Election 97

Calder Valley

Current MP Sir Donald Thompson
Conservative 97 19,795
Labour 97 26,050
LibDem 97 8,322
Nationalist 97 0
Other 97 919
Elected party
Calder Valley

Robert Waller wrote
Old constituency Calder Valley
Conservative 92 27,753
Labour 92 22,875
LibDem 92 9,842
Nationalist 92 0
Other 92 622
Elected party Conservative

Created in 1983 from parts of Labour-voting Sowerby together with a chunk of the super-marginal Brighouse and Spenborough seat, Calder Valley was expected to give rise to some close contests in general elections, but these have never materialised, the Tories always taking the seat with a reasonable majority. In fact, this seat, in both 1987 and 1992, replicated the national share of the vote fairly closely, so the decision by Channel 4 in 1987 to select it as being a typical marginal was justified. Labour's disappointment at not taking the seat in 1992 reflected the party's national failure. Calder Valley will be high on Labour's target list this time and, if they take it, it will reflect the party's success in the country as a whole, but its canny and thrifty electors will not easily be won over.


Super Profiles

2,843 6.58 9.03 73
2,591 6.00 11.17 54
5,755 13.33 11.25 119
11,032 25.55 14.70 174
402 0.93 10.45 9
100 0.23 2.81 8
4,582 10.61 8.01 132
9,133 21.15 15.25 139
5,800 13.43 7.13 188
500 1.16 10.17 11