Richmond Park
2015 Result:
Conservative: 34404 (58.2%)
Labour: 7296 (12.3%)
Lib Dem: 11389 (19.3%)
Green: 3548 (6%)
UKIP: 2464 (4.2%)
MAJORITY: 23015 (38.9%)
Category: Safe Conservative seat
Geography: Greater London. Part of Richmond upon Thames council area and part of Kingston upon Thames council area.
Main population centres: East Sheen, Mortlake, Richmond, Ham, Kew, Barnes, Petersham, Coombe.
Profile: Richmond Park is a large royal park in south-west London, home to a herd of over 600 deer. The electorate of the Richmond Park consituency consists of the residential areas bordering it - Richmond itself, the riverside communities of Kew and Barnes and, to the south of the park, Kingston upon Thames. It is an affluent, middle-class suburban seat, characterised by desirable period houses, large gardens and huge property prices. The seat also contains Kew Gardens, the National Archives and Kingston University. The majority of planes landing at Heathrow airport descend over Barnes and Kew and the potential expansion of Heathrow airport is an important local issue.
Politics: The Richmond Park seat was created in 1997 from the merger of Richmond and Barnes and part of Kingston upon Thames, leaving the Kingston MP and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont to go on his doomed run up to Harrogate. Along with Twickenham and Kingston and Surbiton it formed part of a wedge of Liberal Democrat strength in South-West London until falling to Zac Goldsmith in 2010.
| Con: | 29461 (50%) |
| Lab: | 2979 (5%) |
| LDem: | 25370 (43%) |
| UKIP: | 669 (1%) |
| Oth: | 789 (1%) |
| MAJ: | 4091 (7%) |
| Con: | 20280 (39%) |
| Lab: | 4768 (9%) |
| LDem: | 24011 (47%) |
| GRN: | 1379 (3%) |
| Oth: | 936 (2%) |
| MAJ: | 3731 (7%) |
| Con: | 18480 (38%) |
| Lab: | 5541 (11%) |
| LDem: | 23444 (48%) |
| GRN: | 1223 (2%) |
| Oth: | 463 (1%) |
| MAJ: | 4964 (10%) |
| Con: | 22442 (39%) |
| Lab: | 7172 (13%) |
| LDem: | 25393 (45%) |
| Oth: | 379 (1%) |
| MAJ: | 2951 (5%) |
*There were boundary changes after 2005
Deep – wrong.
In fact every Govt has to have ministers and Cabinet Ministers from both Houses, in order to be a Govt.
BM11 – Brady hinted at Depts being abolished, but wouldn’t be drawn on which. He was however clear that the Cabinet would be cut by 5: I assume Esther et al will go ie those who were only ever half Cabinet ministers ‘attending Cabinet.’ In previous times Empl was just a minister of State. If you get rid of some PPSs too you could shrink the Govt payroll vote by 20 or so.
I’d imagine DfID is favourite: likely to be chucked in with the FCO or Trade and the 0.7% law abolished.
The Sir Humphrey’s won’t like depts. merging or going altogether.
Esther is northern – she might stay