The constituency's Labour Member of Parliament (MP), John Golding (9 March 1931 – 20 January 1999) resigned his seat to become a trade union leader.

He did this by being appointed Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, a notional office of profit under the Crown, which is used to permit MPs to vacate their seats.

After stepping down at the 2001 general election she was created a Life peer as Baroness Golding, of Newcastle-under-Lyme in the County of Staffordshire in the same year.

The Conservative candidate was James Charles Barton Nock, a senior partner in a hotel development in Kent.

John Alan Gaskell was an Independent, using the ballot paper label "Rainbow Alliance Prince Charles Appreciation Party".

James Parker was an Independent candidate, using the ballot paper description "Referendum on Nuclear Energy".

David D'Arcy Brewester was another Independent candidate, using the ballot paper label "Rainbow Alliance Bob Geldof Appreciation Party".