Following boundary changes at the 1997 general election, Sykes contested the redrawn seat of Scarborough and Whitby, but lost to the Labour candidate, Lawrie Quinn, by 5,124 votes.
After the redrawing of electoral district boundaries in 1997, Sykes ran against Labour's Lawrie Quinn in the new Scarborough and Whitby constituency, ultimately falling short by a significant 5,124-vote margin.