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> United Kingdom > England > East of England > East of England
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| Established | November 24, 1885 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RBH November 19, 2021 09:19pm |
| Description |
This is the former seat of Conservative Tristen Garel-Jones, a pro-European former Foreign Office minister with a colourful turn of phrase. He was dubbed ''Minister for Madrid'' by Euro-sceptic former MP Teresa Gorman, who accused him of "having a love for the EU beyond what most people would normally manifest". At his retirement in 1997, the seat swept decisively with the New Labour tide and elected Claire Ward, who was then 24 and the youngest female MP in the Commons. With Ms Ward's majority at just over 5, 000, she was reported to have chastised the prime minister and the chancellor at the Parliamentary Labour Party for bickering, saying it will be constituencies like hers which will be affected. There is a strong Liberal Democrat vote at local elections - in 2004, the Liberal Democrats strengthened their presence in the town by winning six seats. A Lib Dem directly elected mayor also strengthens their hold here. But this success has not, to date, transferred to a general election campaign. Watford was a 19th Century industrial town and is situated in the south west of Hertfordshire on the border with greater London. In that sense, the town's urban character sets it apart from the rest of the county. It has the only substantial ethnic minority population in Hertfordshire. In 2004, plans to build a new primary school in Watford for more than 200 Muslim children were approved. Paper is still an important industry here, the first printing company having set up its presses in 1834. Today, four million copies of The Mirror and The Independent roll off the presses every night in Watford. Perhaps the highest profile company in Watford is the national lottery operator, Camelot, although thanks to how the boundaries fall in this area it is actually in neighbouring Hertfordshire South West. There are strong sport connections too with the Woodside Athletics stadium, the Saracens rugby club and, of course, Watford FC.
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