2011 Leicester South by-election

2011 UK parliament by-election May 2011 September 2020 2011 Leicester South by-election parliamentary United Kingdom no 2010 United Kingdom general election 2010 2015 United Kingdom general election 2015 5 May 2011 File:Jon Ashworth MP.jpg Jonathan Ashworth Labour Party (UK) 19,771 57.8% 12.2 pp Liberal Democrats (UK) Zuffar Haq Liberal Democrats (UK) 7,693 22.5% 4.4 pp File:Official portrait of Jane Hunt MP crop 2.jpg Jane Hunt Conservative Party (UK) 5,169 15.1% 6.3 pp MP Subsequent MP Peter Soulsby Labour Party (UK) Jonathan Ashworth Labour Party (UK) A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Leicester South was held on 5 May 2011, prompted by the resignation of incumbent Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Sir Peter Soulsby, who stood down to contest the election for Mayor of Leicester. It was won by Labour candidate Jonathan Ashworth with an increased majority for the party. Background Leicester South was very narrowly won by the Conservatives in 1983, and regained by Labour in the 1987 general election. Following the death of Labour MP Jim Marshall, a by-election was held in July 2004 at which the Liberal Democrats gained the seat. Peter Soulsby regained the seat for Labour at the general election in May 2005; he increased his majority at the 2010 general election. As a former Leader of Leicester City Council, Soulsby put his name forward for selection as the Labour Party candidate for the directly elected Mayoralty of Leicester after the city council voted to adopt a new leadership structure. In standing for selection he indicated that he would vacate his Parliamentary seat if selected.http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/MP-begins-bid-city-s-mayor/article-3108439-detail/article.html https://archive.today/20120913071807/http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/MP-begins-bid-city-s-mayor/article-3108439-detail/article.html dead 13 September 2012 Leicester MP Sir Peter Soulsby begins his bid to become city's mayor Troughton Adrian Leicester Mercury 17 January 2011 12 March 2011 When Soulsby won the selection he immediately announced that he would indeed resign his seat.http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/MP-quits-join-race-mayor/article-3299965-detail/article.html MP Sir Peter Soulsby quits to join race to be Leicester's first elected mayor Maclean David Leicester Mercury 7 March 2011 12 March 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110310062624/http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/MP-quits-join-race-mayor/article-3299965-detail/article.html 10 March 2011 dead On 1 April 2011 the Chancellor of the Exchequer appointed Soulsby as Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, formally vacating the seat.http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_36_11.htm Manor of Northstead HM Treasury 1 April 2011 Labour chief whip Rosie Winterton moved the motion on 5 April to issue a writ for a new election. Voting eligibility All registered Parliamentary electors (i.e. British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens living in the UK and British citizens living overseasLocal elections and Referendum http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/PDF/England-accessible.pdf Electoral Commission 2011 8 April 2011 10 April 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110410141102/http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/PDF/England-accessible.pdf dead)) who were aged 18 or over on 5 May 2011 were entitled to vote in the by-election. The deadline for voters to register to vote in the by-election was midnight on Thursday 14 April 2011. However, those who qualified as an anonymous elector had until midnight on Tuesday 26 April 2011 to register to vote.The deadline for the receipt and determination of anonymous electoral registration applications is the same as the publication date of the notice of alteration to the Electoral Register (i.e. the fifth working day before election day). Candidates Leicester City Council confirmed the list of candidates on 14 April 2011.Statement of Persons Nominated https://web.archive.org/web/20120319213510/http://www.leicester.