2019 Peterborough by-election

A by-election took place in the Parliamentary constituency of Peterborough on 6 June 2019.[1] It was won by Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party. Mike Greene of the Brexit Party took second place.[2]

2019 Peterborough by-election

6 June 2019
Peterborough constituency
Turnout	48.43%
First party Second party   Candidate Lisa Forbes Mike Greene Party Labour Brexit Party Last election 48.1% New party Popular vote 10,484 9,801 Percentage 30.9% 28.9% Swing 17.2% New party   Third party Fourth party   Candidate Paul Bristow Beki Sellick Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Last election 46.8% 3.3% Popular vote 7,243 4,159 Percentage 21.4% 12.3% Swing 25.5% 8.9%
Boundary of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.
MP before election Fiona Onasanya Independent Elected MP Lisa Forbes Labour

The seat was vacant following the removal of the former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya by means of a recall petition triggered by her conviction for perverting the course of justice.[3]

Background

Labour candidate Fiona Onasanya was elected to represent Peterborough at the 2017 general election, defeating Stewart Jackson, the sitting Conservative MP, by 607 votes.[4]

Following a conviction for perverting the course of justice in relation to a motoring offence in 2017 which resulted in an immediate prison sentence, Onasanya was expelled from the Labour Party in January 2019.[5][6] She remained in Parliament, where she sat as an independent, and continued to protest her innocence.

A recall petition in her constituency was signed by 27.6% of the electorate, more than the 10% threshold required. As a result, the seat fell vacant on 1 May. This was the second recall petition since the Recall of MPs Act 2015, and the first successful use of the procedure to remove a sitting MP.[7]

In the 2016 European Union referendum, 62.1% of voters in the Peterborough City Council area—which covers the constituency and part of North West Cambridgeshire—voted to leave the European Union. At the European Parliament election, held two weeks before the by-election, the Brexit Party was in first position in the council area, receiving 38.3% of votes.[8]

Candidates and campaign

The list of 15 nominated candidates was announced on 9 May.[9][10] Anticipating the recall petition's success, several parties announced candidates before it had even opened.[11]

Although not disqualified from seeking to regain her seat, Onasanya did not fight the by-election.[12] Former Labour and Respect Party MP George Galloway announced his intention to stand on a pro-Brexit position[13][14] and sought the Brexit Party candidacy, but was not selected. Although Galloway had mooted standing as an independent,[15] he did not do so.[16]

The Liberal Democrat campaign focused on opposition to Brexit and calling for a second referendum.[14] Change UK, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Renew were close to supporting a joint Remain candidate,[17] Femi Oluwole of Our Future Our Choice,[18] but they ultimately opted to stand their own candidates,[9] except for Change UK. Change UK's Gavin Shuker said the plan was stymied by Labour, who he said made clear that Labour would "strenuously" disrupt a joint Remain campaign.[19] Change UK reportedly blamed Labour-aligned figures in the People's Vote campaign. Oluwole denied being pressured by Labour sources, but said he was concerned about splitting the Labour vote and allowing the Brexit Party to win.[20][21]

Four days before the election, Labour was urged by Jewish leaders to disown its candidate Lisa Forbes after she was reported as endorsing a Facebook post that contained an antisemitic phrase.[22]

Brexit Party candidate Mike Greene was criticised for profiteering from freehold properties and his involvement with Greybull Capital, a private investment group involved in the May 2019 collapse of British Steel. A spokesman for Greene stated that he was never an active participant in running the investment vehicle.[23]

When polls closed, the Brexit Party had been heavily favoured in bookmakers' odds to win, with Labour generally thought to be in second place.[24]

Results

2019 by-election: Peterborough[25][26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Lisa Forbes	10,484	30.91	−17.16
	Brexit Party	Mike Greene	9,801	28.89	N/A
	Conservative	Paul Bristow	7,243	21.35	−25.45
	Liberal Democrats	Beki Sellick	4,159	12.26	+8.92
	Green	Joseph Wells	1,035	3.05	+1.27
	UKIP	John Whitby	400	1.18	N/A
	Christian Peoples Alliance	Tom Rogers	162	0.49	N/A
	English Democrat	Stephen Goldspink	153	0.45	N/A
	SDP	Patrick O'Flynn	135	0.40	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	Alan "Howling Laud" Hope	112	0.33	N/A
	No description	Andrew Moore	101	0.30	N/A
	Common Good	Dick Rodgers	60	0.18	N/A
	Renew	Peter Ward	45	0.13	N/A
	UK EU	Pierre Kirk	25	0.07	N/A
	No description	Bobby Smith	5	0.01	N/A
Majority			683	2.0	+0.7
Turnout			33,920	48.43	−19.07
	Labour hold

The winner's percentage of the total vote (30.9%) was the lowest at a by-election since the 1946 Combined English Universities by-election (30.0%). However, there have been twelve lower winning shares in general elections.

