The 2005 UK General Election promised to be a hard-fought contest. Drawing upon contributions from a range of experts, this book explains the basis upon which the election was fought. Combining analysis of the party campaigns with a longer-term assessment of the handling of key issues, the volume provides a definitive guide to how the election was won and lost. Academic analyses of social, political and territorial factors in how the UK voted are complemented by outsider views and constituency profiles, in a rigorous, lively and accessible manner.