2012 Rotherham by-election

2012 UK Parliamentary by-election November 2012 January 2016 2012 Rotherham by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Rotherham no 2010 United Kingdom general election 2010 2015 United Kingdom general election 2015 29 November 2012 33.6% Sarah Champion x160px Labour Party (UK) 9,966 46.3% 1.7 pp Jane Collins x160px United Kingdom Independence Party 4,648 21.8% 15.9 pp Marlene Guest BNP British National Party 1,804 8.5% 1.9 pp Yvonne Ridley x160px Respect Party 1,778 8.3% New party Simon Wilson Con Conservative Party (UK) 1,157 5.4% 11.3 pp MP Subsequent MP Denis MacShane Labour Party (UK) Sarah Champion Labour Party (UK) A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Rotherham was held on 29 November 2012, caused by the resignation of incumbent Labour Party member of Parliament (MP) Denis MacShane after the House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee found him guilty of offences during the 2009 MPs' expenses scandal. It was won by Sarah Champion of Labour, who held the seat for the party. The election took place on the same day as by-elections in Croydon North and Middlesbrough, which were caused by the deaths of the sitting MPs. Background and candidates Sitting Labour Party member of Parliament Denis MacShane resigned after House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee found that he had submitted 19 false invoices "plainly intended to deceive" the parliamentary expenses authority,https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20178332 MP's expenses: Denis MacShane resigns over false invoices BBC 2 November 2012 2 November 2012https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmstnprv/635/63502.htm Second Report - Mr Denis MacShane Standards and Privileges Committee UK Parliament 2 November 2012 2 November 2012http://www.denismacshane.com/?p=3193 Denis MacShane Resigns Denis MacShane 2 November 2012 2 November 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20150721101848/http://www.denismacshane.com/?p=3193 21 July 2015 dead dmy-all an issue dating back to 2009 and a wider parliamentary expenses scandal in the UK. MacShane accepted the office of Chiltern Hundreds on 5 November 2012,http://rnn.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/Press-Releases/Three-Hundreds-of-Chiltern-682c4.aspx Three Hundreds of Chiltern - Regional News Network Rnn.cabinetoffice.gov.uk 5 November 2012 24 May 2013 formally vacating his seat. Rotherham Borough Council released the statement of persons nominated on 14 November 2012, confirming 11 candidates for the by-election. https://web.archive.org/web/20121120010006/http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/362/elections-voting/2395/uk_parliamentary_by-election_for_rotherham_constituency/3 20 November 2012 The Liberal Democrats' candidate, Michael Beckett, was announced by BBC Look North on 13 November 2012. The Labour candidate Sarah Champion is chief executive of Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in Rotherham."Rotherham byelection candidates", BBC News Sheffield and South Yorkshire Ex-miner Ralph Dyson was confirmed as the candidate for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on 9 November 2011.TUSC to stand in Rotherham and Middlesbrough by-election TUSC Clint Bristow stood with no party description, but is a local organiser for the English Defence League.Hope Not Hate Exclusive: EDL Stand Candidate in Rotherham By Election Hope Not HateEDL member to stand for Rotherham byelection https://web.archive.org/web/20140908202440/http://www.edlnews.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/latest-news/922-edl-member-to-stand-for-rotherham-byelection?COLLCC=4140928833 8 September 2014 EDL News Local resident Jane Collins was the candidate for UKIP, who previously stood for the party in the 2011 Barnsley by-election where she achieved second place with 12.2% of the vote, beating both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Lib Dems slump to sixth as Labour win Barnsley poll https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12643639 BBC News BBC 20 November 2012 4 March 2011 Marlene Guest had stood for the BNP in Rotherham previously.Marlene Guest: electoral history The Guardian Respect confirmed their selection of Yvonne Ridley on 12 November."Yvonne Ridley Respect candidate in Rotherham election", BBC News, 12 November 2012 Ms Ridley is a broadcaster, known for being kidnapped by Taliban forces while she was working in Afghanistan for the Sunday Express newspaper. Subsequent to being freed, she converted to Islam and has adopted a strong anti-Zionist position, saying "any Zionism in Respect would be hunted down and kicked out".David Hirsh "Zionism is not apartheid", theguardian.com, 2 August 2006Respect is a 'Zionist Free Party' https://web.archive.org/web/20140908223547/http://www.engageonline.org.uk/blog/article.php?id=253 8 September 2014 Engage English Democrats candidate David Wildgoose stood in the 1994 Rotherham by-election as a Liberal Democrat when Denis MacShane was first elected, coming second with nearly 30% of the vote. At the previous General Election, he stood for the English Democrats in Sheffield Hallam against the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg. Simon Copley, a charity fundraiser and church leader, stood as an independent candidate saying he offered a "moderate alternative".https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-20495560 Rotherham by-election candidate list 26 November 2012 BBC News 1 December 2012 Campaign During the election campaign, social workers removed three children from foster care on behalf of the local council on the grounds that the foster parents were members of UKIP. The local council said that the children were "not indigenous white British" and that they had concerns about UKIP's