Battleground Anglia: Welwyn Hatfield

The Conservatives won the Welwyn Hatfield seat in Hertfordshire at the 2010 General Election with a majority of more than 17,000 votes. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Created out of two towns, Welwyn and Hatfield, the constituency contains the New Town and the Garden City as well as Brookmans Park.

Welwyn Hatfield is the fifth safest seat in the Anglia region.

The constituency almost mirrors the local district council area of the same name apart from the villages of Northaw and Cuffley which are in the Broxbourne parliamentary seat.

The Conservatives have had a majority on Welwyn Hatfield council since 2002. Labour ran the council between 1994 and 2000 apart for one year in 1999/2000.

  • Conservative majority in 2010: 17,432

  • There are only 51 safer seats in the UK

  • Labour would need a swing of 18% to win in 2015 and the Lib Dems would need a 20% swing

The current MP for Welwyn Hatfield is Grant Shapps, who has been chairman of the Conservative Party since 2012. He's been the MP for ten years.

Labour held the seat between 1997 and 2005.

Candidates in 2015

  • Hugh Annand - Liberal Democrats

  • Michael Green - No description

  • Anawar Miah - Labour

  • Marc Scheimann - Green

  • Grant Shapps - Conservative

  • Richard Shattock - Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts

  • Arthur Stevens - UKIP