Cities of London and Westminster

Boundary changes:

Profile: The core of London, covering the most of the major landmarks, parks, shopping areas, financial headquarters and housing the main organs of the state. One can be in doubt that the United Kingdom is a largely centralised state looking at what falls under this single constituency, in the west is Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Queen, surrounded by the royal parks. Nearby the government departments on Whitehall itself and now spreading down Victoria Street, also the location of New Scotland Yard. The seat covers Downing Street, official residence of the Prime Minister and the House of Parliament itself. Heading North there are the major shopping areas of Knightsbridge, Regent and Oxford Streets, the West End theatreland and Soho, then eastwards there are the Inns of Court, the Royal Courts of Justice, the Old Bailey and then finally the City of London itself, with St Paul`s Cathedral, its skyscrapers, the Bank of England and the Stock Exchange.

The City of London is the small medieval core of the city, originally bounded by the city walls (although it includes some wards outside the line of the old physical walls). It continues to be governed as a separate local authority, the smallest in the country and the only local authority still to have a business franchise. Despite a weekday population of hundreds of thousands, there are relatively few permanent residents here, mostly concentrated in the Barbican and Golden Lane Estate.

The vast bulk of the electorate are in Westminster, covering some of the most insanely expensive residential real estate in the country in Belgravia, Knightsbridge (where the Conservative councillors enjoy an eye-watering majority of 75%) and Mayfair. Chelsea Army Barracks in the South-West corner of the seat, were sold for residential development for a huge fee in 2007, equating to something around £70 million per acre. There are dwindling cosmopolitian residential areas in Soho and social housing around Victoria and in Mayfair, but overall this is Conservative territory, with every ward in the constituency returning Conservative councillors since the boundary changes in 2002.

Along with the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the City of London is one of the few areas of the United Kingdom that are specifically guaranteed a Parliamentary seat. The Parliamentary Constituencies Act includes the provision that the entire City of London must be in a single seat, and the seat must include City of London in its name.

Current MP: Mark Field(Conservative) born 1964 in Germany to a service family. Educated at Reading School and Oxford University. Solicitor and former director of an employment agency. Kensington and Chelsea councillor 1994-2002. Contested Enfield North 1997. First elected as MP for Cities of London and Westminster 2001. Oppostion whip 2003-2005, shadow financial secretary 2005, culture media and sport spokesman since 2005 (more information at They work for you)

2010 election candidates:
Mark Field(Conservative) born 1964 in Germany to a service family. Educated at Reading School and Oxford University. Solicitor and former director of an employment agency. Kensington and Chelsea councillor 1994-2002. Contested Enfield North 1997. First elected as MP for Cities of London and Westminster 2001. Oppostion whip 2003-2005, shadow financial secretary 2005, culture media and sport spokesman since 2005 (more information at They work for you)
Dave Rowntree (Labour) born 1963, Colchester. Educated at Gilberd School and Thames Polytechnic. Drummer with 1990s Britpop legends Blur. More recently drummer with the Ailerons, head of an animation company and training to be a barrister.
Naomi Smith (Liberal Democrat) Educated at Leeds University. Analyst.
Derek Chase (Green) born 1953. Educated at Oundle School and Cambridge University, then St. Mary’s Hospital, London. General practitioner.
Paul Weston (UKIP)
Frank Roseman (English Democrat)
Jack Nunn (Pirate) Charity worker and musician
Mad Cap`n Tom (Independent) Real name Tom Scott. Comedian. Despite all appearances, is not a student.
Dennis Delderfield (Independent) Former Common councilman of the City of London. Newspaper editor. Former leader of the New Britain party. Contested City of London and Westminster South by-election 1977.