Political Landscape
- Churchill 1950-1951: Under Churchill's leadership, who himself had won this seat all the time from 1924 to 1945, the Conservatives did very well in Epping, making it under most circumstances a safe seat. During this period, the national vote was equal between Labour and Conservatives, but the Conservatives would still get a 10%-11% majority in Epping.
- Eden 1955: Eden's leadership did little for Conservative chances in Epping, despite a national swing to the Conservatives, there was a swing to Labour in Epping (probably down to Liberal intervention). The national vote was equal between Labour and Conservatives, but the Conservatives would get a 4% majority in Epping.
- Macmillan 1959: Macmillan seemed to turn off potential Conservative voters in 1959, as a less than average swing to the Conservatives showed a 'natural' shift to the left in Epping. The national vote was equal between Labour and Conservatives, but the Conservatives would get a 2% majority in Epping.
- Wilson 1964-1970: Wilson's leadership saw a huge 'natural' shift to the left in Epping in 1964. The swing to Labour was on a par with the national results in 1966, but there was a 'natural' shift to the Conservatives in 1970 as a 'broken in' Heath revived Conservative chances and regained Epping. The national vote was equal between Labour and Conservatives in 1964, but Labour would get a 4% majority in Epping in 1964, increasing to 9% in 1966 as Labour's national share also increased, although the Conservatives reversed this to get a 3% lead in 1970 when they won the General Election by a similar margin. Norman Tebbit was elected that year.
Read more about this topic: Epping (UK Parliament Constituency)
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