Bridgwater and West Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

Bridgwater and West Somerset
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bridgwater and West Somerset in Somerset.
Location of Somerset within England.
County	Somerset
Population	106,450 (2011 census)
Electorate	82,936 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Bridgwater
Current constituency
Created	2010
Member of parliament	Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative and Unionist )
Number of members	One
Created from	Bridgwater, Taunton
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	South West England

Bridgwater and West Somerset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since creation in 2010 by Ian Liddell-Grainger of the Conservative Party.

Bridgwater was one of the original parliamentary borough constituencies in England (with fifteen years of non-existence in the late 19th century after the seat was abolished for corruption in 1870 and being subsumed into a slightly larger seat on a review of Somerset's representation by the Boundary Commission in 1885).

In 2010 seven candidates stood. The second placed candidate was a Liberal Democrat, Theo Butt Philip, 11.2% ahead of the candidate from the Labour Party. The incumbent, Ian Liddell-Grainger is a former Major in the Territorial Army, farmer and defence advisor.

The District of Sedgemoor wards of Bridgwater Bower, Bridgwater Eastover, Bridgwater Hamp, Bridgwater Quantock, Bridgwater Sydenham, Bridgwater Victoria, Cannington and Quantocks, East Poldens, Huntspill and Pawlett, King’s Isle, North Petherton, Puriton, Sandford, West Poldens, and Woolavington, and the District of West Somerset.

See: Bridgwater constituency

The Liberal Democrats initially selected Justine Baker as their candidate. After being accepted for Bridgwater and West Somerset, Baker resigned in order to apply to stand as the candidate for Taunton Deane, a more winnable seat, she was not successful and ultimately was not a candidate anywhere in the 2015 General Election. She was replaced by Theo Butt Philip, who had been the Liberal Democrat candidate at the 2010 General Election.