Sedgefield by-election, 2007

The Sedgefield by-election, 2007 was a by-election held on 19 July 2007 for the British House of Commons constituency of Sedgefield in County Durham. The Ealing Southall by-election was also held on 19 July.

The by-election was triggered when Tony Blair, the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield and former Prime Minister, "resigned" to become envoy for the international diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East. To resign as an MP, Blair accepted the office of Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern, [cite web |url=http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2007/press_72_07.cfm |work=HM Treasury |title=Three Hundreds of Chiltern |date=2007-06-27 |accessdate=2007-06-27] thereby deliberately disqualifying himself from Parliament and causing the by-election. Blair had held the constituency since its creation for the 1983 election, and Labour had held its predecessor constituencies since the 1935 election.

According to Sedgefield Borough Council, the electorate for the by-election was 67,339 which represents an increase of 673 (1%) on the 2005 general election.

Candidates

The Labour Party selected Phil Wilson, a public relations consultant, local party member and one of the "Famous Five" who had promoted Tony Blair's first candidacy in 1983. He was chosen from a shortlist of five candidates, including former Minister Melanie Johnson.Chris Lloyd, " [http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/display.var.1518245.0.labour_chooses_one_of_the_famous_five.php Labour chooses one of the 'Famous Five'] ", "The Northern Echo"] The Liberal Democrats chose North East regeneration expert Greg Stone, a councillor in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and former candidate in the Vale of York in the 2001 election and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central in the 2005 election. The Conservatives stood Graham Robb, a public relations consultant and former radio presenter, who stood for the party in 1992 in Hartlepool. [http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/sedgefield UKPollingReport: Sedgefield] ]

Several other candidates contested the election. The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) selected Toby Horton, who formerly contested the seat for the Conservatives in 1983, and in 1992 stood in Rother Valley. The Green Party of England and Wales chose Chris Haine, and the British National Party chose Andrew Spence, who was involved in the 2000 UK fuel protests and stood for UKIP in the seat in 2001. The leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, Alan Hope, also stood, having previously contested a long list of seats in both general and by-elections. The English Democrats chose Stephen Gash, and Operation Christian Vote fielded barrister Tim Grainger. Norman Scarth stood as an independent "anti crime" candidate, having previously contested Chesterfield in 1997 as an "independent old age pensioner". Local independent councillor Paul Gittins stood on a platform calling for the regeneration of the centre of Newton Aycliffe. [Greg Hurst, " [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2034131.ece Meet the man who would be Tony Blair] ", "The Times"]

Result

Wilson held the seat for Labour with a majority reduced by over 11,000. The Liberal Democrats overtook the Conservatives for second place, with an 11% swing. The British National Party and independent local campaigner Paul Gittins both retained their deposits. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6907049.stm Labour holds on to Blair's seat] ", "BBC News"]

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Phil Wilson
votes = 12,528
percentage = 44.8
change = -14.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Greg Stone
votes = 5,572
percentage = 19.9
change = +8.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Graham Robb
votes = 4,082
percentage = 14.6
change = +0.2Election box candidate with party link
party = British National Party
candidate = Andrew Spence
votes = 2,494
percentage = 8.9
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Paul Gittins
votes = 1,885
percentage = 6.7
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Toby Horton
votes = 536
percentage = 1.9
change = +0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party of England and Wales
candidate = Chris Haine
votes = 348
percentage = 1.2
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = English Democrats Party
candidate = Stephen Gash
votes = 177
percentage = 0.6
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Operation Christian Vote
candidate = Tim Grainger
votes = 177
percentage = 0.6
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
candidate = Alan Hope
votes = 129
percentage = 0.5
change = +0.1Election box candidate
party = Anti Crime
candidate = Norman Scarth
votes = 34
percentage = 0.1
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 6,956
percentage = 24.9
change = -19.6Election box turnout
votes = 27,962
percentage = 41.6
change = -20.6Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

General Election 2005 result

Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Tony Blair
votes = 24,421
percentage = 58.9
change = -6.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Gp Capt Al Lockwood
votes = 5,972
percentage = 14.4
change = -6.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Robert Browne
votes = 4,935
percentage = 11.9
change = +2.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Reg Keys
votes = 4,252
percentage = 10.3
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = William Brown
votes = 646
percentage = 1.6
change = -0.8Election box candidate with party link
party = National Front (UK)
candidate = Mark Farrell
votes = 253
percentage = 0.6
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Veritas (political party)
candidate = Fiona Luckhurst-Matthews
votes = 218
percentage = 0.5
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Berony Abraham
votes = 205
percentage = 0.5
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
candidate = Melodie Staniforth
votes = 157
percentage = 0.4
change = "N/A"Election box candidate
party = Blair Must Go Party
candidate = Jonathan Cockburn
votes = 103
percentage = 0.2
change = "N/A"Election box candidate
party = Senior Citizens Party
candidate = Terry Pattinson
votes = 97
percentage = 0.2
change = "N/A"Election box candidate
party = UK Pensioners Party
candidate = Cherri Gilham
votes = 82
percentage = 0.2
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Helen John
votes = 68
percentage = 0.2
change = -0.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = John Barker
votes = 45
percentage = 0.1
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Julian Brennan
votes = 17
percentage = 0.0
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 18,449
percentage = 44.5
change = Election box turnout
votes = 41,475
percentage = 62.2
change = +0.2Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = 0.2

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6244358.stm BBC News]
* [http://www.sedgefield-labour.com/ Labour's Sedgefield By-Election Website]
* [http://www.sedgefieldlibdems.org.uk/ Liberal Democrats Sedgefield By-Election Website]
* [http://www.sedgefieldconservatives.com/ Conservative Sedgefield By-Election Website]
* [http://by_elections.blogspot.com/ By-Election blog]
* [http://www.ukipsedgefield.org Sedgefield UK Independence Party]