Buckingham () was a constituency that existed from 1542 to 2024 and was last represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Greg Smith, a Conservative.

The seat was abolished for the 2024 general election and largely replaced by the new constituencies Buckingham and Bletchley and Mid Buckinghamshire, with some areas transferred to Aylesbury.

History After its creation in 1542, the Parliamentary Borough of Buckingham sent two MPs to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801, reduced to one MP from 1868 by the Representation of the People Act 1867. The Borough was abolished altogether by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and it was transformed into a large county division, formally named the North or Buckingham Division of Buckinghamshire. It was one of three divisions formed from the undivided three-member Parliamentary County of Buckinghamshire, the other two being the Mid or Aylesbury Division and the Southern or Wycombe Division.

In the twentieth century, the constituency was held by the Conservative Party for most of the time. However, Aidan Crawley, a Labour Party MP, served Buckingham from 1945 until 1951, and from 1964 until 1970, its Labour MP was the controversial publisher Robert Maxwell.

Before the periodic review effected in 1983, the new town of Milton Keynes, including its older parts such as Bletchley and Fenny Stratford,The development of Milton Keynes commenced in 1967. was in the constituency. The 1983 review followed the previous national review in 1974 and recognised the large increase in voters in the constituency. The sitting Buckingham MP, William Benyon, stood for the newly created Milton Keynes constituency, where he was elected. The residual seat was won in 1983 by Conservative George Walden. Walden retired in 1997, and John Bercow won the following general elections in 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2017. At the 2005 general election, this constituency had the Conservatives' highest numerical majority, although a higher share of the vote was achieved in Kensington and Chelsea in London, the constituency of Malcolm Rifkind, and Richmond in North Yorkshire, the constituency of William Hague.

In 2009, Bercow was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons following the resignation of Michael Martin. There is an inconsistently followed convention, which is mostly kept by the major parties, not to oppose a Speaker at election. Nonetheless, UKIP's leader, Nigel Farage, stood against Bercow in the 2010 election but finished third behind the Buckinghamshire Campaign for Democracy founder, who previously founded the Pro-Euro Conservative Party.

In both the 2015 and 2017 general elections, Bercow was challenged by only UKIP and the Green Party, with the addition of the independent candidate Scott Raven in the latter election. In September 2019 the Conservative Party announced their intention to stand a candidate against Bercow in the next election, breaking the convention of major parties not opposing a Speaker, seemingly in response to Bercow's opposition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of Brexit. However, Bercow announced in September 2019 that he would stand down as Speaker on either October 31 or at the next election, whichever occurred first.

Boundaries and boundary changes 1885–1918 The Municipal Borough of Buckingham; The Sessional Divisions of Ashendon, Buckingham, Newport, and Stony Stratford; and Part of the Sessional Division of Winslow.

1918–1950 The Municipal Borough of Buckingham; The Urban Districts of Bletchley, Linslade, and Newport Pagnell; The Rural Districts of Buckingham, Newport Pagnell, Stratford and Wolverton, Wing, and Winslow; and Parts of the Rural Districts of Aylesbury and Long Crendon.

Gained Linslade and the Rural District of Wing from Aylesbury.

1950–1974 The Municipal Borough of Buckingham; The Urban Districts of Bletchley, Linslade, Newport Pagnell, and Wolverton; and The Rural Districts of Buckingham, Newport Pagnell, Wing, and Winslow.

The Urban District of Wolverton had succeeded the Rural District of Stratford and Wolverton. The parts of the Rural District of Aylesbury and the (former) Rural District of Long Crendon were transferred to Aylesbury.

1974–1983 The Municipal Borough of Buckingham; The Urban Districts of Bletchley, Newport Pagnell, and Wolverton; and The Rural Districts of Buckingham, Newport Pagnell, Wing, and Winslow.

Lost Linslade to South Bedfordshire; the Urban District of Linslade had been merged with that of Leighton Buzzard to form the Urban District of Leighton-Linslade, which was included in the Administrative County of Bedfordshire.

1983–1992 The District of Aylesbury Vale wards of Bierton, Brill, Buckingham North, Buckingham South, Cheddington, Eddlesborough, Great Brickhill, Great Horwood, Grendon Underwood, Haddenham, Hogshaw, Long Crendon, Luffield Abbey, Marsh Gibbon, Newton Longville, Oakley, Pitstone, Quainton, Steeple Claydon, Stewkley, Stone, Tingewick, Waddesdon, Wing, Wingrave, and Winslow; and The Borough of Milton Keynes wards of Stony Stratford, Wolverton, and Wolverton Stacey Bushes.

Rural areas to the north and west of the town of Aylesbury transferred from the constituency thereof.  The area comprising the new District of Milton Keynes, except for Stony Stratford and Wolverton, formed the new constituency of Milton Keynes.

1992–1997 For the 1992 general election, outside the normal cycle of periodic reviews by the Boundaries Commission, the Milton Keynes constituency was split in two, with Stony Stratford and Wolverton being included in the new Borough Constituency of Milton Keynes South West. No further changes.

1997–2010 The District of Aylesbury Vale wards of Aston Clinton, Bierton, Brill, Buckingham North, Buckingham South, Cheddington, Eddlesborough, Great Brickhill, Great Horwood, Grendon Underwood, Haddenham, Hogshaw, Long Crendon, Luffield Abbey, Marsh Gibbon, Newton Longville, Oakley, Pitstone, Quainton, Steeple Claydon, Stewkley, Stone, Tingewick, Waddesdon, Wing, Wingrave, and Winslow.

