DOCSLIB.ORG

By-Elections in the 2017-19 Parliament

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
By-Elections in the 2017-19 Parliament BRIEFING PAPER Number CBP 8280, 25 March 2020 By-elections in the By Chris Watson 2017-19 Parliament Contents: 1. West Tyrone – 3 May 2018 2. Lewisham East – 14 June 2018 3. Newport West – 4 April 2019 4. Peterborough – 6 June 2019 5. Brecon and Radnorshire – 1 August 2019 6. Analysis of by-elections 2017- 19 www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | [email protected] | @commonslibrary 2 By-elections in the 2017-19 Parliament Contents Summary 3 Glossary 4 1. West Tyrone – 3 May 2018 5 2. Lewisham East – 14 June 2018 6 3. Newport West – 4 April 2019 7 4. Peterborough – 6 June 2019 8 5. Brecon and Radnorshire – 1 August 2019 9 6. Analysis of by-elections 2017-19 10 Cover page image attributed to: The Hermit: Pub and Polling Station by Tim Green. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 / image cropped. 3 Commons Library Briefing, 25 March 2020 Summary This research briefing sets out results of the by-elections held during the 2017-19 Parliament. Results for previous by-elections for parliaments since 1997 are available in the following briefings: By-elections 2015-17 By-elections 2010-15 By-elections 2005-10 By-elections 2001-05 By-elections 1997-01 By-elections since 1945 are summarised in UK Election Statistics: 1918- 2018. 4 By-elections in the 2017-19 Parliament Glossary Chiltern Hundreds/Manor of Northstead Under a Resolution of the House of 2 March 1623, MPs cannot directly resign their seats. Deaths, disqualification, elevation to Peerage, dissolution or expulsion are the only causes by which a Member’s seat can be vacated. Therefore, a Member wishing to resign has to be appointed to a paid office of the Crown, which automatically disqualifies the Member from holding a seat in the House of Commons. There are currently two nominal offices of profit under the Crown: Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead This paper notes which, if any, Members have been appointed to which has led to each by-election. Deposit Candidates in a UK Parliamentary Election must pay a deposit – currently £500. If they receive more than 5% of the valid votes cast, their deposit is returned. Candidates who received 5% of the votes or less appear under “other candidates” in this paper. Majority of Winning Candidate The majority of the winning candidate is calculated by working out the votes difference between the winning candidate and the candidate who got the second highest amount of votes. Recall Petition Recall is used to describe a process where the electorate in a constituency can sign a petition to remove an MP before the end of their term. A recall procedure was introduced in the UK in 2015. It only applies to Members of Parliament and can only be triggered under certain circumstances. More information can be found in our briefing paper, Recall Elections. Total Poll The total poll indicates the number of valid votes cast. This does not include invalid votes that were not counted. Turnout The turnout is calculated by dividing the total poll (valid votes) by the electorate in the constituency. Writ A writ of election is a legal document sent to returning officers declaring that an election must take place in the constituency, and that they must publish a notice of election. 5 Commons Library Briefing, 25 March 2020 1. West Tyrone – 3 May 2018 6 By-elections in the 2017-19 Parliament 2. Lewisham East – 14 June 2018 7 Commons Library Briefing, 25 March 2020 3. Newport West – 4 April 2019 8 By-elections in the 2017-19 Parliament 4. Peterborough – 6 June 2019 9 Commons Library Briefing, 25 March 2020 5. Brecon and Radnorshire – 1 August 2019 10 By-elections in the 2017-19 Parliament 6. Analysis of by-elections 2017-19 The first by-election of the five that occurred during the Parliament was in West Tyrone following the resignation of Barry McElduff after criticism of a social media post. It was won by Órfhlaith Begley with 46.7% of the vote share (Sinn Féin hold). The second by-election came after Heidi Alexander (Labour) resigned her seat to become London Deputy Mayor for Transport. Janet Daby was the successful candidate