Reading East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like all such constituencies, it elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.
The constituency covers an area in and around the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire.
Boundaries
The constituency comprises the central, northern and eastern parts of the Borough of Reading (specifically the wards of Abbey, Caversham, Church, Katesgrove, Mapledurham, Park, Peppard, Redlands and Thames), together with the Bulmershe, Loddon and Southlake polling districts of Woodley and the Whitegates district of Earley in Wokingham Borough.
It is bounded by the constituencies of Reading West, Henley, Maidenhead, and Wokingham.
Click here for a map of the constituency.
History
The Reading East parliamentary constituency was first contested in 1983, when it was won for the Conservative Party by Gerard Vaughan, the sitting MP for the previous Reading South constituency.
He held the seat through all subsequent general elections until he retired before the 1997 election.
The constituency was then won for the Labour Party by Jane Griffiths.
She retained the seat in the 2001 election, but was deselected by her Constituency Labour Party before the 2005 election, and the seat was regained by the Conservatives, overturning a 5,595 Labour Majority.
In the 2010 election Rob increased his majority to 7,605, polling 21,269 votes or 42.6 per cent, compared with 27.3 per cent by the Lib Dems and 25.5 per cent by Labour.
Reading East Members of Parliament
- Constituency created (1983)
- 1983 to 1997 – Gerard Vaughan, Conservative
- 1997 to 2005 – Jane Griffiths, Labour
- 2005 to 2017 – Rob Wilson, Conservative