[3] The election had attracted high media and public interest following heavy defeats for the incumbent Labour party in the local elections held earlier that same month, and the fact it followed the controversial removal by the Labour government of the 10 pence national income tax band, which had seen a backbench rebellion against Prime Minister Gordon Brown, causing an announcement in the same month of a recovery package to help the people left worse off by the move.

New MP Edward Timpson said in his victory speech that he would "not let you down",[4] whilst Brown attributed the defeat to rising petrol prices, and the recent increases in the cost of living.

[13] The Liberal Democrat candidate Elizabeth Shenton had worked as a senior manager for the RBS and NatWest, where she was an active member of the trade union.

[15] Robert Smith, a 23-year-old town planner (and transport planning specialist)[16] educated at the University of Liverpool[12] stood for the Green Party of England and Wales and particularly campaigned to reverse the privatisation of British Rail (and associated fare increases).

The Labour Party ran a personal class-based campaign against the Conservative candidate, calling him "the Tarporley Toff", "Lord Snooty", "Tory Boy Timpson".

The campaign was criticised by a number of national newspapers, including the left-leaning Guardian[25] as well as The Times,[26] while Dunwoody herself was confronted by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight over the fact that she has an entry in Burke's Peerage and Baronetage.

Dunwoody held the seat with a reduced majority, while both the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats enjoyed an increase in their vote share.