Thursday 27 May 2010

Do We Get The Politicians We Deserve?

The Fourth Estate has always been a powerful force in British politics; the concept that the free press will serve as a watchman against the hubris of the political caste is as comforting as it is essential for democracy to thrive. Witness the checks and balances offered by the Washington Post during the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the downfall of the Nixon Administration or the exposition of MP's expenses by the Daily Telegraph and Heather Brooke. Political journalists can, and often do, offer a vital service to the public who rely upon their investigative abilities.

However, for every Heather Brooke or Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, there are many more political journalists that believe the only way to expose the truth from a politician is by claiming it from their cold, dead hands after besting them in an interview. This is a far cry from the political interviews of Harold Macmillan's generation, a more reverential era in which journalists would allow the politicians to make any claim without any form of intellectual challenge, therefore it was impossible for politicians to be held to account by the general electorate. Now political interviews are more a game of cat and mouse, in which the journalist will attempt to trip up a politician by a series of "hard" questions, whilst the politician will attempt to stay "on message" for as long as possible. The end result is a less glamorous, political version of Gladiators, sadly without John Fashanu and Ulrika Jonsson.

The issue is - politicians in many instances can only speak in insincere, vague half-truths that have been dictated to them by the Communications Director or the Party Whip; the new policy initiative might be contrary to personal beliefs or previous statements but the individual politician has to support it. The interviewer is fully aware of any internal conflict that the politician maybe suffering and spends the whole interview labouring around one specific point. Often there is no winner and the general public are none the wiser about any new policy initiative that the politician is attempting to promote.

Furthermore, there is a great dichotomy for any politician - how much of the truth can you divulge? A major theme during the last General Election was the news reporting, via vox pops and radio phone-ins, people just wanted the truth, the unadulterated truth; the general electorate where ready to hear the Uncomfortable Truth. Sadly, the quickest way for a politician or party to become unelectable is for them to start telling the public how it is; if during the election campaign any of the three main parties said that Britain was going to suffer a prolonged period of austerity in which VAT will rise to 20%, inflation would pass 5%, unemployment would continue to increase and many thousands of public sector jobs would be cut, how many people would actually vote for them? How many media outlets would utterly destroy that politician?

People would rather vote for Mary Poppins telling them that a spoon full of sugar will help the medicine go down, than for Private Frazer from Dad's Army tell us that "We doomed, I tell ye!". It is only natural...

So why are there so many bland and inter-changeable politicians? Well, as Darwin's theories on evolution state, the most successful species are the ones that are the quickest to adapt to their environment. The politicians we have now are the politicians that are the quickest to adapt to their environment, that is, they are the most electable - we get the politicians we deserve. As Jack Nicholson points out in the film A Few Good Men, "you want the truth, you want the truth... YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"

And sometimes the politicians get the Paxman they deserve...

Sunday 23 May 2010

The Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse

"And I looked, and beheld a pale horse, and the name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him" (Book of Revelations 6:8)




There are many horrors that keep little children awake; the monsters under the bed, the bogeyman or images of the Chuckle Brothers. My own personal tormentor was Struwwelpeter, a series of stories in which various protagonists are punished for their petty misdemeanours in a horrifically disproportionate manner. For years it gave me sleepless nights and an unhealthy fear of tailors, however I digress. But as teenagers and adults, our irrational fears of the petty and the unknown are replaced by something more tangible... something more real.

For economists, elected representative and stockbrokers, this one graph represents every monster under the bed, every bogeyman and every Struwwelpeter that they can image. On 6th May 2010, the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index dropped a staggering 9.2%, without a single identifiable reason. This news barely reached our shores due to the General Election, but had most American commentators reaching for their Valium. The consequences could have be dire; a system based on the confidence of investors could have reacted irrationally and began panic-selling their stock, which in turn may have sent one of the oldest and most respected financial institutions into economic meltdown. Many economic commentators have insisted that this stock market 'shock' was due to a perfect storm of economic variables that aligned to create the biggest single day drop in the Dow Jones' history; a mixture of 'Fat Finger Trade', exchange rate issues, insider trading, the large purchase of put options and the financial crisis in Greece.

