Dartford
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 19309 (42.7%)
Conservative: 18725 (41.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 4623 (10.2%)
Other: 2541 (5.6%)
Majority: 583 (1.3%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 19203 (41.1%)
Labour: 19909 (42.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 5036 (10.8%)
UKIP: 1407 (3%)
Other: 1224 (2.6%)
Majority: 706 (1.5%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 18160 (40.6%)
Labour: 21466 (48%)
Liberal Democrat: 3781 (8.5%)
UKIP: 989 (2.2%)
Other: 344 (0.8%)
Majority: 3306 (7.4%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 20950 (40.3%)
Labour: 25278 (48.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 4827 (9.3%)
Other: 943 (1.8%)
Majority: 4328 (8.3%)
Boundary changes: Only minor changes, with Dartford losing Horton Kirby and South Darenth, while gaining the hamlet of Hodsall Street.
Profile: The last seat in Kent before Greater London, Dartford is a former industrial area that is now largely a commuter town. The town is undergoing rapid expansion with large scale housing projects around the Bluewater shopping centre and Ebbsfleet, which will be served by the high speed Channel tunnel raillink. Dartford itself contains strong Labour areas like the Tree and Temple Hill housing estates, but is balanced out by outlying Conservative supporting areas like Joydens Wood and Longfield.
Following the Conservative victory in Gravesham in 2005 Dartford is now, along with Chorley, the country`s strongest bellwether seat, having returned an MP from the party that went on to win the election since 1964 (Luton South arguably has a longer record – back to 1951 – but has gone through incarnations of Luton South, Luton East and Luton during that time)
Current MP: Howard Stoate(Labour) born 1954. Howard Stoate remains a practicing GP and as an MP has taken an interest in health matters. He is a Labour loyalist and served as PPS to John Denham and then Estelle Morris during the last Parliament. Will stand down at the next election (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: Gareth Johnson (Conservative) born 1969. Educated at Dartford Grammar School. Solicitor. Former Bexley councillor. Contested Lewisham West 2001, Dartford 2005
James Willis (Liberal Democrat)
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 91782
Male: 48.9%
Female: 51.1%
Under 18: 23.5%
Over 60: 19.7%
Born outside UK: 5.7%
White: 94.7%
Black: 0.8%
Asian: 2.6%
Mixed: 1.2%
Other: 0.7%
Christian: 73.7%
Hindu: 0.7%
Muslim: 0.7%
Sikh: 1.1%
Full time students: 2.5%
Graduates 16-74: 13.9%
No Qualifications 16-74: 27.9%
Owner-Occupied: 74.9%
Social Housing: 15.9% (Council: 12.5%, Housing Ass.: 3.4%)
Privately Rented: 7.1%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 6.1%
He says it’s because he can’t continue to practise as a GP under the new other jobs rule. Ironically, Brown was hoping to mess up the Tories with this rule
Well everything Brown does goes wrong for him !! Just goes to show how bad an idea it is….a GP is in touch with people more than a politician. If we have MPs who have no outside interests when they are back benchers they are going to be even more out of touch than they already are.
Dr. Stoate has little option. Doctors and members of some other professions haveto maintain a practising certificate. I recollect there was a Conservative MP (indeed I think minister) in the Major Government who continued practising for this reason.
The professions concerned are not just medical ones. I think construction professionals such as Chartered Engineers and Architects would also have problems.
Given the insecurity of politics as a job, if the expenses scandal is used effectively to force MPs to be full-time, few professional people will become politicians. It is not only people with formal requirements who will be hit, there are other careers such as IT where even a couple of years break lead to unemployability. I know all too well from personal experience, although in realtion to holding a political position, in realtion to computing.
It just shows that the senior MPs of all parties, not just Brown, who are negotiating new arrangements haven’t a clue. And I don’t trust Kelly’s impending report to be any more sensible.
Major changes to the constitutional arrangements involving Westminster really ought to be put to the voters, at least as a manifesto commitment, not just as a matter of principle but also so that there will be proper debate that should bring likely difficulties to light. And of course such changes should be fully considered in parliament, not pushed through just before a recess.
Could his decision also have had something to do with Labour’s dire performance in the CC elections – losing all their councillors and running 3rd behind the Eng Dems!
It’s such a shame Dr. Stoate is standing down. I have a friend that lives in this seat and he said Dr. Stoate was a ncie guy and a very hard-working MP. When visiting Dartford town centre I have seen Dr. Stoate on numerous occasions so he seems to be a very proactive MP. I wish him well for the future.
