Leicester South by-election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The Leicester South by-election was held to elect a Member of Parliament
(MP) of the United Kingdom for the Leicester South constituency
on 5 May 2011. It was prompted by the resignation
of Sir Peter Soulsby
of the Labour Party
, who stood down from Parliament to contest the election for Mayor of Leicester
. Soulsby was appointed Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead
on 1 April 2011, and the writ for a new election was issued on 5 April. The election was won by Jon Ashworth.
All registered Parliamentary electors (i.e. British, Irish and Commonwealth
citizens living in the UK and British citizens living overseas) who will be aged 18 or over on 5 May 2011 will be entitled to vote in the by-election. The deadline for voters to register to vote in the by-election was midnight on Thursday 14 April 2011. However, those who qualify as an anonymous elector have until midnight on Tuesday 26 April 2011 to register to vote.
, a 2004 by-election
was held in June 2004 at which the Liberal Democrats gained the seat. At the general election in May 2005
, Soulsby regained the seat for Labour; he increased his majority at the 2010 general election.
As a former Leader of Leicester City Council, Soulsby put his name forward for selection as the Labour Party candidate for the directly elected Mayoralty of Leicester after the city council voted to adopt a new leadership structure. In standing for selection he indicated that he would vacate his Parliamentary seat if selected. When Soulsby won the selection he immediately announced that he would indeed resign his seat. On 1 April 2011 the Chancellor of the Exchequer appointed Soulsby as Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead
, formally vacating the seat. On 5 April, the Labour chief whip Rosie Winterton
moved the motion to issue a writ for a new election.
.
There was a wide interest in the Labour selection. One local councillor, Rory Palmer, entered the contest but subsequently withdrew, having accepted the offer of becoming Soulsby's deputy. The official shortlist of five candidates was confirmed on 18 March and included three Leicester City councillors, Patrick Kitterick (who was also Chair of Leicester South Constituency Labour Party
), Mian Mayat and Neil Clayton, together with Jonathan Ashworth, a former advisor to Gordon Brown
and current Head of Party Relations, and Josephine Channer, a councillor in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
. On 19 March, local Labour Party members selected Jon Ashworth, who won 106 votes out of 153 cast on the first ballot.
Former Liberal Democrat MP for the constituency Parmjit Singh Gill
was initially selected as the party's candidate on 18 March. On 23 March, he withdrew from the candidacy saying that he wanted to concentrate on his position as a Leicester City Councillor; he was immediately replaced as candidate by Zuffar Haq.
On 15 March 2011, the United Kingdom Independence Party
selected Abhijit Pandya
, a former Leicester South resident and alumnus of the University of Leicester
, as their party's candidate.
On 26 March, the Conservatives
selected Jane Hunt as their candidate. She contested the Leicester East
constituency at the General Election.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) of the United Kingdom for the Leicester South constituency
Leicester South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , by the first past the post voting system...
on 5 May 2011. It was prompted by the resignation
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
of Sir Peter Soulsby
Peter Soulsby
Sir Peter Alfred Soulsby is a British Labour Party politician and the current Mayor of Leicester. He was the Member of Parliament for Leicester South from 2005 until he resigned in order to contest the new post of mayor in April 2011...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, who stood down from Parliament to contest the election for Mayor of Leicester
Directly elected mayor of Leicester
The directly elected mayor of Leicester is responsible for the executive function of Leicester City Council. The incumbent is Sir Peter Soulsby of Labour.-Elections:The first mayoral election on 5 May 2011 saw Peter Soulsby elected as mayor....
. Soulsby was appointed Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead
Manor of Northstead
The Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1600, the manor house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied only by a shepherd. At present the Manor is part of the Barrowcliff area of the town of...
on 1 April 2011, and the writ for a new election was issued on 5 April. The election was won by Jon Ashworth.