The Aston Clinton ward was transferred from Aylesbury.

2010–2024

The District of Aylesbury Vale wards of Buckingham North, Buckingham South, Eddlesborough, Gatehouse, Great Brickhill & Newton Longville, Great Horwood, Grendon Underwood & Brill, Haddenham & Stone, Long Crendon, Luffield Abbey, Marsh Gibbon, Oakfield & Bierton, Oakley, Pitstone & Cheddington, Quainton, Steeple Claydon, Stewkley, Tingewick, Waddesdon, Watermead, Weedon, Wing, Wingrave, and Winslow; and The District of Wycombe wards of Icknield and The Risboroughs.

The District of Wycombe wards, including Princes Risborough, were transferred from Aylesbury, offset by the return of Aston Clinton.

In April 2020, the Districts of Aylesbury Vale and Wycombe, as well as those of South Bucks and Chiltern were merged into the new unitary authority of Buckinghamshire Council. Accordingly, the contents of the constituency were:

The Buckinghamshire Council wards of Aston Clinton and Bierton (part), Bernwood, Buckingham East, Buckingham West, Great Brickhill, Grendon Underwood, Ivinghoe, Ridgeway East (part), Stone and Waddesdon (part), The Risboroughs, Wing (part), and Winslow.

The constituency covered a large part of central Buckinghamshire, covering much of the Aylesbury Vale including the town of Buckingham, and some areas south of it, including Chequers, the official country residence of the Prime Minister since 1921. To the north, the remaining part of ceremonial Buckinghamshire forms two Borough of Milton Keynes constituencies (Milton Keynes South and Milton Keynes North).

Abolition Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed three ways:

Buckingham, Winslow, Great Brickhill and surrounding rural areas form part of the newly created constituency of Buckingham and Bletchley, with the Bletchley area of the City of Milton Keynes Western areas, extending southwards to Haddenham and Princes Risborough, form part of the new constituency of Mid Buckinghamshire. Wing and Ivinghoe wards were transferred to Aylesbury.

Members of Parliament Constituency created (1542)

MPs to 1660 YearFirst memberSecond member 1529John Hasilwood Edward Lloyd 1536Thomas Pope George Gifford 1539 1542 1545John Josselyn Ralph Gifford 1547Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon John Josselyn 1553 (Mar) Edward Chamberlain Francis Verney 1553 (Oct) William Walter Edward Gifford 1554 (Apr) Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon George Fettiplace 1554 (Nov) 1555Hugh Mynors 1558Bernard Brocas John Higford 1558–59 Robert Drury William Riseley 1562–63 Robert Newdigate I Paul Wentworth 1571Thomas Wenman 1572Henry Carey Lawrence Holinshed 1584Michael Harcourt John Carey, 3rd Baron Hunsdon 1586John Fortescue Christopher Edmonds 1588–89 John Carey, 3rd Baron Hunsdon Francis Fortescue 1593 1597 Sir Edward [or Edmund] Carey 1601 Christopher Hatton Robert Newdigate II1604 Sir Thomas Denton Sir Edward Tyrrell (1604–1606) Sir Francis Goodwin (1606–1614) 1614 Sir Ralph Winwood 1621–22 Richard Oliver 1624 Sir Edmund Verney 1625 Sir Alexander Denton1626Sir John Smythe1628–29 Sir Thomas Denton Richard Oliver

YearFirst memberSecond memberApr 1640 Sir Peter TempleSir Alexander DentonNov 1640 1645 John Dormer 1653 Buckingham not Represented in Barebones Parliament 1654 Francis Ingoldsby (one seat only) 1656 1659 Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet

MPs 1660–1868 YearFirst member [For members from 1796].First partySecond memberSecond party1660John Dormer Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet 1661 Sir William Smyth, 1st Baronet February 1679Viscount Latimer Sir Peter Tyrrell, 1st Baronet August 1679Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Bt. 1681Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Bt. 1690Alexander Denton 1697Sir Richard Temple, 4th Bt. 1698Edmund Denton 1702Roger Price May 1705Sir Richard Temple, 4th Bt. December 1705Browne Willis 1708Sir Richard Temple, 4th Bt. Alexander Denton 1710Thomas Chapman 1713John Radcliffe 1715Alexander Denton Abraham Stanyan 1718Edmund Halsey March 1722Richard Grenville October 1722William Heathcote March 1727John Fane August 1727Thomas Lewis 1728George Chamberlayne 1734Richard Grenville 1741George Grenville 1747Richard Grenville 1753Temple West 1754James Grenville 1768Henry Grenville 1770James Grenville 1774Richard Grenville 1780Richard Aldworth-Neville 1782William Grenville 1784Charles Edmund Nugent June 1790George Nugent December 1790The Lord Bridport 1796Thomas Grenville 1802Lord Proby 1805Lord Proby August 1806Earl Percy November 1806Sir William Young, 2nd Bt. March 1807Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Bt. May 1807Hon. Richard Griffin 1810Lord George Grenville 1812Viscount Ebrington William Fremantle 1817James Hamilton Stanhope 1818Sir George Nugent, 1st Bt. 1827Sir Thomas Fremantle, 1st Bt. 1832 Sir Harry Verney 1834 1841Sir John Chetwode, 4th Bt. January 1846John Hall February 1846Marquess of Chandos 1857Sir Harry Verney 1859John Hubbard 1868 Representation reduced to one member

MPs since 1868