BBC Profile:
Conservative MP Roger Gale has represented the seat since 1983, when his unsuccessful opponent was a young Cherie Booth, wife of the former prime minister.

Mr Gale's majority was cut sharply in 1997, but in the two subsequent general elections he has built it back up to 7,634 in 2005.

At this election, boundary changes are minor: the seat loses the Cliftonville East and West wards to Thanet South, while gaining Marshside ward from Canterbury as well as the part-ward of Thanet Villages from Thanet South. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.

Thanet North consists of a 13-mile long coastal strip in northern Kent which contains the resorts of Birchington and Margate, along with Herne Bay.

Tourism is important to the local economy, as is agriculture inland, and a certain amount of light industry in the larger towns.

Thanet as a whole is particularly well situated for companies with European interests, making it an ideal base for manufacturing for export or import, distribution and logistics or company headquarters. Thanet has also been successful in attracting prestigious inward investors with the presence of multi-nationals such as Pfizer, Cummins and Sericol.

The Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate is one of the region's flagship acute hospitals.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
C 19,126 (47.93%)
Lab 13,008 (32.60%)
LD 6,2

[More...]

BBC Profile:
Conservative MP Roger Gale has represented the seat since 1983, when his unsuccessful opponent was a young Cherie Booth, wife of the former prime minister.

Mr Gale's majority was cut sharply in 1997, but in the two subsequent general elections he has built it back up to 7,634 in 2005.

At this election, boundary changes are minor: the seat loses the Cliftonville East and West wards to Thanet South, while gaining Marshside ward from Canterbury as well as the part-ward of Thanet Villages from Thanet South. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result below.

Thanet North consists of a 13-mile long coastal strip in northern Kent which contains the resorts of Birchington and Margate, along with Herne Bay.

Tourism is important to the local economy, as is agriculture inland, and a certain amount of light industry in the larger towns.

Thanet as a whole is particularly well situated for companies with European interests, making it an ideal base for manufacturing for export or import, distribution and logistics or company headquarters. Thanet has also been successful in attracting prestigious inward investors with the presence of multi-nationals such as Pfizer, Cummins and Sericol.

The Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate is one of the region's flagship acute hospitals.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
C 19,126 (47.93%)
Lab 13,008 (32.60%)
LD 6,205 (15.55%)
UKIP 1,566 (3.92%)

[Less...]