the compact town centre. A Liberal Democrat served the seat from 1992 when their candidate Nigel Jones overturned four decades of Conservative MPs to 2015 when the Tories regained the seat. History Cheltenham borough constituency was created in the Great Reform Act of 1832 and has returned nine Liberals (or Liberal Democrats) and nine Conservatives to Parliament since that time, along with one independent. A Conservative served the constituency from 1950 until 1992. The Conservatives' campaign in the 1992 general election following the Poll Tax riots saw a local party member make racist remarks about their own candidate, John Taylor, who was of Afro-Caribbean descent. Taylor lost the election to Nigel Jones of the Liberal Democrats. In 2000, Jones was nearly murdered in a horrific incident at one of his MP's surgeries; a man attacked him and an assistant with a samurai sword. His colleague Andrew Pennington was killed in the attack. Jones was made a life peer in 2005. The Liberal Democrats held Cheltenham in the 2005 election when Martin Horwood won the election, and again in 2010, but lost when the Conservatives retook the seat in 2015. Members of Parliament Elections Elections in the 2020s Elections in the 2010s In 2019, Cheltenham was one of five English constituencies, the others being Esher and Walton, Westmorland and Lonsdale, Winchester and East Devon, where Labour failed to obtain over 5% of the vote and lost their deposit. Elections in the 2000s Elections in the 1990s Elections in the 1980s Elections in the 1970s Elections in the 1960s Elections in the 1950s Election in the 1940s 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; Independent Conservative: Daniel Lipson Conservative: C L Hargreaves Labour: John Baird Elections in the 1930s Elections in the 1920s Elections in the 1910s General Election 1914–15: A general election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election. Unionist Party: James Agg-Gardner Liberal Party: Rhys Williams Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place. Elections in the 1900s Elections in the 1890s Elections in the 1880s Election in the 1870s Elections in