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=77444&type=full&servicetype=Attachment 19 March 2012 Leicester Council With only five candidates, the poll had the shortest by-election ballot paper since the 2005 Cheadle by-election. There was wide interest in the Labour candidate selection.April 2011 One local councillor, Rory Palmer, entered the contest but—having accepted the offer of becoming Soulsby's deputy—subsequently withdrew.http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Labour-s-Rory-chosen-mayor-running-mate/article-3322598-detail/article.html https://archive.today/20130505071209/http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Labour-s-Rory-chosen-mayor-running-mate/article-3322598-detail/article.html dead 5 May 2013 Labour's Rory is chosen as mayor running mate Maclean David Leicester Mercury 12 March 2011 The official shortlist of five candidates was confirmed on 18 March and included three Leicester city councillors, Patrick Kitterick (who was also Chair of Leicester South Constituency Labour Party), Mian Mayat and Neil Clayton, along with Jonathan Ashworth, a former advisor to Gordon Brown and the then Head of Party Relations, and Josephine Channer, a councillor in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.http://www.labourlist.org/leicester-south-shortlist Leicester South shortlist Ferguson Mark Labourlist 18 March 2011 On 19 March local Labour Party members selected Jon Ashworth,http://www.labourlist.org/leicester-south-candidate Leicester South candidate Ferguson Mark Labourlist 19 March 2011 who won 106 votes out of 153 cast on the first ballot.http://www.labourinleicester.org.uk/index.php/2011/03/19/jonathan-ashworth-is-labours-choice-for-leicester-south/ Jonathan Ashworth is Labour's choice for Leicester South Leicester Labour Party 19 March 2011 Former Liberal Democrat MP for the constituency Parmjit Singh Gill was initially selected as that party's candidate on 18 March.http://www.libdemvoice.org/parmjit-singh-gill-selected-for-lib-dems-in-leicester-south-23492.html Parmjit Singh Gill selected for Lib Dems in Leicester South Liberal Democrat Voice 19 March 2011 On 23 March he withdrew from the candidacy, saying that he wanted to concentrate on his position as a Leicester City Councillor; he was immediately replaced as candidate by Zuffar Haq.http://www.libdemvoice.org/parmjit-singh-gill-withdraws-as-lib-dem-candidate-for-leicester-south-23541.html Parmjit Singh Gill withdraws as Lib Dem candidate for Leicester South 23 March 2011 Liberal Democrat Voice 23 March 2011 26 March 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110326043950/http://www.libdemvoice.org/parmjit-singh-gill-withdraws-as-lib-dem-candidate-for-leicester-south-23541.html dead On 15 March 2011, UKIP selected Abhijit Pandya, a former Leicester South resident and alumnus of the University of Leicester, as its candidate.http://www.ukipleicester.com/ UKIP Leicester South 2011-04-21 dead https://archive.today/20120322235716/http://www.ukipleicester.com/ 22 March 2012 On 26 March the Conservatives selected Jane Hunt as their candidate. She had contested the Leicester East constituency at the 2010 General Election.Isaby Jonathan Jane Hunt selected as Conservative candidate for Leicester South by-election http://conservativehome.blogs.com/goldlist/2011/03/jane-hunt-selected-as-conservative-candidate-for-leicester-south-by-election.html 28 March 2011 Conservative Home 28 March 2011 Results Labour retained the seat with an increased majority. The Official Monster Raving Loony Party received its best ever result in an election. By-election, 2011http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-South-election-result/story-26452119-detail/story.html Leicester South election result: Jon Ashworth holds for Labour with an increased majority. Leicester Mercury 5 October 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151006060854/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-South-election-result/story-26452119-detail/story.html 6 October 2015 dead 75,916 34,180 45.0 −3.0 12,078 35.3 +16.6 hold +8.4 Liberal Democrats (UK) Labour Party (UK) Jonathan Ashworth Labour Party (UK) 19,771 57.8 +12.2 Zuffar Haq Liberal Democrats (UK) 7,693 22.5 -4.4 Jane Hunt Conservative Party (UK) 5,169 15.1 -6.3 Abhijit Pandya UK Independence Party 994 2.9 +1.4 Howling Laud Hope Official Monster Raving Loony Party 553 1.6 New General Election 2010 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/d44.stm Election 2010 – Leicester South BBC News 2012-05-12 75,916 47,124 61.1 +3.4 8,808 18.7 hold +5.0 Liberal Democrats (UK) Labour Party (UK) Peter Soulsby Labour Party (UK) 21,479 45.6 +6.2 Parmjit Singh Gill Liberal Democrats (UK) 12,671 26.9 -3.7 Ross Grant Conservative Party (UK) 10,066 21.4 +3.6 Adrian Waudby British National Party 1,418 3.0 New Dave Dixey Green Party of England and Wales 770 1.6 New Christopher Lucas UK Independence Party 720 1.5 New See also 2004 Leicester South by-election List of United Kingdom by-elections Opinion polling for the 2015 United Kingdom general election References Category:2011 elections in the United Kingdom Category:2011 in England Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Leicestershire constituencies Category:Elections in Leicester Category:2010s in Leicester