General election 2010: Prosser loses Dover
By Sasjkia Otto
Labour’s Gwyn Prosser has lost Dover to the Conservatives with a surprise ten per cent swing.
Mr Prosser lost nearly 5,000 votes to the Conservatives this year and saw its 45% share of the vote in 2005 reduced to 33%. Labour shed 11.8% of voters.
The Conservatives gained a 44% share of the vote with a total of 22,174 votes.
Despite the marginality of this constituency, Labour beat the Tories by ten percentage points in 2005. They looked set to win with a consistent majority and continuing support from the increasing population in the towns outrunning the rural traditions.
But the Tories capitalised on the government’s increase in port rates, which hit Dover hard and put Mr Prosser in a difficult position.
