Henley
Conservative hold

Michael Heseltine is retiring from the Commons after 35 years, to be replaced by the jovial Spectator editor and Telegraph columnist Boris Johnson; another shock of fair hair, but a distinct difference in style and substance. Henley was one of those seats which was fairly strongly Conservative, although they achieved less 50 per cent of the vote, even in the Labour landslide of 1997, but which looked even safer due to an even division between Liberal Democrat (25 per cent) and Labour (23 per cent). With the Conservatives likely to increase their national share, even if only by a few per cent, victory is certain.

Here, in the steps of a disappointed, blond, regicidal, mace-wielding Europhile arboriculturalist, comes the blond 16 stone lovable Eurosceptic buffoon, Boris Johnson. Son of the former MEP Stanley Johnson, he is an Eton contemporary and friend of fraudster Darius Guppy and of Charlie Althorp (Lord Spencer), who after reading Greats at Balliol and presiding over the Oxford Union spent 12 years on the Telegraph before editing the Spectator. A media star whose Bunteresque repartee is peppered with the prep school argot of the 1950s, he says he can't afford not to edit the Spectator as well as be an MP, and that he will wear a pin-stripe suit if he has to but will quit before becoming lobotomised. Following his categorical malprediction of a May 3rd election, he made a passable attempt at eating his hat.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 50.39% 14.99% 336.10 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.16% 2.13% 7.73 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 1.93% 2.49% 77.67 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 7.96% 4.43% 179.95 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 11.84% 7.27% 162.80 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 1.87% 2.56% 73.10 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.52% 2.04% 25.56 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.70% 3.94% 17.64 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 13.38% 13.04% 102.61 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 1.84% 12.70% 14.49 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 3.53% 8.14% 43.38 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 1.68% 4.02% 41.76 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 1.11% 3.19% 34.79 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 2.64% 11.31% 23.35 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 0.16% 3.06% 5.29 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.00% 2.52% 0.00 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.27% 0.06% 435.16

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 4.95% 9.41% 52.57 £5-10K 10.41% 16.63% 62.57 £10-15K 12.58% 16.58% 75.86 £15-20K 12.16% 13.58% 89.50 £20-25K 10.66% 10.39% 102.58 £25-30K 8.92% 7.77% 114.80 £30-35K 7.30% 5.79% 126.09 £35-40K 5.91% 4.33% 136.50 £40-45K 4.77% 3.27% 146.10 £45-50K 3.85% 2.48% 154.96 £50-55K 3.11% 1.90% 163.19 £55-60K 2.52% 1.47% 170.86 £60-65K 2.05% 1.15% 178.03 £65-70K 1.67% 0.91% 184.78 £70-75K 1.37% 0.72% 191.16 £75-80K 1.13% 0.57% 197.21 £80-85K 0.94% 0.46% 202.97 £85-90K 0.78% 0.37% 208.48 £90-95K 0.65% 0.31% 213.75 £95-100K 0.55% 0.25% 218.83 £100K + 3.35% 1.34% 249.53