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> United Kingdom > England > South West > South West
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| Established | February 23, 1950 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RBH September 11, 2021 04:32pm |
| Description |
This is the seat of the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe. There used to be unofficial electoral signs put up by the roadsides at the borders of the constituency which read "You are now entering Liberal country". After his career was ended in scandal, the North Devon electorate decisively rejected their MP of 20 years at the next election. The Tory Tony Speller romped home in 1979 with a majority of 8,000, and it was not until 1992 that the seat returned a Liberal (Democrat) MP, Nick Harvey, who has held it ever since. The seat is dependent on both agriculture and tourism, although there is some industry in the largest town, Barnstaple. The main holiday resort is Ilfracombe, which has been hit by both unemployment and economic decline. There is also concern over the state of the beaches along the north Devon coastline. Mr Harvey's majority fell substantially in between 1997 and 2001 - possibly as a result of his stepping back from the mildly Eurosceptic views which had formerly distinguished him from most of his Lib Dem colleagues.
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