Finchley (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1997

Finchley
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
County	1918–1965 Middlesex 1965–1997 Greater London
1950–1997
Seats	One
Replaced by	Finchley & Golders Green (newly created seat) Chipping Barnet (in part)
1918–1950
Seats	One
Type of constituency	County constituency
Created from	Hornsey (bulk of seat formed former western part of) Enfield (as to the Friern Barnet part)

Finchley within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, boundaries used 1918–45

Finchley within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, boundaries used 1945–50

Finchley was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by first-past-the-post voting; its longest-serving and best-known MP was Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990.

Although boundary changes meant that she never again attained the large majority by which she won in 1959, her constituents nonetheless returned her by comfortable (9,000) majorities at general elections throughout her premiership.

The seat was abolished in 1997 and split between the Finchley and Golders Green and Chipping Barnet constituencies.

Boundaries

1918–1945: The Urban Districts of Finchley and Friern Barnet.
1945–1950: The Municipal Borough of Finchley, part of the Municipal Borough of Hornsey, and part of the Urban District of Friern Barnet.
1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Finchley, and the Urban District of Friern Barnet.
1974–1997: The London Borough of Barnet wards of East Finchley, Finchley, Friern Barnet, St Paul's, and Woodhouse.

In 1918 the constituency was created as a county division of Middlesex, centred on the town of Finchley, which before 1918 had been located in the Hornsey constituency. In 1934 the Finchley district became a Municipal Borough.

In 1945 there was an interim redistribution of parliamentary constituencies to split those with more than 100,000 electors, prior to the general redistribution of 1950. Middlesex was significantly affected by the interim changes.

In 1950 the seat was re-classified as a borough constituency, with the boundaries reverting to those of 1918.

In 1965 the area of the constituency changed counties from Middlesex to London. Specifically its areas joined with others to form the London Borough of Barnet of Greater London.

Members of Parliament

	Member	Party
1918	John Newman	Unionist
1923	Atholl Robertson	Liberal
1924	Edward Cadogan	Unionist
1935	John Crowder	Conservative
1959	Margaret Thatcher
1992	Hartley Booth
1997	constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
C	Unionist	John Pretyman Newman	11,849	68.9
	Labour	John Leslie	3,140	18.2
	Liberal	Walter Edwin Martin	2,221	12.9
Majority			8,709	50.7
Turnout			17,210	59.7
Registered electors			28,848
	Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	John Pretyman Newman	11,883	53.2	−15.7
	Liberal	T. Atholl Robertson	10,440	46.8	+33.9
Majority			1,443	6.4	−44.3
Turnout			22,323	72.4	+12.7
Registered electors			30,843
	Unionist hold		Swing	−24.8

General election 1923: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	T. Atholl Robertson	13,159	54.7	+7.9
	Unionist	John Pretyman Newman	10,883	45.3	−7.9
Majority			2,276	9.4	N/A
Turnout			24,042	76.0	+3.6
Registered electors			31,650
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	+7.9

General election 1924: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Edward Cadogan	15,277	58.3	+13.0
	Liberal	T. Atholl Robertson	10,942	41.7	−13.0
Majority			4,335	16.6	N/A
Turnout			26,219	79.5	+3.5
Registered electors			32,984
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+13.0

General election 1929: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Edward Cadogan	18,920	48.8	−9.5
	Liberal	T. Atholl Robertson	14,065	36.2	−5.5
	Labour	J. George Stone	5,824	15.0	New
Majority			4,855	12.6	−4.0
Turnout			38,809	77.2	−2.3
Registered electors			50,243
	Unionist hold		Swing	−2.0

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Cadogan	34,286	84.2	+35.4
	Labour	J. George Stone	6,440	15.8	+0.8
Majority			27,846	68.4	+55.8
Turnout			40,726	74.3	―2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+17.3

Liberal candidate Lady Domini Crosfield withdrew following the formation of the National Government.

General election 1935: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Crowder	26,960	63.6	―20.6
	Liberal	T. Atholl Robertson	8,920	21.0	New
	Labour	Cyril G Lacey	6,533	15.4	―0.4
Majority			18,040	42.6	―31.8
Turnout			42,413	70.2	―4.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1939–40 Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940, but it was postponed after the outbreak of World War II. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939, and by the end of that year the following candidates had been selected:

Conservative: John Crowder
Liberal: Humphrey Razzall
Labour: Cyril Lacey

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Crowder	24,256	48.5	―15.1
	Labour	Cyril G Lacey	18,611	37.2	+21.8
	Liberal	David Goldblatt	7,164	14.3	―6.7
Majority			5,645	11.28	―31.3
Turnout			50,031	74.2	+4.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+18.4

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Crowder	32,262	52.9	+4.4
	Labour	Dorothy Pickles	19,683	32.3	―5.0
	Liberal	Andrew McFadyean	9,094	14.9	+0.6
Majority			12,579	20.6	+9.3
Turnout			60,999	84.9	+10.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.2

