | 34,680  | 53.6  | −2.1
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Monk  | 15,395  | 23.8  | −6.0
| Labour | Terence Hodgson  | 13,508  | 20.9  | +8.1
| Green | Anthony Slade  | 943  | 1.5  | −0.3
| Natural Law | Felicity Kaplan  | 232  | 0.4  | New
Majority  | 19,285  | 29.8  | +3.9
Turnout | 64,758  | 81.6  | +3.7
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9  |

### Elections in the 1980s[edit]

General election 1987: Suffolk Coastal[34] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Gummer | 32,834  | 55.7  | −2.5
| SDP | Joan Miller  | 17,554  | 29.8  | +0.7
| Labour | Susan Reeves  | 7,534  | 12.8  | +0.2
| Green | James Holloway  | 1,049  | 1.8  | New
Majority  | 15,280  | 25.9  | −3.2
Turnout | 58,971  | 77.9  | +2.9
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1983: Suffolk Coastal[35] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Gummer | 31,240  | 58.2  |
| SDP | David Houseley  | 15,618  | 29.1  |
| Labour | Denis Ballantyne  | 6,780  | 12.6  |
Majority  | 15,622  | 29.1  |
Turnout | 53,638  | 75.0  |
| Conservative win (new seat)

## See also[edit]

* List of parliamentary constituencies in Suffolk
* List of parliamentary constituencies in the East of England (region)

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)

## References[edit]

1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
2. ^ "'Suffolk Coastal', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
3. ^ "Built-up areas". Open Geography portalx. Office of National Statistics. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
4. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
5. ^ "Therese Coffey". United Kingdom Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
6. ^ Proctor, Kate; Mason, Rowena (12 February 2020). "Cabinet reshuffle: expected winners and losers in Johnson's new order". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
7. ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Who is in Boris Johnson's new cabinet?". BBC News. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
8. ^ "Liz Truss: New prime minister installs allies in key cabinet roles". BBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
9. ^ "Liz Truss – live updates: Truss outlines three priorities as PM – as Raab and Shapps confirm departure". Sky News. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
10. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe3jeygx40o
11. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
12. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
13. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
14. ^ "The East Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018".
15. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.
16. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
17. ^ https://twitter.com/EofELabour/status/1767606783512580289. Retrieved 12 March 2023. `{{cite web}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help)
18. ^ Therese Coffey [@theresecoffey] (25 February 2023). "Thank you to the Selection Council of Suffolk Coastal Conservative Association for re-adopting me aa their candidate for the next General Election #VoteConservative" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
19. ^ "Suffolk Coastal Constituency". Who can I vote for?. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
20. ^ "Julia Ewart announced as Lib Dem candidate for Suffolk Coastal". Suffolk News. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
21. ^ "Julian Cusack will be Green challenger to Coffey in election". East Anglian Daily Times. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
22. ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
23. ^ "Suffolk Coastal Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
24. ^ Geater, Paul (14 November 2019). "Who's standing in Suffolk in 2019 General Election? How you can take part". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
25. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
26. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
27. ^ "2015 Election Results". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
28. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
29. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
30. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
31. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
32. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
33. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
34. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
35. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

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