Election 97

Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East


Result 97 gain
from Conservative
Current MP 97 Michael Bates
Majority 0 ( 0.0%)
Conservative 97 18,712 (34.9%)
Labour 97 29,319 (54.7%)
LibDem 97 4,004 ( 7.5%)
Nationalist 97 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 97 1,552 ( 2.9%)
Elected party 97
Electorate 97 70,481
Turnout 97 53,587 (76.0%)



1992 MP Michael Bates
Old constituency name Langbaurgh
Majority 92 1,401 ( 2.5%)
Conservative 92 25,802 (45.8%)
Labour 92 24,401 (43.3%)
LibDem 92 6,163 (10.9%)
Nationalist 92 0 ( 0.0%)
Other 92 0 ( 0.0%)
Elected party 92 Conservative
Electorate 92 69,836
Turnout 92 56,366 (80.7%)
Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East



Tory change -10.9%
Labour change +11.4%
Lib Dem change -3.5%
Nationalist change +0.0%
Other change +2.9%
Electorate change +0.9%
Turnout Change -4.7%
Robert Waller wrote

An unwieldy name to follow an unpronounceable one. This is not actually a new constituency, but very similar to the previous Langbaurgh seat, which was a critical marginal, changing hands twice in 1991 and 1992.

At least this long name gives people a better idea of where the constituency is and what it comprises. About half of the electorate is set in the southern part of the north-eastern industrial town of Middlesbrough, which was created by the steel boom of the Industrial Revolution. The other half comes from a chain of smaller communities (such as Guisborough, Saltburn and Loftus) around the Cleveland hills - themselves the source of iron that fuelled Middlesbrough's steel industry. Both elements include both Conservative and Labour strongholds. They add up to provide close contests; Ashok Kumar won the Langbaurgh by-election for Labour in 1991, fairly narrowly, and lost by just 1,564 votes to his Conservative opponent Michael Bates in the general election the following year. In 1997 the two men will be matched again; round three of this particular fight remains a toss-up.


Super Profiles

2,770 7.27 9.03 80
3,115 8.17 11.17 73
5,266 13.82 11.25 123
9,088 23.85 14.70 162
0 0.00 10.45 0
90 0.24 2.81 8
2,794 7.33 8.01 92
4,753 12.47 15.25 82
3,947 10.36 7.13 145
6,192 16.25 10.17 160