History
The constituency was created in 1918 when the larger Portsmouth constituency was split into three divisions: Central, North and South. The Central constituency was abolished in 1950.
In the 2010 General Election campaign independent candidate Les Cummings distributed a leaflet claiming that incumbent MP Mike Hancock was a paedophile. This was later proved in court to be false. Cummings was subsequently convicted under the 1983 Representation of the People Act for distributing material which was known to be false with the intention of smearing or defaming to affect the return of a member of parilament. Cummings was fined £500.
Read more about this topic: Portsmouth South (UK Parliament Constituency)
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“To history therefore I must refer for answer, in which it would be an unhappy passage indeed, which should shew by what fatal indulgence of subordinate views and passions, a contest for an atom had defeated well founded prospects of giving liberty to half the globe.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)