Sittingbourne and Sheppey (UK Parliament constituency)

Map of 2010–2024 boundaries

1997–2010: The Borough of Swale wards of Borden, Eastern, Grove, Hartlip and Upchurch, Iwade and Lower Halstow, Kemsley, Milton Regis, Minster Cliffs, Murston, Newington, Queenborough and Halfway, Roman, Sheerness East, Sheerness West, Sheppey Central, West Downs, Woodstock.

2010–2015: The Borough of Swale wards of Borden, Chalkwell, Grove, Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch, Iwade and Lower Halstow, Kemsley, Leysdown and Warden, Milton Regis, Minster Cliffs, Murston, Queenborough and Halfway, Roman, St Michael's, Sheerness East, Sheerness West, Sheppey Central, Teynham and Lynsted, West Downs, Woodstock.

2015–2024: The Borough of Swale wards of Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow; Borden and Grove Park; Chalkwell; Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch; Homewood; Kemsley; Milton Regis; Minster Cliffs; Murston; Queenborough and Halfway; Roman; Sheerness; Sheppey Central; Sheppey East; Teynham and Lynsted; The Meads; West Downs; and Woodstock.

2024–present: 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 Borough of Swale wards of Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow; Borden and Grove Park; Chalkwell; Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch; Homewood; Kemsley; Milton Regis; Minster Cliffs; Murston; Queenborough and Halfway; Roman; Sheerness; Sheppey Central; Sheppey East; The Meads; and Woodstock.^[2]

Reduced in size to bring its electorate within the permitted range by transferring the wards of Teynham and Lynstead, and West Downs to Faversham and Mid Kent.

The constituency was created in 1997, mostly from the former seat of Faversham. It covers some of the district of Swale, including Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey.^[3]

The seat includes the industrial town of Sittingbourne, the port of Sheerness, as well as significant areas of natural conservation. Some of the traditional fruit-growing sector remains in this part of North Kent.^[4] Residents voted strongly for Leave in the 2016 EU referendum, and are slightly poorer and less healthy than the UK average.^[5]

The constituency was created in 1997 as the successor to the former Faversham constituency, containing around 75% of the electors of the former seat.^[6] The removal of the town of Faversham itself (to the new seat of Faversham and Mid Kent) led to the name change, but Sittingbourne had already been the largest town in the former constituency.^[7]

Sittingbourne and Sheppey has been a bellwether of the national result since its creation in 1997, and taken together with its predecessor seat of Faversham, the bellwether streak stretches back to 1979. The seat came extremely close to losing this status in the 2005 general election, when Labour held the seat by just 79 votes after a recount, even though the sitting MP, Derek Wyatt, was expecting to lose.^[8]

Boundary changes which came into effect for the 2010 general election suggest that the Conservatives would have won the seat in 2005 on the new boundaries, though the estimated notional Conservative majority was extremely small, so that it could have gone either way.

Maintaining its bellwether status, the seat was held by Conservative Gordon Henderson at the 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019 elections with very strong majorities, then taken by Labour's Kevin McKenna in 2024. However, McKenna has a majority of only 0.9% having received under 30% of the vote. This was aided by a collapse in the Conservative vote, most of which went to Reform UK, making the seat a 3-way marginal for the next election.

Faversham prior to 1997

General election 2024: Sittingbourne and Sheppey^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kevin McKenna	11,919	29.1	+8.2
	Conservative	Aisha Cuthbert	11,564	28.2	−38.3
	Reform UK	William Fotheringham-Bray	10,512	25.6	N/A
	Swale Ind.	Mike Baldock	3,238	7.9	N/A
	Green	Sam Banks	1,692	4.1	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Frances Kneller	1,321	3.2	−3.1
	Independent	Matt Brown	529	1.3	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Mad Mike Young	223	0.5	−0.4
Majority			355	0.9	N/A
Turnout			40,998	51.9	−9.0
Registered electors			79,067
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	23.3

Although its predecessor seat was narrowly retained by Labour in 2005, intervening boundary changes made the constituency notionally Conservative prior to the 2010 general election, and it is therefore listed as a hold rather than a gain. ^[17][18]

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Kent
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)