History
Represented by the Conservatives since 1910, including for 34 years former prime minister Anthony Eden, the seat had not been expected to change hands in the 1997 general election. James Plaskitt's defeat of the Conservative incumbent, Dudley Smith, came as a surprise, even in the context of Labour's landslide victory. Plaskitt increased his majority in the 2001 election, but on a lower turnout. In the 2005 election, Warwick and Leamington was 85th on the Conservative list of target seats, meaning that to gain it they would have required a somewhat greater swing than was seen nationally. With the greatest increase in support being seen by the Liberal Democrats, Plaskitt only narrowly held the seat, with his majority slashed from nearly 6,000 votes to only 266.
However, boundary changes in Labour's favour which took effect at the 2010 general election mean that Warwick and Leamington will not necessarily be as marginal as this result suggests. In the event the seat was gained by the Conservatives, with Chris White defeating incumbent James Plaskitt by seven percentage points.
Read more about this topic: Warwick And Leamington (UK Parliament Constituency)
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