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Bury St Edmunds — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Bury St Edmunds was won by Conservative at the 2019 general election, with a majority of 24,988 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Bury St Edmunds from 1832 to 2019.

This constituency elected more than one MP at once in some years. Before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (and in a shrinking number of boroughs through 1948), most UK constituencies elected two or more MPs together by "multi-member plurality" (block vote): each elector could cast one vote per available seat, and the top vote-getters overall were all elected. In those elections below, "Elected" lists every MP returned, "Votes" is the count that secured the last seat, and "Majority" is the gap between that seat and the first candidate who missed out.

Full Election History, 1832–2019

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 Charles FitzRoy (Whig); Frederick William Hervey (Conservative) 272 40.3% (top seat) Frederick King Eagle (Whig) 34 (4.0 pts) 72.4%
1835 Frederick William Hervey (Conservative); Charles FitzRoy (Whig) 312 34.6% (top seat) Charles James Fox Bunbury (Whig) 25 (2.7 pts) 73.9%
1837 Charles FitzRoy (Whig); Frederick William Hervey (Conservative) 277 26.5% (top seat) Charles James Fox Bunbury (Whig) 2 (0.2 pts) 84.9%
1841 Frederick William Hervey (Conservative); Charles FitzRoy (Whig) 310 28.3% (top seat) Horace Twiss (Conservative) 12 (1.0 pts) 84.5%
1847 Frederick William Hervey (Conservative); Edward Herbert Bunbury (Whig) 327 39.8% (top seat) Horace Twiss (Conservative) 63 (6.4 pts) 65.3%
1852 Frederick William Hervey (Conservative); John Stuart (Conservative) 328 43.2% (top seat) Edward Herbert Bunbury (Whig) 9 (0.8 pts) 76.9%
1857 Frederick William Hervey (Conservative); Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Whig) 320 37.0% (top seat) James Henry Porteous Oakes (Conservative) 54 (5.8 pts) 66.2%
1859 Alfred Hervey (Peelite); Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Liberal) 307 41.4% (top seat) Robert Jacob Buxton (Conservative) 23 (2.3 pts) 72.6%
1865 Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Liberal); Edward Greene (Conservative) 300 36.9% (top seat) Alfred Hervey (Conservative) 34 (3.8 pts) 66.3%
1868 Edward Greene (Conservative); Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Liberal) 703 35.5% (top seat) Edward Herbert Bunbury (Liberal) 110 (5.5 pts) 66.8%
1874 Edward Greene (Conservative); Francis Hervey (Conservative) 914 30.9% (top seat) Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Liberal) 207 (6.4 pts) 84.8%
1880 Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Liberal); Edward Greene (Conservative) 850 40.2% (top seat) Francis Hervey (Conservative) 47 (1.7 pts) 65.1%
1885 Francis Hervey (Conservative) 1,122 54.0% Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Liberal) 166 (8.0 pts) 90.7%
1886 Francis Hervey (Conservative) 1,135 58.7% Frederick Goodwin (Liberal) 335 (17.3 pts) 84.4%
1892 Francis Hervey (Conservative) 1,267 59.5% John Eustace Jameson (Liberal) 404 (19.0 pts) 84.7%
