Election 97

Tonbridge and Malling
Current MP John Stanley
Conservative 97 23,640
Labour 97 13,410
LibDem 97 9,467
Nationalist 97 0
Other 97 707
Elected party Con
Tonbridge and Malling

Robert Waller wrote
Old constituency Tonbridge and Malling
Conservative 92 31,462
Labour 92 8,841
LibDem 92 10,721
Nationalist 92 0
Other 92 711
Elected party Conservative

In the boundary changes necessitated by the award of an extra seat to the county of Kent, the entire centre of gravity of the Tonbridge and Malling constituency has been shifted westwards. It has lost around 26,000 voters from its east end to the new Chatham and Aylesford division. In exchange it gains some 11,000 to the west from Sevenoaks: this includes the town of Edenbridge and the affluent farming country around Hever Castle and Penshurst Place.

The political balance of the seat will not be altered. In 1992 Sir John Stanley achieved the highest majority of all the 16 Conservative MPs in the �Garden of England�: 21,588. Next time this might itself be slimmer, but this is rock-solid Tory country.


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