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Colchester — UK General Election Results

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

Colchester was won by Labour at the 2024 general election, with a majority of 8,250 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Colchester from 1832 to 2024.

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, 1832–2024

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 Richard Sanderson (Conservative); Daniel Whittle Harvey (Radical) 411 48.7% (top seat) William Mayhew (Whig) 139 (10.4 pts) 60.6%
1835 Richard Sanderson (Conservative); George Henry Smyth (Conservative) 568 37.3% (top seat) Henry Tufnell (Whig) 63 (3.7 pts) 74.2%
1837 Richard Sanderson (Conservative); George Henry Smyth (Conservative) 435 38.9% (top seat) James Ruddell-Todd (Radical) 129 (10.6 pts) 51.6%
1841 Richard Sanderson (Conservative); George Henry Smyth (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1847 George Henry Smyth (Conservative); Joseph Alfred Harcastle (Whig) 596 37.6% (top seat) Richard Sanderson (Conservative) 65 (3.6 pts) 71.7%
1852 William Warwick Hawkins (Conservative); John James Robert Manners (Conservative) 615 36.7% (top seat) Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (Whig) 147 (7.9 pts) 74.2%
1857 Taverner John Miller (Conservative); John Gurdon Rebow (Radical) 581 48.8% (top seat) William Rawdon Havens (Radical) 533 (43.4 pts) 47.9%
1859 Taverner John Miller (Conservative); Philip Oxenden Papillon (Conservative) 598 36.8% (top seat) John Gurdon Rebow (Liberal) 80 (4.5 pts) 70.3%
1865 John Gurdon Rebow (Liberal); Taverner John Miller (Conservative) 640 36.5% (top seat) Philip Oxenden Papillon (Conservative) 79 (4.2 pts) 67.3%
1868 John Gurdon Rebow (Liberal); William Brewer (Liberal) 1,417 27.2% (top seat) Edward Kent Karslake (Conservative) 133 (2.5 pts) 84.6%
1874 Alexander Learmonth (Conservative); Herbert Bulkley Mackworth-Praed (Conservative) 1,407 28.0% (top seat) William Brewer (Liberal) 128 (2.4 pts) 85.1%
1880 Richard Knight Causton (Liberal); William Willis (Liberal) 1,650 26.5% (top seat) Alexander Learmonth (Conservative) 2 (0.0 pts) 88.4%
1885 Henry John Trotter (Conservative) 2,044 52.1% Richard Knight Causton (Liberal) 166 (4.2 pts) 92.5%
1886 Henry John Trotter (Conservative) 1,996 54.0% Richard Knight Causton (Liberal) 295 (8.0 pts) 87.2%
1892 Herbert Scarisbrick Naylor-Leyland (Conservative) 2,173 50.7% Weetman Dickinson Pearson (Liberal) 61 (1.4 pts) 85.7%
1895 Weetman Dickinson Pearson (Liberal) 2,475 52.2% Edward Samuel Norris (Conservative) 205 (4.3 pts) 90.3%
1900 Weetman Dickinson Pearson (Liberal) 2,548 52.8% Trevenon James Holland (Conservative) 274 (5.7 pts) 85.1%
1906 Weetman Dickinson Pearson (Liberal) 3,122 52.6% Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans (Conservative) 310 (5.2 pts) 92.3%
Jan 1910 Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans (Conservative) 3,717 56.0% Frederick Whitley Thomson (Liberal) 791 (11.9 pts) 91.9%
Dec 1910 Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans (Conservative) 3,489 54.8% Edgar Vincent (Liberal) 615 (9.7 pts) 88.1%
1918 Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans (Unionist) 11,186 61.1% Andrew Conley (Labour) 4,074 (22.3 pts) 60.2%
1922 Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans (Unionist) 13,142 56.7% Richard Leopold Reiss (Labour) 3,097 (13.4 pts) 77.9%
1923 Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans (Unionist) 10,535 43.4% Richard Leopold Reiss (Labour) 2,219 (9.1 pts) 78.2%
1924 Laming Worthington-Evans (Unionist) 14,283 56.6% Richard Leopold Reiss (Labour) 3,330 (13.2 pts) 78.8%
1929 Oswald Lewis (Unionist) 13,411 40.3% Richard Leopold Reiss (Labour) 602 (1.8 pts) 79.4%
1931 Oswald Lewis (Conservative) 22,285 67.5% Edward Aylmer Digby (Labour) 11,560 (35.0 pts) 76.4%
1935 Oswald Lewis (Conservative) 19,915 58.7% Hubert Beaumont (Labour) 5,876 (17.3 pts) 74.6%
1945 Charles George Percy Delacourt-Smith (Labour) 16,587 45.3% Oswald Lewis (Conservative) 2,464 (6.7 pts) 73.9%
1950 Cuthbert James McCall Alport (Conservative) 21,403 46.5% Charles George Percy Delacourt-Smith (Labour) 931 (2.0 pts) 86.8%
1951 Cuthbert James McCall Alport (Conservative) 25,063 54.2% Xenia Noelle Field (Labour) 3,846 (8.3 pts) 84.8%
1955 Cuthbert James McCall Alport (Conservative) 24,796 55.5% Norman R Thomas (Labour) 4,898 (11.0 pts) 80.5%
1959 Cuthbert James McCall Alport (Conservative) 24,592 51.6% Joan I Edmonson (Labour) 7,496 (15.7 pts) 82.4%
1964 Philip Antony Fyson Buck (Conservative) 23,319 46.0% Charles CP Williams (Labour) 3,539 (7.0 pts) 82.1%
1966 Philip Buck (Conservative) 24,320 45.6% Michael Meacher (Labour) 1,015 (1.9 pts) 82.3%
1970 Philip Buck (Conservative) 30,562 52.6% John Bartlett (Labour) 10,237 (17.6 pts) 77.5%
Feb 1974 Philip Buck (Conservative) 29,072 43.4% David Anthony Whytock (Labour) 6,862 (10.2 pts) 82.6%
Oct 1974 Philip Buck (Conservative) 27,693 44.4% David Anthony Whytock (Labour) 5,500 (8.8 pts) 76.2%
1979 Philip Buck (Conservative) 36,740 52.9% Bob Russell (Labour) 13,863 (20.0 pts) 76.6%
1997 Robert Russell (Liberal Democrat) 17,886 34.4% Stephan Shakespeare (Conservative) 1,551 (3.0 pts) 69.6%
2001 Robert Russell (Liberal Democrat) 18,627 42.6% Kevin Bentley (Conservative) 5,553 (12.7 pts) 55.4%
2005 Robert Russell (Liberal Democrat) 21,145 47.1% Kevin Bentley (Conservative) 6,277 (14.0 pts) 56.8%
2010 Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat) 22,151 48.0% Will Quince (Conservative) 6,982 (15.1 pts) 62.4%
2015 Will Quince (Conservative) 18,919 38.9% Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat) 5,575 (11.5 pts) 65.6%
2017 Will Quince (Conservative) 24,565 45.9% Tim Young (Labour) 5,677 (10.6 pts) 67.1%
2019 Will Quince (Conservative) 26,917 50.4% Tina McKay (Labour) 9,423 (17.6 pts) 64.8%
2024 Pam Cox (Labour) 18,804 41.9% James Cracknell (Conservative) 8,250 (18.4 pts) 57.3%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Sanderson Conservative 64848.7% Yes
Daniel Whittle Harvey Radical 41130.9% Yes
William Mayhew Whig 27220.4% No