in Lewisham East, holding the seat with 50.2% of the vote share. The third and fourth by-elections of the Parliament were also Labour holds. The Newport West by-election was won by Ruth Jones following the death of Paul Flynn in February 2019. The Peterborough by-election was historic in that it was the first time 1 the use of a recall petition had resulted in removal of the sitting MP. The recall petition was triggered following the conviction of Fiona Onasanya for perverting the course of justice. Elected as a Labour MP in the 2017 General Election, Onasanya lost the Labour whip in December 2018 and subsequently sat as an Independent. She did not stand at the by-election in June 2019 where Labour candidate, Lisa Forbes won with 30.9% of the vote. The fifth and final by-election of the Parliament was held in Brecon and Radnorshire in August 2019 following another successful recall petition. Chris Davies, who won the seat for the Conservatives at the 2017 General Election was charged (and plead guilty) with claiming false expenses. Chris Davies subsequently stood in the by-election but lost the seat by 1,425 votes to Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat). Some other parties including Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and Change UK stood aside in favour of the Liberal Democrats instead of standing a candidate themselves. This was the only by-election in the Parliament where a different party won compared with the 2017 General Election. There were two further resignations in the 2017-19 Parliament, John Mann (Labour, Bassetlaw) left the Commons in October 2019 to take up a position as the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism in the House of Lords. John Bercow (Buckingham) then left the Commons in November 2019 after resigning as Speaker. By-elections were not held in either of these vacant seats due to the proximity of the upcoming General Election. Constituency Date Result Change in Party % compared to 2017 GE (% Pts) Turnout CON LAB LD PC SF Brexit Green West Tyrone 03-May-18 SF Hold … … … … -4.1% … … 54.6% Lewisham East 14-Jun-18 Lab Hold -8.6% -17.7% 20.2% … … … … 33.2% Newport West 04-Apr-19 Lab Hold -8.0% -12.7% 2.4% 2.6% … … 2.8% 37.0% Peterborough 06-Jun-19 Lab Hold -25.5% -17.2% 8.9% … … 28.9% 1.3% 48.3% Brecon and Radnorshire 01-Aug-19 LD Gain from Con -9.6% -12.5% 14.3% … … 10.5% … 59.6% 1 This was the second recall petition since its introduction but the first (Ian Paisley, North Antrim), had not reached the required threshold of 10% of constituent signatures to trigger a by-election. 11 Commons Library Briefing, 25 March 2020 The average turnout in by-elections in the 2017-19 Parliament was 46.5%. This was the highest average turnout since the 1992-97 Parliament (52.0%). The lowest turnout since 2017 was in Lewisham East (33.2%) with the highest in Brecon and Radnorshire (59.6%). This is the first time in history that all the by-elections in a Parliament (albeit a short one), were all won by women. Comparison with the 2019 General Election Three out of the five constituencies that held by-elections during the 2017-19 Parliament saw the incumbent win at the 2019 General Election. Órfhlaith Begley and Ruth Jones both retained their seats at the 2019 General Election with a reduced majority (West Tyrone and Newport West retrospectively). Janet Daby retained the Lewisham East seat increasing her majority by over 11,000 votes compared with the by- election in June 2018. The Conservatives won both the other seats that had held by-elections in the 2017-19 Parliament. Lisa Forbes (Labour), who had been first elected in June 2019 lost Peterborough to Paul Bristow (Conservative) at the General Election by a majority of 2,500. After losing the Brecon and Radnorshire seat at the by-election in August 2019, the Conservatives regained the seat at the General Election with Fay Jones winning with a majority of over 7,000 votes. This meant that Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrat candidate had been a Member of Parliament for 97 days before the dissolution ahead of the General Election. About the Library The House of Commons Library research service provides MPs and their staff with the impartial briefing and evidence base they need to do their work in scrutinising Government, proposing legislation, and supporting constituents. As well as providing MPs with a confidential service we publish open briefing papers, which are available on the Parliament website. Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in these publicly available research briefings is correct at the time of publication. Readers should be aware however that briefings are not necessarily updated or otherwise amended to reflect subsequent changes. If you have any comments on our briefings please email [email protected]. Authors are available to discuss the content of this briefing only with Members and their staff. If you have any general questions about the work of the House of Commons you can email [email protected]. Disclaimer This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties. It is a general briefing only and should not be relied on as a substitute for specific advice.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Welsh Economy and Covid-19: Interim Report
    House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee The Welsh economy and Covid-19: Interim Report Third Report of Session 2019–21 Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 16 July 2020 HC 324 Published on 21 July 2020 by authority of the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee The Welsh Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (including relations with the National Assembly for Wales). Current membership Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP (Conservative, Preseli Pembrokeshire) (Chair) Tonia Antoniazzi MP (Labour, Gower) Simon Baynes MP (Conservative, Clywd South) Virginia Crosbie MP (Conservative, Ynys Môn) Geraint Davies MP (Labour (Co-op), Swansea West) Ruth Jones MP (Labour, Newport West) Ben Lake MP (Plaid Cymru, Ceredigion Robin Millar MP (Conservative, Aberconwy) Rob Roberts MP (Conservative, Delyn) Dr Jamie Wallis MP (Conservative, Bridgend) Beth Winter MP (Labour, Cynon Valley) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020. This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament Licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/copyright Committee reports are published on the Committee’s website at www.committees.parliament.uk/committee/162/welsh-affairs-committee/ and in print by Order of the House. Evidence relating to this report is published on the inquiry publications page of the Committee’s website.
    [Show full text]
  • General Secretary‟S Report
    GENERAL SECRETARY‟S REPORT ANNUAL CONGRESS 2014 Capital FM Arena, Nottingham CONGRESS – SUNDAY 8 JUNE - MONDAY 9 JUNE 9.30 am - 12.30 pm, 2.00 pm - 5.30 pm CONGRESS – WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE 9.30 am - 12.30 pm, 2.00 pm - 5.30 pm CONGRESS – THURSDAY 12 JUNE 9.30 am – close of business PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK 2 GENERAL SECRETARY‟S INTRODUCTION Dear Colleagues A very warm welcome to the 2014 Congress here in the wonderful city of Nottingham. On behalf of our President, the one and only Mary Turner and our outstanding Vice-President Malcolm Sage, the Executive Council and the Senior Management Team we all hope you have an enjoyable week. GMB Congress is the process of reviewing what we have achieved during the past year and renewing our goals for the years ahead. During the last ten years our GMB has gone from the verge of being swallowed up by predator Unions to a feared opponent whose strengths are built on solid finances and a renewed hunger for the Social Justice which brought our Union into existence some 125 years ago. The GMB doesn't lurch from side to side either Industrially or Politically. Our values are constant. Our members interests are the Union's interests. In recent years we have led the charge on campaigns like Private Equity asset strippers, Standards for Care Home residents and staff, exposing Blacklisting and the scandal surrounding the Housing Benefit bill where billions end up in the off shore tax havens of fat cat Landlords instead of being used to Build the homes we need to house so many families and single people who are struggling under the Thatcher legacy which saw our National Housing Stock sold off and never replaced.
