2024 Kingswood by-election

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2024 Kingswood by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  2019 15 February 2024 July 2024  

Kingswood constituency
Turnout37.1% (Decrease2.svg34.4 pp)
 First partySecond party
  Official Portrait of Damien Egan MP, March 2024.jpg
Con
Candidate Damien Egan Sam Bromiley
Party Labour Conservative
Popular vote11,1768,675
Percentage44.9%34.9%
SwingIncrease2.svg11.5 pp Decrease2.svg21.3 pp

 Third partyFourth party
  Official portrait of Rupert Lowe MP crop 2.jpg
Grn
Candidate Rupert Lowe Lorraine Francis
Party Reform UK Green
Popular vote2,5781,450
Percentage10.4%5.8%
SwingNewIncrease2.svg3.4 pp

Kingswood2007Constituency.svg
Boundary of the Kingswood constituency in Avon

MP before election

Chris Skidmore
Independent [N 1]

Elected MP

Damien Egan
Labour

A by-election took place on 15 February 2024 in the UK Parliament constituency of Kingswood in South Gloucestershire. This followed the resignation of Conservative [N 1] MP Chris Skidmore, in protest at the UK government's decision to issue more oil and gas licences. Skidmore announced his resignation on 5 January and it was effected three days later.

Contents

The election was won by Damien Egan of the Labour Party with a 16% swing. The turnout was 37.1%. [1]

The by-election took place on the same day as the Wellingborough by-election, also won by Labour from the Conservatives.

Constituency

The Kingswood constituency in South Gloucestershire had been won by the main party of government since its creation in February 1974, except for 1992. It voted Leave in the 2016 EU referendum by a margin of 58% to 42%. [2]

In the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Kingswood was set to be split between three seats: North East Somerset and Hanham, Bristol North East, and Filton and Bradley Stoke. [3] The new boundaries did not impact the by-election, instead taking effect at the 2024 general election. Egan had already been selected as the Labour candidate for Bristol North East.

Background

Chris Skidmore Official portrait of Chris Skidmore crop 2.jpg
Chris Skidmore

Chris Skidmore was first elected to the constituency of Kingswood in the 2010 general election, gaining the seat from the incumbent Labour MP Roger Berry. As Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, he signed the UK's net zero pledge into law. [4] He has stated his opposition to further oil and gas extraction in the UK, including his refusal to support the government of Liz Truss on the matter in October 2022. [5]

He announced his resignation on 5 January 2024, prior to the second reading of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill which would guarantee annual licensing rounds, having previously announced he would be standing down at the 2024 general election. [6] Skidmore formally resigned as a member of Parliament on 8 January. [7]

The writ of election was moved on 11 January 2024 and the date of election is 15 February 2024, the same day as another by-election in Wellingborough. [8]

Candidates

The Labour Party selected Damien Egan as their candidate on 9 January. [9] Egan was elected Mayor of Lewisham in 2018, and in July 2023 was selected as parliamentary candidate for Bristol North East, [10] one of the seats that will succeed Kingswood following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. [11] Egan resigned the mayorality to contest the seat. [12]

The Conservative Party selected Sam Bromiley, the party group's leader on the South Gloucestershire Council, on 14 January. [13] He is a councillor for Parkwall & Warmley. [14]

Though initially stating that they would not stand a candidate over frustrations with the cost of the by-election, Reform UK later selected former MEP for the West Midlands and Referendum Party candidate Rupert Lowe. [15] [16]

The Liberal Democrats selected Bristol City councillor Andrew Brown, who works in the financial sector and is a councillor for the Hengrove and Whitchurch Park ward. [17]

The Green Party candidate was another Bristol City councillor, Lorraine Francis. [18] Francis is a councillor for the Eastville ward and a social worker, who had already been selected as their candidate for Bristol North East at the next general election. [19] She campaigned on protecting the green belt from development. [20]

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) selected Nicholas Wood, its May 2023 candidate in the Surrey County Council by-election for the Walton South & Oatlands division and Elmbridge Council elections for Oatlands and Burwood Park ward. [21] [22] [23]

Result

Bar chart of the election result. 2024 Kingswood by-election.svg
Bar chart of the election result.
2024 Kingswood by-election [24] [25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Damien Egan 11,176 44.9 +11.5
Conservative Sam Bromiley8,67534.9–21.3
Reform UK Rupert Lowe 2,57810.4New
Green Lorraine Francis1,4505.8+3.4
Liberal Democrats Andrew Brown8613.5–3.5
UKIP Nicholas Wood1290.5New
Majority2,50110.0N/A
Turnout 24,86937.1–34.4
Registered electors 67,103
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +16.4

Previous result

General election 2019: Kingswood [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Chris Skidmore 27,712 56.2 +1.3
Labour Nicola Bowden-Jones16,49233.4–6.1
Liberal Democrats Dine Romero3,4216.9+3.3
Green Joseph Evans1,2002.4+0.4
Animal Welfare Angelika Cowell4891.0New
Majority11,22022.8+7.4
Turnout 49,31471.5+1.3
Registered electors 68,972
Conservative hold Swing +3.7

Notes

  1. 1 2 Skidmore resigned from the Conservative Party when announcing his resignation from Parliament, meaning that he was nominally an independent MP when the latter was effected

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References

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  17. Booth, Martin (19 January 2024). "Andrew Brown named as Lib Dem candidate for Kingswood by-election". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  18. Rowsell, Simeon. "Lorraine Francis". Bristol Green Party. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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  21. "NICHOLAS WOOD FOR #UKIP". UKIP Official Twitter account. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
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