Rye could by this time be considered a safe Conservative seat.

This was a safe Conservative seat for the entire period of its existence.

In 1983 boundary changes turned it into a safe Conservative seat.

This had been a safe Conservative seat since its creation in 1983.

To date the constituency has been a Conservative safe seat.

For the last twelve years it's been a Conservative seat.

Until the 1997 general election, the constituency was a safe Conservative seat.

By the time of its abolition, it was a safe Conservative seat.

It was a safe Conservative seat for most of its existence.

This was a safe Conservative seat for the fourteen years of its existence.