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Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards
Barnet was once an elevated narrow projection of Hertfordshire into the county of Middlesex, and consisted of an agricultural market town. The town became well connected to central London by the London Underground network and is today commuter suburbia, with many of its properties semi-detached with substantial gardens as well as having many small parks and nature reserves. The area has few tower blocks for social housing.
Electoral Calculus categorises the seat with a "Kind Yuppies" demographic, indicating well-educated younger voters who could vote for either the Conservatives or Labour but opposed Brexit.
Boundaries
The seat was created from the parts of the former Barnet constituency which were in the London Borough of Barnet.
1974–1997: The London Borough of Barnet wards of Arkley, Brunswick Park, East Barnet, Hadley, and Totteridge.
1997–2010: As above plus Friern Barnet.
2010–2024: The London Borough of Barnet wards of Brunswick Park, Coppetts, East Barnet, High Barnet, Oakleigh, Totteridge, and Underhill.
2024–present: The London Borough of Barnet wards of Barnet Vale, Brunswick Park, East Barnet, Edgwarebury, High Barnet, Totteridge & Woodside, Underhill and Whetstone.
It was held by a Conservative since its creation for the February 1974 general election, and withstood the Labour landslide in 1997 by just over 2% (1,035 votes). However, this would come to a close after the 2024 general election, when Chipping Barnet was won by the Labour Party; it was the first time in the constituency's history that it was not represented by a Conservative MP.
In the 2019 general election, the seat was seen as an important potential gain for the Labour Party, due to Villiers' small majority and high-profile (as the Environment Secretary) and the seat's vote to remain in the 2016 European Union membership referendum. Nevertheless, Villiers retained the seat with a majority increased threefold, albeit still a small one.