Beckenham
Conservative hold

Beckenham, the north west wedge of the middle-class and Conservative south east London Borough of Bromley, witnessed the second by-election of the 1997 Parliament on 20 November of that year, after Piers Merchant, returned by 5,000 votes in May, was forced to resign after allegations of scandalous practice were found to be justified. Jacqui Lait scraped in with a majority of slightly more than 1,000 over Labour, and although the former Hastings MP must hope for clearer water ahead, with the very favourable polls for Labour as the campaign has opened, it should be borne in mind that Beckenham now counts as one of Labour's top four target seats in the capital.

Jacqui Lait, one of a number of ambitious Scots Tories who have of necessity to take the high road South to electable pastures, held Hastings for only one Parliament (1992-97) and then was returned for Beckenham in the 1997 by-election . Born 1947, and educated at Paisley Grammar School and Strathclyde University, despite her Europhilia, William Hague, whose PPS she had been, made her a Whip in 1999 and a Social Security spokesman in 2000. A former lobbyist who was the first female Tory Whip in the Major government, her election for Beckenham upped the number of Conservative women MPs to 14. A campaigner for separate married women's taxation and against alcohol and tobacco smuggling, she has latterly trimmed to scepticism on a common currency. Labour's Richard Wattis, born 1966 and educated at Ramsden School for Boys, Orpington, and Leicester University, is a publishing director with Michael Heseltine's Haymarket Publishing.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 21.98% 14.99% 146.57 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 3.04% 2.49% 122.31 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 0.00% 4.43% 0.00 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 0.97% 7.27% 13.31 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 6.32% 2.56% 246.32 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 22.53% 2.04% 1,104.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 7.97% 3.94% 202.04 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 7.71% 13.04% 59.10 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 15.45% 12.70% 121.64 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 0.51% 8.14% 6.32 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 6.53% 4.02% 162.32 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 0.12% 3.19% 3.87 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 0.60% 11.31% 5.33 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 3.97% 3.06% 129.58 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 0.01% 2.52% 0.43 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 2.29% 2.10% 109.07 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 4.81% 9.41% 51.06 £5-10K 9.55% 16.63% 57.43 £10-15K 11.60% 16.58% 69.94 £15-20K 11.49% 13.58% 84.56 £20-25K 10.37% 10.39% 99.75 £25-30K 8.92% 7.77% 114.74 £30-35K 7.48% 5.79% 129.12 £35-40K 6.18% 4.33% 142.68 £40-45K 5.07% 3.27% 155.34 £45-50K 4.15% 2.48% 167.08 £50-55K 3.39% 1.90% 177.93 £55-60K 2.77% 1.47% 187.93 £60-65K 2.27% 1.15% 197.14 £65-70K 1.86% 0.91% 205.63 £70-75K 1.54% 0.72% 213.46 £75-80K 1.27% 0.57% 220.69 £80-85K 1.05% 0.46% 227.36 £85-90K 0.87% 0.37% 233.54 £90-95K 0.73% 0.31% 239.27 £95-100K 0.61% 0.25% 244.58 £100K + 3.63% 1.34% 269.74