General election 1951: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Crowder	33,308	54.9	+2.0
	Labour	Jack Ashley	20,520	33.8	+1.6
	Liberal	Walter John Done	6,853	11.3	―3.6
Majority			12,788	21.1	+0.5
Turnout			60,411	84.0	―0.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.3

General election 1955: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Crowder	30,233	54.5	―0.4
	Labour	Terence Lancaster	17,408	31.4	―2.4
	Liberal	Manuela Sykes	7,775	14.0	+2.7
Majority			12,825	23.1	+2.0
Turnout			55,416	78.3	―5.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	―1.0

General election 1959: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	29,697	53.2	―1.3
	Labour	Eric Deakins	13,437	24.1	―7.3
	Liberal	Henry Ivan Spence	12,701	22.7	+8.7
Majority			16,260	29.1	+6.0
Turnout			55,835	80.8	+2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.0

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	24,591	46.6	―6.6
	Liberal	John Pardoe	15,789	29.9	+7.2
	Labour	Albert Edward Tomlinson	12,408	23.5	―0.6
Majority			8,802	16.7	―12.4
Turnout			52,788	78.2	―2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1966: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	23,968	46.5	―0.1
	Labour	Yvonne Sieve	14,504	28.1	+4.6
	Liberal	Frank Davis	13,070	25.4	― 4.5
Majority			9,464	18.4	+1.7
Turnout			51,542	75.3	―2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	―2.4

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	25,480	53.8	+7.3
	Labour	Michael Freeman	14,295	30.2	+2.1
	Liberal	Graham Mitchell	7,614	16.1	―9.3
Majority			11,185	23.6	+5.2
Turnout			47,389	65.6	―9.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.6

General election February 1974: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	18,180	43.7	―8.6
	Labour	Martin O'Connor	12,202	29.3	―2.3
	Liberal	Laurence Brass	11,221	27.0	+10.9
Majority			5,978	14.4
Turnout			41,603	78.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	―3.1

General election October 1974: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	16,498	44.0	+0.3
	Labour	Martin O'Connor	12,587	33.6	+4.3
	Liberal	Laurence Brass	7,384	19.7	―7.3
	National Front	Janet Godfrey	993	2.7	New
Majority			3,911	10.4	―4.0
Turnout			37,462	69.5	―8.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	―2.0

General election 1979: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	20,918	52.5	+8.5
	Labour	Richard May	13,040	32.7	―0.9
	Liberal	Anthony Paterson	5,254	13.2	―6.5
	National Front	William Verity	534	1.3	―1.4
	Independent Democrat	Elizabeth Lloyd	86	0.2	New
Majority			7,878	19.8	+9.4
Turnout			39,832	72.5	+3.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.7

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	19,616	51.1	―1.4
	Labour	Laurence Spigel	10,302	26.8	―5.9
	Liberal	Margaret Joachim	7,763	20.2	+7.0
	Ecology	Simone Wilkinson	279	0.7	New
	Monster Raving Loony	Screaming Lord Sutch	235	0.6	New
	Ban Every Licensing Law Society	Anthony Noonan	75	0.2	New
	Rail Not Motorway	Helen Anscomb	42	0.1	New
	Law and Order in Gotham City	Anthony Whitehead	37	0.1	New
	Anti-Censorship	David Webb	28	0.1	New
	Party of Associates with Licensees	Brian Wareham	27	0.1	New
	Belgrano Blood-Hunger	Benjamin Wedmore	13	0.0	New
Majority			9,314	24.3	+4.5
Turnout			38,417	69.0	―3.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.2

General election 1987: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher	21,603	53.9	+2.8
	Labour	John Davies	12,690	31.7	+4.9
	Liberal	David Howarth	5,580	13.9	―7.3
	Gremloid Party	Lord Buckethead	131	0.3	New
	Gold Party	Michaelle St Vincent	59	0.2	New
Majority			8,913	22.2	―2.1
Turnout			40,063	69.4	+0.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	―1.0

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Finchley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hartley Booth	21,039	51.2	―2.7
	Labour	Ann Marjoram	14,651	35.7	+4.0
	Liberal Democrats	Hilary Leighter	4,568	11.1	―2.8
	Green	Ashley Gunstock	564	1.4	New
	Monster Raving Loony	Sally Johnson	130	0.3	New
	Natural Law	James Macrae	129	0.3	New
Majority			6,388	15.5	―6.7
Turnout			41,081	77.6	+8.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	―3.3

Notes and references

^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
"Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.

