Wakefield by-election

Welcome to the New Statesman's liveblog of results from Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton by-elections, helmed by Ben Walker of Britain Elects.

Voting to replace disgraced Tory MPs gets underway in West Yorkshire and Devon.

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The by election was called following the resignation of Imran Ahmad Khan and his conviction for sexually assault · Sign up to our NationalWorld Today newsletter.

In a statement, they said: "We asked for local candidates, but there are none. Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said the boy had been, "profoundly psychologically affected [by the assault]. The only regret you feel is towards yourself for having found yourself in the predicament you face as a result of your actions some 14 years ago. [There was a] significant degree of brutality [involved]. I am satisfied the complainant was particularly vulnerable. I am happily married to Janet." This was the result of the general election vote in Wakefield in 2019: Wakefield voted to leave the EU in 2016 by a significant margin, though unlike a number of leave-voting Labour-held towns and cities in the North of England, the Brexit Party did not register a particularly high vote in Wakefield in 2019. The contest in Wakefield is likely to be hard-fought, with the Conservatives hoping to hold on to a seat which had previously been Labour for decades. Controversy has surrounded the selection of the Labour candidate for the election, with accusations that the leader’s office interfered in the process in order to let a preferred candidate win. Mr Ahmed represents Wakefield South as a councillor and was the leader of the Wakefield Council Conservative group for several years. The deputy leader of Wakefield Council, Jack Hemingway, was widely considered to be the most likely candidate for the contest. Here is a full list of the candidates in the by-election: The West Yorkshire constituency was one of several ‘red-wall’ seats to have voted Conservative for the first time in decades in 2019.

Klina Jordan, CEO of Make Votes Matter, sets out a case for Proportional Representation.

Six months after Ukip’s shock 2014 win in Rochester and Strood, voters returned to the Tories, and it is a safe seat once more. For the last few weeks, voters in Wakefield have seen what it feels like to have their voices really count, and for politicians to really listen to what they have to say. Last year, 8,264 residents of Batley and Spen voted for George Galloway, knowing that, even if he didn’t win, the size of his support would send a message to Labour. Four months after the Liberal Democrats won the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, the constituency returned a Conservative MP at the general election. Regular polling shows that the public is in favour of Proportional Representation. YouGov’s polling tracker currently has 44 per cent in favour of it and 27 per cent in favour of First Past the Post. For the last decade, a “50 Plus” party in the Netherlands has been represented in their House of Representatives to advocate for pensioners’ interests.

Votes are being counted in two by-elections triggered by the resignations of disgraced Tory MPs. At 10pm on Thursday, the polls closed for by-elections in ...

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The former leader of the Lib Dems said the prime minister is a “gambler” mindset and could call an election for the autumn to “to avoid an even worse situation” for his government. Labour are hoping to overturn a Conservative majority in Wakefield of just over 3,000, and the Lib Dems would need to overturn a Tory majority of more than 24,000 in Tiverton & Honiton. In Tiverton & Honiton, Neil Parish quit after admitting to watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons on two separate occasions. PM Boris Johnson said he is “full of optimism and buoyancy” ahead of the results of the by-elections. Also in May, Neil Parish quit as MP for Tiverton & Honiton after admitting to watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons on two separate occasions.

The polls are regarded as a key test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership after 148 of his own MPs voted against him in a confidence vote.

We've said throughout this campaign this is a huge mountain to climb. The polls are regarded as a key test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership after 148 of his own MPs voted against him in a confidence vote. The polls are regarded as a key test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership after 148 of his own MPs voted against him in a confidence vote.

Loss of Wakefield, and Tiverton and Honiton could push backbench Tories towards restarting efforts to oust PM.

The turnout in the 2019 general election was 64.15%. Turnout in the Wakefield byelection was 39.09%, Wakefield council said. Turnout for the byelection in Tiverton & Honiton was 52%, the local authority said. Speaking to broadcasters in Kigali, Johnsons said: “I’m going to be watching the results with interest but always full of optimism and buoyancy but most seasoned political observers know that byelections in mid-term are never necessarily easy for any government.” Both the Lib Dems and Tories have described the Devon race as too close to call. The turnout in the 2019 general election was just under 72%.

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Our political team and Westminster Correspondent are Yorkshire's eyes and ears in the corridors of power. "A few days after the vote of no confidence, things changed in the party - there was a calmness and I know that as a whip. Look at the circumstances of the by-election." "The history of by-elections there is usually a swing of 17.5 per cent to opposition parties. People are struggling to afford to pay the bills. I think people want to feel they had their voice heard but the Prime Minister won it. We have had nearly 130 MPs up, as a whip I have been one of the whips whipping them to get them here." That is certainly going to be a factor." At the last election, the Conservatives took the Wakefield seat for the first time since 1932, winning a 3,358 majority. No doubt they must have felt badly let down in the circumstances in which the MP resigned. "One thing that was really noticeable is Labour has not cut through. The party's candidate Simon Lightwood received 13,166 votes - 4,925 ahead of Conservative Nadeem Ahmed who received 8,241 votes.

Simon Lightwood overturns a Conservative majority of 3358 for victory in the West Yorkshire seat.

Jayda Fransen (Ind) 23 (0.08%) Jordan Gaskell (UKIP) 124 (0.45%) Paul Bickerdike (CPA) 144 (0.52%) Mick Dodgson (FA) 187 (0.68%) Chris Walsh (Reform) 513 (1.87%) Ashley Routh (Green) 587 (2.14%)

Simon Lightwood becomes the city's new MP in the first test of Boris Johnson's leadership since last month's confidence vote.

The result is the first test of the prime minister's leadership since last month's confidence vote. "We're listening to the people of the country and putting forward a vision for the future." Simon Lightwood becomes the city's new MP in the first test of Boris Johnson's leadership since last month's confidence vote.

The vote followed the resignation of ex-Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was jailed in May for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008. The victory ...

Following the double by-election defeat for the Conservatives, Oliver Dowden resigned as party chairman, saying in a letter to the prime minister that "someone must take responsibility". "I think it says that Labour is making real progress, rebuilding that red wall, rebuilding the trust of the electorate and people are ready for a fresh start." Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "Wakefield has shown the country has lost confidence in the Tories. "The people of Wakefield have spoken on behalf of the British people. Speaking on stage after the result was declared in Wakefield, Mr Lightwood said the result "turned the page on Tory neglect". Labour has won the Wakefield by-election to regain the West Yorkshire seat it lost to the Conservatives at the 2019 General Election.