This is the thirtieth in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each seat has to be treated on its merits. Feel free to add your comments and tell me where you think I have got things wrong. I will return to update each county analysis when and if I get new information.
Seats: 9
Current Political Makeup: Con 4, Lab 5
Predicted Political Makeup after May 7: Con 2, Lab 7
Brentford & Isleworth
2010 Result:
Conservative: 20022 (37.2%)
Labour: 18064 (33.6%)
Lib Dem: 12718 (23.7%)
BNP: 704 (1.3%)
Green: 787 (1.5%)
UKIP: 863 (1.6%)
English Dem: 230 (0.4%)
Christian: 210 (0.4%)
Independent: 68 (0.1%)
Others: 99 (0.2%)
MAJORITY: 1958 (3.6%)
Sitting MP: Mary Macleod (Con)
Prediction: Labour gain
Mary Macleod has had a relatively high profile as a backbencher but that won’t save her here. What could save her is the gradual gentrification of the constituency, although the fragmenting of the LibDem vote and where it goes is more likely to determine Macleod’s fate.
Chelsea & Fulham
2010 Result:
Conservative: 24093 (60.5%)
Labour: 7371 (18.5%)
Lib Dem: 6473 (16.2%)
BNP: 388 (1%)
Green: 671 (1.7%)
UKIP: 478 (1.2%)
English Dem: 169 (0.4%)
Others: 213 (0.5%)
MAJORITY: 16722 (42%)
Sitting MP: Greg Hands (Con)
Prediction: Conservative hold
Safe seat.
Ealing Central & Acton
2010 Result:
Conservative: 17944 (38%)
Labour: 14228 (30.1%)
Lib Dem: 13041 (27.6%)
Green: 737 (1.6%)
UKIP: 765 (1.6%)
Christian: 295 (0.6%)
Others: 190 (0.4%)
MAJORITY: 3716 (7.9%)
Sitting MP: Angie Bray (Con)
Prediction: Labour gain
Again, the LibDem vote will determine whether Labour can take this marginal seat from Angie Bray. The Labour vote has halved here since 1997 – a far steeper rate of decline than in Brentford & Isleworth. This lends weight to the gentrifcation argument which now seems to be affecting outer boroughs like Ealing. A similar effect can be seen in parts of North East and East London.
Ealing North
2010 Result:
Conservative: 14722 (30.9%)
Labour: 24023 (50.4%)
Lib Dem: 6283 (13.2%)
BNP: 1045 (2.2%)
Green: 505 (1.1%)
UKIP: 685 (1.4%)
Christian: 415 (0.9%)
MAJORITY: 9301 (19.5%)
Sitting MP: Stephen Pound
Prediction: Labour hold
Safe seat.
Ealing Southall
2010 Result:
Conservative: 12733 (29.8%)
Labour: 22024 (51.5%)
Lib Dem: 6383 (14.9%)
Green: 705 (1.6%)
English Dem: 408 (1%)
Christian: 503 (1.2%)
MAJORITY: 9291 (21.7%)
Sitting MP: Virendra Sharma (Lab)
Prediction: Labour hold
Safe seat.
Feltham & Heston
2010 Result:
Conservative: 16516 (34%)
Labour: 21174 (43.6%)
Lib Dem: 6679 (13.8%)
BNP: 1714 (3.5%)
Green: 530 (1.1%)
UKIP: 992 (2%)
Independent: 505 (1%)
Others: 426 (0.9%)
MAJORITY: 4658 (9.6%)
BY-ELECTION 2011
Seema Malhotra (Labour) 12639 54.4% (10.8%)
Mark Bowen (Conservative) 6436 27.7% (-6.3%)
Roger Crouch (Liberal Democrat) 1364 5.9% (-7.8%)
Andrew Charalambous (UKIP) 1276 5.5% (3.5%)
Dave Furness (BNP) 540 2.3% (-1.2%)
Daniel Goldsmith (Green) 426 1.8% (0.7%)
Roger Cooper (English Democrats) 322 1.4% (n/a)
George Hallam (People Before Profit) 128 0.6% (n/a)
David Bishop (Buss Pass Elvis) 93 0.4% (n/a)
MAJORITY 6203 26.7% (17.1%)
Turnout 28.8% (-31.1%)
Sitting MP: Seema Malhotra (Lab)
Prediction: Labour hold
This was thought to be vulnerable to the Tories at the last election but the then MP Alan Keen held on well. The 2011 by-election showed that they were never really in the game here.
Hammersmith
2010 Result:
Conservative: 17261 (36.4%)
Labour: 20810 (43.9%)
Lib Dem: 7567 (15.9%)
BNP: 432 (0.9%)
Green: 696 (1.5%)
UKIP: 551 (1.2%)
Independent: 135 (0.3%)
MAJORITY: 3549 (7.5%)
Sitting MP: Andy Slaughter (Lab)
Prediction: Labour hold
Widely tipped to fall to the Tories in 2010, Labour not only held on, but got a good majority. Andy Slaughter is safe here.
Hayes & Harlington
2010 Result:
Conservative: 12553 (29.4%)
Labour: 23377 (54.8%)
Lib Dem: 3726 (8.7%)
BNP: 1520 (3.6%)
Green: 348 (0.8%)
English Dem: 464 (1.1%)
Christian: 83 (0.2%)
Others: 566 (1.3%)
MAJORITY: 10824 (25.4%)
Sitting MP: John McDonnell
Prediction: Labour hold
Safe seat.
Uxbridge & South Ruislip
2010 Result:
Conservative: 21758 (48.3%)
Labour: 10542 (23.4%)
Lib Dem: 8995 (20%)
BNP: 1396 (3.1%)
Green: 477 (1.1%)
UKIP: 1234 (2.7%)
English Dem: 403 (0.9%)
Others: 271 (0.6%)
MAJORITY: 11216 (24.9%)
Sitting MP: John Randall (Con)
Prediction: Conservative hold
Safe seat for Boris Johnson to cruise into Parliament with.
If you’d like to see the rest of my seat by seat predictions, click HERE
OUT NOW! The Politicos Guide to the General Election (by Iain Dale, Greg Callus, Robert Waller & Daniel Hamilton) £15.99 from Politicos.co.uk or £16.58 from Amazon. Also available as an eBook from Politicos.co.uk at £9.99 and Amazon at £10.19