1895 Henry Arthur Cadogan (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1900 Edward Walter Greene (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1906 Frederick William Fane Hervey (Conservative) 1,481 58.6% Walter Baldwyn Yates (Liberal) 434 (17.2 pts) 90.7%
Jan 1910 Walter Edward Guinness (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
Dec 1910 Walter Edward Guinness (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1918 Walter Edward Guinness (Unionist) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1922 Walter Edward Guinness (Unionist) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1923 Walter Edward Guinness (Unionist) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1924 Walter Edward Guinness (Unionist) 16,073 63.1% John Adam Day (Liberal) 6,681 (26.2 pts) 81.8%
1929 Walter Edward Guinness (Unionist) 16,462 54.3% Malcolm Douglas Lyon (Liberal) 5,118 (16.9 pts) 77.8%
1931 Frank Frederick Alexander Heilgers (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1935 Frank Frederick Alexander Heilgers (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1945 Geoffrey Benedict Clifton-Brown (Conservative) 15,013 48.7% Cecily Alicia McCall (Labour) 5,818 (18.9 pts) 67.2%
1950 William Traven Aitken (Conservative) 22,559 49.3% Cecily Alicia McCall (Labour) 4,129 (9.0 pts) 82.5%
1951 William Traven Aitken (Conservative) 24,679 54.4% Neville Stanley (Labour) 3,989 (8.8 pts) 79.8%
1955 William Traven Aitken (Conservative) 24,532 55.1% Neville Stanley (Labour) 4,570 (10.3 pts) 78.3%
1959 William Traven Aitken (Conservative) 26,730 58.7% Alison Margaret A Walter (Labour) 7,962 (17.5 pts) 78.6%
1964 Eldon Wylie Griffiths (Conservative) 25,206 50.1% Noel James Insley (Labour) 4,990 (9.9 pts) 82.2%
1966 Eldon Griffiths (Conservative) 27,782 54.6% Colin Seager (Labour) 4,642 (9.1 pts) 78.9%
1970 Eldon Griffiths (Conservative) 36,688 61.2% Colin Seager (Labour) 13,402 (22.4 pts) 77.4%
Feb 1974 Eldon Griffiths (Conservative) 33,424 47.5% John Kent Stephenson (Labour) 13,253 (18.8 pts) 81.2%
Oct 1974 Eldon Griffiths (Conservative) 32,179 50.4% John Kent Stephenson (Labour) 11,082 (17.3 pts) 73.2%
1979 Eldon Griffiths (Conservative) 41,426 56.4% Anne Gibson (Labour) 20,259 (27.6 pts) 76.3%
1983 Eldon Griffiths (Conservative) 31,081 59.0% Reginald Harland (Social Democratic Party) 16,122 (30.6 pts) 72.3%
1987 Eldon Griffiths (Conservative) 33,672 59.3% Reginald Harland (Social Democratic Party) 21,458 (37.8 pts) 74.1%
1992 Richard Spring (Conservative) 33,554 53.5% Tommy Sheppard (Labour) 18,787 (30.0 pts) 78.4%
1997 David Ruffley (Conservative) 21,290 38.3% Mark Ereira-Guyer (Labour) 368 (0.7 pts) 75.0%
2001 David Ruffley (Conservative) 21,850 43.5% Mark Ereira-Guyer (Labour) 2,503 (5.0 pts) 66.0%
2005 David Ruffley (Conservative) 24,332 46.2% David Monaghan (Labour) 9,930 (18.9 pts) 66.1%
2010 David Ruffley (Conservative) 27,899 47.5% David Chappell (Liberal Democrat) 12,380 (21.1 pts) 69.4%
2015 Jo Churchill (Conservative) 31,815 53.6% Bill Edwards (Labour) 21,301 (35.9 pts) 69.3%
2017 Jo Churchill (Conservative) 36,794 59.2% Bill Edwards (Labour) 18,441 (29.7 pts) 72.4%
2019 Jo Churchill (Conservative) 37,770 61.0% Cliff Waterman (Labour) 24,988 (40.3 pts) 69.4%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles FitzRoy Whig 34440.3% Yes
Frederick William Hervey Conservative 27231.9% Yes
Frederick King Eagle Whig 23827.9% No

