Like many constituencies, this one covers much more territory than the town after which it is named. Aside from Yeovil, it takes in Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster as well as many picturesque villages.
Yeovil itself is not only a thriving market town, but also a growing industrial and commercial town with light industry and hi-tech engineering for aerospace production. Westland Helicopters is the largest employer here, with a workforce of about 5,000. Cabinet disagreements over the future of Westland caused the resignations of Michael Heseltine and Leon Brittan in 1986.
Yeovil was represented by the Tories from 1918 to 1983, but was then won by Sir Paddy Ashdown, who consolidated his lead at the ensuing elections, being the Lib Dem leader at the contests in 1992 and 1997.
Recently it has been regarded as a safe Lib Dem seat with a majority of over 11,000, although the party's vote share actually dropped in 1997.
Sir Paddy is standing down at this election; his successor as Lib Dem candidate is the party's former director of policy and research, David Laws.
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