# Mid Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Mid Staffordshire was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997.
It covered a swathe of territory across the centre of Staffordshire, stretching from Lichfield and Rugeley in the south to Stone in the north.
At the 1983 general election, the seat was won by John Heddle of the Conservative Party, who had previously represented the Lichfield and Tamworth constituency. Heddle held the seat at the 1987 general election.
Following Heddle's suicide in December 1989, a by-election followed on 22 March 1990. The by-election attracted a blaze of publicity, and a large number of candidates (14), as it took place at the height of the public dissatisfaction with the Conservative government over the Community Charge or Poll Tax (indeed, the notorious Poll Tax Riots took place only days after the by-election). Sylvia Heal of the Labour Party was victorious in the by-election; however she failed to retain the seat at the 1992 general election, losing to the Conservatives' Michael Fabricant.
In 1997, a review by the Boundary Commission reorganised the constituencies in Staffordshire, and Mid Staffordshire was abolished. It was replaced by parts of four constituencies: mostly by the Lichfield and Stone constituencies, apart from Rugeley which was included in Cannock Chase, and the area around the village of Great Haywood which was covered by the Stafford constituency. Michael Fabricant became MP for Lichfield at the 1997 general election.

## Boundaries

The District of Lichfield wards of Armitage with Handsacre, Central, Chadsmead, Colton and Ridwares, Curborough, King's Bromley, Longdon, Leomansley, St John's, and Stowe, the Borough of Stafford wards of Barlaston, Chartley, Fulford, Haywood, Milwich, Oulton, St Michael's, and Stonefield and Christchurch, and the District of Cannock Chase wards of Brereton and Ravenhill, Brindley Heath, Etching Hill, Hagley, and Western Springs.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| 1983 | John Heddle | Conservative | Previously MP for Lichfield and Tamworth from 1979; died in office December 1989 |
| 1990 by-election | Sylvia Heal | Labour | Subsequently MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis 1997–2010 and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons 2000–2010 |
| 1992 | Michael Fabricant | Conservative | Subsequently MP for Lichfield since 1997 |
| 1997 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Mid Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Heddle | 27,210 | 52.1 | |
| | Liberal | Timothy Jones | 13,330 | 25.5 | |
| | Labour | Peter Lane | 11,720 | 22.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,880 | 26.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,260 | 77.5 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1987: Mid Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Heddle | 28,644 | 50.6 | −1.5 |
| | Labour | Crispin St. Hill | 13,990 | 24.7 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal | Timothy Jones | 13,114 | 23.2 | −2.3 |
| | Ind. Conservative | James Bazeley | 836 | 1.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,654 | 25.9 | −0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,584 | 79.4 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

By-election 1990: Mid Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sylvia Heal | 27,649 | 49.1 | +24.4 |
| | Conservative | Charles Prior | 18,200 | 32.3 | −18.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Timothy Jones | 6,315 | 11.2 | −12.0 |
| | SDP | Ian Wood | 1,422 | 2.5 | New |
| | Green | Robert Saunders | 1,215 | 2.2 | New |
| | Anti-Thatcher Conservative | James Bazeley | 547 | 1.0 | New |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Screaming Lord Sutch | 336 | 0.6 | New |
| | National Front | John Hill | 311 | 0.5 | New |
| | NHS Supporters Party | Christopher Abell | 102 | 0.2 | New |
| | Against Immigration Conservative Green | Nicholas Parker-Jervis | 71 | 0.1 | New |
| | Raving Loony Green Giant Supercalafragalistic Party | Stuart Hughes | 59 | 0.1 | New |
| | National Independent Correct Edification | Lindi St Clair | 51 | 0.1 | New |
| | Independent 'Save the 2CV' | Bernard Mildwater | 42 | 0.1 | New |
| | Christian Patriotic Alliance - Save Britain Campaign | David Black | 39 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,449 | 16.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,359 | 77.5 | −1.9 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +21.0 | |
General election 1992: Mid Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Fabricant | 31,227 | 49.7 | −0.9 |
| | Labour | Sylvia Heal | 24,991 | 39.8 | +15.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | BJ Stamp | 6,402 | 10.2 | −13.0 |
| | Natural Law | D Grice | 239 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,236 | 9.9 | −16.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,859 | 85.6 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −8.0 | |