Brentford and Isleworth
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 16904 (38.8%)
Conservative: 13434 (30.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 10138 (23.3%)
Other: 3110 (7.1%)
Majority: 3471 (8%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 13918 (30.2%)
Labour: 18329 (39.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 10477 (22.8%)
Green: 1652 (3.6%)
Other: 1641 (3.6%)
Majority: 4411 (9.6%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 12957 (29.1%)
Labour: 23275 (52.3%)
Liberal Democrat: 5994 (13.5%)
UKIP: 412 (0.9%)
Green: 1324 (3%)
Other: 552 (1.2%)
Majority: 10318 (23.2%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 17825 (31.8%)
Labour: 32249 (57.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 4613 (8.2%)
Other: 1448 (2.6%)
Majority: 14424 (25.7%)
Boundary changes: Loses parts of Hounslow West, Heston Central and Heston East to Feltham and Heston.
Profile: A long seat that snakes along the north bank of the Thames, opposite Barnes and Kew Gardens. This is a mixed seat that changes as follows the Thames west, from upmarket and now reliably Conservative Chiswick, a mix of residential and office areas, home of the Fullers Brewery and popular with young urban professionals; past Gunnersbury and the council estates around Brentford Towers into the lower quality housing and more mixed areas of Brentford. There are large green spaces here around Osterley Park House and Syon House and Tory areas like Spring Grove, but moving south-west it becomes better for Labour. Isleworth was once considered a Conservative area but there is a far amount of council housing around the sewage works here and, moving westwards into Hounslow a large asian population.
In 1997 and 2001 Labour securing towering five figure majorities here, but it slumped to only 4411 in 2005, something of a return to form for a seat that had been held by the Conservatives since it’s creation in 1974 (albeit often very marginally) having formerly been represented by Nirj Deva, now a Conservative MEP.
Current MP: Ann Keen (Labour) born 1948, Wales. Educated at Elfred Secondary Modern, Clwyd, and Surrey University. Former nurse. Contested Brentford and Isleworth 1992. First elected as MP for Brentford and Isleworth in 1997. Former PPS to Gordon Brown. Undersecretary of state for health since 2007. She is married to Alan Keen, MP for neighbouring Feltham and Heston. Her sister is Sylvia Heal, MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Mary MacLeod (Conservative) Management consultant and former policy advisor at Buckingham Palace. Contested Ross, Skye and Inverness West in 1997. Chairman of the Conservative Candidates Association.
Andrew Dakers (Liberal Democrat) born 1979. Hounslow councillor and leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Hounslow council. Contested Brentford and Isleworth in 2005.
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 105343
Male: 48.6%
Female: 51.4%
Under 18: 20.7%
Over 60: 15.5%
Born outside UK: 30.3%
White: 70%
Black: 4.6%
Asian: 18.7%
Mixed: 3.3%
Other: 3.4%
Christian: 55.5%
Hindu: 6.6%
Muslim: 8.2%
Sikh: 5.1%
Full time students: 5.8%
Graduates 16-74: 37.2%
No Qualifications 16-74: 19.3%
Owner-Occupied: 59%
Social Housing: 21.5% (Council: 16.1%, Housing Ass.: 5.4%)
Privately Rented: 16.7%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 7.2%
I think its about time Chiswick was mentioned in this constituency name again. Outside London, more people have heard of Chiswick than either Brentford, Isleworth or Hounslow.
That’s probably because so many BBC programmes seem to be set in or around Chiswick.
I always used to be amazed that areas like Chiswick, Turnham Green were in Hounslow.
I always associated those places with heading into London near Hammersmith, and
Hounslow as some place out near the airport.
It think it must have been a deliberately esoteric decision to place Chiswick and Feltham in the same borough, since the distance between them is nearly 11 miles.
Pete’s Borough, Hillingdon is by far the largest.
Actually, I was told an hilarious story by an ex leader of Richmond Council, a Tory, long retired,
who said he was hauled in to the Dept of Environment in the early 80s by the Thatcher government, and told he was spending double Hillingdon was on street lighting - per mile.
This chap called his colleagues at Hillingdon, how on earth do you do it, and
they said half our mileage is out in the country, and we don’t light them.
(West Drayton area I imagine. Still I find it surprising that half the mileage in Hillingdon is rural and unlit).
Harefield more likely - quite a large rural area around there, but im surprised if as much as half the road mileage in the borough is rural - perhaps he was speaking metaphorically. A sizeable part of the acreage of HIllingdon is taken up by Heathrow airpoit and Northolt Aerodrome but they would account for much of the road mileage either.
Shaun makes an interesting point about Chiswick - I get that impression that there are alot of sitcoms set in Chiswick too. No doubt that it because a praticularly large people who work in television, especially at the BBC, live in Chiswick. Brentford will be well known to many ofcourse because it is the home of a football team. Also (though this would not give the name wider currency) Brentford was the county town of Middlesex. Isleworth was the name of a former Hundred of MIddlesex which covered much of this constituency, and Hounslow is ofcourse the name of the borough, though that can be viewed as a reason for not including that name as is the fact it is shared with Feltham & Heston.
a particularly large proportion of people who work in television that should be
Joe James B - Bromley is larger than Hillingdon, and has the most rural territory of any London borough.
I think part of the reason Chiswick is in the constituency is that Hounslow Council is rather keen on milking the area as one big cash cow.
Does anyone know if the Greens are putting a candidate up in this seat?
2010
Conservative: 17000
*Labour: 12500
Liberal Democrat: 12000
Other: 3000
Majority: 4500
Shaun, its predecessor seat in the 1960s was “Brentford and Chiswick”. The recognition for Chiswick would have gone when Hounslow’s representation was trimmed from three seats to two. The constituencies have been on the large side for Greater London ever since. Barney Hayhoe (Nirj Deva’s predecessor) retired to the Lords as Baron Hayhoe of Isleworth, so I would guess that he was first elected for the seat in the middle of the borough and sidestepped east.
Sorry Peter, but with respect, I think that’s bordering Gloy Plopwell mode.
Surely Labour won’t be down to just 12,500 votes here after the collapse of turnout in 2001 (still present in 2005) when there was no Tory threat.
I don’t believe the Lib Dems will advance further here, but take something of a squeeze.
Some old comments which are relevant in the current situation:
‘Praguetory
I presume the story about Ann Keen taking £10k per annum of life insurance out and charging it to the taxpayer is fairly toxic. Source. If local Conservatives can get the message out, I’d say that’s curtains for Labour here.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:25 amRichard
Agreed.
Any evidence of personal corruption will be fatal in the economic circumstances of 2010.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:47 pm’
Looks like Ann Keen is toast, now that news of the Keens’ unoccupied second home (old news in the constituency) has gone national:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8117341.stm
Their constituency house has now been squatted.
http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&link=http://nnet-server.com/server/common/conannkeen44.htm
I’m surprised this was not named Chiswick & Isleworth in 1974 as the norm is to pick two towns at opposite ends. Brentford is central - Chiswick is a very dominant area and its odd it was dropped from the constituency name in 1974.