Labour battles for Bromwich

When Betty Boothroyd surprised Westminster in the summer with her announcement that she was retiring as speaker of the House of Commons, she set off two contests.

The battle to succeed her in the speaker's chair was decided last month. But now Labour is faced with defending the seat of West Bromwich West which Ms Boothroyd held since 1973.

There is little doubt that Ms Boothroyd's reputation as speaker and the affection in which she was held make the ex-Tiller Girl's shoes difficult ones to fill.

1992 general election result

Labour: 22,251 (54.8%)

Conservative: 14,421 (35.5%)

Liberal Democrat: 3,925 (9.7%)

Lab majority: 7,830 (19.3%)

It is the first time the constituency has seen a genuine contest for parliament since 1992, since by tradition the speaker is generally unopposed - certainly by the mainstream parties - when standing for parliament.

That convention was ignored only by a far-right group and a candidate who ran under the banner "Labour Change" at the 1997 election.

West Bromwich West itself is a mixture of industrial towns with nearly half the workforce employed in manufacturing.

With Rover's Longbridge plant down the road, the manufacture of car components are a major source of employment.

In some ways it is a typical Labour seat, with almost half the electorate living in council houses, significant social and health problems including high levels of strokes and osteoporosis.

Betty Boothroyd campaigning in 1973

And although the figures are hard to call, current predictions suggest that Labour is likely to win with a majority of something over 6,000 following boundary changes.

At the last properly contested election in 1992 Ms Boothroyd fought off a Conservative challenge and won with a majority of 7,830.

Although the figures are hard to call for this contest, current predictions suggest Labour may be likely to win with a majority of something over 6,000 - the size of the 1992 majority adjusted to take account of boundary changes since then.

The electorate includes a substantial elderly population with 25% of voters living in retirement.

Far-right target

Another feature is the high proportion of ethnic minorities, making up one in five of the population.

In past years far-right groups have seized on that fact and sought to make political capital out of allying it to the area's social problems.

In 1973, the year Ms Boothroyd won the seat in a by-election, the then chairman of the racist National Front (NF), Martin Webster, polled 5,500 votes.

1997 general election result

Speaker: 23,969 (65.3%)

Labour Change: 8,546 (23.3%)

National Democrat: 4,181 (11.4%)

Speaker majority: 15,423 (42%)

At the last general election Steve Edwards ran as a National Democrat - a euphemism for the NF - and polled 4,181 votes.

Labour's worry, as in many of its seats, is that its vote is proving hard to get out.

This time round the British National Party is carrying the extreme-right banner in the West Bromwich West; its candidate is former NF member and now BNP leader Nicholas Griffin.

In the mainstream, Labour is fielding the deputy leader of the Sandwell council, Adrian Bailey, who is fighting a campaign in which the issue of crime features fairly highly.

Mr Bailey, 54, is a former librarian who has been described by the editor of the Birmingham Post as being "as inspiring as a vandalised bus shelter on Sedgley Road West".

Unflattering remarks

That comment and some other equally unflattering remarks had the effect of rallying public support in Mr Bailey's favour.

His chief rival in the campaign looks to be the Tory candidate Karen Bissell, a 35-year-old legal executive whom recently became a councillor.

Critics have cast her as a political novice. A staunch Eurosceptic, her campaign has focused crime and the record of the local council.

Ms Bissell could have some of her vote eroded by the UK Independence Party's candidate, Jonathan Oakton.

Also running is the Liberal Democrat candidate Sadie Smith who leads Sandwell council's official opposition.

Her campaign is focusing on the record of the Labour-run council and has included a litter-collecting publicity stunt.

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Full list of candidates for the West Bromwich West Westminster by-election:
Adrian Bailey(Labour); Karen Bissell (Conservative); Nicholas Griffin (BNP); Sadie Smith (Liberal Democrat).