The Banbury electorate of this constituency is drawn from the towns of Banbury and Bicester and the villages of north-east Oxfordshire.

Banbury and Bicester are expanding market and industrial towns, both experiencing growth because of their proximity to the M40.

The main employer in Banbury is Kraft Foods, while in Bicester the Ministry of Defence and Bicester Village have the largest number of workers.

There is still a strong armed forces presence around Bicester, and despite the closure of the US Air Force base at Upper Heyford, the percentage of men employed in the services is higher than in any other seat in South East of England, north of the Thames.

Banbury is the main town in the constituency, with a population of about 45,000 people.

There has been a great deal of new residential building throughout the constituency -- though this has been largely centred on Bicester and Banbury. The seat is Tory-held and is Labour target number 32. The 2001 result was a Conservative victory with a 10.1 per cent majority. The turnout then was 51,515 voters, out of an electorate of 83,392 -- 61.7 per cent.

ZOE PATRICK (Liberal Democrat)

She was born and educated in Coventry in the West Midlands, and lived for some years in Geneva, while her husband worked at the Cern physics laboratory.

She moved with her family to Grove more than 20 years ago. Her voluntary work has involved being governor at her local primary school, chairman of the village scout group, and secretary of the pre-school playgroup.

She was a district councillor on the Vale of White Horse District Council for six years, acting as vice chairman of planning policy, and for two years was an executive member and deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat-controlled council.

She was a member of Oxfordshire Community Health Council for six years and was vice chairman for the two years before its abolition. She is a member of the county council's joint health overview and scrutiny committee. Tony Baldry (Conservative)

Mr Baldry, who lives in Bloxham, was born in 1950 and grew up in the Thames Valley. His mother was a nurse and his doctor father was research secretary to the British Tuberculosis Association and then became a consultant physician specialising in chest and heart diseases.

Mr Baldry was educated at the Quaker Boarding School at Leighton Park, in Reading.

Many pupils at Leighton Park were from families actively involved in politics and Mr Baldry said: "By the time I went to Sussex University in 1969 to read law, many of my political ideas were reasonably well developed."

Mr Baldry is a leading campaigner in the fight to retain services at The Horton Hospital, in Banbury, and has fought against the asylum seeker centre near Bicester. He is chairman of the Parliamentary international development committee and frequently travels to Third World countries as part of his work. ALYSON DUCKMANTON (Green)

She has been actively involved in Green politics and issues for nearly 10 years. She has a degree in environmental science and is particularly interested in human rights and justice issues.

"As a mother of two, I feel very strongly the about sort of world in which we are bringing up our children. I want to see a sense of community among people.

"I want a safe environment in which children grow up as responsible, happy individuals connected to their world and other people in it."

Mrs Duckmanton lives in east Oxford with her husband and two sons. She is a committee member at the Donnington Doorstep Family Centre in Oxford. CHRIS ROWE (Your Party)

Mr Rowe, 26, will represent the recently founded Your Party in the General Election.

Mr Rowe is not new to local politics.

In May 2002 he stood as an Independent in Banbury's Hardwick ward in the Cherwell District Council elections. He gained 212 votes -- the lowest of the six candidates.

Now Mr Rowe is standing for Parliament on the promise that if elected he will give power to the people.

Mr Rowe said: "The aim of Your Party is to give genuine power to the public on decisions they care about.

"We will start with no bias about the future, and we will seek to find common ground between citizens of all backgrounds." DIANA HEIMANN (UKIP)

Ms Heimann comes from a family with a history steeped in politics.

Her father Ian Macleod was Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Edward Heath's Cabinet when he died in 1970 and her mother Eve launched the charity Crisis and was a member of the House of Lords until she died five years ago.

Mrs Heimann lives near Coleshill, Buckinghamshire, and has lived in the county for more than 30 years.

She was a journalist, a farmer, ran a retail business and a day nursery, and has been a district councillor.

UKIP is committed to withdrawing Britain from the European Union to prevent the Government being taken over by Brussels. She said she is not anti-European, but wants Britain to be run by the British.

LES SIBLEY (Labour)

For Mr Sibley, standing as a Parliamentary candidate, also means he has to tender his resignation from his job.

But the town, district and county councillor's employer, the Ministry of Defence, will not act upon it unless he wins the Banbury seat.

Civil servant Mr Sibley, 55, is standing for the second time against sitting Conservative MP Tony Baldry.

The father of two has been involved in local politics for about 15 years.

Former Bicester mayor Mr Sibley, who is married and has lived in the town for 37 years, said: "If people do vote for me they will be creating history, as there has never been a Labour MP for a northern Oxfordshire seat.

"It's time for a change -- Tony Baldry has been in the seat a long time and I think we need a fresh pair of eyes."

JAMES STARKEY (National Front)

The National Front is hoping to get a political foothold in north Oxfordshire at the election.

Its candidate James Starkey is no stranger to standing for Parliament as he was a candidate in by-elections in Birmingham and Hartlepool last year.

Mr Starkey, who is divorced and has a daughter, pledged to fight to build a new community hospital in Bicester and ensure asylum accommodation centres are not built any where in the country. He says he is appalled by the state of the NHS.

On a national level the party wants to stop immigration and unnecessary imports, invest in British industry, leave the European Union, reintroduce the death penalty for certain offences, and crack down on violent criminals.