The Greek financial crisis is possibly the most interesting and significant of these economic variables. There is no doubt that the Greek economy has been build on very weak and unstable foundations; in which the Government was receiving less in tax receipts than it was spending in the public sector, additionally the current strength of the Euro significantly exasperated the situation. However, the crisis was intensified by the international credit rating agencies Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch Ratings negatively re-evaluating the credit worthiness of the Greek economy. The impact was devastating on the Greek economy and questions are now raised concerning other European economies. However, questions need to be asked about these credit rating agencies - how can these undemocratic institutions exert so much power and influence over international affairs?

Surely it is a huge conflict of interests that the companies, institutions, governments, hedge funds and investors that pay these credit rating agencies to evaluate the economies of various countries are the same companies, etc that benefit if Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch Ratings devalue a credit rating since they can charge a higher APR. They are masquerading as an independent advice support system that enables their clients to make informed choices for their investments; but in actuality they are acting as hunters, killing off weak prey for investment vultures to feed on the carcasses of the nearly dead. There are many examples of these credit rating agencies threatening to downgrade a country's credit worthiness for no apparent reason, costing a country millions, if not billions, in higher interest charges.

Given the economic crisis of the past few years there needs to be a significant re-evaluation of global economic priorities - no longer should companies like Standard & Poor's be able to act with impunity, there must be stricter regulations on all financial systems in which short-term financial gambling and market manipulation can not prosper. Furthermore, the needs to be a clear delineation between Governments, financial regulatory institutions and the private sector, otherwise we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes of the past, and next time the consequences maybe worse than a deep recession.

Thursday 20 May 2010

Coalition Programme For Government



David Cameron and Nick Clegg introduce their full programme for government for the next five years... Let's see how the odd couple get on...

Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon have got nothing on these two.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

And The Winner Is...

As the dust settles on the battlefield that was the 2010 General Election, it is now possible to identify some big political winners and losers. The election promised to be a bloody encounter, with the aftermath resembling the Battle of Naseby, but for all its pre-match hype the election descended into a bizarre episode of It's a Knockout, where the result is rather inconsequential, but everyone enjoyed the ride. With Sky News' "political heavyweight" Adam Boulton as the over overexcited Stuart Hall, demeaning the contestants at every given opportunity as they attempt to carefully manoeuvre themselves through a political obstacle course.

On the surface it is possible to assert that David Cameron and the Conservative Party won the election, they won more seats and more of the popular vote than their rivals. However, given the unpopularity of the incumbent Prime Minister and government, the state of the economy, unemployment and the spectre of the Iraq War, this Tory victory almost feels like a defeat. The result - an unsatisfactory coalition with the Liberal Democrats and an election that the Bank of England Governor Mervyn King believes will leave the winning Party out of power for a generation due to the unpopularity of the necessary austerity measures. Parallels could be drawn with the 1992 General Election, in which neither the Labour or the Conservative Parties particularly wanted to win due to the gathering economic storm, and ultimately Labour's short term defeat was their long term gain.

Again a case could be made for the Liberal Democrats and Nick Clegg as the big winners of the 2010 General Election; an increase in their share of the popular vote, increased exposure on a national level and the possibility to influence legislation at a cabinet level. But, and there was always going to be a big but, are the Liberal Democrats trading short term influence for long term obscurity . Many voters feel betrayed that the Lib Dems are propping up a Tory administration that are ideologically significantly separate and are going to be used are a tool for David Cameron to modernise his own party. It will be too easy at the next general election for the Conservative Party to blame the Liberal Democrats for the failings of this current administration. Damned by both sides of the party, the Liberal Democrats could spend another thirty years waiting for a taste of power.

If there is a significant loser in this election there is little argument that Gordon Brown has achieved this most dubious of accolades. But it always was likely to happen, any incumbent Prime Minister has a record to defend and Gordon Brown just was not that good at defending his legacy. However, the Labour Party could be the big winners of the election in the long term, even though the electorate roundly rejected their current reincarnation. There obviously is a will amongst the British electorate for a progressive policy agenda, and probably the Labour Party would have polled better if Gordon Brown was not in power, but the loss was not a rout as many commentators had predicted. If the Labour Party reorganise and realign themselves during their period in opposition the next election could be a significant success - if Mervyn King is to be believed.

And the winner is... No one!

Orwell Was Right...



"Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question,
now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside
looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again;
but already it was impossible to say which was which." - George Orwell (Animal Farm)

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Mano-A-Mano

I do not know how, but Adam Boulton manages to make Alastair Campbell look reasonable and genuine... These are strange times we are living in.

