Bexley was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Bexley district of what is now southeast London, which existed from 1945 to 1974. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Its most famous MP was Edward Heath, who held the seat from 1950 until 1974, when he was re-elected in the newly-established seat of Sidcup. Heath served as Prime Minister from June 1970 to March 1974, resigning shortly after the February 1974 general election.
Boundaries and boundary changes DatesLocal authorityMapsWards1945–1974Municipal Borough of Bexley (before 1965)London Borough of Bexley (after 1965) The Municipal Borough of Bexley
1945–1974 The constituency was formed entirely from the existing constituency of Dartford.
History The constituency was created for the 1945 general election, from the Dartford seat, and abolished for the February 1974 general election and replaced by the two new constituencies of Bexleyheath and Sidcup.
The constituency's boundaries were co-terminous with those of the Municipal Borough of Bexley.
The MP when the constituency was abolished, the then Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath, fought and won the new Sidcup constituency in 1974. He went on to represent the new seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup from 1983 until he retired from Parliament in 2001 after having been an MP for 51 years.
Members of Parliament ElectionMemberPartyNotes 1945 Jennie Adamson Labour MP for Dartford (1937–1945); resigned 1946 1946 by-election Ashley Bramall Labour 1950 Edward Heath Conservative Leader of the Conservative Party 1965–1975; Prime Minister 1970–1974Contested Sidcup following redistributionFeb 1974 constituency abolished: see Bexleyheath & Sidcup
Election results Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Election in the 1970s
References
Notes