    [Show full text]
  • Newport Matters
    May 2019. Edition 22 ............................................................................................................................. Newport Food Festival, one selection of local ales and ciders. of the biggest annual events NEWPORT FOOD FESTIVAL organised by Newport City Previous years have attracted RETURNS FOR ITS 9TH YEAR Council, will take place this the talents of top chefs, year on Saturday 5 October. including Newport-born and Michelin star chef Hywel Jones, Last year’s event saw more Mark Sargeant and Masterchef than 18,000 people flock to finalists, Ping Coombs, Larkin the city to sample delights Cen and Dale Williams who NM from local producers, watch have all shown their support NEWPORT chef demonstrations, take part for the city and for the event. in masterclasses and soak up MATTERS the fabulous entertainment Newport Food Festival would and festival atmosphere. not be possible without the support of sponsors, friends The Food Festival, held in the and volunteers. If you would city centre, attracts more than like to be involved in this The official newspaper of Newport City Council 75 wonderful food and drink fantastic city centre event, producers ranging from organic please find out more at dairy products to gourmet www.newportfoodfestival. meats, through to an exciting gov.uk CIVIL PARKING ENFORCEMENT If you park on double yellow lines you could receive a £70 PCN July 1 2019 is an important double yellow lines are updated or taking over from the next day. priority for the local authority, trained in readiness
    [Show full text]
  • General Election 2019: Mps in Wales
    Etholiad Cyffredinol 2019: Aelodau Seneddol yng Nghymru General Election 2019: MPs in Wales 1 Plaid Cymru (4) 5 6 Hywel Williams 2 Arfon 7 Liz Saville Roberts 2 10 Dwyfor Meirionnydd 3 4 Ben Lake 8 12 Ceredigion Jonathan Edwards 14 Dwyrain Caerfyrddin a Dinefwr / Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 9 10 Ceidwadwyr / Conservatives (14) Virginia Crosbie Fay Jones 1 Ynys Môn 13 Brycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed / Brecon and Radnorshire Robin Millar 3 Aberconwy Stephen Crabb 15 11 Preseli Sir Benfro / Preseli Pembrokeshire David Jones 4 Gorllewin Clwyd / Clwyd West Simon Hart 16 Gorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro / James Davies Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire 5 Dyffryn Clwyd / Vale of Clwyd David Davies Rob Roberts 25 6 Mynwy / Monmouth Delyn Jamie Wallis Sarah Atherton 33 8 Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr / Bridgend Wrecsam / Wrexham Alun Cairns 34 Simon Baynes Bro Morgannwg / Vale of Glamorgan 9 12 De Clwyd / Clwyd South 13 Craig Williams 11 Sir Drefaldwyn / Montgomeryshire 14 15 16 25 24 17 23 21 22 26 18 20 30 27 19 32 28 31 29 39 40 36 33 Llafur / Labour (22) 35 37 Mark Tami 38 7 34 Alyn & Deeside / Alun a Glannau Dyfrdwy Nia Griffith Gerald Jones 17 23 Llanelli Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni / Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney Tonia Antoniazzi Nick Smith Chris Bryant 18 24 30 Gwyr / Gower Blaenau Gwent Rhondda Geraint Davies Nick Thomas-Symonds Chris Elmore Jo Stevens 19 26 31 37 Gorllewin Abertawe / Swansea West Tor-faen / Torfaen Ogwr / Ogmore Canol Caerdydd / Cardiff Central Carolyn Harris Chris Evans Stephen Kinnock Stephen Doughty 20 27 32 38 Dwyrain Abertawe /
    [Show full text]
  • Open PDF 222KB
    Welsh Affairs Committee Oral evidence: The UK-EU trade deal and border arrangements: one month on, HC 1179 Thursday 4 February 2021 Ordered by the House of Commons to be published on 4 February 2021. Watch the meeting Members present: Stephen Crabb (Chair); Tonia Antoniazzi; Simon Baynes; Virginia Crosbie; Geraint Davies; Ruth Jones; Ben Lake; Rob Roberts; Dr Jamie Wallis; Beth Winter. Questions 1 - 51 Witnesses I: Chris Yarsley, Policy Manager—Wales, Midlands and South West, Logistics UK; Pete Robertson, Chief Executive, Food and Drink Federation Cymru; Ian Davies, Head of UK Port Authorities, Stena Line; and Ian Price, Wales Director, Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Examination of Witnesses Witnesses: Chris Yarsley, Pete Robertson, Ian Davies and Ian Price. Q1 Chair: Good morning. Welcome to this one-off session of the Welsh Affairs Committee in which we are looking at the impact on Wales arising from the new trade and co-operation agreement that was signed with the EU at the end of the year, the end of the Brexit transition period. We are particularly looking at impacts at the border and at our ports. We are delighted that we are joined this morning by a distinguished panel of experts drawn from the ports sector and across industry in Wales to help us look at this subject. I ask the panel to briefly introduce themselves. Chris Yarsley: Good morning and thank you, Chair. My name is Chris Yarsley. I am the policy manager for Wales for Logistics UK, formerly known as the Freight Transport Association until last year—we felt there were too many FTAs coming along so we rebranded.
