General Election 2017 key seats – what is a marginal or swing seat and where are the closest constituencies?
POLITICAL parties hoping to swipe seats from their rivals in today's general election have been concentrating their efforts on marginal constituencies across the country.
People living in these areas have probably seen many campaigners during the final run-up to the pivotal vote. Here are the one's you should be watching as the results come in...
What is a marginal or swing seat?
A marginal or swing seat is a constituency where the incumbent MP has only a small majority.
The seats have a history of electing representatives from different parties and require only a small number of voters to change their minds to see an incumbent MP booted out.
Parties will concentrate resources on these marginal seats, which often see visits from key party figures in the days and weeks before an election.
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Where are the key constituencies in the General Election 2017?
In some of these MPs have exceptionally small majorities and can expect fierce challenges from rivals.
But there are more than 50 seats that were won with a majority of less than five per cent, including:
Conservative
- Bedford (2.38%)
- Bolton West (1.65%)
- Brighton, Kemptown (1.52%)
- Bury North (0.84%)
- Cardiff North (4.18%)
- Corby (4.29%)
- Croydon Central (0.31%)
- Derby North (0.09%)
- Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (1.53%)
- Eastbourne (1.39%)
- Gower (0.06%)
- Kingston and Surbiton (4.78%)
- Lewes (2.14%)
- Lincoln (3.08%)
- Morley and Outwood (0.87%)
- Peterborough (4.09%)
- Plymouth, Moor View (2.41%)
- Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (1.09%)
- Telford (1.8%)
- Thornbury and Yate (3.08%)
- Thurrock (1.08%)
- Twickenham (3.25%)
- Vale of Clwyd (0.67%)
- Warrington South (4.63%)
- Waveney (4.61%)
- Weaver Vale 1.72%)
Labour
- Bridgend (4.88%)
- Dewsbury (2.71%)
- Enfield North (2.35%)
- Harrow West (4.74%)
- Hove (2.37%)
- Lancaster and Fleetwood (3.03%)
- Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (4.97%)
- North East Derbyshire (3.93%)
Liberal Democrat
- Carshalton and Wallington (3.17%)
- Orkney and Shetland (3.59%)
- Richmond Park, in by-election (4.53%)
- Sheffield, Hallam (4.24%)
- Southport (3%)
SNP
- Berwickshire, Roxborough and Selkirk (0.6%)
- East Dunbartonshire (3.95%)
