Cheltenham gain from LibDem Nigel Jones 0 ( 0.0%) 18,232 (36.1%) 5,100 (10.1%) 24,877 (49.3%) 0 ( 0.0%) 2,294 ( 4.5%) 67,950 50,503 (74.3%) Nigel Jones Cheltenham 1,947 ( 3.5%) 24,861 (44.2%) 3,769 ( 6.7%) 26,808 (47.6%) 0 ( 0.0%) 858 ( 1.5%) LibDem 69,121 56,296 (81.4%) -8.1% +3.4% +1.6% +0.0% +3.0% -1.7% -7.1% There was a fascinating and, some would say, unfortunate result in the Cheltenham constituency in 1992. This large spa town in Gloucestershire has long been associated in the popular mind with the rock-ribbed conservatism of colonels and their ladies, perhaps retired from the Raj. It is a classic watering hole full of elegant architecture and fine housing, pleasantly set among the edge of the Cotswold hills. Although the Liberal Democrats have in fact been successful for some years in local elections in Cheltenham, the Conservatives had not lost the parliamentary seat in living memory. However, they did lose it in 1992. One of the chief reasons for this was painfully obvious. On the retirement of the long-serving and popular local MP, Charles Irving, the Tories selected a barrister from Birmingham, John Taylor, who happened to be black, the son of a West Indian Test cricketer. Perhaps anyone would have found it hard to succeed the urbane Irving, but it is hard not to believe that John Taylor's colour did not play some part in the victory of the Liberal Democrat, Nigel Jones. John Taylor has now found another route into parliament, as a working peer in the House of Lords. It will be very interesting to see if Nigel Jones can use the benefits of his five-year incumbency (and continued local Lib Dem strength in the town) to hold off the challenge of a local Conservative candidate, Bill Todman. 2,684 6.71 9.03 74 7,433 18.59 11.17 166 3,220 8.05 11.25 72 2,921 7.30 14.70 50 5,879 14.70 10.45 141 79 0.20 2.81 7 6,102 15.26 8.01 190 4,222 10.56 15.25 69 2,009 5.02 7.13 70 3,984 9.96 10.17 98