stance on immigration. The decision attracted widespread criticism from across the political spectrum, including from the Labour leader Ed MilibandEd Miliband: 'Urgent investigation' into fostering row, BBC News, 24 November 2012 and Conservative Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove. The Labour Leader of Rotherham Council has also launched an inquiry.Decision over UKIP couple fostering 'indefensible' - Gove, BBC News, 24 November 2012 Leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage said that he was "appalled and upset" by the decision.UKIP leader 'very upset' over foster row, BBC Radio4, 24 November 2012Nigel Farage "appalled" at fostering decision https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-20475323 24 November 2012 He said that his party is officially constituted as a non-racist, non-sectarian, libertarian party, as defined in the party constitution.Constitution of The UK Independence Party http://www.ukip.org/page/constitution-of-the-uk-independence-party-ukip 24 November 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120217082226/http://ukip.org/page/constitution-of-the-uk-independence-party-ukip 17 February 2012 dmy-all In May 2013, Rotherham council apologised and said that communication about the decision gave the incorrect impression that it related solely to the couples UKIP membership.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-22604081 Rotherham Council apologises over UKIP foster row 20 May 2013 22 July 2013 BBC News This was incorrect, the children were removed because it was in their "best interests" though full details couldn't be given "for legal reasons". The council said it had "taken action to strengthen the way it made decisions and how it communicated information." Result Labour won the by-election. Labour holds Rotherham seat http://www.itv.com/news/story/2012-11-29/middlesbrough-croydon-north-rotherham-by-elections/ ITV News 30 November 2012 30 November 2012 The result was poor for the two parties of the governing coalition with the Conservatives dropping to fifth place, while the Liberal Democrats were in eighth place, described as the worst ever performance by a major party in a by-election,LibDems' Rotherham By-Election Results "Worst Ever" Recorded for major party Huffington Post although not the lowest vote share.https://archive.today/20130421063354/http://skynews.skypressoffice.co.uk/newstranscripts/murnaghan-21212-interview-tim-farron-president-liberal-democrats Transcript - Interview 2/12 Tim Farron, President of Liberal Democrats Sky News Press Office UKIP finished in second place. Their candidate Jane Collins had previously been the only UKIP candidate to come second in any UK parliamentary election at Barnsley Central in 2011. UKIP also came second in the Middlesbrough by-election held on the same day as Rotherham. The UKIP vote share was, at 21.7%, the highest ever recorded for that party in any parliamentary election (however they had polled more votes in both the Corby by-election and in Buckingham at the 2010 general election, and their record for highest share was broken at Eastleigh three months later). The British National Party's third place was the highest ever placing for that party in a by-election, although they had polled more votes and a higher share elsewhere. Additionally the BNP result represented a decline in their vote from the 2010 general election, in what had been one of their strongest performances that year. To date, this by-election marked the final time the BNP reached the 5% threshold required to keep their deposit. For Respect, Yvonne Ridley obtained the party's third best by-election result, surpassed only by her own performance in Leicester South in 2004 (fourth with 12.7%), and George Galloway's gain of Bradford West in March 2012. 2012 Rotherham by-election Labour Party (UK) Sarah Champion 9,966 46.3 1.7 UK Independence Party Jane Collins 4,648 21.8 15.9 British National Party Marlene Guest 1,804 8.5 1.9 Respect Party Yvonne Ridley 1,778 8.3 N/A Conservative Party (UK) Simon Wilson 1,157 5.4 11.3 English Democrats David Wildgoose 703 3.3 N/A Independent politician Simon Copley 582 2.7 N/A Liberal Democrats (UK) Michael Beckett 451 2.1 13.9 Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition Ralph Dyson 261 1.2 N/A Independent politician Paul Dickson 51 0.2 N/A no description Clint Bristow 29 0.1 N/A 5,318 24.5 3.4 21,430 33.63 25.37 Labour Party (UK) 7.1 Previous result General election 2010: Rotherhamhttp://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/2913/sopn_and_nop_for_rotherham_constituency Statement of Persons Nominated 23 January 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20110615104754/http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/2913/sopn_and_nop_for_rotherham_constituency 15 June 2011 dead https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/constituency/d78.stm UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Rotherham 7 May 2010 Election 2010 BBC 10 May 2010 Labour Party (UK) Denis MacShane 16,741 44.6 13.1 Conservative Party (UK) Jackie Whiteley 6,279 16.7 3.4 Liberal Democrats (UK) Rebecca Taylor 5,994 16.0 0.4 British National Party Marlene Guest 3,906 10.4 4.5 Independent politician Peter Thirlwall 2,366 6.3 N/A UK Independence Party Caven Vines 2,220 5.9 2.0 10,462 27.9 7.7 37,506 59.0 4.9 Labour Party (UK) 8.3 See also Yorkshire Politics United Kingdom 1994 Rotherham by-election 1976 Rotherham by-election 1910 Rotherham by-election 1899 Rotherham by-election List of United Kingdom by-elections Opinion polling for the 2015 United Kingdom general election References Rotherham by-election Rotherham by-election Rotherham by-election Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in South Yorkshire constituencies Category:Elections in Rotherham Category:2010s in South Yorkshire