When Falmouth and Cambourne was created in 1950 Labour won it narrowly until 1970 when it switched to independently minded Tory populist David Mudd, who had a massive 16,600 majority in 1979. Then the Conservatives went into decline; Mudd's share of the vote fell from 57% in 1979 to 50% in 1983, 44% in 1987 and 37% for his successor, Seb Coe, in 1992. West Cornwall definitely saw itself as belonging to the unfavoured periphery of Britain that had failed to benefit from the 1980s boom. This Thatcher-era Tory collapse was more severe than in Manchester or Glasgow but they held the seat thanks to a divided opposition vote.

This constituency is surprisingly ugly for Cornwall. Camborne is not a town on the tourist circuit; it is surrounded by china clay pits gouged out of the land, and has the sullen and dispirited feel of a place that has suffered greatly from unemployment and neglect. The last tin mine closed during the Major government. Falmouth was once a significant port but now depends more on the tourist trade, where it is at a disadvantage compared to prettier places like St Ives and Looe. Its fishermen form a tiny but vocal minority with some sway over the more sentimental voters, and their resentment at EU fishing policy has undoubtedly fuelled the growth of anti-European feeling in west Cornwall. Ironically, Cornwall is a big net beneficiary of EU funding through its regional development budget.

Candy Atherton won Falmouth and Camborne for Labour in 1997, but with a very low share of the vote (33.8%). Coe was ejected with a relatively small (8.1%) further fall in his vote and the Lib Dems slipped to third place. There was a rag tag and bobtail of other candidates, notably Lands End entrepreneur Peter de Savary for the Referendum Party who saved his deposit with 6.6%, and a rebel Labour man who objected to the women only short list used for the selection (3.2%). An old style Liberal, a Cornish Nationalist and a Loony made up the remainder.

Politics in the second-to-last seat in England will continue to be hard fought and somewhat strange. In Euro 99 the Tories were on top, with scarcely more of the vote than Labour managed in 1997, and Labour were in third narrowly behind the Lib Dems at a little under 20%. The UKIP polled a menacing 15.1%. Council elections in the area, in Kerrier and Carrick districts, are not a good indicator for national politics. The perennial resentments of this remote area, ill-served by most recent governments, may now focus on Labour to the benefit of . . . well, who knows? Lib Dem candidate Terrye Jones, a strong candidate denied in 1992 and 1997, is not standing again. The Conservative candidate is Nick Serpell and the UKIP are a force in the seat.

Parliamentary Statistics pre-Election 2001

Labour majority 2,688 (5.0%)  Conservative target 33 Liberal Democrat target
MP Candy Atherton
1997 (Turnout 75.1%)
Labour	18,151	33.8%
Conservative	15,463	28.8%
Liberal Democrat	13,512	25.2%
Referendum	3,534	6.6%
Ind Labour	1,691	3.2%
Others	1,281	2.4%

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For Falmouth & Cambourne 2001 Election result - click here.