Watford: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Matt Turmaine (Labour) is the MP for Watford, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 Matt Turmaine (Labour) won 15,708 votes, 35.3% of the valid vote; Dean Russell (Conservative) came second with 10,985. 44,455 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 73,100, 60.8% of those registered. The majority was 4,723.
Key figures
What the figures show
The ONS estimates 115,450 people lived in Watford in mid-2024, up 9.3% on 2014. 15,096 were aged 65 or over and 24,228 were under 16.
Workplaces in Watford accounted for 71,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 6,295 local units for March 2026.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 70.3% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 8.9 points. 24.7% were economically inactive.
The median price paid for a home was £425,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £320,000. It ranks 117th highest of 575 constituencies. 880 sales were registered in the period, against 1,436 in the year to March 2025.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £39,456 for jobs in Watford and £43,174 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £43,007. The residents' figure ranks 139th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Watford counted 42,747 households on Census day 2021; 14.7% of adults were retired and 34.3% of those in work were mostly working from home.
In 2024/25, 23.9% of children under 16 in Watford (5,779) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 12.2% in 2021/22 to 13.5% in 2024/25.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 3,450, or 4.5% of the working-age population. September 2025 had 3,305.
MP
Matt Turmaine, Labour
- MP for Watford since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Matt Turmaine on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Matt Turmaine in Hansard, from 11 September 2026 to 20 October 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 91 spoken contributions by Matt Turmaine since 4 July 2024.
Will the Minister outline the type and scale of events that are likely to meet the threshold for implementing a transport plan, or for organisation or local authority applications to apply?
Has my hon. Friend succeeded in that task?
My hon. Friend mentions that his father, too, was a physician. I wonder whether their opinions differ on whether more healthy benefits are to be derived from lager or bitter, based on their experience?
It is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Jayne Kirkham). I pay tribute to all Members who have made such emotional, moving and powerful contributions this evening. A number of hon. Members have mentioned continuity of care.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
We must also remember the families of those killed on this tragic day 25 years ago.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Turmaine | Labour | 15,708 | 35.3% | −4.0 |
| Dean Russell | Conservative | 10,985 | 24.7% | −17.3 |
| Ian Stotesbury | Liberal Democrat | 7,577 | 17.0% | −0.7 |
| Gary Ling | Reform UK | 4,930 | 11.1% | |
| Khalid Chohan | Workers Party of Britain | 2,659 | 6.0% | |
| Arran Bowen-la Grange | Green Party | 2,428 | 5.5% | +5.2 |
| Sarah Knott | Heritage Party | 168 | 0.4% |
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 35.3% | Conservative 24.7% | 4,723 | 60.8% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 42.0% | Labour 39.3% | 1,300 | 68.4% |
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
Watford covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
Who has power over Watford
Every body that makes decisions for Watford, 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
- Watford this page: Matt Turmaine (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 Watford?
Matt Turmaine (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Watford?
The House of Commons Library records 15,708 votes for Matt Turmaine of Labour and a majority of 4,723; 60.8% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Watford?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 3,450, 4.5% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Watford?
£425,000: 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 Watford?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £43,174 (April 2025).
How many children in Watford live in low income families?
5,779 children under 16, 23.9%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Watford?
115,450 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.