What Price Power?

One of the most noticeable changes in British politics over the last five years has been David Cameron's attempts to shift the Conservative Party to the centre-right of the political spectrum. The party of Michael Howard, Iain Duncan Smith and David Davies seemed a distant memory for many new Tory supporters, the ideology of a small state and the infallibility of the economic marketplace was replaced by protection of many New Labour initiatives and strengthening many regulatory bodies (however, this was probably inevitable after the banking crisis).

So with rumours abound that David Cameron has ceded to many Liberal Democrat policy demands in order to have the strength to form the next government, what price has he paid for the acquiescence of the "right wing" of the Conservative Party? Obviously, there is a price to be paid, even the slightest suggestion of the EU normally has the Tory Party split down the middle, so forming a government with the most Pro-European party can be perceived as forming an unholy alliance.There has to be a sweetener for the Right Wing Tories to swallow the bitterest of pills. The suggestion is that for the silence of the Right, David Cameron has agreed that certain senior cabinet positions will be filled by the aforementioned Michael Howard, David Davies and, possibly most surprisingly Iain Duncan Smith.

Their reintroduction back into the front line of British politics will surely shorten the shelf life of any coalition government, but it also raises important questions concerning the direction of new Conservative Party policy. The British electorate overwhelmingly voted for centre left, progressive parties (over half the country at the last count), but the influence of these Right Wingers at cabinet level will surely result in an unpopular shift towards the Right of the political spectrum.

Aneurin Bevan once commented after brokering the deal between the Ministry of Health and the BMA for the NHS, that the concessions he had to give was akin to "stuffing their mouths with gold". David Cameron probably has a lot of sympathy for Nye's sentiments...

Monday 10 May 2010

Faustian Deal or No Deal...

With rumour and counter rumour, the General Election malaise continues to remain unresolved. The central issues surrounds the options available to Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats; it would not be overstating the issue by pronouncing that Mr Clegg and his advisers have a chance to revolutionize British politics. The Lib Dems are a party standing on the edge of the precipice, one ill advised step the party could become an irrelevant side show for another 90 years, alternatively if they carefully plot their way through this political minefield the Liberal Democrats could conceivably become a genuine third party.

The warnings are clear and well signposted - join a Conservative coalition and risk alienating most of the core support, join a Labour coalition and be perceived to have no mandate from the electorate whilst becoming the crutch for an ailing Prime Minster (damnation by association, if you will). Yet the easiest road to follow could be the hardest for the general public to forgive, that is do nothing - allow the Conservative Party to form a minority administration and pass a Queen's Speech, but only provide support on an ad-hoc basis. If the economy begins to struggle the Conservative Party and Tory supporting press will have the perfect whipping boy to blame for the indecision in the market - that is the Lib Dems refused to help the nation during difficult times because of petty partisan politics. But if there is a significant improvement in the economy David Cameron can take all the credit for leading Good Ship Britannia through the worst of economic storms despite the hindrance of the "unpatriotic" Mr Clegg.

However, the "do nothing" option is quite tempting for many Liberal Democrats, it would not alienate the core support, allowing the party leadership to only pass legislation that was politically palatable, it would also allow the Labour Party to regain some of their former strength with a brief period of opposition (i.e. sack Gordon Brown) and with the prospect of an autumn general election due to a weak government the Lib Dems could form a coalition with their more natural bedfellows the Labour Party. This is a long shot, but a risk/reward calculation could provide the Liberal Democrats with an opportunity that seems to arise once every hundred years - the opportunity to redefine the political caste.

Thursday 6 May 2010

Overall Election Result 2010

By taking into account all opinion polls, boundary changes, local issues, MPs Expenses and all MPs stepping; I have produced a political map that we might wake up to on 7th May 2010. To find your constituency simply select your region on the blog archive, press Control plus F and enter constituency name...

