2001 United Kingdom general election previous autumn had shown the first Tory lead (though only by a narrow margin) in the opinion polls for eight years as they benefited from the public anger towards the government over the fuel protests which had led to a severe shortage of motor fuel. By the end of 2000, however, the dispute had been solved and Labour were firmly back in the lead of the opinion polls. In total, a mere 29 parliamentary seats changed hands at the 2001 Election. One of the more noted events of a quiet campaign was when countryside protester Craig Evans threw an egg
David Evans (British politician) making remarks considered racist, such as asking how the sixth-formers would feel if their daughter was raped by "some black bastard". The Six won substantial damages from Evans in July 1998, who thereafter apologised for what he had said and promised never to repeat it. After losing his seat in Parliament, he continued to manage his industrial cleaning business, the Broadreach Group, which he sold in May 2002 for around £17 million. David Evans died on 22 October 2008, of pulmonary fibrosis. He was married to Janice Evans who died on 9 August 2016 aged 79. David Evans (British politician)