One of the most dramatic results at the last election was Michael Portillo’s in Enfield Southgate. His loss to Labour’s Stephen Twigg characterised the devastation that the Tories suffered at the hands of New Labour.
Historically and demographically Enfield Southgate had always been a Tory story. In the 1992 election Mr Portillo had commanded a majority of 15,500 and had held the seat since a 1984 by-election. The seat had never had a Labour occupant.
Southgate is the only truly middle class suburban seat in the borough of Enfield and has 79% owner occupation. Much of the area is home to commuters, and Trent Park ward can be described as semi-rural. The seat also includes urban Palmers Green and the north circular road, and the rural tranquillity of Hadley Wood and the green belt.
Local authority housing is low here, representing just 7.7% of the stock. There is a fairly high non-white population here, standing at just under 14%. This includes large Hindu and Jewish communities. There is also a large Cypriot population.