Brent North is essentially the suburban parts of Wembley the stadium and the shopping centre are in Brent South. It is a quiet and comfortable place for the most part, shading into Harrow on its north side at Sudbury, served by the upper reaches of the Jubilee and Bakerloo lines. Along with Harrow, this is London's premier Asian residential area. The area is close enough to the cultural and shopping facilities of Southall to keep up community links, and also provides high quality 1930s family housing and a pleasant environment. By 1991 the non-white population was 41.3% in Brent North, but the seat was still safely Conservative, reflecting its very middle class composition.

Brent North broke a record in May 1997. The swing to Labour, 18.8%, was the sharpest to take place in a seat undisturbed by a defection or a by-election since 1945. The Conservatives were completely shell-shocked by the loss of the seat, and Labour's victories have continued here since. Although Labour were lagging 48-39% in the wards of Brent North in the 1998 council elections, this is perhaps deceptive. Most of the component wards of Brent North had swings of over 10% to Labour between 1994 and 1998 in Roe Green (across the road from Hendon) it reached 18.8%. Labour's positive national image was at last able to secure a strong vote for the party in local elections, where Labour had for long been struggling against the disastrous record of the council in 198690. Brent North was still Labour in the 1999 Euro election the only unlikely Labour gain to remain this loyal but was probably Tory in the 2000 GLA election. With the loss of 1974-97 Tory MP Rhodes Boyson's personal vote, it now looks a tough nut for Tory candidate Philip Allott to crack.

Parliamentary Statistics pre-Election 2001

Labour majority 4,019 (10.5%)  Conservative target 83
MP Barry Gardiner
1997 (Turnout 70.5%)
Labour	19,343	50.7%
Conservative	15,324	40.1%
Liberal Democrat	3,104	8.1%
Others	403	1.0%

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For Brent North 2001 Election result - click here.