Leeds North West
Labour hold

This is the most vulnerable of the "Leeds" seats to a recapture by the Conservatives, not least because it extends all the way beyond the traditional borders of the city to include a ward named Otley and Wharfedale, but it will remain close and divided as the sitting MP Harold Best can rely on doing well further in at Headingley, where he himself lives, among a swarm of students, and to some extent in Weetwood. He will probably win again if Labour has an overall majority above 90 (half that of last time) but not otherwise.

Harold Best, a bald and bearded, secondary modern and technical college-educated electrician, was unexpectedly catapulted into Westminster in his 60th year in 1997. Subsequently he confirmed his un-Blairite credentials by rebelling against lone parent benefit cuts, the predatory pricing of the Murdoch press, the Criminal Justice (Terrorism & Conspiracy) Bill, the Prime Minister’s power to nominate life peers, and disability benefit cuts. The Conservative hoping to regain this seat is Harrogate-based Adam Pritchard, a marketing manager with a car component firm, who was born in 1967 and educated at King Henry VIII School, Coventry, University College London, and Leeds University Business School. He was active in the past in the Federation of Conservative Students and in Lady Olga Maitland’s Women and Families for Defence.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 20.99% 14.99% 140.00 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 2.31% 2.49% 93.11 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 2.38% 4.43% 53.88 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 4.73% 7.27% 64.98 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 6.86% 2.56% 267.32 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 2.51% 2.04% 123.02 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 20.82% 3.94% 527.92 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 13.26% 13.04% 101.71 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 5.02% 12.70% 39.49 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 6.64% 8.14% 81.54 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 5.04% 4.02% 125.22 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 5.38% 3.19% 168.97 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 1.70% 11.31% 14.99 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 2.28% 3.06% 74.39 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.00% 2.52% 0.00 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.03% 2.10% 1.50 Unclassified Unclassified 0.06% 0.06% 90.35

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 9.34% 9.41% 99.20 £5-10K 14.98% 16.63% 90.04 £10-15K 15.10% 16.58% 91.10 £15-20K 12.85% 13.58% 94.58 £20-25K 10.26% 10.39% 98.70 £25-30K 7.99% 7.77% 102.82 £30-35K 6.18% 5.79% 106.70 £35-40K 4.78% 4.33% 110.26 £40-45K 3.70% 3.27% 113.45 £45-50K 2.89% 2.48% 116.31 £50-55K 2.26% 1.90% 118.84 £55-60K 1.79% 1.47% 121.08 £60-65K 1.42% 1.15% 123.06 £65-70K 1.13% 0.91% 124.81 £70-75K 0.91% 0.72% 126.34 £75-80K 0.73% 0.57% 127.69 £80-85K 0.60% 0.46% 128.87 £85-90K 0.49% 0.37% 129.90 £90-95K 0.40% 0.31% 130.81 £95-100K 0.33% 0.25% 131.60 £100K + 1.80% 1.34% 133.87