1835 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Hervey Conservative 31734.6% Yes
Charles FitzRoy Whig 31234.1% Yes
Charles James Fox Bunbury Whig 28731.3% No

1837 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles FitzRoy Whig 28926.5% Yes
Frederick William Hervey Conservative 27725.4% Yes
Charles James Fox Bunbury Whig 27525.3% No
Frederick Gough-Calthorpe Conservative 24822.8% No

1841 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Hervey Conservative 34128.3% Yes
Charles FitzRoy Whig 31025.7% Yes
Horace Twiss Conservative 29824.7% No
Rowland Gardiner Alston Whig 25621.2% No

1847 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Hervey Conservative 39039.8% Yes
Edward Herbert Bunbury Whig 32733.3% Yes
Horace Twiss Conservative 26426.9% No

1852 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Hervey Conservative 49343.2% Yes
John Stuart Conservative 32828.8% Yes
Edward Herbert Bunbury Whig 31928.0% No

1857 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Hervey Conservative 34437.0% Yes
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Whig 32034.4% Yes
James Henry Porteous Oakes Conservative 26628.6% No

1859 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Hervey Peelite 41841.4% Yes
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Liberal 30730.4% Yes
Robert Jacob Buxton Conservative 28428.1% No

1865 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Liberal 33136.9% Yes
Edward Greene Conservative 30033.4% Yes
Alfred Hervey Conservative 26629.7% No

1868 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Edward Greene Conservative 71435.5% Yes
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Liberal 70335.0% Yes
Edward Herbert Bunbury Liberal 59329.5% No

1874 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Edward Greene Conservative 1,00430.9% Yes
Francis Hervey Conservative 91428.1% Yes
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Liberal 70721.7% No
Charles Lamport Liberal 62819.3% No

1880 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Liberal 1,11040.2% Yes
Edward Greene Conservative 85030.8% Yes
Francis Hervey Conservative 80329.1% No

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Hervey Conservative 1,12254.0% Yes
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Liberal 95646.0% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Hervey Conservative 1,13558.7% Yes
Frederick Goodwin Liberal 80041.3% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Hervey Conservative 1,26759.5% Yes
John Eustace Jameson Liberal 86340.5% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Arthur Cadogan Conservative Unopposed Yes

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Edward Walter Greene Conservative Unopposed Yes

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Fane Hervey Conservative 1,48158.6% Yes
Walter Baldwyn Yates Liberal 1,04741.4% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Edward Guinness Conservative Unopposed Yes

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Edward Guinness Conservative Unopposed Yes

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Edward Guinness Unionist Unopposed Yes

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Edward Guinness Unionist Unopposed Yes

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Edward Guinness Unionist Unopposed Yes

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Edward Guinness Unionist 16,07363.1% Yes
John Adam Day Liberal 9,39236.9% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Edward Guinness Unionist 16,46254.3% Yes
Malcolm Douglas Lyon Liberal 11,34437.4% No
Percy Austins Labour 2,4908.2% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frank Frederick Alexander Heilgers Conservative Unopposed Yes

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frank Frederick Alexander Heilgers Conservative Unopposed Yes

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Geoffrey Benedict Clifton-Brown Conservative 15,01348.7% Yes
Cecily Alicia McCall Labour 9,19529.8% No
Harold Charles Drayton Liberal 5,86319.0% No
Eric Cecil Gordon England Common Wealth 7502.4% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Traven Aitken Conservative 22,55949.3% Yes
Cecily Alicia McCall Labour 18,43040.3% No
Henry William Sparham Liberal 4,78010.4% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Traven Aitken Conservative 24,67954.4% Yes
Neville Stanley Labour 20,69045.6% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Traven Aitken Conservative 24,53255.1% Yes
Neville Stanley Labour 19,96244.9% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Traven Aitken Conservative 26,73058.7% Yes
Alison Margaret A Walter Labour 18,76841.3% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Wylie Griffiths Conservative 25,20650.1% Yes
Noel James Insley Labour 20,21640.2% No
Richard L Afton Liberal 4,8409.6% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Griffiths Conservative 27,78254.6% Yes
Colin Seager Labour 23,14045.4% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Griffiths Conservative 36,68861.2% Yes
Colin Seager Labour 23,28638.8% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Griffiths Conservative 33,42447.5% Yes
John Kent Stephenson Labour 20,17128.7% No
Randolph Barry Boulton Liberal 16,77223.8% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Griffiths Conservative 32,17950.4% Yes
John Kent Stephenson Labour 21,09733.0% No
Sheilagh Mary Jones Liberal 10,63116.6% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Griffiths Conservative 41,42656.4% Yes
Anne Gibson Labour 21,16728.8% No
Graham Robert Jones Liberal 10,83614.8% No

1983

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Griffiths Conservative 31,08159.0% Yes
Reginald Harland Social Democratic Party 14,95928.4% No
Wiktor Mosczynski Labour 6,66612.6% No

1987

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Eldon Griffiths Conservative 33,67259.3% Yes
Reginald Harland Social Democratic Party 12,21421.5% No
Christopher Greene Labour 9,84117.3% No
Ida Wakelam Green 1,0571.9% No

1992

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Spring Conservative 33,55453.5% Yes
Tommy Sheppard Labour 14,76723.6% No
John Williams Liberal Democrat 13,81422.0% No
Joanna Lillis Natural Law 5500.9% No

