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Constituency Profile
Labours John Austin-Walker won the seat in 1997, and retained it in 2001 as John Austin, having dropped Walker, the name of his ex-wife.
Austin took Erith and Thamesmead again in 2005, by 11,500 votes, after a 1.5% swing to the Conservatives.
At the election, all of Lesnes Abbey, Belvedere and Northumberland Heath Wards will now be in Erith and Thamesmead. 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.
Erith and Thamesmead straddles the boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. The new town of Thamesmead, built on reclaimed marshland in the 1960s, is the largest conurbation.
The Royal Arsenal on the edge of the constituency was once the biggest employer in the area, with a workforce of 80,000 at the outbreak of the First World War. The ordnance factory closed in 1967, but the site is enjoying a new lease of life as a museum and commercial and housing development. The first tenants moved in in 2002.
The constituency and wider Thames Gateway area is earmarked for significant regeneration, including the Thames Gateway bridge.
The recent extension of the DLR to Woolwich Arsenal has been welcomed, as will be Crossrail, which will pass through Abbey Wood for Thamesmead.
Candidates
Name | Party | Votes | % | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|
Colin Bloom | Conservative | |||
Alexander Cunliffe | Liberal Democrat | |||
Teresa Pearce | Labour | |||
Pamela Perrin | UK Independence Party | |||
Marek Powley | Green | |||
Laurence Williams | English Democrats | |||
Majority | ||||
Turnout |
2005 Result
Party | Votes Share | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 52.6% | |
Conservative | 26.5% | |
Liberal Democrat | 12.8% | |
Others | 8.1% |
Based on a notional - or estimated - result if boundary changes have affected this seat. For real result, see Election 2005.
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