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2021 Batley and Spen by-election

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2021 Batley and Spen by-election
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Batley and Spen constituency
Location of Batley and Spen within West Yorkshire
Incumbent MP

Tracy Brabin
Labour



A by-election will be held in the UK parliamentary constituency of Batley and Spen following the resignation of current Member of Parliament (MP) Tracy Brabin, who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire.[1][2] Under the devolution agreement, the position holds the powers and responsibilities of a police and crime commissioner, meaning the occupant of the office cannot simultaneously sit as an MP.[3][4] The by-election will likely be the fourth to the 58th Parliament, elected in 2019.[5] It may be held on 22 July.[6]

Background

Constituency

Batley and Spen is a working-class constituency in the Pennines at the centre of West Yorkshire. Considered to be part of the red wall, Batley and Spen has been a Labour stronghold for decades.[7] The largest town of Batley has a sizeable number of residents with South Asian backgrounds, namely Pakistani (9.2%) and Indian (Gujarati) (15.9%). Heckmondwike also has a well-established South Asian community with 16.9% residents having Pakistani heritage. Other towns in the constituency include Birstall, Birkenshaw and Cleckheaton.

Batley, West Yorkshire, in 2009.

In the 2016 EU referendum, Batley and Spen voted 60% in favour of Brexit.[8]

Representation

Batley and Spen has been represented by a Labour MP since 1997.[9][10] Elizabeth Peacock has been the constituency’s only Conservative MP, serving from 1983 to 1997. Brabin had held the seat since the 2016 Batley and Spen by-election, which was called after the murder of Jo Cox.

In the 2019 general election, the Labour majority in the constituency narrowed significantly, with a 12.8% drop in vote share compared to the 2017 result.[11]

On 6 May 2021, Brabin won the inaugural election for the Mayor of West Yorkshire. She was appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds on 10 May, vacating her Commons seat.[12]

Brabin expressed concern the constituency could switch to the Tories in the by-election, given Labour's heavy defeat in the 2021 Hartlepool by-election.[13][14] However, Stephen Bush from the New Statesman argued that Labour is in a stronger position in Batley and Spen, compared to their position in Hartlepool.[15]

Campaign

When the result of the West Yorkshire mayoral election was announced on 9 May 2021, Bob Buxton, Yorkshire Party candidate and leader, announced that his party would contest the by-election.[16] Green Party mayoral candidate Andrew Cooper, who finished fourth, immediately followed suit.

On 10 May George Galloway tweeted that his Workers Party of Britain would contest the election. No candidate was announced.[17]

On 12 May, The Guardian reported that Cox's sister, Kim Leadbeater, and former Labour MP Paula Sherriff were among the party's potential candidates.[18][19] On 13 May, Leadbeater announced she would be seeking the Labour nomination.[20]

On 19 May the Conservative Party announced that it had selected Harewood councillor Ryan Stephenson as its candidate for the by-election.[21]


Previous result

Batley and Spen vote share as a percentage 1997-2019 (note: the 2016 by-election is not shown as Labour were the only major party to stand)
General election 2019: Batley and Spen[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Tracy Brabin 22,594 42.7 −12.8
Conservative Mark Brooks 19,069 36.0 −2.8
Heavy Woollen District Independents Paul Halloran 6,432 12.2 N/A
Liberal Democrats John Lawson 2,462 4.7 +2.4
Brexit Party Clive Minihan 1,678 3.2 N/A
Green Ty Akram 692 1.3 ±0.0
Majority 3,525 6.7 −10.0
Turnout 52,927 66.5 −0.6
Labour Co-op hold Swing -5.0

See also

References

  1. ^ "Is Batley and Spen Labour's next by-election headache?". The Independent. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. ^ "West Yorkshire Mayoral election results". www.leeds.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Labour's Tracy Brabin elected first mayor of West Yorkshire". The Guardian. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  4. ^ "West Yorkshire devolution deal". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ^ "By-elections since the 2019 General Election". UK Parliament. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  6. ^ Mistlin, Alex (10 May 2021). "Batley and Spen voters' view of Starmer shows the size of his challenge". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Steerpike. "Coming soon: the next red wall by-election". The Spectator. Retrieved 16 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Lavigueur, Nick (12 February 2017). "Which Kirklees constituency voted against Brexit?". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 16 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Jones, Bryony (7 June 2017). "How tragedy propelled a former actor into politics". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021. The Batley and Spen seat has been held by Labour since 1997.
  10. ^ Simons, Ned; Waugh, Paul (17 June 2016). "Jo Cox's Batley And Spen Seat Will Not Be Contested By Conservative Party, David Cameron And Jeremy Corbyn Set To Pay Joint Tribute". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021. Cox's seat, Batley and Spen, has been held by Labour since 1997.
  11. ^ "Batley & Spen parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Three Hundreds of Chiltern: Tracy Brabin". 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  13. ^ Rogers, Alexandra (9 May 2021). "'It's a concern' - Tracy Brabin's fears that Batley and Spen could turn blue". Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Batley and Spen: Labour's by-election headache". ITV News. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  15. ^ Bush, Stephen (10 May 2021). "Who will win the Batley and Spen by-election?". New Statesman. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Highest ever vote for Yorkshire party". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  17. ^ Young, Chris (12 May 2021). "Former Bradford West MP George Galloway announces that his party will stand in Batley and Spen by-election". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  18. ^ Halliday, Josh (12 May 2021). "Jo Cox's sister considering standing for Labour in Batley and Spen". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Jo Cox: Murdered MP's sister plans to stand in Batley and Spen". BBC News. 12 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Jo Cox: Murdered MP's sister Kim Leadbeater aims to be Labour candidate in Batley and Spen by-election". Sky News. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  21. ^ @ToryPressNorth (19 May 2021). "Congratulations to @Stephenson_Ryan who has been selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Batley & Spen by-election" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and situation of polling stations" (PDF). Kirklees Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Batley & Spen parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
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