1835 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Sanderson Conservative 63737.3% Yes
George Henry Smyth Conservative 56833.2% Yes
Henry Tufnell Whig 50529.5% No

1837 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Sanderson Conservative 47238.9% Yes
George Henry Smyth Conservative 43535.9% Yes
James Ruddell-Todd Radical 30625.2% No

1841 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Sanderson Conservative Unopposed Yes
George Henry Smyth Conservative Unopposed Yes

1847 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Henry Smyth Conservative 67837.6% Yes
Joseph Alfred Harcastle Whig 59633.0% Yes
Richard Sanderson Conservative 53129.4% No

1852 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Warwick Hawkins Conservative 68636.7% Yes
John James Robert Manners Conservative 61532.9% Yes
Joseph Alfred Hardcastle Whig 46825.1% No
Henry Thoby Prinsep Conservative 985.2% No

1857 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Taverner John Miller Conservative 59948.8% Yes
John Gurdon Rebow Radical 58147.3% Yes
William Rawdon Havens Radical 483.9% No

1859 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Taverner John Miller Conservative 65136.8% Yes
Philip Oxenden Papillon Conservative 59833.8% Yes
John Gurdon Rebow Liberal 51829.3% No

1865 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Gurdon Rebow Liberal 69136.5% Yes
Taverner John Miller Conservative 64033.8% Yes
Philip Oxenden Papillon Conservative 56129.7% No

1868 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Gurdon Rebow Liberal 1,46727.2% Yes
William Brewer Liberal 1,41726.3% Yes
Edward Kent Karslake Conservative 1,28423.8% No
Alexander Learmonth Conservative 1,21722.6% No

