2005 result

Gisela Stuart (Lab)

Majority: 2,349 votes. — 532nd largest out of 643 MPs.

Candidate profiles

Incumbent – Labour – Gisela Stuart
Born in 1955 in Bavaria, Germany, she was educated at Staat Realschule and Manchester Polytechnic. Gisela Stuart moved to Britain in 1974 and worked as a lecturer. She was first elected as MP for Birmingham Edgbaston in 1997 and served as junior heath minister from 1999 to 2001. Was on the steering group of the European Convention that drew up the European Constitution, but was  critical of the constitution when it was finished.

Conservative – Deirdre Alden
A member of the Conservative party for 30 years and a Conservative councillor for Edgbaston. Her husband John represents Harborne and son Robert is the candidate for Erdington.
Mrs Alden was the candidate for Edgbaston at the 2005 General Election when she halved the Labour majority – cutting it from 4,698 to 2,349.

Lib Dem – Roger Harmer
A Birmingham councillor since 1995 Roger Harmer contested Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath in 1997. He is a member of Amnesty International and has been deputy regional director for Business in the Community (West Midlands). He was also a team leader at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Green – Phil Simpson
Phil Simpson has lived in Edgbaston constituency with his family for over 40 years during which time he has stood at local, Parliamentary and European level for the Green Party.  He worked in local government till his retirement and has experience in Planning, Highways and Traffic services.