All registered Parliamentary electors (i.e. British, Irish and Commonwealth
Commonwealth citizen
A Commonwealth citizen, which replaces the former category of British subject, is generally a person who is a national of any country within the Commonwealth of Nations....
citizens living in the UK and British citizens living overseas) who will be aged 18 or over on 5 May 2011 will be entitled to vote in the by-election. The deadline for voters to register to vote in the by-election was midnight on Thursday 14 April 2011. However, those who qualify as an anonymous elector have until midnight on Tuesday 26 April 2011 to register to vote.
Background
Leicester South was very narrowly won by the Conservatives in 1983, and gained by Labour in the 1987 general election. After the death of Labour MP Jim MarshallJim Marshall (UK politician)
James Marshall was a British Labour Party politician.-Education:Marshall was born into a working class family in the Attercliffe district of Sheffield...
, a 2004 by-election
Leicester South by-election, 2004
A by-election was held in Leicester South on 15 July, the same day as the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. It was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, over-turning a Labour majority of 13,243 votes at the 2001 General Election....
was held in June 2004 at which the Liberal Democrats gained the seat. At the general election in May 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, Soulsby regained the seat for Labour; he increased his majority at the 2010 general election.
As a former Leader of Leicester City Council, Soulsby put his name forward for selection as the Labour Party candidate for the directly elected Mayoralty of Leicester after the city council voted to adopt a new leadership structure. In standing for selection he indicated that he would vacate his Parliamentary seat if selected. When Soulsby won the selection he immediately announced that he would indeed resign his seat. On 1 April 2011 the Chancellor of the Exchequer appointed Soulsby as Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead
Manor of Northstead
The Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1600, the manor house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied only by a shepherd. At present the Manor is part of the Barrowcliff area of the town of...
, formally vacating the seat. On 5 April, the Labour chief whip Rosie Winterton
Rosie Winterton
Rosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
moved the motion to issue a writ for a new election.
Candidates
Leicester City Council confirmed the list of candidates on 14 April, 2011 . With only 5 candidates, the election has the shortest by-election ballot paper since the 2005 Cheadle by-electionCheadle by-election, 2005
The Cheadle by-election, in Greater Manchester, England, was caused by the death of Patsy Calton, the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cheadle on 29 May 2005. The election was held on 14 July 2005....
.
There was a wide interest in the Labour selection. One local councillor, Rory Palmer, entered the contest but subsequently withdrew, having accepted the offer of becoming Soulsby's deputy. The official shortlist of five candidates was confirmed on 18 March and included three Leicester City councillors, Patrick Kitterick (who was also Chair of Leicester South Constituency Labour Party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
), Mian Mayat and Neil Clayton, together with Jonathan Ashworth, a former advisor to Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
and current Head of Party Relations, and Josephine Channer, a councillor in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by...
. On 19 March, local Labour Party members selected Jon Ashworth, who won 106 votes out of 153 cast on the first ballot.
Former Liberal Democrat MP for the constituency Parmjit Singh Gill
Parmjit Singh Gill
Parmjit Singh Gill is a British Liberal Democrat politician. As Member of Parliament for Leicester South from 2004 to 2005, he is the only ever ethnic-minority Liberal Democrat MP....
was initially selected as the party's candidate on 18 March. On 23 March, he withdrew from the candidacy saying that he wanted to concentrate on his position as a Leicester City Councillor; he was immediately replaced as candidate by Zuffar Haq.
On 15 March 2011, the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
selected Abhijit Pandya
Abhijit Pandya
Abhijit Pandya is a far-right British politician, international lawyer and blogger for the Daily Mail. Formerly Deputy Chairman of Hackney Conservative Association, he most recently represented the UK Independence Party. He was a candidate for UKIP in the Harrow East constituency at the 2010...
, a former Leicester South resident and alumnus of the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, as their party's candidate.
On 26 March, the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
selected Jane Hunt as their candidate. She contested the Leicester East
Leicester East (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :In 2005 this seat bucked the national trend as there was a swing to Labour whereas the national swing was 2.5% to the Conservatives.- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1970s :...
constituency at the General Election.