    [Show full text]
  • Midwifery and Medicine
    SPRING 2016 IechydDa EDITION 4 School of Healthcare Sciences FEATURES Spotlight: The Pheonix Project: Developing Midwifery PLUS Improving quality or quantity of life New clinical skills facilities The Informed Consumer COLLABORATIVE WORKING: MIDWIFERY AND MEDICINE Quantity or quality of life? WelcomeINSIDE to the latest edition of Iechyd Da, the Nicholas Courtier, PAGE 3 School of Healthcare Sciences newsletter. Lecturer, explains current Quantity or quality of life? Having been in with the University of Namibia under research, different post for a few The Phoenix Project (one of the five rationale and effects. PAGE 4-5 months now, “flagship” engagement projects of I am settling Cardiff University). More locally looking The cancer-killing effects of Collaborative working: in well and at opportunities for students, policy radiotherapy are limited by toxicity Midwifery and Medicine I have been makers and education providers to arising from unavoidable normal particularly collaboratively influence and shape tissue irradiation. Minimising the enjoying education in Wales. We delve into the toxicities associated with radiotherapy PAGE 5 getting to interesting topic of Nicholas Courtier’s may enable a larger, more effective, School Achievements know my research by understanding and radiation dose to be delivered to the colleagues. improving the quantity or quality of life tumour or fewer side effects during and after treatment. In other words, PAGE 6 I have also of people with cancer. We also celebrate been busy meeting key people from the the launch of our second MOOC which improving the quantity or quality of life of people with cancer. Wales Health Welsh Government, Cardiff University provides a platform for our healthcare This means that patients do not This work has led to funding from Student Forum and Local Health Boards.
    [Show full text]
  • Farm Stay Wales Deffrwch I Gefn Gwlad
    2014 TM Farm Stay Wales deffrwch i gefn gwlad Bed & Breakfast Self-Catering Holidays Short Breaks Business Stays Quality Graded ww w.farmsta ywales .co .uk 1 2 3 1 The Isle of Anglesey (page 3) 5 Ceredigion - Cardigan Bay (page 8) 2 North Wales Coast & Borderlands 6 Pembrokeshire (pages 9-10) 4 (pages 3-4) 7 Carmarthenshire (page 11) 5 3 Snowdonia Mountains & Coast 8 Cardiff, Swansea Bay & Glamorgan 6 7 (pages 4-6) (pages 11-12 ) 9 4 Mid Wales Lakes & Mountains 9 Wye Valley & Vale of Usk (page 12) 8 (pages 6-7) Wales Welcome to the land of the Celts, There’s more magic in the coastline whose culture has influenced British of Pembrokeshire’s National Park, ch, n bea history over 3,000 years. Farming with its superb beaches and cliffs, ave e roadh eshir communities are the very heartland coastal walks and tiny islands like B mbrok of Wales, where old traditions live Caldey, with its monastery, or Pe on and Welsh is still spoken in Skomer – alive with seals, puffins many homes. and other seabirds. Popular towns here include picturesque Fishguard, From the gentle greenery of mid walled Tenby and St David’s, whose Wales to the distinctive landscapes of 12th-century cathedral lies concealed the National Parks, the Welsh in a hollow to hide it from predatory countryside brings a choice of eyes. To the east, the Brecon scenery – and outdoor activities – Beacons National Park brings yet right to the farmhouse door. The more variety: its bare escarpments Snowdonia National Park, with its and mining valleys provide peaks, waterfalls and clear mountain memorable views, and there are streams takes its name from Mount View attractive little towns like nearby Hay- from Ca Snowdon, whose 3000ft summit is on-Wye, a world-famous centre for stell D scaled by a breathtaking railway.
