The Liberal Democrat candidate succeeding Calton was Stockport council leader Mark Hunter.

The Conservative candidate was Stephen Day (who held the seat from 1987 to 2001, and lost to Calton in the 2005 general election).

[1] Both the Liberal Democrats and a local newspaper threatened legal action over inaccuracies and defamation in Conservative campaign leaflets.

[2] With only 4.6% of the vote, the Labour Party candidate, Martin Miller, lost his deposit.

Labour Party did not fight an energetic campaign in a seat that was a Liberal Democrat/Conservative marginal.