Dover
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 21979 (45.4%)
Conservative: 16918 (34.9%)
Liberal Democrat: 7652 (15.8%)
Other: 1901 (3.9%)
Majority: 5061 (10.4%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 16739 (35%)
Labour: 21680 (45.3%)
Liberal Democrat: 7607 (15.9%)
UKIP: 1252 (2.6%)
Other: 606 (1.3%)
Majority: 4941 (10.3%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 16744 (37.2%)
Labour: 21943 (48.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 5131 (11.4%)
UKIP: 1142 (2.5%)
Majority: 5199 (11.6%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 17796 (32.8%)
Labour: 29535 (54.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 4302 (7.9%)
Referendum: 2124 (3.9%)
Other: 443 (0.8%)
Majority: 11739 (21.7%)
Boundary changes: only minimal adjustments to take account of ward boundary changes. This affected the wards of Little Stour and Middle Deal.
Profile: a diverse seat with a political tradition which includes coal mining, seaside resorts, a major port and some desirable surrounding countryside. The strong Labour presence in the centre of Dover itself made this Labour`s best target seat in Kent well before the 1997 election and in a county of ultra-marginals it is Labour`s safest seat. The seat consists of the towns of Dover, Deal and the surrounding countryside.
Current MP: Gwyn Prosser (Labour) born 1943, Swansea. Marine engineer in the merchant navy, who worked as a chief engineer on Sealink ferries prior to his election. Dover councillor 1987-1997. Contested Dover in 1992. First elected as MP for Dover in 1997 (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Charlie Elphicke (Conservative) Educated at Felstead School and Nottingham university. Partner in an international legal firm, specialising in taxation. Research fellow at the CPS. Contested St Albans 2001.
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 91637
Male: 48.2%
Female: 51.8%
Under 18: 23%
Over 60: 23.9%
Born outside UK: 5%
White: 98.5%
Black: 0.2%
Asian: 0.4%
Mixed: 0.6%
Other: 0.3%
Christian: 76.4%
Full time students: 2.3%
Graduates 16-74: 13.4%
No Qualifications 16-74: 31.7%
Owner-Occupied: 71.3%
Social Housing: 15.9% (Council: 11.3%, Housing Ass.: 4.7%)
Privately Rented: 9%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 8.4%
Looking at the County election results I make the swing over 13%. Labour were within 120 votes of falling to third place. They probably were third when the Eastry and Sholden villages of the Sandwich division are included.
This was not just a routine Labour collapse - the Conservatives saw their share of the vote rise more strongly than elsewhere. Best for the Tories was Dover Town where the swing was 18% and the Conservative vote rose there by 15%. This is very promising for the Conservatives at the General Election.
I missed off the figures. Here they are:
The following covers the six county divisions fully covering this constituency (double member divisions have been averaged):
Votes % share Change
Con 11,338 43.7 8.1
Lab 6,163 23.8 -18.5
LD 6,040 23.3 4.2
Other 2,405 9.3 7.4
Total 25,946