Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
South Thanet was won by Conservative at the 2019 general election, with a majority of 10,587 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in South Thanet from 1983 to 2019.
Full Election History, 1983–2019
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1983
Jonathan Aitken (Conservative)
24,512
56.5%
Ian Richard Philip Josephs (Liberal)
14,051 (32.4 pts)
70.0%
1987
Jonathan Aitken (Conservative)
25,135
54.3%
Bill Pitt (Liberal)
13,683 (29.6 pts)
73.7%
1992
Jonathan Aitken (Conservative)
25,253
51.7%
Mark James (Labour)
11,513 (23.6 pts)
78.2%
1997
Stephen Ladyman (Labour)
20,777
46.2%
Jonathan Aitken (Conservative)
2,878 (6.4 pts)
71.6%
2001
Stephen Ladyman (Labour)
18,002
45.7%
Mark MacGregor (Conservative)
1,792 (4.5 pts)
64.2%
2005
Stephen Ladyman (Labour)
16,660
40.4%
Mark MacGregor (Conservative)
664 (1.6 pts)
65.0%
2010
Laura Sandys (Conservative)
22,043
48.0%
Stephen Ladyman (Labour)
7,617 (16.6 pts)
65.7%
2015
Craig MacKinlay (Conservative)
18,838
38.1%
Nigel Farage (UKIP)
2,812 (5.7 pts)
69.8%
2017
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative)
25,262
50.8%
Raushan Ara (Labour)
6,387 (12.8 pts)
68.9%
2019
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative)
27,084
56.1%
Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt (Labour)
10,587 (21.9 pts)
66.2%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1983
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Jonathan Aitken
Conservative
24,512
56.5%
Yes
Ian Richard Philip Josephs
Liberal
10,461
24.1%
No
Martin Andrew Clark
Labour
8,429
19.4%
No
1987
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Jonathan Aitken
Conservative
25,135
54.3%
Yes
Bill Pitt
Liberal
11,452
24.8%
No
Chris Wright
Labour
9,673
20.9%
No
1992
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Jonathan Aitken
Conservative
25,253
51.7%
Yes
Mark James
Labour
13,740
28.1%
No
Bill Pitt
Liberal Democrat
8,948
18.3%
No
Sue Peckham
Green
871
1.8%
No
1997
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Stephen Ladyman
Labour
20,777
46.2%
Yes
Jonathan Aitken
Conservative
17,899
39.8%
No
Barbara Hewitt-Silk
Liberal Democrat
5,263
11.7%
No
Clarence Paul Crook
Independent
631
1.4%
No
David Wheatley
Green
418
0.9%
No
2001
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Stephen Ladyman
Labour
18,002
45.7%
Yes
Mark MacGregor
Conservative
16,210
41.1%
No
Guy Voizey
Liberal Democrat
3,706
9.4%
No
William Baldwin
Independent
770
2.0%
No
Terry Eccott
UKIP
502
1.3%
No
Bernard Franklin
National Front
242
0.6%
No
2005
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Stephen Ladyman
Labour
16,660
40.4%
Yes
Mark MacGregor
Conservative
15,996
38.8%
No
Guy Voizey
Liberal Democrat
5,431
13.2%
No
Nigel Farage
UKIP
2,079
5.0%
No
Howard Green
Green
888
2.2%
No
Maude Kinsella
Independent
188
0.5%
No
2010
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Laura Sandys
Conservative
22,043
48.0%
Yes
Stephen Ladyman
Labour
14,426
31.4%
No
Peter Bucklitsch
Liberal Democrat
6,935
15.1%
No
Trevor Shonk
UKIP
2,529
5.5%
No
2015
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Craig MacKinlay
Conservative
18,838
38.1%
Yes
Nigel Farage
UKIP
16,026
32.4%
No
Will Scobie
Labour
11,740
23.8%
No
Ian Driver
Green
1,076
2.2%
No
Russell Timpson
Liberal Democrat
932
1.9%
No
Al Murray
Independent
318
0.6%
No
Ruth Bailey
Manston Airport Independent Party
191
0.4%
No
Nigel Askew
We Are The Reality Party
126
0.3%
No
Grahame Birchall
Party for a United Thanet
63
0.1%
No
Dean McCastree
Independent
61
0.1%
No
Zebadiah Abu-Obadiah
Al-Zebabist Nation of Ooog
30
0.1%
No
2017
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Craig Mackinlay
Conservative
25,262
50.8%
Yes
Raushan Ara
Labour
18,875
37.9%
No
Stuart Piper
UKIP
2,997
6.0%
No
Jordan Williams
Liberal Democrat
1,514
3.0%
No
Trevor Roper
Green
809
1.6%
No
Tim Garbutt
Independent
181
0.4%
No
Faith Fisher
Christian Peoples Alliance
115
0.2%
No
2019
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Craig Mackinlay
Conservative
27,084
56.1%
Yes
Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt
Labour
16,497
34.2%
No
Martyn Pennington
Liberal Democrat
2,727
5.7%
No
Becky Wing
Green
1,949
4.0%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
South Thanet 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 South Thanet in the 2019 general election?
Conservative won South Thanet in 2019 with 27,084 votes (56.1%), a majority of 10,587 votes over Labour in second place.
Which parties have won South Thanet since 1983?
Since 1983, South Thanet has been won by: Conservative, Labour.
What was the closest result in South Thanet?
The closest result on record for South Thanet was 2005, when Labour beat Conservative by just 664 votes (1.6 percentage points).