Yorkshire East
Conservative hold

The county of Humberside existed from the 1970s to the 1990s, but it was never popular with residents on either bank of that river or estuary and now the proud traditions of Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire have been restored. This seat, last - but of course none is least - of the 659 parliamentary constituencies, consists of Bridlington on the coast, together with inland country mainly to be found in the rolling Wolds around the market towns of Driffield, Market Drayton and Pocklington. Here too is Stamford Bridge, site of Harold Godwinson's first victory of 1066. However, there are few decisive battles likely in what is really a safe Conservative seat. Labour came second by only 3,000 votes in 1997, and did quite well in Bridlington town in the unitary authority elections for the reconstituted and reempowered East Riding of Yorkshire in May 1999, and indeed a pair of "Socialists" were actually elected in Bridlington Old Town. These stood in opposition to official Labour, which surely tells us much about British politics as we enter the new Millennium.

Greg Knight was originally MP for Derby North, which he entered on the Thatcherite flood of 1983 and left on the Blairite flood of 1997. Risen through the Whips Office, eventually serving as Deputy Chief Whip 1993-96, he has left few footprints, and served only briefly, as a DTI Minister. He is a solicitor, born 1949, and educated at Alderman Newton's Grammar School, Leicester and Guildford College of Law. A once-bearded bachelor, he has backed anti-hunting and the animal welfare bills and written books of parliamentary anecdotes. In April this year he was dubbed 'silent Knight' for refusing to condemn his retiring predecessor John Townend, who blamed "coloured immigrants" for rising crime and undermining Britain's 'Anglo-Saxon' society. He is one of eight former MPs selected - against Central Office advice - for seats other than those they lost in 1997. Labour's Tracey Simpson-Laing, a York city councillor (Acomb ward), was born in 1967.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 10.90% 14.99% 72.70 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 10.98% 2.13% 516.27 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 9.84% 2.49% 395.95 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 2.67% 4.43% 60.39 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 5.83% 7.27% 80.14 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.64% 2.56% 24.96 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 4.30% 3.94% 109.09 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 21.91% 13.04% 168.05 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 13.16% 12.70% 103.60 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 7.36% 8.14% 90.34 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 2.92% 4.02% 72.65 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 2.64% 3.19% 82.87 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 4.93% 11.31% 43.55 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 0.52% 3.06% 17.06 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 1.40% 2.52% 55.45 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 9.80% 9.41% 104.15 £5-10K 18.80% 16.63% 113.05 £10-15K 18.54% 16.58% 111.81 £15-20K 14.57% 13.58% 107.29 £20-25K 10.59% 10.39% 101.92 £25-30K 7.51% 7.77% 96.57 £30-35K 5.30% 5.79% 91.53 £35-40K 3.76% 4.33% 86.88 £40-45K 2.70% 3.27% 82.64 £45-50K 1.96% 2.48% 78.80 £50-55K 1.43% 1.90% 75.32 £55-60K 1.06% 1.47% 72.17 £60-65K 0.80% 1.15% 69.33 £65-70K 0.61% 0.91% 66.76 £70-75K 0.46% 0.72% 64.42 £75-80K 0.36% 0.57% 62.31 £80-85K 0.28% 0.46% 60.38 £85-90K 0.22% 0.37% 58.63 £90-95K 0.17% 0.31% 57.03 £95-100K 0.14% 0.25% 55.56 £100K + 0.66% 1.34% 48.90