1997

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
David Ruffley Conservative 21,29038.3% Yes
Mark Ereira-Guyer Labour 20,92237.7% No
David Cooper Liberal Democrat 10,10218.2% No
Ian McWhirter Referendum Party 2,9395.3% No
Joanna Lillis Natural Law 2720.5% No

2001

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
David Ruffley Conservative 21,85043.5% Yes
Mark Ereira-Guyer Labour 19,34738.5% No
Richard Williams Liberal Democrat 6,99813.9% No
John Howlett UKIP 8311.7% No
Michael Brundle Independent 6511.3% No
Michael Benwell Socialist Labour 5801.2% No

2005

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
David Ruffley Conservative 24,33246.2% Yes
David Monaghan Labour 14,40227.4% No
David Chappell Liberal Democrat 10,42319.8% No
John Howlett UKIP 1,8593.5% No
Graham Manning Green 1,6033.0% No

2010

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
David Ruffley Conservative 27,89947.5% Yes
David Chappell Liberal Democrat 15,51926.4% No
Kevin Hind Labour 9,77616.6% No
John Howlett UKIP 3,0035.1% No
Mark Ereira-Guyer Green 2,5214.3% No

2015

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Jo Churchill Conservative 31,81553.6% Yes
Bill Edwards Labour 10,51417.7% No
John Howlett UKIP 8,73914.7% No
Helen Geake Green 4,6927.9% No
David Chappell Liberal Democrat 3,5816.0% No

2017

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Jo Churchill Conservative 36,79459.2% Yes
Bill Edwards Labour 18,35329.5% No
Helen Korfanty Liberal Democrat 3,5655.7% No
Helen Geake Green 2,5964.2% No
Liam Byrne Independent 8521.4% No

2019

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Jo Churchill Conservative 37,77061.0% Yes
Cliff Waterman Labour 12,78220.6% No
Helen Geake Green 9,71115.7% No
Paul Hopfensperger Independent 1,6942.7% No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1832: Whig margin 4.0 pts 1835: Conservative margin 2.7 pts 1837: Whig margin 0.2 pts 1841: Conservative margin 1.0 pts 1847: Conservative margin 6.4 pts 1852: Conservative margin 0.8 pts 1857: Conservative margin 5.8 pts 1859: Peelite margin 2.3 pts 1865: Liberal margin 3.8 pts 1868: Conservative margin 5.5 pts 1874: Conservative margin 6.4 pts 1880: Liberal margin 1.7 pts 1885: Conservative margin 8.0 pts 1886: Conservative margin 17.3 pts 1892: Conservative margin 19.0 pts 1906: Conservative margin 17.2 pts 1924: Unionist margin 26.2 pts 1929: Unionist margin 16.9 pts 1945: Conservative margin 18.9 pts 1950: Conservative margin 9.0 pts 1951: Conservative margin 8.8 pts 1955: Conservative margin 10.3 pts 1959: Conservative margin 17.5 pts 1964: Conservative margin 9.9 pts 1966: Conservative margin 9.1 pts 1970: Conservative margin 22.4 pts Feb 1974: Conservative margin 18.8 pts Oct 1974: Conservative margin 17.3 pts 1979: Conservative margin 27.6 pts 1983: Conservative margin 30.6 pts 1987: Conservative margin 37.8 pts 1992: Conservative margin 30.0 pts 1997: Conservative margin 0.7 pts 2001: Conservative margin 5.0 pts 2005: Conservative margin 18.9 pts 2010: Conservative margin 21.1 pts 2015: Conservative margin 35.9 pts 2017: Conservative margin 29.7 pts 2019: Conservative margin 40.3 pts 1832 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1906 1924 1929 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019

Trend

Bury St Edmunds has been contested at 48 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Peelite, Liberal, Unionist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Bury St Edmunds in the 2019 general election?

Conservative won Bury St Edmunds in 2019 with 37,770 votes (61.0%), a majority of 24,988 votes over Labour in second place.

Which parties have won Bury St Edmunds since 1832?

Since 1832, Bury St Edmunds has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Peelite, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Bury St Edmunds?

The closest result on record for Bury St Edmunds was 1837, when Whig beat Whig by just 2 votes (0.2 percentage points).

Did Bury St Edmunds ever elect more than one MP at a time?

Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Bury St Edmunds elected multiple MPs at once in some elections on this page (a system called multi-member plurality, or 'block vote'), each voter casting one vote per available seat.

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