This seat is named after the cathedral city of St. Albans, which is in the north of the constituency, about 20 miles from central London. The city has notable theological connections, given that is named after the first English martyr, it provided the only English pope, Adrian IV, and a number of the city’s bishops have gone on to be Archbishop of Canterbury, including the late Lord Runcie.
Today, tourism plays an important part in the city’s economy, but apart from the historic streets and churches, splendid parklands and gardens, St. Albans is also a thriving shopping and business centre. PricewaterhouseCoopers have an office here to serve businesses in the northern home counties, whilst Post Office Counters’ Head Office for the North Thames and East Anglia Region is here. The constituency is also home to many who commute into London both by rail and road: three motorways dissect the constituency - the M25, M10 and M1.
This was a relatively unexpected Labour gain, given that they had been in third place before 1997.