Party Prediction
Conservative 304
Labour 224
Liberal Democrat 97
SNP 10
Plaid Cymru 4
DUP 7
SDLP 3
Sinn Fein 4
UUP 2
Independent 5

Turnout - 67.3%

Election 2010 - England Prediction

England




Constituency Incumbent Party Prediction
Aldershot Conservative Conservative
Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Conservative
Altrincham and Sale West Conservative Conservative
Amber Valley Labour Conservative
Arundel and South Downs Conservative Conservative
Ashfield Labour Labour
Ashford Conservative Conservative
Ashton-under-Lyne Labour Labour
Aylesbury Conservative Conservative
Banbury Conservative Conservative
Barking Labour Labour
Barnsley Central Labour Labour
Barnsley East (formerly Barnsley East and Mexborough) Labour Labour
Barrow and Furness Labour Conservative
Basildon and Billericay (formerly Billericay) Conservative Conservative
Basingstoke Conservative Conservative
Bassetlaw Labour Labour
Bath Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Batley and Spen Labour Labour
Battersea Labour Conservative
Beaconsfield Conservative Conservative
Beckenham Conservative Conservative
Bedford Labour Conservative
Bermonsey and Old Southwark (formerly North Southwark and Bermondsey) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Berwick-upon-Tweed Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Bethnal Green and Bow Respect Labour
Beverley and Holderness Conservative Conservative
Bexhill and Battle Conservative Conservative
Bexleyheath and Crayford Conservative Conservative
Birkenhead Labour Labour
Birmingham Edgbaston Labour Conservative
Birmingham Erdington Labour Labour
Birmingham Hall Green Labour Liberal Democrat
Birmingham Hodge Hill Labour Labour
Birmingham Ladywood Labour Labour
Birmingham Northfield Labour Labour
Birmingham Perry Barr Labour Labour
Birmingham Selly Oak Labour Labour
Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath (Abolished) Labour
Birmingham Yardley Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Bishop Auckland Labour Labour
Blackburn Labour Labour
Blackley and Broughton (formerly Manchester Blackley) Labour Labour
Blackpool North and Cleveleys (formerly Fleetwood) Labour Conservative
Blackpool South Labour Labour
Blaydon Labour Liberal Democrat
Blyth Valley Labour Labour
Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Conservative Conservative
Bolsover Labour Labour
Bolton North East Labour Conservative
Bolton South East Labour Labour
Bolton West Labour Conservative
Bootle Labour Labour
Boston and Skegness Conservative Conservative
Bosworth Conservative Conservative
Bournemouth East Conservative Conservative
Bournemouth West Conservative Liberal Democrat
Bracknell Conservative Conservative
Bradford East (formerly Bradford North) Labour Liberal Democrat
Bradford South Labour Labour
Bradford West Labour Conservative
Braintree Conservative Conservative
Brent Central (formerly Brent East) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Brent North Labour Labour
Brentford and Isleworth Labour Conservative
Brentwood and Ongar Conservative Conservative
Bridgwater and West Somerset (formerly Bridgwater) Conservative Conservative
Brigg and Goole Labour Conservative
Brighton Kemptown Labour Conservative
Brighton Pavilion Labour Green
Bristol East Labour Labour
Bristol North West Labour Labour
Bristol South Labour Conservative
Bristol West Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Broadland (formerly Mid Norfolk) Conservative Conservative
Bromley and Chislehurst Conservative Conservative
Bromsgrove Conservative Conservative
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative
Broxtowe Labour Conservative
Buckingham Conservative Speaker
Burnley Labour Liberal Democrat
Burton Labour Conservative
Bury North Labour Conservative
Bury South Labour Labour
Bury St Edmunds Conservative Conservative
Calder Valley Labour Conservative
Camberwell and Peckham Labour Labour
Camborne and Redruth (formerly Falmouth and Camborne) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Cambridge Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Cannock Chase Labour Labour
Canterbury Conservative Conservative
Carlisle Labour Conservative
Carshalton and Wallington Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Castle Point Conservative Conservative
Central Devon - New Constituency Conservative
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Conservative Conservative
Charnwood Conservative Conservative
Chatham and Aylesford Labour Conservative
Cheadle Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Chelmsford (formerly West Chelmsford) Conservative Conservative
Chelsea and Fulham (formerly Hammersmith and Fulham) Conservative Conservative
Cheltenham Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Chesham and Amersham Conservative Conservative
