Leeds West
Labour hold
Now largely clear of the Liberal activism which for one term elected Michael Meadowcroft as MP in the 1980s, the wards of Armley, Bramley, Kirkstall and Wortley now return his conqueror, Labour Minister John Battle regularly, by nearly a 20,000 majority in 1997, and that over a Tory; the Liberal rump who never accepted the Alliance with the bulk of the SDP at the end of the Eighties, and still contest this seat, but they only polled 600 or so votes in 1997, having almost matched the Lib Dems in 1992.
One of a clutch of former or ex-aspirant priests in Labour’s ranks (see also David Cairns, Greenock and Chris Bryant, Rhondda), John Battle, a bearded former leftwing unilateralist and Gulf-War opponent, elected here in 1987, finds himself as a Minister of State at the Foreign Office in a strange location for one whose diplomatic skills are somewhat masked by an excitable, forceful and loquacious manner. Born 1951 and educated at Catholic schools and at Upholland (RC) Seminary, Liverpool and (later) at Leeds University, where he read English, he worked as researcher to a (Catholic) Leeds MEP, and then for Church Action on Poverty. He votes the Catholic ticket on abortion and took an interest in dealings with Indonesia over East Timor.
 |
Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas |
0.09% |
14.99% |
0.62 |
|
Affluent Greys, Rural Communities |
0.00% |
2.13% |
0.00 |
|
Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas |
0.00% |
2.49% |
0.00 |
|
Affluent Executives, Family Areas |
1.26% |
4.43% |
28.40 |
|
Well-Off Workers, Family Areas |
4.01% |
7.27% |
55.13 |
|
Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas |
0.72% |
2.56% |
28.08 |
|
Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas |
0.00% |
2.04% |
0.00 |
|
Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas |
6.91% |
3.94% |
175.19 |
|
Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas |
8.89% |
13.04% |
68.15 |
|
Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas |
27.12% |
12.70% |
213.53 |
|
New Home Owners, Mature Communities |
6.80% |
8.14% |
83.50 |
|
White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas |
3.02% |
4.02% |
75.02 |
|
Older People, Less Prosperous Areas |
10.30% |
3.19% |
323.45 |
|
Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes |
22.39% |
11.31% |
197.94 |
|
Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment |
4.21% |
3.06% |
137.58 |
|
Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship |
4.28% |
2.52% |
169.87 |
|
People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas |
0.00% |
2.10% |
0.00 |
|
Unclassified |
0.00% |
0.06% |
0.00 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
£0-5K |
11.54% |
9.41% |
122.64 |
|
£5-10K |
20.81% |
16.63% |
125.15 |
|
£10-15K |
19.57% |
16.58% |
118.05 |
|
£15-20K |
14.75% |
13.58% |
108.60 |
|
£20-25K |
10.29% |
10.39% |
99.02 |
|
£25-30K |
7.00% |
7.77% |
90.07 |
|
£30-35K |
4.75% |
5.79% |
81.97 |
|
£35-40K |
3.24% |
4.33% |
74.72 |
|
£40-45K |
2.23% |
3.27% |
68.28 |
|
£45-50K |
1.55% |
2.48% |
62.57 |
|
£50-55K |
1.09% |
1.90% |
57.49 |
|
£55-60K |
0.78% |
1.47% |
52.97 |
|
£60-65K |
0.56% |
1.15% |
48.95 |
|
£65-70K |
0.41% |
0.91% |
45.35 |
|
£70-75K |
0.30% |
0.72% |
42.12 |
|
£75-80K |
0.23% |
0.57% |
39.22 |
|
£80-85K |
0.17% |
0.46% |
36.60 |
|
£85-90K |
0.13% |
0.37% |
34.24 |
|
£90-95K |
0.10% |
0.31% |
32.09 |
|
£95-100K |
0.08% |
0.25% |
30.14 |
|
£100K + |
0.29% |
1.34% |
21.62 |
|
|
|
|




1992-1997
|
1997-2001
|
|
|
Con |
-8.68% |
Lab |
11.58% |
LD |
0.11% |
|
Con |
-1.92% |
Lab |
-4.54% |
LD |
1.43% |
|
|
 |
John Battle
Labour hold
|
Con |
 |
5,008 |
15.60% |
Lab |
 |
19,943 |
62.14% |
LD |
 |
3,350 |
10.44% |
Oth |
 |
3,793 |
11.82% |
Maj |
 |
14,935 |
46.54% |
Turn |
 |
32,094 |
49.98% |
|
|
 |
John Battle
Labour hold
|
L |
John Battle |
19,943 |
62.14% |
G |
David Blackburn |
2,573 |
8.02% |
LD |
Darren Finlay |
3,350 |
10.44% |
UK |
William Finley |
758 |
2.36% |
C |
Kris Hopkins |
5,008 |
15.60% |
Lib |
Noel Nowosielski |
462 |
1.44% |
Candidates representing 6 parties stood for election to this seat.
|
|
 |
John Battle
Labour
|
Con |
 |
7,048 |
17.52% |
Lab |
 |
26,819 |
66.68% |
LD |
 |
3,622 |
9.01% |
Ref |
 |
1,210 |
3.01% |
Oth |
 |
1,521 |
3.78% |
Maj |
 |
19,771 |
49.16% |
Turn |
 |
40,220 |
62.88% |
|
|
 |
Labour
|
Con |
 |
12,482 |
26.20% |
Lab |
 |
26,310 |
55.10% |
LD |
 |
4,252 |
8.90% |
Oth |
 |
4,681 |
9.80% |
Maj |
 |
13,828 |
29.00% |
Turn |
 |
47,725 |
70.41% |
|
|
 |
|
|