This is a seat which has tended to be safe for the Conservatives, but one whose incumbents have shown a great propensity for causing the party trouble in other ways.
In 1995 Alan Howarth defected to Labour, and in 1963 was the seat of disgraced War Secretary John Profumo.
This is a rural constituency, Stratford-on-Avon being the only big town in a seat that covers almost half of Warwickshire. Stratford is one of the world’s greatest tourist attractions, marketing its Shakespeare connections for all their considerable worth. Almost 4 million visitors come here every year, bringing £135 million to the local economy.
Tourism is the seat’s most important industry, employing 17% of the population. Outside the town itself, a number of country homes - both inhabited and National Trust managed - contribute to the stately feel of the seat. The landscape is beautiful and the feeling sedate, partially the result of an elderly population - in the 1991 census a large 50% of the population were over 40.