Thanet South
Labour hold

There were eight Labour gains in Kent at the 1997 General Election, and this is one of the four which comprise the more vulnerable quartet. This was a high-profile gain. The defeated Conservative MP was Jonathan Aitken, who has subsequently served time in prison after the failure of his libel case against the Guardian, who had targeted him with allegations of sleazy behaviour in Paris and elsewhere. Nor, while like so many south coast seaside areas this territory around Ramsgate has seen signs of social and economic difficulties recently, is the Isle of Thanet anything but traditionally Tory. The Aitken factor probably did not play at the last election, as the swing (even taking into account Liberal Democrat tactical voting for Labour) was only one per cent less than in neighbouring Thanet North. However, the long-term movement to Labour may make Stephen Ladyman's chance of holding the seat better than might at first sight appear. In the May 1999 local elections Labour held 17 of the 24 council seats within the Thanet District part of the seat, and although they won none of the eight in the Dover District section that accounts for only just over 10,000 electors. The Euro-elections of June 1999 showed the Tories' 16th best result in a Labour-held seat, but as it is one of the very closest to Europe a strongly anti-EU strand of opinion might be expected (that it a matter of empirical observation, not a contribution to the heated Euro-debate). With the European issue taking a back seat in the2001 General Election at least, the Conservatives' chances of a regain here are no more than 50-50.

Dr Stephen Ladyman was elected as the 20th least expected Labour MP in 1997 in an area never previously lost by the Conservatives. A computer manager formerly with the locally-based Pfizer drugs company, he was born 1952 and Catholic-educated at Our Lady of Walsingham School, Liverpool, Birkenhead Institute, Liverpool Polytechnic and Strathclyde University, where he obtained a doctorate in physics. He backs the EU for its regional funding for the declining seaside towns, and gave up his lucrative Pfizer share options on becoming an MP, claiming he'd rather be that than a millionaire. The Conservatives hope to regain this seat with Mark Macgregor, company director, born 1961, educated at Emanuel School, Wandsworth and Heriot Watt University, a former President of the hard rightwing Federation of Conservative Students, who fought Tony Banks at West Ham in 1997.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 10.20% 14.99% 68.02 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 2.46% 2.13% 115.58 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 13.75% 2.49% 553.07 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 1.00% 4.43% 22.67 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 2.35% 7.27% 32.37 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.19% 2.56% 7.30 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 5.45% 3.94% 138.28 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 19.57% 13.04% 150.11 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 11.76% 12.70% 92.60 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 14.71% 8.14% 180.65 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 7.68% 4.02% 191.08 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 2.80% 3.19% 87.78 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 5.10% 11.31% 45.10 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 1.63% 3.06% 53.37 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 1.31% 2.52% 52.16 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.02% 0.06% 31.39

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 11.68% 9.41% 124.12 £5-10K 19.67% 16.63% 118.24 £10-15K 18.40% 16.58% 110.97 £15-20K 14.13% 13.58% 104.02 £20-25K 10.15% 10.39% 97.69 £25-30K 7.15% 7.77% 91.97 £30-35K 5.03% 5.79% 86.81 £35-40K 3.56% 4.33% 82.15 £40-45K 2.54% 3.27% 77.94 £45-50K 1.84% 2.48% 74.13 £50-55K 1.35% 1.90% 70.67 £55-60K 1.00% 1.47% 67.51 £60-65K 0.74% 1.15% 64.63 £65-70K 0.56% 0.91% 61.99 £70-75K 0.43% 0.72% 59.57 £75-80K 0.33% 0.57% 57.33 £80-85K 0.26% 0.46% 55.27 £85-90K 0.20% 0.37% 53.35 £90-95K 0.16% 0.31% 51.57 £95-100K 0.12% 0.25% 49.91 £100K + 0.56% 1.34% 41.62