2007 Sedgefield by-election

The Sedgefield by-election, 2007 was a by-election held on 19 July 2007 for the British House of Commons constituency of Sedgefield in County Durham. The Ealing Southall by-election was also held on 19 July.

Sedgefield by-election

19 July 2007
Sedgefield parliamentary seat
First party Second party Third party   Candidate Phil Wilson Greg Stone Graham Robb Party Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative Popular vote 12,528 5,572 4,082 Percentage 44.8% 19.9% 14.6% Swing 14.1% 8.0% 0.2%   Fourth party Fifth party   Candidate Andrew Spence Paul Gittins Party BNP Independent Popular vote 2,494 1,885 Percentage 8.9% 6.7% Swing New party New party
MP before election Tony Blair Labour Subsequent MP Phil Wilson Labour

Map of Sedgefield

The by-election was triggered when Tony Blair, the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield and former Prime Minister, resigned to become envoy for the international diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East. Blair accepted the office of Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern,[1] thereby disqualifying himself from Parliament and causing the by-election. Blair had held the constituency since its creation for the 1983 election, and Labour had held its predecessor constituencies since the 1935 election.

According to Sedgefield Borough Council, the electorate for the by-election was 67,339 which represents an increase of 673 (1%) on the 2005 general election.

Candidates

The Labour Party selected Phil Wilson, a public relations consultant, local party member and one of the "Famous Five" who had promoted Tony Blair's first candidacy in 1983. He was chosen from a shortlist of five candidates, including former Minister Melanie Johnson.[2] The Liberal Democrats chose North East regeneration expert Greg Stone, a councillor in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and former candidate in the Vale of York in the 2001 election and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central in the 2005 election.[2] The Conservatives stood Graham Robb, a public relations consultant and former radio presenter, who stood for the party in 1992 in Hartlepool, losing to Peter Mandelson.[3]

Several other candidates contested the election. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) selected Toby Horton, who formerly contested the seat for the Conservatives in 1983, and in 1992 stood in Rother Valley. The Green Party of England and Wales chose Chris Haine, and the British National Party chose Andrew Spence, who was involved in the 2000 UK fuel protests and stood for UKIP in the seat in 2001. The leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, Alan Hope, also stood, having previously contested a long list of seats in both general and by-elections. The English Democrats chose Stephen Gash, and Operation Christian Vote fielded barrister Tim Grainger. Norman Scarth stood as an independent "anti crime" candidate, having previously contested Chesterfield in 1997 as an "independent old age pensioner".[3] Local independent councillor Paul Gittins stood on a platform calling for the regeneration of the centre of Newton Aycliffe.[4]

Result

Wilson held the seat for Labour with a majority reduced by over 11,000. The Liberal Democrats overtook the Conservatives for second place, with an 11% swing. The British National Party and independent local campaigner Paul Gittins both retained their deposits.[5]

Sedgefield by-election, 2007[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Phil Wilson	12,528	44.8	-14.1
	Liberal Democrats	Greg Stone	5,572	19.9	+8.0
	Conservative	Graham Robb	4,082	14.6	+0.2
	BNP	Andrew Spence	2,494	8.9	N/A
	Independent	Paul Gittins	1,885	6.7	N/A
	UKIP	Toby Horton	536	1.9	+0.3
	Green	Chris Haine	348	1.2	N/A
	English Democrat	Stephen Gash	177	0.6	N/A
	Christian	Tim Grainger	177	0.6	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Alan Hope	129	0.5	+0.1
	Anti Crime	Norman Scarth	34	0.1	N/A
Majority			6,956	24.9	-19.6
Turnout			27,962	41.6	-20.6
	Labour hold		Swing

General Election 2005 result

General election 2005: Sedgefield

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Tony Blair	24,421	58.9	-6.0
	Conservative	Gp Capt Al Lockwood	5,972	14.4	-6.5
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Browne	4,935	11.9	+2.9
	Independent	Reg Keys	4,252	10.3	N/A
	UKIP	William Brown	646	1.6	-0.8
	National Front	Mark Farrell	253	0.6	N/A
	Veritas	Fiona Luckhurst-Matthews	218	0.5	N/A
	Independent	Berony Abraham	205	0.5	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Melodie Staniforth	157	0.4	N/A
	Blair Must Go Party	Jonathan Cockburn	103	0.2	N/A
	Senior Citizens	Terry Pattinson	97	0.2	N/A
	UK Pensioners Party	Cherri Gilham	82	0.2	N/A
	Independent	Helen John	68	0.2	-0.4
	Independent	John Barker	45	0.1	N/A
	Independent	Julian Brennan	17	0.0	N/A
Majority			18,449	44.5
Turnout			41,475	62.2	+0.2
	Labour hold		Swing	0.2

References

1. "Three Hundreds of Chiltern". HM Treasury. 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
2. Chris Lloyd, "Labour chooses one of the 'Famous Five'", The Northern Echo
3. UKPollingReport: Sedgefield
4. Greg Hurst, "Meet the man who would be Tony Blair", The Times
5. "Labour holds on to Blair's seat", BBC News
6. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 2005-2010 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Retrieved 2015-10-05.

External links

• BBC News
• Labour's Sedgefield By-Election Website
• Liberal Democrats Sedgefield By-Election Website
• Conservative Sedgefield By-Election Website
• By-Election blog
• Sedgefield UK Independence Party
• Election leaflets from the by-election campaign