Chesterfield Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Chichester Conservative Conservative
Chingford and Woodford Green Conservative Conservative
Chippenham - New Constituency Liberal Democrat
Chipping Barnet Conservative Conservative
Chorley Labour Labour
Christchurch Conservative Conservative
Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Conservative
City of Chester Labour Conservative
City of Durham Labour Liberal Democrat
Clacton (formerly Harwich) Conservative Conservative
Cleethorpes Labour Conservative
Colchester Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Colne Valley Labour Conservative
Congleton Conservative Conservative
Constituency Abolished - Liverpool Garston
Constituency Abolished - Pontefract and Castleford Labour
Copeland Labour Labour
Corby Labour Conservative
Coventry North East Labour Labour
Coventry North West Labour Labour
Coventry South Labour Conservative
Crawley Labour Conservative
Crewe and Nantwich Conservative Conservative
Croydon Central Conservative Conservative
Croydon North Labour Labour
Croydon South Conservative Conservative
Dagenham and Rainham (formerly Dagenham) Labour Labour
Darlington Labour Labour
Dartford Labour Conservative
Daventry Conservative Conservative
Denton and Reddish Labour Labour
Derby North Labour Conservative
Derby South Labour Liberal Democrat
Derbyshire Dales (formerly West Derbyshire) Conservative Conservative
Devizes Conservative Conservative
Dewsbury Labour Conservative
Don Valley Labour Labour
Doncaster Central Labour Labour
Doncaster North Labour Labour
Dover Labour Conservative
Dudley North Labour Conservative
Dudley South Labour Conservative
Dulwich and West Norwood Labour Labour
Ealing Central and Acton - New Constituency Conservative
Ealing North Labour Labour
Ealing Southall Labour Labour
Easington Labour Labour
East Devon Conservative Conservative
East Ham Labour Labour
East Hampshire Conservative Conservative
East Surrey Conservative Conservative
East Worthing and Shoreham Conservative Conservative
East Yorkshire Conservative Conservative
Eastbourne Conservative Conservative
Eastleigh Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Eddisbury Conservative Conservative
Edmonton Labour Labour
Ellesmere Port and Neston Labour Labour
Elmet and Rothwell (formerly Elmet) Labour Conservative
Eltham Labour Conservative
Enfield North Labour Conservative
Enfield Southgate Conservative Conservative
Epping Forest Conservative Conservative
Epsom and Ewell Conservative Conservative
Erewash Labour Labour
Erith and Thamesmead Labour Labour
Esher and Walton Conservative Conservative
Exeter Labour Labour
Fareham Conservative Conservative
Faversham and Mid Kent Conservative Conservative
Feltham and Heston Labour Labour
Filton and Bradley Stoke - New Constituency Liberal Democrat
Finchley and Golders Green Labour Conservative
Folkestone and Hythe Conservative Conservative
Forest of Dean Conservative Conservative
Fylde Conservative Conservative
Gainsborough Conservative Conservative
Garston and Halewood (formerly Knowsley South) Labour Labour
Gateshead (formerly Gateshead East and Washington West) Labour Labour
Gedling Labour Conservative
Gillingham and Rainham (formerly Gillingham) Labour Conservative
Gloucester Labour Conservative
Gosport Conservative Conservative
Grantham and Stamford Conservative Conservative
Gravesham Conservative Conservative
Great Grimsby Labour Labour
Great Yarmouth Labour Conservative
Greenwich and Woolwich Labour Labour
Guildford Conservative Liberal Democrat
Hackney North and Stoke Newington Labour Labour
Hackney South and Shoreditch Labour Labour
Halesowen and Rowley Regis Labour Conservative
Halifax Labour Conservative
Haltemprice and Howden Conservative Conservative
Halton Labour Labour
Hammersmith (formerly Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush) Labour Conservative
Hampstead and Highgate (Now Hampstead and Kilburn)
Hampstead and Kilburn (formerly Brent South) Labour Labour
Harborough Conservative Conservative
Harlow Labour Conservative
Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Harrow East Labour Conservative
Harrow West Labour Labour
Hartlepool Labour Labour
Harwich and North Essex (formerly North Essex) Conservative Conservative
Hastings and Rye Labour Conservative
Havant Conservative Conservative
Hayes and Harlington Labour Labour
Hazel Grove Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrats
Hemel Hempstead Conservative Conservative
Hemsworth Labour Labour
Hendon Labour Conservative
Henley Conservative Conservative
Hereford and South Herefordshire (formerly Hereford) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrats
Hertford and Stortford Conservative Conservative
