Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Reading West was won by Conservative at the 2019 general election, with a majority of 4,117 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Reading West from 1983 to 2019.
Full Election History, 1983–2019
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1983
Sir Tony Durant (Conservative)
24,948
52.1%
Ronald James Day (Liberal)
11,399 (23.8 pts)
72.5%
1987
Sir Tony Durant (Conservative)
28,122
55.3%
Keith Howard Lock (Liberal)
16,753 (32.9 pts)
72.2%
1992
Sir Tony Durant (Conservative)
28,048
52.9%
Peter Martin Ruhemann (Labour)
13,298 (25.1 pts)
78.0%
1997
Martin Salter (Labour)
21,841
45.1%
Nicholas Bennett (Conservative)
2,997 (6.2 pts)
70.1%
2001
Martin Salter (Labour)
22,300
53.1%
Stephen Reid (Conservative)
8,849 (21.1 pts)
58.6%
2005
Martin Salter (Labour)
18,940
44.9%
Ewan Cameron (Conservative)
4,682 (11.1 pts)
61.2%
2010
Alok Sharma (Conservative)
20,523
43.2%
Naz Sarkar (Labour)
6,004 (12.6 pts)
66.0%
2015
Alok Sharma (Conservative)
23,082
47.7%
Victoria Groulef (Labour)
6,650 (13.7 pts)
66.9%
2017
Alok Sharma (Conservative)
25,311
48.9%
Olivia Bailey (Labour)
2,876 (5.6 pts)
69.7%
2019
Alok Sharma (Conservative)
24,393
48.4%
Rachel Eden (Labour)
4,117 (8.2 pts)
68.2%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1983
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sir Tony Durant
Conservative
24,948
52.1%
Yes
Ronald James Day
Liberal
13,549
28.3%
No
Richard Evans
Labour
9,220
19.3%
No
Eric George Lilley
Independent
161
0.3%
No
1987
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sir Tony Durant
Conservative
28,122
55.3%
Yes
Keith Howard Lock
Liberal
11,369
22.4%
No
Michael Edward Orton
Labour
10,819
21.3%
No
Edmund Peter Wilson
Green
542
1.1%
No
1992
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sir Tony Durant
Conservative
28,048
52.9%
Yes
Peter Martin Ruhemann
Labour
14,750
27.8%
No
Keith Howard Lock
Liberal Democrat
9,572
18.1%
No
Philip John Unsworth
Green
613
1.2%
No
1997
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Martin Salter
Labour
21,841
45.1%
Yes
Nicholas Bennett
Conservative
18,844
38.9%
No
Dee Tomlin
Liberal Democrat
6,153
12.7%
No
Steven Brown
Referendum Party
976
2.0%
No
Ian Dell
BNP
320
0.7%
No
David Black
UKIP
255
0.5%
No
2001
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Martin Salter
Labour
22,300
53.1%
Yes
Stephen Reid
Conservative
13,451
32.0%
No
Polly Martin
Liberal Democrat
5,387
12.8%
No
David Black
UKIP
848
2.0%
No
2005
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Martin Salter
Labour
18,940
44.9%
Yes
Ewan Cameron
Conservative
14,258
33.8%
No
Denise Gaines
Liberal Democrat
6,663
15.8%
No
Peter Williams
UKIP
1,180
2.8%
No
Adrian Windisch
Green
921
2.2%
No
Dave Boyle
Veritas
267
0.6%
No
2010
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Alok Sharma
Conservative
20,523
43.2%
Yes
Naz Sarkar
Labour
14,519
30.5%
No
Daisy Benson
Liberal Democrat
9,546
20.1%
No
Bruce Hay
UKIP
1,508
3.2%
No
Howard Thomas
Common Sense Party
852
1.8%
No
Adrian Windisch
Green
582
1.2%
No
2015
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Alok Sharma
Conservative
23,082
47.7%
Yes
Victoria Groulef
Labour
16,432
33.9%
No
Malik Azam
UKIP
4,826
10.0%
No
Meri O'Connell
Liberal Democrat
2,355
4.9%
No
Miriam Kennet
Green
1,406
2.9%
No
Suzie Ferguson
Independent
156
0.3%
No
Neil Adams
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
83
0.2%
No
Philip West
The Roman Party. Ave
64
0.1%
No
2017
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Alok Sharma
Conservative
25,311
48.9%
Yes
Olivia Bailey
Labour
22,435
43.3%
No
Meri O'Connell
Liberal Democrat
3,041
5.9%
No
Jamie Whitham
Green
979
1.9%
No
2019
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Alok Sharma
Conservative
24,393
48.4%
Yes
Rachel Eden
Labour
20,276
40.2%
No
Meri O'Connell
Liberal Democrat
4,460
8.9%
No
Jamie Witham
Green
1,263
2.5%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Reading West has been contested at 10 general elections on record since 1983. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Labour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Reading West in the 2019 general election?
Conservative won Reading West in 2019 with 24,393 votes (48.4%), a majority of 4,117 votes over Labour in second place.
Which parties have won Reading West since 1983?
Since 1983, Reading West has been won by: Conservative, Labour.
What was the closest result in Reading West?
The closest result on record for Reading West was 2017, when Conservative beat Labour by just 2,876 votes (5.6 percentage points).