“The professions concerned are not just medical ones. I think construction professionals such as Chartered Engineers and Architects would also have problems.”
A Chartered Architect can maintain RIBA membership if working outside the profession. The last architect in parliament was Sidney Chapman (Birmingham Handsworth 1970 – 1974 and Chipping Barnet 1979 – 2005). He recently stood to be on the RIBA council.
Peter, thanks for the information. Perhaps you could clarify. Did Sidney Chapman practise as an architect during either or both his terms as an MP? Did he return to practise between 1974 and 1979? Presumably, if he has stood to be on the RIBA council he returned to practise after 2005.
Incidentally, given the political issues that are always raised by major construction projects, it is surprising that more architects have not been MPs. Are there any particular reasons why?
It is increasingly difficult to return to work in a profession, even where this is theoretically possible according to the regulations, even if one retains membership of a professional body, because of increased emphasis on CPD (Continuous Professional Development): this is the situation for instance in psychology, in which I hold degrees (but not professional status). If Sidney Chapman managed to combine being an architect and an MP. that does not necessarily mean that anybody will be able to do so in future.
I would like to add another point. Labour have systematically taken self-regulatory powers away from professions and given them to “independent” councils, in effect Quangos. There has been little public debate about this, perhaps because the issues are too complicated for easy explanation. But I am very unhappy. Specifically in relation to psychology, the “lead Department”, Health has in effect empire built by medicalising the conception of a basic science whose freedom from interference is important to human rights and dignity. More generally, the “independence” of regulating bodies depends upon who appoints them. The recent case where a nurse was disciplined fro infringing patients’ privacy instead of supported for revealing outrageous treatment of elederly people in hospital is to me a horrible warning of what may happen when regulation by professions concerned to maintain their ethical standards is replaced by regulation by bodies acting in the “public interest”.
There are some (although exact) parrallels between recent Labour attitudes towards the professions and those of 1920s Italy, Obviously, the precedent is very unhappy.
A further issue is that, particularly in today’s fast changing economy, over-regulation of the professions and requirements for qualifications is damaging to prosperity. It prevents the optimal deployment of the workforce and its rapid adaptation to meet current needs (for example, I used to work on mainframe computers, but this is irrelvevant to today’s IT industry although I have a lot of related business skills).
MPs are now being hoisted by their own, Labour laid, petard. Career issues mean that able and qualified people cannot afford to become MPs. Converesely, we already see how current MPs are bobbled, for instance in the integrity with which they pursue principled action in Parliament, by the few prospects open to them after leaving the Commons (particularly if one discounts opportunities provided through patronage).
I don’t pretend the points I have made on this post are on issues that will directly change votes at elections. But they do relate to the general disillusionment with politics, and to the low level of competence at which Westminster operates (in particular by comparison with past generations), factors which are already clearly having effects on voting behaviour, for instance in relation to increased voting share for the major minor parties, e.g. UKIP and Greens.
Given the majority in Dartford and the surrent state of the polls, Dr. Stoate has little to lose by announcing he is standing down. He had little chance of being re-elected anyway. But that does not mean that the point he is making about full-time MPs is any less valid or important. He has raised issues that he could very usefully follow up in his remaining months as an MP, and which, because they touch on problems encountered by ordinary people, could help his successor as Labour candidate, whoever that is.
If Labour holds onto Dartford early on election night in 2010 then I think that would be an absolute disaster for the Tories far worse than Labour’s position in 1992.
The hysterics, the bedwetters, the knives, the conhome t**ts, you name it would be out.
As it is, I think Tories will gain it by about 5,000 – perhaps rather more than I thought before.
I don’t think there’s any chance of Labour holding the seat. A good result for them would be to lose by only 3,000 or so but I doubt that will happen.
Andy, as someone who has campaigned in Dartford extensively over the years I think that Gareth Johnson’s margin of victroy will be 6 – 8,000. Dr Stoate jumped before he was made redundant by the electorate and tellingly he made his announcement re the second jobs before anything had been announced by HM Government.
‘If Labour holds onto Dartford early on election night in 2010 ……’ JJB you obviously don’t know Dartford that well, as last time it was almost 06:00 before declaration and the last two local counts have not finished before 06:00 so this bellwether seat won’t be declaring until long after the next government is obvious!!
Shame if Howard Stoate is standing down – he has always been extremely responsive and helpful in both local and personal matters – in my opinion he is exactly what an MP should be, and a fine advertisment for parliamentary democracy