Hertsmere Conservative Conservative
Hexham Conservative Conservative
Heywood and Middleton Labour Labour
High Peak Labour Conservative
Hitchin and Harpenden Conservative Conservative
Holborn and St. Pancras Labour Labour
Hornchurch and Upminster (formerly Hornchurch) Conservative Conservative
Hornsey and Wood Green Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrats
Horsham Conservative Conservative
Houghton and Sunderland South (formerly Houghton and Washington East) Labour Labour
Hove Labour Conservative
Huddersfield Labour Labour
Huntingdon Conservative Conservative
Hyndburn Labour Labour
Ilford North Conservative Conservative
Ilford South Labour Labour
Ipswich Labour Labour
Isle of Wight Conservative Conservative
Islington North Labour Labour
Islington South and Finsbury Labour Liberal Democrat
Jarrow Labour Labour
Keighley Labour Conservative
Kenilworth and Southam (formerly Rugby and Kenilworth) Conservative Conservative
Kensington (formerly Kensington and Chelsea) Conservative Conservative
Kettering Conservative Conservative
Kingston and Surbiton Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Kingston upon Hull East Labour Labour
Kingston upon Hull North Labour Labour
Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle Labour Labour
Kingswood Labour Labour
Knowsley (formerly Knowsley North and Sefton East) Labour Labour
Lancaster and Fleetwood - New Constituency Labour
Leeds Central Labour Labour
Leeds East Labour Labour
Leeds North East Labour Labour
Leeds North West Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Leeds West Labour Labour
Leicester East Labour Labour
Leicester South Labour Liberal Democrat
Leicester West Labour Labour
Leigh Labour Labour
Lewes Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Lewisham Deptford Labour Labour
Lewisham East Labour Labour
Lewisham West and Penge (formerly Lewisham West) Labour Labour
Leyton and Wanstead Labour Labour
Lichfield Conservative Conservative
Lincoln Labour Conservative
Liverpool Riverside Labour Labour
Liverpool Walton Labour Labour
Liverpool Wavertree Labour Liberal Democrat
Liverpool West Derby Labour Labour
Loughborough Labour Conservative
Louth and Horncastle Conservative Conservative
Ludlow Conservative Conservative
Luton North Labour Labour
Luton South Labour Conservative
Macclesfield Conservative Conservative
Maidenhead Conservative Conservative
Maidstone and The Weald Conservative Conservative
Makerfield Labour Labour
Maldon (formerly Maldon and East Chelmsford) Conservative Conservative
Manchester Central Labour Labour
Manchester Gorton Labour Labour
Manchester Withington Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Mansfield Labour Labour
Meon Valley - New Constituency Liberal Democrat
Meriden Conservative Conservative
Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative
Mid Derbyshire - New Constituency Conservative
Mid Dorset and North Poole Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Mid Sussex Conservative Conservative
Mid Worcestershire Conservative Conservative
Middlesbrough Labour Labour
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Labour Labour
Milton Keynes South (formerly Milton Keynes South West) Labour Conservative
Mitcham and Morden Labour Labour
Mole Valley Conservative Conservative
Morecambe and Lunesdale Labour Conservative
Morley and Outwood (formerly Morley and Rothwell) Labour Labour
New Forest East Conservative Conservative
New Forest West Conservative Conservative
Newark Conservative Conservative
Newbury Conservative Conservative
Newcastle upon Tyne Central Labour Labour
Newcastle Upon Tyne East (formerly N'e upon Tyne East and Wallsend) Labour Liberal Democrat
Newcastle upon Tyne North Labour Liberal Democrat
Newcastle-under-Lyme Labour Labour
Newton Abbott (formerly Teignbridge) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (formerly Normanton) Labour Labour
North Cornwall Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
North Devon Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
North Dorset Conservative Liberal Democrat
North Durham Labour Labour
North East Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative
North East Cambridgeshire Conservative Conservative
North East Derbyshire Labour Labour
North East Hampshire Conservative Conservative
North East Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative
North East Somerset (formerly Wansdyke) Labour Conservative
North Herefordshire (formerly Leominster) Conservative Conservative
North Milton Keynes (formerly North East Milton Keynes) Conservative Conservative
North Norfolk Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
North Shropshire Conservative Conservative
North Somerset (formerly Woodspring) Conservative Conservative
North Swindon Labour Conservative
