Frequently Asked Questions — Bermondsey and Old Southwark Constituency

Who won the Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency election in 2005?

Liberal Democrats gained Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency at the 5 May 2005 General Election, taking the seat from Labour. Liberal Democrats won with a majority of 5,406 votes (14.2%). Turnout was 49.2%.

What was the swing in Bermondsey and Old Southwark at the 2005 election?

The swing in Bermondsey and Old Southwark was 20.9% 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 Bermondsey and Old Southwark in 2005 is shown in the statistics above.