Hemel Hempstead (UK Parliament constituency)

Hemel Hempstead
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.
Location of Hertfordshire within England.
County	Hertfordshire
Electorate	72,561 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Hemel Hempstead
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of parliament	Mike Penning (Conservative)
Number of members	One
Created from	West Hertfordshire
1918–1983
Number of members	One
Type of constituency	County constituency
Replaced by	Hertfordshire West and Hertfordshire South West
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	East of England

Hemel Hempstead is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Hemel Hempstead, the Urban Districts of Berkhamsted, Harpenden, and Tring, the Rural Districts of Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead, in the Rural District of St Albans the civil parishes of Harpenden Rural, Redbourn, and Wheathampstead, and in the Rural District of Watford the civil parishes of Abbots Langley and Sarratt.

1950-1974: The Municipal Borough of Hemel Hempstead, the Urban Districts of Berkhamsted, Harpenden, and Tring, the Rural Districts of Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead, and in the Rural District of St Albans the civil parishes of Harpenden Rural and Redbourn.

1974-1983: The Municipal Borough of Hemel Hempstead, the Urban Districts of Berkhamsted and Tring, and the Rural Districts of Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead.

1997-2010: The District of Dacorum wards of Adeyfield East, Adeyfield West, Ashridge, Bennetts End, Boxmoor, Central, Chaulden, Crabtree, Cupid Green, Flamstead and Markyate, Gadebridge, Grove Hill, Highfield, Kings Langley, Leverstock Green, Nash Mills, South, and Warners End.

2010-present: The District of Dacorum wards of Adeyfield East, Adeyfield West, Apsley, Ashridge, Bennetts End, Boxmoor, Chaulden and Shrubhill, Corner Hall, Gadebridge, Grove Hill, Hemel Hempstead Central, Highfield and St Paul's, Kings Langley, Leverstock Green, Nash Mills, Warners End, Watling, and Woodhall.

For the 1997 general election, the former Hertfordshire West constituency was reduced in area and renamed "Hemel Hempstead". This reflected the growing population around the edge of London and the decision of the Boundary Commission for England to create an extra seat in the county of Hertfordshire.

This was the highest swing from Labour to Conservative in the 2010 general election.

General Election 1939/40: Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;