General election 2010: Buck stops Tories in Westminster North
By Sam Dale
Labour has held a key Conservative target in Westminster North as the Tories recorded a negligible swing.
Karen Buck was elected with 17,377 votes and a 2,000 majority. The Tories recorded a swing of just 0.6% in their 61st target.
Conservative candidate Joanne Cash, known to be a close friend of David Cameron, caused turmoil earlier this year after her local party chairman quit following a row.
The Liberal Democrats’ Mark Blackburn was squeezed, losing 5.7% as both Labour and Tories made gains in percentage of vote.
The area contains the City of London which is a major business and financial centre, with few residents.
Only 8,000 people live in the constituency compared to 340,000 people who work there, mainly in the financial sector.
The City of London is one of the few areas of the UK that are specifically guaranteed a parliamentary seat.
