Independent

This category covers politicians who do not belong to a particular party, such as the former news reporter Martin Bell, who won a seat in the 1997 General Election in Tatton, Cheshire - what was thought to be a one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. Bell in fact won with a majority of 11,000 votes, becoming the first successful independent parliamentary candidate since the Second World War.

There are currently 2 independent candidates in the House of Commons: Peter Law (Blaenau Gwent) and Dr Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest). Taylor first ran in 2001 as the 'Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern' candidate, initially campaigning on a single issue: that of keeping Kidderminster Hospital open. He won by a majority of 18,000. He was re-elected in 2005, albeit with a reduced majority of 5,250.