    [Show full text]
  • Mps Supporting MND Won't Wait
    Name Constituency Statement Bethan Aberavon Jenkins Sion Jones Arfon [E-mail to constituent – seeking permission to add] Sian Gwenllian Arfon [E-mail to constituent – seeking permission to add] Kirsty Williams Brecon and [E-mail to constituent – seeking permission to add] Radnorshire Carwyn Jones Bridgend [E-mail to constituent – seeking permission to add] Sam Gould Caerphilly If elected I would ask the Welsh Government to ensure best practice and support is implemented right across Wales and to ensure that diagnosis for MND is prompt and accurate. Elin Walker Cardiff North Hapus i gefnogi MND! Jones Happy to support MND! Julie Morgan Cardiff North I am supporting the MND Won't Wait campaign. Thank you for highlighting how crucial a prompt and accurate diagnosis of MND is. Neil McEvoy Cardiff North Patients should not have to wait the time they do. Anthony Cardiff South and Slaughter Penarth Dr Dafydd Cardiff South and I'm very pleased to support the 'MND Won't Wait' Campaign. One of the main planks of our health Trystan Davies Penarth policy is investment in diagnostic centres, waiting times across a range of serious health conditions including MND are unacceptably high, and by improving diagnosis times, patients will get better care. Name Constituency Statement Sean Driscoll Cardiff West Congratulations on the fantastic work that you do. In the event I am elected, you can be rest assured that I will be in contact to discuss your manifesto. Alistair Carmarthen West and I am very happy to champion MND in my community and if elected to the Assembly. I support a Cameron South Pembrokeshire prompt and accurate diagnosis of MND, ensuring best practice in care and support (like the new NICE guidelines) is implemented in Wales and will support local campaigns for councils to adopt the Charter.
    [Show full text]
  • NEC Annual Report 2019
    Labour Party | Annual Report 2019 LABOUR PARTY ANNUAL REPORT 2019 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Treasurers’ Responsibilities . 54 Foreword from Jeremy Corbyn . 5 Independent Auditor’s Report Introduction from Tom Watson . 7 to the members of the Labour Party . 55 Introduction from the General Secretary . 9 Consolidated income and expenditure account 2018/2019 National Executive Committee . 10 for the year ended 31 December 2018 . 57 NEC Committees . 12 Statements of comprehensive income Obituaries . 13 and changes in equity for the year ended NEC aims and objectives for 2019 . 14 31 December 2018 . 58 Consolidated balance sheet BY-ELECTIONS . 15 at 31 December 2018 . 59 Peterborough . 16 Consolidated cash flow statement for the year Newport West . 17 ended 31 December 2018 . 60 ELECTIONS 2019 . 19 Notes to Financial Statements . 61 Analysis . 20 APPENDICES . 75 Local Government Report . 23 Members of Shadow Cabinet LOOKING AHEAD: 2020 ELECTIONS . 25 and Opposition Frontbench . 76 The year ahead in Scotland . 26 Parliamentary Labour Party . 80 The year ahead in Wales . 27 Members of the Scottish Parliament. 87 NEC PRIORITIES FOR 2019 . 29 Members of the Welsh Assembly . 88 Members and Supporters Members of the European Parliament . 89 Renewing our party and building an active Directly Elected Mayors . 90 membership and supporters network . 30 Members of the London Assembly . 91 Equalities . 31 Leaders of Labour Groups . 92 Labour Peers . 100 NEC PRIORITIES FOR 2019 . 35 Labour Police and Crime Commissioners . 103 National Policy Forum Parliamentary Candidates endorsed NPF Report . 36 by the NEC at time of publication . 104 NEC PRIORITIES FOR 2019 . 39 NEC Disputes . 107 International NCC Cases .
