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UK Parliament - Lewes

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> United Kingdom > England > South East > South East > Lewes

Office

Parliament

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

00, 0000 - 06:00pm

Polls Open

May 06, 2010 - 01:00am

Polls Close

May 06, 2010 - 04:00pm

Term Start

May 17, 2010 - 12:00pm

Term End

May 17, 2015 - 12:00pm

Contributor

Ralphie

Last Modified

Ralphie May 06, 2010 09:45pm

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

BBC Profile:
Before 1997 this seat had a Conservative history, having returned former prime ministers' William Pitt the Elder and George Canning, and had elected Conservative MPs without interruption since 1874. However, after years of decline in Conservative support it fell to Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, the current MP, in 1997.

At the election, boundary changes are minimal and relate only to wards that were shared between the seat and two of its neighbours: Eastbourne and Wealden. East Dean ward is now completely within Lewes' boundaries, having formerly been shared with Eastbourne; Willingdon ward is now entirely in Eastbourne; and Hellingly and Chiddingly and East Hoathly wards are fully incorporated into Wealden's boundaries. 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.

With an interesting past that stretches back to the Norman Conquest, it was in Lewes, East Sussex, during the reign of Queen Mary that 17 Protestants were burned to death. The annual Lewes bonfire commemorates this, which draws national attention with its effigy burnings.

The constituency includes the towns of Seaford and Newhaven. While not poor, the constituency is certainly not as wealthy as many others in the London commuter belt.

Agriculture and fishing have been the traditional mainstays of the local economy, but tourism and other industries have become increasingly important.

The working population now is primarily managerial and skilled non-manual workers, and many commute into Lewes, London or Brighton.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
LD 24,071 (51.52%)
C 16,182 (34.64%)
Lab 4,370 (9.35%)
Green 1,063 (2.28%)
UKIP 1,033 (2.21%)