2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election

Last updated

2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
←  2019 23 June 2022 2024  →
Tiverton and Honiton constituency
Turnout52.3% (Decrease2.svg19.6 pp)
 First partySecond party
 
Official portrait of Richard Foord, 2022 (cropped).jpg
Con
Candidate Richard Foord Helen Hurford
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Popular vote22,53716,393
Percentage52.9%38.5%
SwingIncrease2.svg38.0 pp Decrease2.svg21.7pp
MP before election

Neil Parish
Conservative

Elected MP

Richard Foord
Liberal Democrats

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Tiverton and Honiton was held on 23 June 2022. [1] The vacancy was caused by the resignation on 4 May 2022 of the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Neil Parish of the Conservative Party, [2] following his admission to accusations that he viewed pornography on his mobile phone in the House of Commons chamber. [3] [4]

Contents

The election was won by Richard Foord of the Liberal Democrats. The Conservative majority of 24,239 in the 2019 general election is thought to have been the largest majority ever overturned in a by-election. [5] It was the party's third gain from the Conservatives since the 2019 general election, following their victory at Chesham and Amersham in June 2021, and in North Shropshire in December 2021. [6]

The election was held on the same day as the Wakefield by-election in West Yorkshire, [7] which the Conservatives lost to the Labour Party. [5] This was the first time since the 1991 Kincardine and Deeside and Langbaurgh by-elections that a British government has lost two seats in by-elections on the same day.

Background

Constituency

Tiverton and Honiton lies in Devon and the constituency is primarily rural, with major settlements being the towns of Tiverton and Honiton. Other towns include Axminster, Seaton and Cullompton. In the 2016 EU referendum, 57.8% of the voters who turned out voted to leave the European Union. [8] [9]

The by-election was the ninth of the 2019 Parliament. The seat was said by The Guardian to be, on paper at least, one of the safest in the country for the Conservatives, [10] with the party having held the constituency since its creation in 1997 by increasing margins, with its inaugural election in 1997 representing the closest result in the seat, with just 1,653 votes or three percentage points separating the winning Conservative candidate and the Liberal Democrat opponent. [11]

Trigger

Popular incumbent Parish was first elected as a Conservative MP in the 2010 general election. A female Conservative MP complained on 25 April 2022 to the party's Chief Whip about a male colleague having watched pornography on his mobile phone in the Commons chamber, without identifying the individual. [12] This was later identified to be Parish. He was alleged to have watched pornography on two occasions in the House of Commons. Parish said the first occasion was accidental, as he discovered a pornographic website during a search related to tractors, [13] but admitted that the second occasion had been intentional, and announced his intention to resign as an MP on 30 April 2022. [3]

On 4 May, Parish was appointed to the position of Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, disqualifying him from being an MP, which is a mechanism by which an MP's resignation is put into effect. [14] [15]

On 17 May, the writ was moved by the Chief Whip, Chris Heaton-Harris, formally triggering the by-election. [7]

On 19 May, the acting returning officer published the notice of the election confirming the timetable with the poll taking place on Thursday 23 June 2022, [16] the same day as the Wakefield by-election. [17]

Campaign

Labour frontbench sources confirmed that senior Labour figures had told them the party would be "soft-pedalling" the campaign in the by-election in order to allow the Liberal Democrats an easier shot at winning. A Labour spokesperson did not deny this, but confirmed they would be standing a candidate. [18]

The Times reported a focus group for Times Radio had found that voters in the constituency who supported the Tories in the last election were swinging towards the Liberal Democrats as they lost faith in Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson. [19]

Cllr Paul Arnott, the leader of East Devon District Council, and of the East Devon Alliance Independents group on the council, announced he had joined the national Liberal Democrats party and supported them in the by-election. [20]

On 15 June, The Guardian reported on internal polling carried out by the Liberal Democrats based on 'tens of thousands of voter contacts', which found that the Conservatives had 46% support and the Lib Dems were marginally behind at 44%. The Lib Dems said they had a 4% deficit at the same time before the North Shropshire by-election, which they won. [21] Further internal polling by the Liberal Democrats, reported on by the i newspaper on 20 June, put the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives neck-and-neck, with both garnering 45% of the vote. [22] According to Daily Mirror journalist Rachel Wearmouth, internal data – not disclosed until after the polls had closed – showed the Liberal Democrats 5% ahead of the Conservatives over the weekend prior to the by-election. [23]

The poor condition of Tiverton High School was reportedly an important issue in the campaign. [24]

Candidates

Parish said that he might run in the by-election as an independent, stating that he had been pledged financial support. [25] However, he ultimately did not appear on the list of candidates. [26]

On 20 May, the Liberal Democrats announced that their candidate would be university worker Richard Foord, a retired Army major. [27] [28]

The Conservative Party produced an all-female shortlist for the seat, [29] and selected Helen Hurford, the Deputy Mayor of Honiton, as their candidate on 22 May. [30]

The Labour Party selected Liz Pole, a businesswoman and chair of the Constituency Labour Party, on 22 May. Pole previously stood for Labour in the same seat at the 2019 general election, coming second. [31]

Initially, there were some suggestions that Claire Wright, an independent former County Councillor who came second in the neighbouring constituency of East Devon in the last three elections, would stand. However, she clarified on a statement on Twitter that she would not put her name forward, instead endorsing the Liberal Democrats. [32] [33]

Results

Bar chart of the election result. 2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election.svg
Bar chart of the election result.

