Frequently Asked Questions — Harrogate and Knaresborough Constituency

Who won the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency election in 2005?

Liberal Democrats gained Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency at the 5 May 2005 General Election, taking the seat from Conservative. Liberal Democrats won with a majority of 10,429 votes (24.3%). Turnout was 65.3%.

What was the swing in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the 2005 election?

The swing in Harrogate and Knaresborough was 20.7% from CON 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 Harrogate and Knaresborough in 2005 is shown in the statistics above.