1874 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Learmonth Conservative 1,51528.0% Yes
Herbert Bulkley Mackworth-Praed Conservative 1,40726.0% Yes
William Brewer Liberal 1,27923.6% No
Richard Knight Causton Liberal 1,21822.5% No

1880 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Knight Causton Liberal 1,73826.5% Yes
William Willis Liberal 1,65025.1% Yes
Alexander Learmonth Conservative 1,64825.1% No
Francis Henry Jeune Conservative 1,52923.3% No

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry John Trotter Conservative 2,04452.1% Yes
Richard Knight Causton Liberal 1,87847.9% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry John Trotter Conservative 1,99654.0% Yes
Richard Knight Causton Liberal 1,70146.0% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Herbert Scarisbrick Naylor-Leyland Conservative 2,17350.7% Yes
Weetman Dickinson Pearson Liberal 2,11249.3% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Weetman Dickinson Pearson Liberal 2,47552.2% Yes
Edward Samuel Norris Conservative 2,27047.8% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Weetman Dickinson Pearson Liberal 2,54852.8% Yes
Trevenon James Holland Conservative 2,27447.2% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Weetman Dickinson Pearson Liberal 3,12252.6% Yes
Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans Conservative 2,81247.4% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans Conservative 3,71756.0% Yes
Frederick Whitley Thomson Liberal 2,92644.0% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans Conservative 3,48954.8% Yes
Edgar Vincent Liberal 2,87445.2% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans Unionist 11,18661.1% Yes
Andrew Conley Labour 7,11238.9% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans Unionist 13,14256.7% Yes
Richard Leopold Reiss Labour 10,04543.3% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Worthington Laming Worthington-Evans Unionist 10,53543.4% Yes
Richard Leopold Reiss Labour 8,31634.2% No
Arthur Horne Goldfinch Liberal 5,43022.4% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Laming Worthington-Evans Unionist 14,28356.6% Yes
Richard Leopold Reiss Labour 10,95343.4% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Oswald Lewis Unionist 13,41140.3% Yes
Richard Leopold Reiss Labour 12,80938.5% No
William Rowley Elliston Liberal 6,89620.7% No
Charles Cecil Gray Independent Unionist 1720.5% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Oswald Lewis Conservative 22,28567.5% Yes
Edward Aylmer Digby Labour 10,72532.5% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Oswald Lewis Conservative 19,91558.7% Yes
Hubert Beaumont Labour 14,03941.3% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles George Percy Delacourt-Smith Labour 16,58745.3% Yes
Oswald Lewis Conservative 14,12338.6% No
George Alexander Routledge Liberal 5,89916.1% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Cuthbert James McCall Alport Conservative 21,40346.5% Yes
Charles George Percy Delacourt-Smith Labour 20,47244.5% No
David Goldblatt Liberal 4,1579.0% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Cuthbert James McCall Alport Conservative 25,06354.2% Yes
Xenia Noelle Field Labour 21,21745.8% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Cuthbert James McCall Alport Conservative 24,79655.5% Yes
Norman R Thomas Labour 19,89844.5% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Cuthbert James McCall Alport Conservative 24,59251.6% Yes
Joan I Edmonson Labour 17,09635.9% No
Peter M Linfoot Liberal 5,94212.5% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Philip Antony Fyson Buck Conservative 23,31946.0% Yes
Charles CP Williams Labour 19,78039.0% No
Eric W Rodnight Liberal 7,56614.9% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Philip Buck Conservative 24,32045.6% Yes
Michael Meacher Labour 23,30543.7% No
Peter Watts Liberal 5,71410.7% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Philip Buck Conservative 30,56252.6% Yes
John Bartlett Labour 20,32535.0% No
Peter Watts Liberal 7,24812.5% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Philip Buck Conservative 29,07243.4% Yes
David Anthony Whytock Labour 22,21033.1% No
David Wynford Thomas Liberal 15,73723.5% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Philip Buck Conservative 27,69344.4% Yes
David Anthony Whytock Labour 22,19335.6% No
Denis Ambrose Christian Liberal 12,42119.9% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Philip Buck Conservative 36,74052.9% Yes
Bob Russell Labour 22,87733.0% No
Martin Charles Gage Liberal 9,79414.1% No

1997

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Russell Liberal Democrat 17,88634.4% Yes
Stephan Shakespeare Conservative 16,33531.4% No
Rod Green Labour 15,89130.5% No
John Hazell Referendum Party 1,7763.4% No
Loretta Basker Natural Law 1480.3% No

