Election 97

Norfolk South West

Current MP Gillian Shephard
Conservative 97 24,694
Labour 97 22,230
LibDem 97 8,178
Nationalist 97 0
Other 97 0
Elected party
Norfolk South West

Robert Waller wrote
Old constituency Norfolk South West
Conservative 92 34,098
Labour 92 16,848
LibDem 92 11,343
Nationalist 92 0
Other 92 0
Elected party Conservative

This used to be the most contrary seat in the UK. Seven times between 1945 and 1966, the majority of the winning candidate in South West Norfolk was less than 1,000, and four times the seat swung against the national trend. However, after winning the seat by a slender 123 votes in 1964, the Tories have held it ever since, with steadily increasing majorities - showing the death of rural radicalism in Norfolk (the seat's boundaries did not change between 1950 and 1983). Boundary changes in 1983 have boosted the Conservative majority well beyond the range of the other parties, and Education and Employment Secretary Gillian Shephard is sitting on a super-safe stonghold.


Super Profiles

2,191 4.61 9.03 51
15,429 32.44 11.17 290
2,628 5.52 11.25 49
4,775 10.04 14.70 68
848 1.78 10.45 17
2,604 5.47 2.81 195
3,696 7.77 8.01 97
10,661 22.41 15.25 147
3,584 7.53 7.13 106
823 1.73 10.17 17