The constituency was created in 1974 from the former seats ofMitcham andMerton & Morden.
Between 1974 and 1982 it was represented byBruce Douglas-Mann who was elected as a Labour MP but defected in 1982 to theSocial Democratic Party (SDP). Douglas-Mann was the sole SDP defector to resign his seat; he sought immediate re-election.
At the1997 general election the seat was won by the Labour Party'sSiobhain McDonagh. At the2001,2005 and2010 General Elections, she was re-elected, in the latter election polling the 26th highest share of the vote for the party of the 631 seats contested.[2]
The 2015 re-election of McDonagh made the seat the 41st safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority and 14th safest in the capital.[3] The seat is one of the capital's two seats in which its majority in 2015 surpassed theLabour Party's landslide 1997 victory (the other beingIlford South).
1974–1983: The London Borough of Mertonwards of Mitcham Central, Mitcham East, Mitcham North, Mitcham South, Mitcham West, Morden, and Ravensbury.
1983–2010: Upon redrawing of most of the local government wards, the London Borough of Merton wards of Colliers Wood, Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Lavender, Longthornton, Lower Morden, Phipps Bridge, Pollards Hill, Ravensbury, and St Helier.
2010–2024: As above except Cricket Green ward replaced Phipps Bridge and Lavender ward was renamed Lavender Fields following a local authority boundary review.
The seat is relatively dense suburban — predominantly the housing divides into terraced houses and low-rise apartments in southern parts ofTooting andStreatham at the northern end of the seat. In the south-west of the constituency is the most affluent part, Lower Morden. The nameMitcham and Morden is a partial misnomer — the area of the modern town centre aroundMorden tube station is in the Wimbledon constituency.
In the middle, the former coaching stop town of Mitcham with its ancient cricket green retains some village-like characteristics and had relatively poor transport connections until the opening of theTramlink in 2000. In the 20th century, Mitcham became surrounded by moderncouncil housing and light industry. Housing varies between the large rented sector, privately acquired properties much of which due to theThatcher Ministry-introducedright to buy and significant dependence in certain areas onsocial housing.[5]
Across the borough, around 40% of the population are ethnic minorities.[6][7]
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