North Thanet Conservative Conservative
North Tyneside Labour Labour
North Warwickshire Labour Labour
North West Cambridgeshire Conservative Conservative
North West Durham Labour Labour
North West Hampshire Conservative Conservative
North West Leicestershire Labour Conservative
North West Norfolk Conservative Conservative
North Wiltshire Conservative Conservative
Northampton North Labour Liberal Democrat
Northampton South Conservative Conservative
Norwich North Conservative Conservative
Norwich South Labour Liberal Democrat
Nottingham East Labour Labour
Nottingham North Labour Labour
Nottingham South Labour Labour
Nuneaton Labour Labour
Old Bexley and Sidcup Conservative Conservative
Oldham East and Saddleworth Labour Liberal Democrat
Oldham West and Royton Labour Labour
Orpington Conservative Conservative
Oxford East Labour Liberal Democrat
Oxford West and Abingdon Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Pendle Labour Conservative
Penistone and Stockbridge (Formerly Barnsley West) Labour Labour
Penrith and The Border Conservative Conservative
Peterborough Conservative Conservative
Plymouth Moor View (formerly Plymouth Devonport) Labour Labour
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport (formerly Plymouth Sutton) Labour Conservative
Poole Conservative Conservative
Poplar and Limehouse (formerly Poplar and Canning Town) Labour Conservative
Portsmouth North Labour Conservative
Portsmouth South Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Preston Labour Labour
Pudsey Labour Conservative
Putney Conservative Conservative
Rayleigh and Wickford (formerly Rayleigh) Conservative Conservative
Reading East Conservative Conservative
Reading West Labour Conservative
Redcar Labour Labour
Redditch Labour Conservative
Reigate Conservative Conservative
Ribble Valley Conservative Conservative
Richmond (Yorks) Conservative Conservative
Richmond Park Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Rochdale Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Rochester and Strood (formerly Medway) Labour Conservative
Rochford and Southend East Conservative Conservative
Romford Conservative Conservative
Romsey and Southampton North (formerly Romsey) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Rossendale and Darwen Labour Conservative
Rother Valley Labour Labour
Rotherham Labour Labour
Rugby - New Constituency Conservative
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (formerly Ruislip-Northwood) Conservative Conservative
Runnymede and Weybridge Conservative Conservative
Rushcliffe Conservative Conservative
Rutland and Melton Conservative Conservative
Ryedale - Abolished
Saffron Walden Conservative Conservative
Salford and Eccles (formerly Salford) Labour Labour
Salisbury Conservative Conservative
Scarborough and Whitby Conservative Conservative
Scunthorpe Labour Labour
Sedgefield Labour Labour
Sefton Central (formerly Crosby) Labour Conservative
Selby and Ainsty (formerly Selby) Labour Conservative
Sevenoaks Conservative Conservative
Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough (formerly Sheffield Brightside) Labour Labour
Sheffield Central Labour Labour
Sheffield Hallam Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Sheffield Heeley Labour Labour
Sheffield Hillsborough - Constituency Abolished Labour
Sheffield South East (formerly Sheffield Attercliffe) Labour Labour
Sherwood Labour Labour
Shipley Conservative Conservative
Shrewsbury and Atcham Conservative Conservative
Sittingbourne and Sheppey Labour Conservative
Skipton and Ripon Conservative Conservative
Sleaford and North Hykeham Conservative Conservative
Slough Labour Labour
Solihull Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Somerton and Frome Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
South Basildon and East Thurrock (Formerly Basildon) Labour Conservative
South Cambridgeshire Conservative Conservative
South Derbyshire Labour Conservative
South Dorset Labour Conservative
South East Cambridgeshire Conservative Conservative
South East Cornwall Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
South Holland and The Deepings Conservative Conservative
South Leicestershire (formerly Blaby) Conservative Conservative
South Norfolk Conservative Conservative
South Northamptonshire (New Constituency) Conservative
South Ribble Labour Conservative
South Shields Labour Labour
South Staffordshire Conservative Conservative
South Suffolk Conservative Conservative
South Swindon Labour Conservative
South Thanet Labour Conservative
South West Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative
South West Devon Conservative Conservative
South West Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative
South West Norfolk Conservative Conservative
