Epping Forest
Conservative hold

That Epping Forest is a very safe Tory seat is demonstrated not only by Eleanor Laing's ability to hold it by 5,000 over Labour in 1997 but also by Steven Norris's victory in a by-election in the middle of the 18 years of Conservative government in 1988. Apart from the untypical Labour strength in the overspill estate of Debden, this inner Essex seat is based on commuter resorts at the very north-eastern end of the Central Line underground at Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Epping itself. Although it escaped being included in the Greater London Council area, there are many London connections here such as the Bank of England printing works at Loughton, and it should not be forgotten that the Epping forest itself belongs to the Corporation of the City of London.

Eleanor Laing, one of a mere handful of new Tory MPs in 1997, was quickly onto the front bench, first as a Whip in 1999, and as a spokesman on Scotland in 2000. Itinerant, as all ambitious Scots Tories must be, she was born in 1958, and educated at St. Columba's School, Kilmacolm and Edinburgh University, where she read law. She became a party apparatchik first for Transport Secretary John MacGregor, then at Central Office. With some courage she spoke and voted for homosexual sex at 16, to the accompaniment of Nick Winterton's bullying interventions. More conventionally, she opposes Scottish devolution, abolition of grant maintained schools, and positive discrimination in favour of women candidates.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 30.70% 14.99% 204.76 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 1.86% 2.49% 74.85 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 0.53% 4.43% 11.87 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 4.27% 7.27% 58.69 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 6.23% 2.56% 242.86 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 3.30% 2.04% 161.69 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.11% 3.94% 2.66 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 18.15% 13.04% 139.23 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 9.48% 12.70% 74.61 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 10.36% 8.14% 127.20 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.59% 4.02% 14.73 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 6.44% 3.19% 202.25 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 6.26% 11.31% 55.36 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 1.34% 3.06% 43.64 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.39% 2.52% 15.34 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 6.28% 9.41% 66.70 £5-10K 11.21% 16.63% 67.39 £10-15K 12.61% 16.58% 76.07 £15-20K 11.82% 13.58% 87.00 £20-25K 10.25% 10.39% 98.63 £25-30K 8.57% 7.77% 110.26 £30-35K 7.04% 5.79% 121.55 £35-40K 5.73% 4.33% 132.31 £40-45K 4.65% 3.27% 142.46 £45-50K 3.77% 2.48% 151.96 £50-55K 3.06% 1.90% 160.82 £55-60K 2.49% 1.47% 169.04 £60-65K 2.03% 1.15% 176.65 £65-70K 1.67% 0.91% 183.70 £70-75K 1.37% 0.72% 190.22 £75-80K 1.13% 0.57% 196.25 £80-85K 0.93% 0.46% 201.82 £85-90K 0.78% 0.37% 206.97 £90-95K 0.65% 0.31% 211.73 £95-100K 0.54% 0.25% 216.13 £100K + 3.17% 1.34% 235.73