The Second Phase – Battersea
This is the first in a series looking at the constituencies that are being released in the second phase of the selection process for parliamentary candidates for the Conservative Party for the next General Election.
June 2005 General Election Result -Battersea
Electorate 69548
Martin Linton, Lab 16569 40.36%
Dominic Schofield, Con 16406 39.96%
Norsheen Bhatti, LDm 6006 14.63%
Hugo Charlton, Grn 1735 4.22%
Terry Jones, UKInd 333 0.81%
Total 41049 59.02%
Lab Majority 163 0.40%
Lab Hold
Swing from Labour to Conservative of 6.67%
Wanted: Prospective candidates for this attractive South Chelsea constituency. Features include large open spaces (Wandsworth Common and Battersea Park), a Peace Pagoda, and major transport interchange (Clapham Junction) plus a sympathetic landlord (Wandsworth Council). A love of dogs is an advantage.
First contested under these boundaries at the 1983 election Battersea was won by Alf Dubs (Now Lord Dubs) for Labour. Battersea experienced a good deal of social change which helped it go Conservative in 1987 when the candidate was John Bowis (now a London MEP) who won again in 1992 but was defeated in 1997 by the Labour candidate Martin Linton (a former Guardian journalist whose cameo appearances in John O'Farrell's Things Can Only Get Better suggest he's a nice bloke) who remains the incumbent MP.
At the 2005 election Battersea was on the verge of becoming the Conservative's most eye catching gain with a swing of 6.67%. Significantly the Party increased it's vote from 13,445 to 16,406 rather than merely benefit from a shift of Labour voters to other parties. Linton hung on however with a majority of just 163.
Battersea has a high percentage of young upwardly mobile constituents noticeable in the high votes for the both the Greens and Lib Dems. At the next election it is these 7000 voters who will be key in pushing the Conservatives into 1st place. It is likely that the Cameron leadership will have a strong appeal to these voters especially those so called "South Chelsea" riverside residents who are unlikely to be comfortable with a Gordon Brown led Labour Party.
Furthermore with the strong organisational base of Wandsworth Conservatives to draw on this is an attractive seat indeed for any prospective Conservative MP.
Previous Results
June 2001 General Election
Battersea
Electorate 67495
Martin Linton, Lab 18498 50.26%
Lucy Shersby, Con 13445 36.53%
Siobhan Vitelli, LDm 4450 12.09%
Thomas Barber, Ind 411 1.11%
Total 36804 54.52%
Lab Majority 5053 13.73%
Lab Hold
Swing from Conservative to Labour of 1.21%
May 1997 General Election
Electorate 66928
Martin Linton, Lab 24047 50.73%
John Bowis, Con 18687 39.42%
Paula Keaveney, LDm 3482 7.34%
Mark Slater, Ref 804 1.69%
Richard Banks, UKInd 250 0.52%
Joseph Marshall, RDrm 127 0.26%
Total 47397 70.81%
Lab Majority 5360 11.31%
Lab Gain From Con
Swing from Conservative to Labour of 10.21%
June 2005 General Election Result -Battersea
Electorate 69548
Martin Linton, Lab 16569 40.36%
Dominic Schofield, Con 16406 39.96%
Norsheen Bhatti, LDm 6006 14.63%
Hugo Charlton, Grn 1735 4.22%
Terry Jones, UKInd 333 0.81%
Total 41049 59.02%
Lab Majority 163 0.40%
Lab Hold
Swing from Labour to Conservative of 6.67%
Wanted: Prospective candidates for this attractive South Chelsea constituency. Features include large open spaces (Wandsworth Common and Battersea Park), a Peace Pagoda, and major transport interchange (Clapham Junction) plus a sympathetic landlord (Wandsworth Council). A love of dogs is an advantage.
First contested under these boundaries at the 1983 election Battersea was won by Alf Dubs (Now Lord Dubs) for Labour. Battersea experienced a good deal of social change which helped it go Conservative in 1987 when the candidate was John Bowis (now a London MEP) who won again in 1992 but was defeated in 1997 by the Labour candidate Martin Linton (a former Guardian journalist whose cameo appearances in John O'Farrell's Things Can Only Get Better suggest he's a nice bloke) who remains the incumbent MP.
At the 2005 election Battersea was on the verge of becoming the Conservative's most eye catching gain with a swing of 6.67%. Significantly the Party increased it's vote from 13,445 to 16,406 rather than merely benefit from a shift of Labour voters to other parties. Linton hung on however with a majority of just 163.
Battersea has a high percentage of young upwardly mobile constituents noticeable in the high votes for the both the Greens and Lib Dems. At the next election it is these 7000 voters who will be key in pushing the Conservatives into 1st place. It is likely that the Cameron leadership will have a strong appeal to these voters especially those so called "South Chelsea" riverside residents who are unlikely to be comfortable with a Gordon Brown led Labour Party.
Furthermore with the strong organisational base of Wandsworth Conservatives to draw on this is an attractive seat indeed for any prospective Conservative MP.
Previous Results
June 2001 General Election
Battersea
Electorate 67495
Martin Linton, Lab 18498 50.26%
Lucy Shersby, Con 13445 36.53%
Siobhan Vitelli, LDm 4450 12.09%
Thomas Barber, Ind 411 1.11%
Total 36804 54.52%
Lab Majority 5053 13.73%
Lab Hold
Swing from Conservative to Labour of 1.21%
May 1997 General Election
Electorate 66928
Martin Linton, Lab 24047 50.73%
John Bowis, Con 18687 39.42%
Paula Keaveney, LDm 3482 7.34%
Mark Slater, Ref 804 1.69%
Richard Banks, UKInd 250 0.52%
Joseph Marshall, RDrm 127 0.26%
Total 47397 70.81%
Lab Majority 5360 11.31%
Lab Gain From Con
Swing from Conservative to Labour of 10.21%
posted by Modern Conservative at
9:13 pm
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