Staffordshire Moorlands is based on the towns of Leek and Biddulph, now joined by Kidsgrove on the northern edges of Stoke-on-Trent; it is one of the clearer cases of a seat which was won by Labour at the last boundary review rather than at the election itself. The alterations replaced 26,000 largely rural voters with 18,000 from Kidsgrove, almost exactly recreating the old Leek constituency, which was held by Labour from 1945 to 1970. The result in 1997 was never really in much doubt, Charlotte Atkins piling up a majority in excess of 10,000.

The Conservatives did manage to win here in the Euro elections when they polled 37% to Labour's 30%, and much of their strength comes from the remaining rural territory outside the main towns. But in an even year this would no longer be enough; in Kidsgrove for example the Conservatives failed to poll more than 15% of the vote in any of the four wards in May 1999, and they did scarcely any better in Biddulph. Their parliamentary hopeful Marcus Hayes will have an uphill struggle in what again seems a reasonably safe Labour seat.

Parliamentary Statistics pre-Election 2001

Labour majority 10,049 (19.7%)  Conservative target 155
MP Charlotte Atkins
1997 (Turnout 77.3%)
Labour	26,686	52.2%
Conservative	16,637	32.5%
Liberal Democrat	6,191	12.1%
Referendum	1,603	3.1%

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For Staffordshire Moorlands 2001 Election result - click here.