Reaction and aftermath

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the result as an endorsement of his party's stance: "This result shows that in spite of the divisions and deadlock over Brexit, when it comes to a vote on the issues that directly affect people’s lives, Labour’s case for real change has strong support across the country".[27]

Despite the loss, Brexit Party candidate Mike Greene characterised the result as a significant breakthrough for his party, claiming to have "shaken up British politics".[27] Party leader Nigel Farage attended the count but left before the result was announced.[28]

After the Brexit Party questioned the validity of the result, five electoral fraud allegations were investigated.[29] It was claimed that Tariq Mahmood, who was jailed in 2008 for postal vote interference, had played a role in the Labour Party campaign for the by-election.[30] Labour denied he had had any role in the campaign, although he did attend the count as a member of the public.[29] The Brexit Party announced on 24 June 2019 that they would be lodging a review petition under the Representation of the People Act 1983.[31] On 15 July, Cambridgeshire Constabulary announced the final conclusion of their investigations and determined that no offences had been committed.[32][33] In 2020, Brexit Party candidate Mike Greene was ordered to pay the Labour Party's legal costs after dropping a High Court challenge.[34]

Ultimately Lisa Forbes' hold on the seat lasted for just six months. When a general election was held was held in December 2019, Paul Bristow captured the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of over 2,500 votes.[35][36]

Previous result

2017 general election: Peterborough[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Fiona Onasanya	22,950	48.1	+12.5
	Conservative	Stewart Jackson	22,343	46.8	+7.1
	Liberal Democrats	Beki Sellick	1,597	3.3	−0.4
	Green	Fiona Radić	848	1.8	−0.8
Majority			607	1.3
Turnout			47,738	67.5	+2.6
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.7

References

1. "This is when the Peterborough by-election will be held". Peterborough Telegraph. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
2. "Peterborough by-election: Labour beats Brexit Party to hold seat". BBC News. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
3. "Recall petition result: Fiona Onasanya no longer Peterborough's MP". ITV News. 1 May 2019.
4. Lamy, Joel (9 June 2017). "BREAKING VIDEO: Stewart Jackson loses Peterborough seat to Labour after recount". Peterborough Today. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
5. Lamy, Joel (3 January 2019). "Fiona Onasanya expelled by Labour as party chief tells Peterborough voters – 'you were failed'". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
6. Sabbagh, Dan (4 January 2019). "Labour confirms expulsion of convicted MP Fiona Onasanya". The Guardian. London.
7. Syal, Rajeev (1 May 2019). "Disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya loses seat after recall petition". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
8. Lynne, Freddie (27 May 2019). "This is how Peterborough voted in the European Elections". Cambridge News. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
9. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Peterborough City Council. 9 May 2019.
10. "Peterborough by-election: Fifteen candidates to fight seat". BBC News. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
11. Lamy, Joel (29 January 2019). "Selection of next Peterborough Labour Party candidate will be more rigorous than Fiona Onasanya selection". Peterborough Today. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
12. "Ousted MP Fiona Onasanya will not fight Peterborough by-election". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
13. George Galloway [@georgegalloway] (1 May 2019). "I intend to stand in the forthcoming parliamentary by-election in Peterborough. More follows..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
14. Murphy, Joe (2 May 2019). "Brexit candidates may split Peterborough vote after jailed MP ousted". Evening Standard.
15. Crerar, Pippa (1 May 2019). "NEW: @georgegalloway tells me that he has approached @Nigel_Farage directly to say he wants to stand in Peterborough by-election for his Brexit Party. But if not selected, he could stand as an independent".
16. Lamy, Joel (8 May 2019). "Peterborough by-election: George Galloway withdraws from contest after missing out on Brexit Party nomination". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
17. Read, Jonathon (8 May 2019). "Anti-Brexit parties considering a Remain candidate for by-election". The New European. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
18. Peston, Robert (9 May 2019). "How Brexit Party was almost pitched against a sole referendum candidate in Peterborough writes Peston". ITV News. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
19. "Peterborough by-election contenders named". 9 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
20. Maguire, Patrick (9 May 2019). "What failure to agree a Remain candidate in Peterborough means for Change UK". New Statesman. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
21. Oluwole, Femi (10 May 2019). "I was asked to stand for Remain in the Peterborough by-election – this is why I said no". The Independent. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
22. Buchan, Lizzy (2 June 2019). "Labour urged to disown by-election candidate who endorsed antisemitic Facebook post". The Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
23. Syal, Rajeev (5 June 2019). "Brexit party's MP candidate under fire for freehold profiteering". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
24. Woodcock, Andrew (5 June 2019). "Nigel Farage makes final drive to win Brexit Party's first MP". The Independent. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
25. "Live Peterborough by-election 2019 updates". Cambridgeshire Live. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
26. Beasley, Gillian. "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL - Election of a Member of Parliament for Peterborough" (PDF). peterborough.gov.uk. Peterborough City Council. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
27. Syal, Rajeev; Walker, Peter (7 June 2019). "Peterborough byelection result: Labour scrapes past Brexit party to hold seat". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
28. "Peterborough by-election: Nigel Farage's five-star dinner ends with bitter taste as Brexit Party fails to win". Sky News. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
29. "Five electoral fraud allegations at Peterborough by-election being investigated by police". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
30. Tom Calver, Gabriel Pogrund, Ewan Somerville and (16 June 2019). "Vote-rigger's role casts doubt over Labour win in Peterborough". Retrieved 24 June 2019 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
31. The Brexit Party (24 June 2019). "Our politics is broken. The abuse of the postal vote system is part of the problem. We are lodging a petition under the Representation of the People Act 1983 with regards to the Peterborough by-election to solve this problem once and for all". Twitter. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
32. "Peterborough by-election fraud inquiry: No 'offences' in three cases". BBC News. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
33. Lamy, Joel (15 July 2019). "Final electoral fraud investigation into Peterborough by-election ends as police find no offences committed". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
34. Lamy, Joel (6 April 2020). "Peterborough Brexit Party candidate ordered to pay full legal costs to Labour after dropping election result challenge". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
35. "Conservatives sweep through Cambridgeshire taking six out of seven seats". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
36. "Peterborough Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
37. "Peterborough parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2018.