Stone was a constituency[n 1] in Staffordshire in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented since its 1997 recreation by Sir Bill Cash, a Conservative.[n 2] On 9 June 2023, he announced his intention to stand down at the 2024 general election.[2]
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. Subject to moderate boundary changes, it will be reformed as Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.[3]
This was a mostly rural seat to the south of the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation. Electoral Calculus described the seat as "Strong Right" characterised by retired, socially conservative voters who strongly supported Brexit.[4]
Stone was in the top decile in geographical size in England. It covered the area from Madeley in the north to the west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, then ran south and out to the outskirts of Market Drayton, running down to the northern edge of Newport. The boundary headed north alongside the western boundary of Stafford around the north of Stafford and down its eastern boundary. It ran across the north of Abbots Bromley before reaching its eastern end. It continued to the west of Uttoxeter in the Burton constituency. It then extended eastwards between the Burton constituency and up to Cheadle and to the south of Stoke-on-Trent. The towns of Eccleshall, Cheadle and Stone were within the constituency.
2010–2024: The Borough of Stafford wards of Barlaston and Oulton, Chartley, Church Eaton, Eccleshall, Fulford, Gnosall and Woodseaves, Milwich, St Michael's, Stonefield and Christchurch, Swynnerton, and Walton, the District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of Cheadle North East, Cheadle South East, Cheadle West, Checkley, and Forsbrook, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Loggerheads and Whitmore, and Madeley.
1997–2010: The Borough of Stafford wards of Barlaston, Chartley, Church Eaton, Eccleshall, Fulford, Gnosall, Milwich, Oulton, St Michael's, Stonefield and Christchurch, Swynnerton, Walton, and Woodseaves, the District of Staffordshire Moorlands wards of Alton, Cheadle North East, Cheadle South East, Cheadle West, Checkley, Forsbrook, and Kingsley, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Loggerheads, Madeley, and Whitmore.
1918–1950: The Urban District of Stone, and the Rural Districts of Blore Heath, Cheadle, Mayfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Stone.
There were various alterations to the constituency shape in boundary changes put in place for the 2010 general election. Stone took the areas covered by the Bradley, and Salt and Enson civil parish from the neighbouring Stafford constituency. In turn, the parishes of Hixon, Ellenhall, and Ranton, were moved back from Stone to Stafford. In the largest alteration, the north-eastern parishes covering Kingsley, Oakamoor, Alton, Farley, and Cotton, were all moved to the altered Staffordshire Moorlands.[5]
From the 2024 general election, the constituency will be merged with parts of the current South Staffordshire and Dudley South constituencies to form the new constituency of Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge. Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, will stand as the Conservative candidate in place of Bill Cash who announced his retirement from the House of Commons in June 2023.[6][7]
The earlier constituency of the same name that existed 1918-1950 elected Conservatives, all three officers who had fought with some distinction in either of the two World Wars.
A new Stone constituency was created for the 1997 general election, when Parliament approved for Staffordshire the additional seat proposed by the Boundary Commission. The constituency was formed from parts of the Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands and Mid Staffordshire.
Presenting a safe seat for the Conservatives and proving to be one,[8] its creation reduced the Conservative majority in the Staffordshire Moorlands and Stafford constituencies,[8] both of which were gained by a Labour Party member at the 1997 general election.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished prior to the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed to a newly created seat and four neighbouring constituencies:[3]