Since they last won the seat in 1945, Labour had come close in Burton without regaining the seat; the Conservatives held on by just 300 votes in 1966 and prominent Conservative MP Ivan Lawrence won by just under 6,000 in 1992. But even Lawrence could not withstand the Labour tidal wave in 1997, a slightly below average swing resulting in Staffordshire councillor Janet Dean more or less reversing the 1992 result with a majority of 6,330.

The constituency is a mix of Burton-upon-Trent and a rural strip running in a north westerly direction through and beyond Uttoxeter. There are safe Labour wards in Burton itself, but equally safe Conservative wards in villages such as Tutbury and Hanbury. In the East Staffordshire council elections in May 1999 (almost all of which is included in the constituency), Labour were marginally ahead of the Conservatives, but this result was dramatically reversed in the following month's Euro elections when the Conservatives led by 15%. A close contest is in prospect next time, and it will be one of the handful which will feature two women, as the Conservatives have selected Maggie Punyer.

Parliamentary Statistics pre-Election 2001

Labour majority 6,330 (11.6%)  Conservative target 95
MP Janet Dean
1997 (Turnout 75.1%)
Labour	27,810	51.0%
Conservative	21,480	39.4%
Liberal Democrat	4,617	8.5%
Other	604	1.1%

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For Burton 2001 Election result - click here.