Eastbourne is a constituency for the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was created as one of nine in Sussex in 1885, since when it has reduced in geographic size reflecting the growth of its main settlement, Eastbourne. The seat was re-won in 2019 by Caroline Ansell, a Conservative who ousted Liberal Democrat Stephen Lloyd; she earlier did so in 2015. Since the seat's creation it has been won by candidates from either of these two political parties (and their early forebears, the Liberal Party and the Unionist Party). The seat has had four by-elections, lastly in 1990. For 94 years of the 20th Century, the seat was represented by Conservative MPs. The seat in the 1930s saw three unopposed candidates: in 1932, March 1935 and November 1935. Eastbourne has been considered relative to others a very marginal seat, as well as a swing seat, since 1997 as its winner's majority has been at most 7.86% of the vote. A 8.9% majority Tory re-gain took place in 1992 and since 2010 the seat has changed hands (between the two parties mentioned) all four possible times. Members of Parliament Constituency profile The constituency contains urban and suburban developments, including the whole of the Eastbourne Borough Council administrative area, as well as the village of Willingdon on its outskirts, which forms a small part of the Wealden District Council administrative area. Eastbourne itself is on the edge of the London Commuter Belt and is a coastal resort town. The Eastbourne seat has narrowed at every Boundary Commission Periodic Review, as the population of the core town has grown. Chris Hanretty, the Professor of Politics at Royal Holloway, estimated that Eastbourne voted 57.6% to 42.4% in favour of leaving the European Union during the 2016 referendum. History Origin This seat was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. This zone had been in the East Sussex constituency, which in turn had been created with two seats by the Reform Act 1832 as a division of the 13th century-founded Sussex parliamentary county which had two seats (returned two knights of the shire). Boundaries 1885–1918: The Corporate Towns of Pevensey and Seaford, the Sessional Divisions of Hailsham and Uckfield (except the parishes of East Hoathly and Waldron), and part of the Sessional Division of Lewes. 1918–1950: The Borough of Eastbourne, the Rural District of Eastbourne, and in the Rural District of Hailsham