2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election

UK parliamentary by-election May 2020 November 2013 2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Dunfermline and West Fife parliamentary seat no 2005 United Kingdom general election 2005 2010 United Kingdom general election 2010 9 February 2006 Willie Rennie WillieRennieMSP20110510.JPG 140 120 160 10 0 center Blank Scottish Liberal Democrats 12,391 35.8% 15.6% Catherine Stihler Catherine-Stihler-MEP.jpg 120 120 160 0 0 center Blank Scottish Labour 10,591 30.6% 16.8% Douglas Chapman Official portrait of Douglas Chapman crop 2.jpg 150 120 160 15 15 center Blank Scottish National Party 7,261 21.0% 2.1% Carrie Ruxton Scottish Conservatives 2,702 7.8% 2.5% MP Elected MP Rachel Squire Scottish Labour Willie Rennie Scottish Liberal Democrats A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Dunfermline and West Fife was held on 9 February 2006, following the death of the incumbent Labour Party MP Rachel Squire. It was won by Willie Rennie of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who gained the seat from Labour on a large swing of 16.2%. It was the first time Labour had lost a seat at a Westminster by-election in Scotland since 1988 Glasgow Govan by-election, and the first time Labour had ever lost to the Liberal Democrats, or their predecessors the Liberal Party, in a Scottish Westminster by-election. The by-election took place in the middle of a leadership election for the Liberal Democrats, and the party was perceived in the media to be declining in the polls as a result of negative publicity surrounding the resignation of former leader Charles Kennedy, as well as revelations about the private lives of Mark Oaten and Simon Hughes. The constituency of Dunfermline and West Fife was first created for the United Kingdom Parliament at the 2005 general election and saw a comfortable Labour win at that election. Labour gained the seat back at the 2010 general election, with the Liberal Democrats in second place.Dunfermline and West Fife (Constituency) 2010 results - General election results - UK Parliament https://electionresults.parliament.uk/election/2010-05-06/Results/Location/Constituency/Dunfermline%20and%20West%20Fife/ 2021-06-18 electionresults.parliament.uk en Campaign Sitting Labour MP Rachel Squire died on 5 January 2006; she had served as an MP since 1992, mostly for Dunfermline and West Fife's predecessor seat until the 2005 general election. A by-election was subsequently called. The Courier reported on 23 Januaryhttp://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2006/01/23/newsstory7953886t0.asp Courier News Story 2006-01-23 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070930163646/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2006/01/23/newsstory7953886t0.asp 30 September 2007 that leaked minutes of a meeting on 11 January at Westminster revealed that "senior Scottish Liberal Democrats do not believe their party has any chance of winning the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election", and that "their aim is to beat the SNP rather than topple Labour". This suggestion was backed up on 27 January by a poll in The Daily Telegraph that put the Lib Dems at 13% UK-wide (down 9% on Election 2005), their worst position since the 2001 general election. The Sunday Herald reported on 29 Januaryhttp://www.sundayherald.com/53816 Labour accused of 'fix' over candidate - [Sunday Herald] 2006-01-29 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060205010615/http://www.sundayherald.com/53816 5 February 2006 that they had "evidence of a high-level "fix" to select (the Labour) candidate", because "party bosses sent out a leaflet on behalf of Catherine Stihler’s campaign hours before she was selected to fight the seat." This story followed earlier reports of a similar row over the selection of the Conservative and Unionist candidate: Fife Tory leader Stuart Randall's claim that he was left off the shortlist for being "far too old and middle-aged to fit the bill".http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2006/01/21/newsstory7949230t0.asp Courier News Story 2006-01-29 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070927185610/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2006/01/21/newsstory7949230t0.asp 27 September 2007 Randall, who stood as Conservative candidate against Gordon Brown in Dunfermline East at the 2001 and 2005 general elections and fought Dunfermline East at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, was aged only 43. Local Conservative activists were reported to be furious that such a high-profile local figure was left off the shortlist of candidates for the by-election. The by-election electorate for the constituency was 72,225, a slight increase (of 2.04%) on the general election in May 2005. Implications (for UK and Scottish elections) The constituency neighbours Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, the seat of Gordon Brown, former Leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister. Brown actually lived in the Dunfermline and West Fife constituency; he was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time. The constituency is also near to North East Fife, then the constituency of Sir Menzies Campbell, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats at the time. Prior to the election, it was speculated that a poor showing for either party in the vicinity of Brown and/or Campbell's political bases could impact upon their chances of winning their respective parties' leaderships. The result of this Westminster by-election were seen as a litmus test of the parties' standing prior to the 2007 Scottish Parliament election; the Liberal Democrats proceeded to win the Dunfermline West seat, which comprises the bulk of Dunfermline and West Fife, from Labour in the 2007 Holyrood election. The results of all by-elections in Scotland have been particularly highly valued by psephologists and political commentators since the demise of the last regular, monthly Scottish voting-intention poll (by The Herald and Taylor Nelson Sofres System 3) at the end of 2003. The result was also notable as it came at a time when Labour's national opinion poll ratings were very high.https://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2006/02/10/were-the-pollsters-the-other-losers-on-thursday/ politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Were the pollsters the other losers on Thursday? Immediately following the election, the Liberal Democrats claimed that the result showed they were the challengers to the Labour Party, and that the Conservatives had failed their first electoral test under their new leader, David Cameron. Result United Kingdom Parliament: Dunfermline and West Fife by-election 2006http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by2005.html Results of Byelections in the 2005-2010 Parliament Boothroyd David 2015-10-05 United Kingdom Election Results 27 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151227081306/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by2005.html dead Scottish Liberal Democrats Willie Rennie 12,391 35.8 +15.6 Scottish Labour Catherine Stihler 10,591 30.6 -16.8 Scottish National Party Douglas Chapman 7,261 21.0 +2.1 Scottish Conservatives Carrie Ruxton 2,702 7.8 -2.5 Scottish Socialist Party John McAllion 537 1.6 0.0 Scottish Christian Party George Hargreaves 411 1.2 New Abolish Forth Bridge Tolls Party Tom Minogue 374 1.1 New UK Independence Party Ian Borland 208 0.6 -0.9 The Common Good (political party) Dick Rodgers 103 0.3 New 1,800 5.2 N/A 34,578 47.9 -12.0 Scottish Liberal Democrats Scottish Labour +16.2 Previous election General election 2005: Dunfermline and West Fife Scottish Labour Rachel Squire 20,111 47.4 -7.1 Scottish Liberal Democrats David Herbert 8,549 20.2 +5.9 Scottish National Party Douglas Chapman 8,026 18.9 +1.1 Scottish Conservatives Roger Smillie 4,376 10.3 +0.6 Scottish Socialist Party Susan Archibald 689 1.6 -0.8 UK Independence Party Ian Borland 643 1.5 +0.1 11,562 27.2 -12.9 42,394 59.9 +2.3 Scottish Labour -6.5 See also Elections in Scotland Politics of Scotland References External links Campaign literature from the by-election "Labour MP dies after long illness" from BBC News Scottish Elections Between 1997 and present Dunfermline and West Fife by-election Dunfermline and West Fife by-election Category:2000s elections in Scotland Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Scottish constituencies Category:Politics of Fife Category:Politics of Dunfermline Category:21st century in Fife Dunfermline and West Fife by-election Category:February 2006 elections