    [Show full text]
  • Democratic Audit: Postal Votes and Allegations of Electoral Fraud in Peterborough's By-Election
    Democratic Audit: Postal votes and allegations of electoral fraud in Peterborough’s by-election Page 1 of 3 Postal votes and allegations of electoral fraud in Peterborough’s by-election Timothy Peace and Parveen Akhtar discuss the allegations of electoral malpractice in the recent Peterborough by-election in which Labour won by 683 votes. While an initial police inquiry found that no offences were revealed, they explain why certain areas are more susceptible to such claims than others. Photo by sl wong from Pexels After its success in the European Parliament elections, many expected Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party to follow this result by electing its first MP at the subsequent by-election in Peterborough, held on 6 June. Called because the sitting Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was forced out of office following a conviction, few expected Labour to retain the seat. So when their candidate Lisa Forbes won the contest by just 683 votes, many observers were surprised even if nothing untoward was initially mentioned as a reason for her victory. Fast forward just over a week after the result and Nigel Farage was claiming that Peterborough was a ‘rotten borough’ and that postal voting was producing the ‘wrong results’. Out of the 33,998 ballot papers counted, 9,898 were postal votes, with approximately 400 of these being rejected because of discrepancies in details including signatures and dates of births not matching the council records. Cambridgeshire Police subsequently confirmed that it was investigating five allegations of electoral irregularities, three of which related to postal votes, with one allegation of bribery and corruption and another involving a breach of the privacy of the vote.
    [Show full text]
  • Christine Keeler and Me JERRY HAYES 12 John Bercow’S Unspeakable Memoirs
    ME ER M M B E R R O S F H S O N U S O E M Order! Order! OF COM The Official Journal of the Association of Former Members of Parliament SPRING 2020 ALSO IN THIS EDITION... NICHOLAS BENNETT 6 Number crunching the General Election TERESA PEARCE 7 The abuse MPs suffer threatens democracy IVAN LAWRENCE 11 How the National Lottery began Christine Keeler and ME JERRY HAYES 12 John Bercow’s Unspeakable memoirs Two former MPs remember the young woman at the centre of the Sixties sex scandal p. 4 & 5 Order! Order! Spring 2020 Note From the Editor By Andy McSmith here are 165 more former MPs than before, and that the Conservatives were Parliamentary Constituencies – now in Tthere were since the last issue of Order likely to benefit from “having sucked at its 27th edition – at a 50 % discount for Order, many of whom were not expecting the pool of Brexit support”. Association members. their circumstances to change so suddenly. He added that – ominously for Labour * * * Five who were, because they chose to – the single word that cropped up most n a magazine written and read by stand down, have contributed to the on the doorstep was ‘Corbyn’, and the Iformer MPs, the books reviewed in the current issue. Many thanks to Stephen most common phrases were “this time” back are all about politics. But late last Pound – whose father, Pelham Pound, and “not this time” – but he detected year I received one delightful book by is pictured on the front cover, with his signs that Labour was retaking some of that polymath ex-MP, Gyles Brandreth friend Stephen Ward – Jeremy Lefroy, the Remain vote back off the Liberal – Dancing by the Light of the Moon, How Teresa Pearce, Paul Farrelly and Sarah Democrats.
    [Show full text]
  • Report Council
    Report Council Part 1 Date: 27 November 2018 Subject Appointments Purpose To agree the appointment of Council nominees to committees and outside bodies. Author Democracy and Communication Manager Ward General Summary In accordance with its terms of reference within the Constitution, Council is responsible for appointing the members of Council Committees, and the Council’s representatives on outside bodies. The current vacancies and nominations received are set out in the attached report. Proposal Council is asked to receive and approve the nominations for representatives, as listed in the report. Action by Democracy and Communication Manager Timetable Immediate This report was prepared after consultation with: . Council Business Managers . Head of Law and Regulation Background In accordance with its terms of reference within the Constitution, Council is responsible for appointing the members of Council Committees, and the Council’s representatives on outside bodies. The current vacancies and nominations received are set out below. Any vacant appointments / nominations received after the publication of this report, will be announced at the Council meeting by the appropriate Business Manager or Group Leader. Internal Appointments Committee No. of Vacancies / Nominations Received Replacements Licensing Committee 1 replacement Cllr Tom Suller to replace Cllr Margaret Cornelious Performance Scrutiny Committee – 1 replacement Cllr William J Routley to replace Cllr Place and Corporate Margaret Cornelious Charitable Trusts Panel 2 replacements
    [Show full text]