Sources

Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency	UK Parliament constituency 1918–1997	Succeeded byFinchley and Golders Green (newly created seat)
New constituency	UK Parliament constituency 1918–1997	Succeeded byChipping Barnet (in part)
Preceded bySidcup	Constituency represented by the leader of the opposition 1975–1979	Succeeded byCardiff South East
Preceded byCardiff South East	Constituency represented by the prime minister 1979–1990	Succeeded byHuntingdon

v t e Historic constituencies in London
Outer London, 1965	Acton Barnet Barking Beckenham Bexley Brentford and Chiswick Bromley Carshalton Chingford Chislehurst Croydon North East Croydon North West Croydon South Dagenham Ealing North Ealing South East Ham North East Ham South Edmonton Enfield East Enfield West Erith and Crayford Feltham Finchley Harrow Central Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon North Hendon South Heston and Isleworth Hornchurch Hornsey Ilford North Ilford South Kingston-upon-Thames Leyton Merton and Morden Mitcham Orpington Richmond Romford Ruislip-Northwood Southall Southgate Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Tottenham Twickenham Uxbridge Walthamstow East Walthamstow West Wanstead and Woodford Wembley North Wembley South West Ham North West Ham South Wimbledon Willeseden East Willeseden West Wood Green
1974	Acton Barking Battersea North Battersea South Beckenham Bermondsey Bethnal Green and Bow Bexleyheath Brent East Brent North Brent South Brentford and Isleworth Carshalton Chelsea Chingford Chipping Barnet Chislehurst City of London and Westminster South Croydon Central Croydon North East Croydon North West Croydon South Dagenham Dulwich Ealing North Edmonton Enfield North Enfield Southgate Erith and Crayford Feltham and Heston Finchley Fulham Greenwich Hackney Central Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith North Hampstead Harrow Central Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon North Hendon South Holborn and St Pancras South Hornchurch Hornsey Ilford North Ilford South Islington Central Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Kensington Kingston-upon-Thames Lambeth Central Lewisham Deptford Lewisham East Lewisham West Leyton Mitcham and Morden Newham North East Newham North West Newham South Norwood Orpington Paddington Peckham Putney Ravensbourne Richmond Romford Ruislip-Northwood St Marylebone St Pancras North Sidcup Southall Stepney and Poplar Streatham Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Tooting Tottenham Twickenham Upminster Uxbridge Vauxhall Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford Wimbledon Wood Green Woolwich East Woolwich West
1983	Barking Battersea Beckenham Bethnal Green and Stepney Bexleyheath Bow and Poplar Brent East Brent North Brent South Brentford and Isleworth Carshalton and Wallington Chelsea Chingford Chipping Barnet Chislehurst City of London and Westminster South Croydon Central Croydon North East Croydon North West Croydon South Dagenham Dulwich Ealing Acton Ealing North Ealing Southall Edmonton Eltham Enfield North Enfield Southgate Erith and Crayford Feltham and Heston Finchley Fulham Greenwich Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney South and Shoreditch Hammersmith Hampstead and Highgate Harrow East Harrow West Hayes and Harlington Hendon North Hendon South Holborn and St Pancras Hornchurch Hornsey and Wood Green Ilford North Ilford South Islington North Islington South and Finsbury Kensington Kingston-upon-Thames Lewisham Deptford Lewisham East Lewisham West Leyton Mitcham and Morden Newham North East Newham North West Newham South Norwood Old Bexley and Sidcup Orpington Peckham Putney Ravensbourne Richmond and Barnes Romford Ruislip-Northwood Southwark and Bermondsey Streatham Surbiton Sutton and Cheam Tooting Tottenham Twickenham Upminster Uxbridge Vauxhall Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford Westminster North Wimbledon Woolwich

Margaret Thatcher

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1979–1990)
Leader of the Conservative Party (1975–1990)
MP for Finchley (1959–1992)

Member of Parliament

Ideology

Premiership

1st ministry (1979–1983)	Budget (1979) Budget (1980) "The lady's not for turning" (1980) Budget (1981) Gang of 25 Irish hunger strike (1981) Budget (1982) Falklands War (1982) "Rejoice" Diana Gould exchange "White flags over Port Stanley" Budget (1983)
2nd ministry (1983–1987)	Budget (1984) Brighton hotel bombing (1984) GCHQ trade union ban (1984) CCSU case Miners' strike (1984–85) Budget (1985) Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) Local Government Act (1985) rate-capping rebellion Westland affair (1986) Budget (1986) Budget (1987)
3rd ministry (1987–1990)	Budget (1988) Broadcasting restrictions (1988) "Sermon on the Mound" (1988) Bruges speech (1988) Budget (1989) Community Charge (1989–90) Poll tax riots Budget (1990) Gulf War (1990) "No. No. No." (1990) Resignation Honours (1990)

Party elections

General elections

Books

The Downing Street Years (1993 autobiography)
The Path to Power (1995 memoir)
Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World (2003)

Family

Cultural depictions

Film and television	Anyone for Denis? (1982 TV play) Spitting Image (1984–1996 & 2020 TV series) The New Statesman (1987–1991 TV series) Thatcher: The Final Days (1991 film) The Falklands Play (2002 play) Jeffrey Archer: The Truth (2002 TV film) The Alan Clark Diaries (2004 TV series) Pinochet in Suburbia (2006 docudrama) The Long Walk to Finchley (2008 film) Margaret (2009 film) The Queen (2009 TV serial) The Iron Lady (2011 film) The Hunt for Tony Blair (2011 episode) In Search of La Che (2011 film) The Crown (2020 TV series) Reagan (2024 film)
Plays	Handbagged (2010, 2013) The Audience (2013)
Statues	London Guildhall (1998) Palace of Westminster (2007) Grantham (2022)
Paintings	Richard Stone portrait

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John Major →

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