Election 97

Cornwall South East


Result 97 gain
from Conservative
Current MP 97 Robert Hicks (Retiring)
Majority 0 ( 0.0%)
Conservative 97 20,564 (35.9%)
Labour 97 7,358 (12.8%)
LibDem 97 27,044 (47.2%)
Nationalist 97 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 97 2,376 ( 4.1%)
Elected party 97
Electorate 97 75,825
Turnout 97 57,342 (75.6%)



1992 MP Robert Hicks (Retiring)
Old constituency name Cornwall South East
Majority 92 7,704 (12.8%)
Conservative 92 30,565 (51.0%)
Labour 92 5,536 ( 9.2%)
LibDem 92 22,861 (38.1%)
Nationalist 92 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 92 1,026 ( 1.7%)
Elected party 92 Conservative
Electorate 92 73,930
Turnout 92 59,988 (81.1%)
Cornwall South East



Tory change -15.1%
Labour change +3.6%
Lib Dem change +9.1%
Nationalist change +0.0%
Other change +2.4%
Electorate change +2.6%
Turnout Change -5.5%
Robert Waller wrote

After the 1992 election, South East Cornwall was the only Tory seat in that westernmost English county that could remotely be regarded as safe. However, this fact may have had much to do with the relative liberalism - with a small 'l' - of the MP here for over 20 years, Robert Hicks. The main challengers in all the remaining three Conservative seats in Cornwall are Liberal Democrats, members of the party that has already taken both Truro and North Cornwall.

However, Hicks is retiring at the next election, and has been replaced by a more right-wing and inexperienced figure, Kensington and Chelsea councillor Warwick Lightfoot. Although the Tory majority last time of 7,704 hardly places this at the top of the national or indeed regional Lib Dem target list, the replacement of the Conservative candidate may actually make SE Cornwall a more winnable prospect than the raw figures imply.


Super Profiles

3,357 7.79 9.03 86
11,468 26.62 11.17 238
4,550 10.56 11.25 94
7,526 17.47 14.70 119
790 1.83 10.45 18
2,636 6.12 2.81 217
3,495 8.11 8.01 101
8,498 19.72 15.25 129
601 1.39 7.13 20
140 0.32 10.17 3