Grantham and Stamford (UK Parliament constituency) villages. The only other large settlement in the seat is the rapidly growing town of Bourne, situated at the west of the Lincolnshire Fens. Food processing and agriculture are the major industries. Politically, Grantham is associated with Margaret Thatcher, who was born and raised in the town. However, the town of Grantham itself probably has the biggest Labour Party support of the constituency. The rural part of the seat and the historical town of Stamford outweigh any Labour votes in Grantham, and it is normally a safe Conservative seat. The history of Conservative representation was briefly interrupted between 2007-10 when
Shadow Cabinet of Margaret Thatcher Shadow Cabinet of Margaret Thatcher Margaret Thatcher became the first female Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition after winning the 1975 leadership election, the first Conservative leadership election where the post was not vacant. A rule change to enable the election was largely prompted by dissatisfaction with the incumbent leader, Edward Heath, who had lost three of four general elections as leader, including two in 1974. After announcing her first Shadow Cabinet in February 1975, she reshuffled it twice: in January and November 1976. Minor subsequent changes were necessary to respond to various circumstances. Thatcher's Shadow