Battleground Anglia: Harborough

The Conservatives won the Harborough constituency in Leicestershire at the 2010 General Election with a majority of nearly 10,000 votes. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Harborough is a largely rural seat in the south east corner of Leicestershire. The seat is now attracting London commuters, while its agricultural economy is in steep decline.

The constituency remains predominantly rural. Harborough's landscapes are known for their ancient hedgerows and spinneys, intersected by meandering waterways. The seat is home to a clutch of historic villages and country houses.

The hub is Market Harborough, with a population of around 21,000, which is expanding rapidly and thriving economically as the town attracts commuters and new local industry workers in equal numbers.

  • Conservative majority in 2010: 9,797

  • The Liberal Democrats would need a swing of 9% to win in 2015 and while Labour would need a 18% swing

Harborough has been held by the Conservatives at every election since 1950. Labour took the seat in 1945. Sir Edward Garnier has been the MP since 1992.

The Liberal Democrats did manage to cut the Conservative majority to a little under 4,000 votes in 2005 taking a 35% share of the vote.

Candidates in 2015

  • Sir Edward Garnier - Conservative

  • Zuffar Haq - Liberal Democrats

  • Mark Hunt - UKIP

  • Sundip Meghani - Labour

  • Darren Woodiwiss - Green