1999 Leeds Central by-election

Last updated

1999 Leeds Central by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1997 10 June 1999 2001  
Turnout19.9%
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Hilary Benn.jpg
Candidate Hilary Benn Peter WildEdward Wild
Party Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative
Popular vote6,3614,0681,618
Percentage48.2%30.8%12.3%
SwingDecrease2.svg21.4 pp Increase2.svg19.6pp Decrease2.svg1.4pp

MP before election

Derek Fatchett
Labour

Elected MP

Hilary Benn
Labour

The Member of Parliament for Leeds Central , Rt. Hon. Derek Fatchett, (Labour) died suddenly on 9 May 1999. The Labour government rushed to organise for the by-election and moved the writ so that the election could be held on 10 June, the same day as elections to the European Parliament.

Contents

The shortlist for the Labour candidacy included the Chair of Leeds Central Constituency Labour Party, Maggie Giles-Hill, and Shahid Malik, but the selection went to Hilary Benn who had been Special Adviser to David Blunkett, then Secretary of State for Education and Employment. [1] The Conservatives chose their general election candidate Edward Wild. The Liberal Democrats provided the strongest challenge and increased their vote by nearly 20%, but this was not enough to take the seat. [2]

The campaign was subsumed with the European Parliament elections, and the result was an all-time low turnout for a by-election:[ citation needed ] at 19.9% it held the record for the lowest turnout in a UK parliamentary election since World War II, [3] until surpassed in 2012 by the Manchester Central by-election.[ citation needed ]

Results

Leeds Central by-election, 1999 [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Hilary Benn 6,361 48.2 –21.4
Liberal Democrats Peter Wild4,06830.8+19.6
Conservative Edward Wild1,61812.3–1.4
Green David Blackburn4783.6New
UKIP Raymond Northgreaves3532.7New
Leeds Left Alliance Chris Hill2582.0New
Independent Julian Fitzgerald510.4New
Majority2,29317.4−38.5
Turnout 13,18719.9–34.8
Labour hold Swing

General Election result, 1997

General election 1997: Leeds Central
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Derek Fatchett 25,766 69.6
Conservative Edward Wild5,07713.7
Liberal Democrats David Freeman4,16411.3
Referendum Philip Myers1,0422.8
Socialist Labour Michael Rix 6561.8
Socialist Alternative Chris Hill3040.8
Majority20,68955.9
Turnout 37,00954.7
Labour hold Swing

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 United Kingdom general election</span>

The 2001 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 7 June 2001, four years after the previous election on 1 May 1997, to elect 659 members to the House of Commons. The governing Labour Party led by Prime Minister Tony Blair was re-elected to serve a second term in government with another landslide victory with a 165-seat majority, returning 412 members of Parliament versus 418 from the previous election, a net loss of six seats, although with a significantly lower turnout than before—59.4%, compared to 71.6% at the previous election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 United Kingdom general election</span>

The 1970 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 18 June 1970. It resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, which defeated the governing Labour Party under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The Liberal Party, under its new leader Jeremy Thorpe, lost half its seats. The Conservatives, including the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), secured a majority of 30 seats. This general election was the first in which people could vote from the age of 18, after passage of the Representation of the People Act the previous year, and the first UK election in which party affiliations of candidates were put on the ballots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilary Benn</span> British politician (born 1953)

Hilary James Wedgwood Benn is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds South, formerly Leeds Central, since 1999. He previously served in various ministerial positions under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown from 2001 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum</span>

The 1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum, also known variously as the Referendum on the European Community (Common Market), the Common Market referendum and EEC membership referendum, was a non-binding referendum that took place on 5 June 1975 in the United Kingdom (UK) under the provisions of the Referendum Act 1975 to ask the electorate whether the country should continue to remain a member of, or leave, the European Communities (EC) also known at the time as the Common Market — which it had joined as a member state two-and-a-half years earlier on 1 January 1973 under the Conservative government of Edward Heath. The Labour Party's manifesto for the October 1974 general election had promised that the people would decide through the ballot box whether to remain in the EC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom</span>

