West Dorset: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for West Dorset is Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat), returned on 4 July 2024. Edward Morello took the seat for Liberal Democrat in July 2024 with 26,999 votes (51.3%), ahead of Chris Loder (Conservative) on 19,210. 52,605 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 75,998, 69.2% of those registered. The majority was 7,789.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set West Dorset apart: the 7th highest share of adults retired (2021) of the 575 constituencies with this figure (35.6%), and the 27th lowest population density (2021) of the 575 constituencies with this figure (93.0 per sq km).
The ONS estimates 96,334 people lived in West Dorset in mid-2024, up 7.0% on 2014. Children under 16 numbered 13,592; people aged 65 and over, 32,051.
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 81.6% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 5.9 points. 16.0% were economically inactive.
Workplaces in West Dorset accounted for 48,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 5,925 local units for March 2026.
The median price paid for a home was £350,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £260,000. The highest March-year median in the series was £360,500, in the year to March 2024. It ranks 183rd highest of 575 constituencies. 1,309 sales were registered in the period, against 1,735 in the year to March 2025.
Residents of West Dorset earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £33,743 for workplace jobs and £36,626 for residents. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £35,735. The residents' figure ranks 220th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
3,164 children in West Dorset were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 23.3% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 14.1% in 2021/22 to 16.3% in 2024/25.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 1,155, or 2.3% of the working-age population. A year earlier the count was 1,110.
West Dorset counted 43,222 households on Census day 2021; 35.6% of adults were retired and 29.8% of those in work were mostly working from home.
MP
Edward Morello, Liberal Democrat
- MP for West Dorset since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Edward Morello on this site
In Parliament
What Edward Morello said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 21 October 2026 to 27 October 2026). Hansard search returns 411 spoken contributions by Edward Morello since 4 July 2024.
The hon. Lady is making an excellent speech and raises many points that go far beyond Northern Ireland. She is talking about the need to improve farms and combat climate change, but how are farmers supposed to engage seriously in this process?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The Liberal Democrats also support this statutory instrument. It is exactly the kind of relief for energy-intensive industries that we have been calling for, as these industries face some of the highest industrial electricity costs in the world.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
As somebody who has the BRCA2 genetic abnormality, I will be eligible for the extra screening that the hon. Gentleman outlined.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I had hoped to share some of the many, many stories about my farmers’ experience with the SFI, as they have written to me in the days and weeks following the closure of the window.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Q10. The Prime Minister has said that he wants growth in every postcode, but current devolution plans mean that West Dorset risks being left behind as other regions gain devolved powers in investment.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Morello | Liberal Democrat | 26,999 | 51.3% | +18.5 |
| Chris Loder | Conservative | 19,210 | 36.5% | −17.8 |
| Donna Lumsden | Labour | 3,086 | 5.9% | −3.5 |
| Kelvin Clayton | Green Party | 2,288 | 4.3% | +0.8 |
| Oliver Chisholm | Independent | 733 | 1.4% | |
| Marcus White | Independent | 289 | 0.5% |
Result summary as published: LD 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 | Liberal Democrat 51.3% | Conservative 36.5% | 7,789 | 69.2% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 54.3% | Liberal Democrat 32.8% | 12,388 | 76.7% |
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
West Dorset lies within Dorset.
- Dorset E06000059
Who has power over West Dorset
Every body that makes decisions for West Dorset, 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 3: Local councils
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
- West Dorset this page: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat) 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 West Dorset?
Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in West Dorset?
The House of Commons Library records 26,999 votes for Edward Morello of Liberal Democrat and a majority of 7,789; 69.2% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in West Dorset?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 1,155, 2.3% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in West Dorset?
£350,000: 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 West Dorset?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £36,626 (April 2025).
How many children in West Dorset live in low income families?
3,164 children under 16, 23.3%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of West Dorset?
96,334 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.