2001

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Russell Liberal Democrat 18,62742.6% Yes
Kevin Bentley Conservative 13,07429.9% No
Christopher Fegan Labour 10,92525.0% No
Roger Lord UKIP 6311.4% No
Leonard Overy-Owen Grey Party 4791.1% No

2005

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Russell Liberal Democrat 21,14547.1% Yes
Kevin Bentley Conservative 14,86833.1% No
Laura Bruni Labour 8,88619.8% No

2010

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Bob Russell Liberal Democrat 22,15148.0% Yes
Will Quince Conservative 15,16932.9% No
Jordan Newell Labour 5,68012.3% No
John Pitts UKIP 1,3502.9% No
Sidney Chaney BNP 7051.5% No
Peter Lynn Green 6941.5% No
Eddie Bone English Democrats 3350.7% No
Garryck Noble Peoples Party Essex 350.1% No
Paul Shaw Independent 200.0% No

2015

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Will Quince Conservative 18,91938.9% Yes
Bob Russell Liberal Democrat 13,34427.5% No
Jordan Newell Labour 7,85216.2% No
John Pitts UKIP 5,87012.1% No
Mark Goacher Green 2,4995.1% No
Ken Scrimshaw Christian Peoples Alliance 1090.2% No

2017

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Will Quince Conservative 24,56545.9% Yes
Tim Young Labour 18,88835.3% No
Bob Russell Liberal Democrat 9,08717.0% No
Mark Goacher Green 8281.5% No
Robin Rennie Christian Peoples Alliance 1770.3% No

2019

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Will Quince Conservative 26,91750.4% Yes
Tina McKay Labour 17,49432.8% No
Martin Goss Liberal Democrat 7,43213.9% No
Mark Goacher Green 1,5302.9% No

2024

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Pam Cox Labour 18,80441.9% Yes
James Cracknell Conservative 10,55423.5% No
Terence Longstaff Reform UK 6,66414.8% No
Martin Goss Liberal Democrat 6,39314.2% No
Sara Ruth Green 2,4145.4% No
James Rolfe Climate Party 740.2% No

Margin Over Time

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

1832: Conservative margin 10.4 pts 1835: Conservative margin 3.7 pts 1837: Conservative margin 10.6 pts 1847: Conservative margin 3.6 pts 1852: Conservative margin 7.9 pts 1857: Conservative margin 43.4 pts 1859: Conservative margin 4.5 pts 1865: Liberal margin 4.2 pts 1868: Liberal margin 2.5 pts 1874: Conservative margin 2.4 pts 1880: Liberal margin 0.0 pts 1885: Conservative margin 4.2 pts 1886: Conservative margin 8.0 pts 1892: Conservative margin 1.4 pts 1895: Liberal margin 4.3 pts 1900: Liberal margin 5.7 pts 1906: Liberal margin 5.2 pts Jan 1910: Conservative margin 11.9 pts Dec 1910: Conservative margin 9.7 pts 1918: Unionist margin 22.3 pts 1922: Unionist margin 13.4 pts 1923: Unionist margin 9.1 pts 1924: Unionist margin 13.2 pts 1929: Unionist margin 1.8 pts 1931: Conservative margin 35.0 pts 1935: Conservative margin 17.3 pts 1945: Labour margin 6.7 pts 1950: Conservative margin 2.0 pts 1951: Conservative margin 8.3 pts 1955: Conservative margin 11.0 pts 1959: Conservative margin 15.7 pts 1964: Conservative margin 7.0 pts 1966: Conservative margin 1.9 pts 1970: Conservative margin 17.6 pts Feb 1974: Conservative margin 10.2 pts Oct 1974: Conservative margin 8.8 pts 1979: Conservative margin 20.0 pts 1997: Liberal Democrat margin 3.0 pts 2001: Liberal Democrat margin 12.7 pts 2005: Liberal Democrat margin 14.0 pts 2010: Liberal Democrat margin 15.1 pts 2015: Conservative margin 11.5 pts 2017: Conservative margin 10.6 pts 2019: Conservative margin 17.6 pts 2024: Labour margin 18.4 pts 1832 1835 1837 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024

Trend

Colchester has been contested at 46 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Radical, Whig, Liberal, Unionist, Labour, Liberal Democrat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Colchester in the 2024 general election?

Labour won Colchester in 2024 with 18,804 votes (41.9%), a majority of 8,250 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Colchester since 1832?

Since 1832, Colchester has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Liberal Democrat, Radical, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Colchester?

The closest result on record for Colchester was 1880, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 2 votes (0.0 percentage points).

Did Colchester ever elect more than one MP at a time?

Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Colchester 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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