Bracknell (UK Parliament constituency)

Bracknell
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bracknell in Berkshire.
Location of Berkshire within England.
County	Berkshire
Population	104,849 (2011 census)
Electorate	77,490 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Bracknell, Crowthorne
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of parliament	Phillip Lee (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	East Berkshire
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	South East England

Bracknell is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Phillip Lee of the Conservative Party.

1997-2010: The Borough of Bracknell Forest wards of Binfield, Bullbrook, Central Sandhurst, College Town, Crowthorne, Garth, Great Hollands North, Great Hollands South, Hanworth, Harmanswater, Little Sandhurst, Old Bracknell, Owlsmoor, Priestwood, Warfield, and Wildridings, and the District of Wokingham wards of Finchampstead North, Finchampstead South, and Wokingham Without.

2010-present: The Borough of Bracknell Forest wards of Bullbrook, Central Sandhurst, College Town, Crown Wood, Crowthorne, Great Hollands North, Great Hollands South, Hanworth, Harmanswater, Little Sandhurst and Wellington, Old Bracknell, Owlsmoor, Priestwood and Garth, and Wildridings and Central, and the District of Wokingham wards of Finchampstead North, Finchampstead South, and Wokingham Without.

Bracknell is based around the town of Bracknell and the Bracknell Forest authority. It is bordered by the constituencies of Wokingham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Surrey Heath, Aldershot, and North East Hampshire.

From creation in 1997 until 2010, Bracknell's MP was Andrew MacKay of the Conservative Party, who represented the old seat of East Berkshire from 1983. On 14 May 2009, he resigned from his position as parliamentary aide to Cameron in the wake of a major scandal over his Parliamentary expenses. MacKay and his wife, fellow Tory MP Julie Kirkbride, had wrongfully claimed over £250,000 from the taxpayer for mortgage payments for second homes, in a case of so-called "double-dipping". They also wrongfully claimed for each other's travel costs. At a hastily called meeting with his constituents in Bracknell to explain the "unacceptable" expenses claims, Mr MacKay was jeered and called a 'thieving toad'. A video of the angry meeting was leaked to the press and after an urgent phone call from David Cameron the next day, MacKay agreed to stand down at the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party chose Phillip Lee, a general practitioner, as their new candidate in an American style open primary, involving 7 candidates including Rory Stewart and Iain Dale in a contest open to all registered Bracknell voters.