The Hertford and Stortford constituency has returned a Conservative MP since it was created for the 1983 General Election. Then it was won by Bowen Wells, who four years earlier had defeated Labour’s Shirley Williams, then Education Secretary, to win the Hertford and Stevenage seat. He remained the constituency’s MP until he retired in 2001. He was succeeded by Mark Prisk, who held the seat for the Tories despite a Labour landslide, with 167 seats and a second term for Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr Prisk’s victory was a case of third time lucky after unsuccessful parliamentary contests in Lond…