Hogarth's Happy Hour is on the move...

I'm moving on... It's me not you... Breaking up is so hard to do... It's terrible news, I've decided to move Hogarth's Happy Hour from its current home (here) to my new blog here.

Even Glenn Beck is upset...

However, the move is an exciting one... Just search around for Ben Glover's Blog.

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...

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.

Fascinating Interview with Amartya Sen

Amartya Sen: This Open-Ended “Year of India”

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.

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)

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...

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.

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