History
When created in 1918 as the Putney division of Wandsworth, the constituency was carved out of the former constituency of Wandsworth. The rest of the Wandsworth constituency was divided into Wandsworth Central, Balham and Tooting and Streatham. The seat was abolished in 1983 and replaced by the constituency of 'Putney'.
Putney was held by former Conservative Secretary of State for National Heritage David Mellor from 1979 until 1997, when it was gained by Tony Colman for Labour. This received further media attention due to a fracas that erupted between Mellor and Referendum Party candidate Sir James Goldsmith, who held contrasting views on European integration, during Mellor's vote of thanks. This difference of opinion led to a bitter and personalised campaign, and Goldsmith took the opportunity to taunt his opponent when he was defeated.
Putney is also of note for being the first Conservative gain on election night in 2005, when Justine Greening took back the seat from Labour on a swing of 6.5%. Putney is also known for being one of the earliest constituencies, and usually the first in London, to return its results at each election.
Read more about this topic: Putney (UK Parliament Constituency)
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