Bedfordshire Mid
Conservative hold

The rural parts of Bedfordshire are very Conservative and this constituency centres around small market towns such as Ampthill and the expanding commuting developments of Flitwick. In spite of a 14pc swing to Labour in 1977, Jonathan Sayeed still won by 7,000, which seems insurance enough for any year - no matter how disastrous for his party nationally.

Jonathan Sayeed, the Conservatives' only non-white MP, does not - as half-Indian - wish to be so categorised. He was elected here in 1997, having earlier made his name as the Tory who beat Tony Benn at Bristol South East in 1983, a seat he retained until 1992. Born 1948 and educated at Wolverstone Hall School and Dartmouth Naval College, he served in the Navy for seven years before founding a shipping company, and - after his 1992 defeat - a PR business. Ranked among the Eurosceptics, especially on the single currency, he takes a cautious stance on military intervention in Iraq and Kosovo, and is concerned about the vulnerability to terrorists of the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal. He sought disclosure of religious affiliation in the 2001 Census.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 46.38% 14.99% 309.33 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.03% 2.13% 1.36 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.52% 2.49% 21.00 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 8.63% 4.43% 195.04 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 19.63% 7.27% 269.90 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.18% 2.56% 7.13 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.41% 3.94% 10.44 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 14.16% 13.04% 108.58 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 3.23% 12.70% 25.45 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 4.44% 8.14% 54.49 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.00% 4.02% 0.00 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 0.90% 3.19% 28.11 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 0.80% 11.31% 7.04 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 0.35% 3.06% 11.46 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 0.34% 0.06% 549.10

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 4.79% 9.41% 50.90 £5-10K 10.45% 16.63% 62.85 £10-15K 12.87% 16.58% 77.65 £15-20K 12.57% 13.58% 92.52 £20-25K 11.05% 10.39% 106.32 £25-30K 9.23% 7.77% 118.67 £30-35K 7.50% 5.79% 129.54 £35-40K 6.02% 4.33% 138.99 £40-45K 4.81% 3.27% 147.19 £45-50K 3.83% 2.48% 154.28 £50-55K 3.06% 1.90% 160.42 £55-60K 2.44% 1.47% 165.74 £60-65K 1.96% 1.15% 170.36 £65-70K 1.58% 0.91% 174.39 £70-75K 1.28% 0.72% 177.91 £75-80K 1.04% 0.57% 180.99 £80-85K 0.85% 0.46% 183.70 £85-90K 0.70% 0.37% 186.08 £90-95K 0.57% 0.31% 188.19 £95-100K 0.48% 0.25% 190.05 £100K + 2.65% 1.34% 197.01