Folkestone and Hythe: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for Folkestone and Hythe is Tony Vaughan (Labour), returned on 4 July 2024. Tony Vaughan took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 15,020 votes (34.7%), ahead of Damian Collins (Conservative) on 11,291. 43,246 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 70,056, 61.7% of those registered. The majority was 3,729.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Folkestone and Hythe has the 35th lowest population of the 575 constituencies with this figure (93,782).
The ONS estimates 93,782 people lived in Folkestone and Hythe in mid-2024, up 3.8% on 2014. Children under 16 numbered 15,309; people aged 65 and over, 24,113.
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 69.0% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 9.6 points. 27.4% were economically inactive.
4,540 children in Folkestone and Hythe were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 29.7% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 19.6% in 2021/22 to 20.1% in 2024/25.
Workplaces in Folkestone and Hythe accounted for 30,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 3,690 local units for March 2026.
The median price paid for a home was £302,500 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £199,000. The highest March-year median in the series was £305,000, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 258th highest of 575 constituencies. 1,224 sales were registered in the period, against 1,608 in the year to March 2025.
Residents of Folkestone and Hythe earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £38,050 for workplace jobs and £38,863 for residents. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £36,871. The residents' figure ranks 284th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 2,260, or 4.2% of the working-age population. A year earlier the count was 2,145.
Census 2021: 41,002 households, 396.7 people per square kilometre, 27.9% of workers based at home, 28.7% of adults retired.
MP
Tony Vaughan, Labour
- MP for Folkestone and Hythe since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Tony Vaughan on this site
In Parliament
What Tony Vaughan said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 7 September 2026 to 21 October 2026). Hansard search returns 210 spoken contributions by Tony Vaughan since 4 July 2024.
My constituent Joe Bennett, who is in the Public Gallery, has not seen his parents Craig and Lindsay Foreman since January 2025, when they were arrested and detained by Iran, and presented with fake charges of espionage.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I will not. The hon. Member for East Wiltshire, who is not here any more, at least accepted that our exports have been hit by Brexit, but his point was different. He said that where we have used our Brexit freedoms, we are better off.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank the hon. Member for his intervention but as far as I can see, none of what he said is relevant to the question of whether any of his points are well founded. The evidence is as I have read out.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that we could improve the regulation of water companies by ensuring we get independent audit and monitoring of the data from them?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank Amara, Lily and Holly for creating the petition that resulted in this debate, and for the opportunity to ask the Minister a lot of important questions about this vital issue.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 27 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Vaughan | Labour | 15,020 | 34.7% | +8.0 |
| Damian Collins | Conservative | 11,291 | 26.1% | −30.2 |
| Bill Wright | Reform UK | 10,685 | 24.7% | |
| Marianne Brett | Green Party | 3,954 | 9.1% | +4.3 |
| Larry Ngan | Liberal Democrat | 1,736 | 4.0% | −6.0 |
| Momtaz Khanom | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 249 | 0.6% | |
| David Allen | Fairer Voting Party | 240 | 0.6% | |
| Andy Thomas | The Socialist Party of Great Britain | 71 | 0.2% | 0.0 |
Result summary as published: Lab gain from Con. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 34.7% | Conservative 26.1% | 3,729 | 61.7% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 56.3% | Labour 26.8% | 13,239 | 64.0% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Folkestone and Hythe lies within Folkestone and Hythe.
- Folkestone and Hythe E07000112
Who has power over Folkestone and Hythe
Every body that makes decisions for Folkestone and Hythe, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Folkestone and Hythe this page: Tony Vaughan (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Folkestone and Hythe?
Tony Vaughan (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Folkestone and Hythe?
The House of Commons Library records 15,020 votes for Tony Vaughan of Labour and a majority of 3,729; 61.7% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Folkestone and Hythe?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,260, 4.2% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Folkestone and Hythe?
£302,500: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Folkestone and Hythe?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £38,863 (April 2025).
How many children in Folkestone and Hythe live in low income families?
4,540 children under 16, 29.7%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Folkestone and Hythe?
93,782 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.