Frequently Asked Questions — Cambridge Constituency

Who won the Cambridge constituency election in 2005?

Liberal Democrats gained Cambridge constituency at the 5 May 2005 General Election, taking the seat from Labour. Liberal Democrats won with a majority of 4,339 votes (10.0%). Turnout was 62.1%.

What was the swing in Cambridge at the 2005 election?

The swing in Cambridge was 13.9% from LAB to LD — a modest shift towards LD. Swing is calculated using the Butler two-party formula: the average of the change in winner's vote share and the fall in the runner-up's vote share compared to the previous election here.

What does swing mean in UK elections?

Swing measures how much support has shifted between two parties compared to a previous election. The Butler swing formula — used in British election reporting since the 1950s — takes the average of the gain in the winner's vote share and the loss in the runner-up's. A 5% swing is considered large at ward level; anything above 10% is exceptional. The swing figure for Cambridge in 2005 is shown in the statistics above.