South West Surrey Conservative Conservative
South West Wiltshire (formerly Westbury) Conservative Conservative
Southampton Itchen Labour Labour
Southampton Test Labour Labour
Southend West Conservative Conservative
Southport Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Spelthorne Conservative Conservative
St Albans Conservative Conservative
St Austell and Newquay - New Constituency Liberal Democrat
St Helens North Labour Labour
St Helens South and Whiston (formerly St Helens South) Labour Labour
St Ives Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Stafford Labour Conservative
Staffordshire Moorlands Labour Conservative
Stalybridge and Hyde Labour Labour
Stevenage Labour Conservative
Stockport Labour Labour
Stockton North Labour Labour
Stockton South Labour Conservative
Stoke-on-Trent Central Labour Labour
Stoke-on-Trent North Labour Labour
Stoke-on-Trent South Labour Labour
Stone Conservative Conservative
Stourbridge Labour Conservative
Stratford-on-Avon Conservative Conservative
Streatham Labour Labour
Stretford and Urmston Labour Labour
Stroud Labour Conservative
Suffolk Coastal Conservative Conservative
Sunderland Central (formerly Sunderland North) Labour Labour
Sunderland South - Constituency Abolished Labour
Surrey Heath Conservative Conservative
Sutton and Cheam Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Sutton Coldfield Conservative Conservative
Tamworth Labour Conservative
Tatton Conservative Conservative
Taunton Deane (formerly Taunton) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Telford Labour Labour
Tewkesbury Conservative Conservative
The Cotswolds (formerly Cotswold) Conservative Conservative
The Wrekin Conservative Conservative
Thirsk and Malton (formerly Vale of York) Conservative Conservative
Thornbury and Yate (formerly Northavon) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Thurrock Labour Labour
Tiverton and Honiton Conservative Conservative
Tonbridge and Malling Conservative Conservative
Tooting Labour Conservative
Torbay Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Torridge and West Devon Conservative Liberal Democrat
Totnes Conservative Liberal Democrat
Tottenham Labour Labour
Truro and Falmouth (formerly Truro and St Austell) Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Tunbridge Wells Conservative Conservative
Twickenham Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Tyne Bridge - Constituency Abolished Labour
Tynemouth Labour Conservative
Upminster - Constituency Abolished Conservative
Uxbridge and South Ruislip (formerly Uxbridge) Conservative Conservative
Vauxhall Labour Labour
Wakefield Labour Labour
Wallasey Labour Labour
Walsall North Labour Labour
Walsall South Labour Labour
Walthamstow Labour Labour
Wansbeck Labour Labour
Wantage Conservative Conservative
Warley Labour Labour
Warrington North Labour Labour
Warrington South Labour Conservative
Warwick and Leamington Labour Conservative
Washington and Sunderland West - New Constituency Labour
Watford Labour Liberal Democrat
Waveney Labour Labour
Wealden Conservative Conservative
Weaver Vale Labour Labour
Wellingborough Conservative Conservative
Wells Conservative Liberal Democrat
Welwyn Hatfield Conservative Conservative
Wentworth and Dearne (formerly Wentworth) Labour Labour
West Bromwich East Labour Labour
West Bromwich West Labour Labour
West Dorset Conservative Liberal Democrat
West Ham Labour Labour
West Lancashire Labour Labour
West Suffolk Conservative Conservative
West Worcestershire Conservative Conservative
Westminster North (formerly Regent's Park and Kensington North) Labour Conservative
Westmorland and Lonsdale Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Weston-Super-Mare Conservative Liberal Democrat
Wigan Labour Labour
Wimbledon Conservative Conservative
Winchester Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Windsor Conservative Conservative
Wirral South Labour Conservative
Wirral West Labour Conservative
Witham - New Constituency Conservative
Witney Conservative Conservative
Woking Conservative Conservative
Wokingham Conservative Conservative
Wolverhampton North East Labour Labour
Wolverhampton South East Labour Labour
Wolverhampton South West Labour Conservative
Worcester Labour Conservative
Workington Labour Labour
Worsley - Constituency Abolished Labour
Worsley and Eccles South (formerly Eccles) Labour Labour
Worthing West Conservative Conservative
Wycombe Conservative Conservative
Wyre and Preston North (formerly Lancaster and Wyre) Conservative Conservative
Wyre Forest Independent Conservative
Wythenshawe and Sale East Labour Labour
Yeovil Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
York Central (formerly City of York) Labour Labour
York Outer (New Constituency) Liberal Democrat