The 1999 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's part of the European Parliament election 1999. It was held on 10 June 1999. Following the European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999, it was the first European election to be held in the United Kingdom where the whole country used a system of proportional representation. In total, 87 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom across twelve new regional constituencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom</span> Election

The 2004 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's part of the wider 2004 European Parliament election which was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union. The United Kingdom's part of this election was held on Thursday 10 June 2004. The election also coincided with the 2004 local elections and the London Assembly and mayoral elections. In total, 78 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom using proportional representation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Central (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Manchester Central is a parliamentary constituency in Greater Manchester created in 1974. The seat has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2012 by Lucy Powell of the Labour Party and Co-operative Party. Powell currently serves as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983–2024

Leeds Central was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The constituency first existed from 1885 until it was abolished in 1955. It was recreated in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Glasgow Central by-election</span>

The 1980 Glasgow Central by-election was a by-election held on 26 June 1980 for the British House of Commons constituency of Glasgow Central, following the death of its sitting MP, Thomas McMillan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom</span> European Parliament elections in the United Kingdom

The 2009 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009. The election was held concurrently with the 2009 local elections in England. In total, 72 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom using proportional representation.

Two Bootle by-elections were held during 1990, for the House of Commons constituency of Bootle in Merseyside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Craven District Council election</span> 2004 UK local government election

The 2004 Craven District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Craven District Council in North Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Glasgow North East by-election</span> 2009 UK Parliamentary by-election

The 2009 Glasgow North East by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Glasgow North East. The by-election was held on 12 November 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin as an MP and as Speaker of the House of Commons following the MPs' expenses scandal. Martin was the first Speaker since Sir John Trevor in 1695 to be forced from office. Willie Bain, the Scottish Labour Party candidate, won with 59% of the vote. Just 33% of the electorate voted, which is the lowest ever percentage turnout in a Scottish by-election to the House of Commons.

This article lists the election results of the Green Party of England and Wales in the UK parliamentary, European parliamentary, London Assembly, and Senedd elections.

On 15 December 2011, a by-election was held for the UK House of Commons constituency of Feltham and Heston in the London Borough of Hounslow. The by-election was caused by the death of its Member of Parliament Alan Keen. The Labour Party candidate, Seema Malhotra, held the seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom</span> Election

The 2014 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2014 European Parliament election, held on Thursday 22 May 2014, coinciding with the 2014 local elections in England and Northern Ireland. In total, 73 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom using proportional representation. England, Scotland and Wales use a closed-list party list system of PR, while Northern Ireland used the single transferable vote (STV).

In the run up to the general election of 2001, several polling organisations carried out opinion polling in regards to voting intention in Great Britain. Results of such polls are displayed below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Colchester Borough Council election</span> 2004 UK local government election

The 2004 Colchester Borough Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Colchester Borough Council in Essex, England. This was the same day as the other 2004 United Kingdom local elections and as the 2004 European Parliament Elections. One third of the seats were up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Mount Albert by-election</span> New Zealand by-election

The 2017 Mount Albert by-election was a New Zealand by-election held in the Mount Albert electorate on 25 February 2017 during the 51st New Zealand Parliament. The seat was vacated following the resignation of David Shearer, a former Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of the City of Chester was held on 1 December 2022. It followed the resignation of incumbent member of Parliament Chris Matheson as on 21 October 2022 after accusations of sexual misconduct and a recommendation from the Independent Expert Panel that he be suspended from the House of Commons for four weeks.

References

  1. "By-election turnout 'lowest since WWII'". BBC News. 10 June 1999. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  2. Ward, Lucy (11 June 1999). "Benn's son wins stay-at-home byelection". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  3. "Benn limps in after dismal vote". BBC News. 11 June 1999. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  4. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1997-2002 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Retrieved 5 October 2015.