This result was the sixth-largest swing against the governing party since 1945; in addition, the Conservative Party's 24,239-vote majority from the 2019 general election is the largest ever overturned in a by-election. [34] [35]

2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election [36] [37]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Richard Foord 22,537 52.9 +38.1
Conservative Helen Hurford16,39338.5−21.7
Labour Liz Pole1,5623.7−15.8
Green Gill Westcott1,0642.5−1.3
Reform UK Andy Foan4811.1New
UKIP Ben Walker2410.6−1.0
Heritage Jordan Donoghue-Morgan1670.4New
For Britain Frankie Rufolo1460.3New
Majority6,14414.4N/A
Turnout 42,59352.3−19.6
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +29.9

    Previous result

    General election 2019: Tiverton and Honiton [38]
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Conservative Neil Parish 35,893 60.2 −1.2
    Labour Liz Pole11,65419.5−7.6
    Liberal Democrats John Timperley8,80714.8+6.8
    Green Colin Reed2,2913.8+0.3
    UKIP Margaret Dennis9681.6New
    Majority24,23940.7+6.4
    Turnout 59,61371.9+0.4
    Conservative hold Swing +3.3

    Reactions

    Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said that the key factor in Foord's victory was "not just Partygate and the constant lies and law-breaking. It's the general sense of neglect and being taken for granted by [Boris] Johnson's Conservatives." [39]

    Political scientist Sir John Curtice partly attributed the large swing to the Liberal Democrats to tactical voting by Labour voters wishing to avoid a Conservative MP. [40] Secretary of State for Education Nadhim Zahawi said that the new schools programme was an important reason in the by-election. [41]

    Conservative candidate Helen Hurford was ridiculed in the press for locking herself in a storage room upon her arrival at the counting venue, and refusing to speak to journalists. [42]

    See also

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    References

    1. ↑ Doherty, Caitlin (17 May 2022). "Wakefield by-election: Writ laid in Parliament for vote in West Yorkshire constituency". Yorkshire Post . Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
    2. ↑ Lynch, David (4 May 2022). "Neil Parish formally resigns after admitting watching pornography in the Commons". Independent. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
    3. 1 2 Ambrose, Tom (30 April 2022). "Tory Neil Parish to resign as MP after porn 'moment of madness'". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    4. ↑ "Manor of Northstead". GOV.uk. 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
    5. 1 2 Walker, Peter (24 June 2022). "Tories lose two key byelections on same night in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton". The Guardian .
    6. ↑ "Tories lose North Shropshire seat they held for nearly 200 years". BBC News. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
    7. 1 2 Ford Rojas, John-Paul (17 May 2022). "Boris Johnson faces test as Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-elections triggered". Sky News. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
    8. ↑ Hughes, Pascale; Ashdown, Harry (12 May 2017). "Every Leave constituency where the MP voted Remain". i. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    9. ↑ Clarke, Lewis (14 October 2019). "The Brexit Party announce Parliamentary Candidate for Tiverton & Honiton". DevonLive. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    10. ↑ Woodcock, Andrew (30 April 2022). "Lib Dems 'going for it' in hope of repeat by-election upset in Neil Parish's seat". Independent. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    11. ↑ Guyoncourt, Sally (30 April 2022). "When will the Tiverton and Honiton by-election be? Parliamentary rules for replacing Neil Parish explained". i. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    12. ↑ Mason, Rowena (27 April 2022). "Chief whip investigates reports Tory MP watched porn in House of Commons". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
    13. ↑ Duffy, Nick (1 May 2022). "'Porn MP' Neil Parish may have been looking for a Claas Dominator tractor, allies suggest". i. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
    14. ↑ "MP Neil Parish who watched porn in Commons resigns". BBC News. 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
    15. ↑ Gliddon, Becca (5 May 2022). "Tory Neil Parish formally quits as MP for Tiverton and Honiton". East Devon News. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
    16. ↑ "Notice of Election - Tiverton and Honiton Constituency - MIDDEVON.GOV.UK". www.middevon.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
    17. ↑ "Wakefield Constituency Parliamentary by Election – Thursday, 23 June 2022". www.wakefield.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
    18. ↑ Tolhurst, Alain; Rodgers, Sienna (17 May 2022). "Senior Labour MPs Told To Step Back From Tiverton By-Election Campaign To Make Way For Lib Dems". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
    19. ↑ Smyth, Chris (13 May 2022). "Tiverton & Honiton: Voters in porn MP by-election desert Johnson's Tories". The Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
    20. ↑ Arnott, Paul (7 June 2022). "East Devon District Council leader joins national Lib Dems ahead of by-election". Sidmouth Herald. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
    21. ↑ Walker, Peter (15 June 2022). "Lib Dems say they trail only narrowly in Tiverton and Honiton race". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
    22. ↑ Parsley, David (20 June 2022). "Tiverton and Honiton by-election polls: New Lib Dem poll suggests potential disaster for Boris Johnson". The i paper. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
    23. ↑ Wearmouth, Rachel [@REWearmouth] (23 June 2022). "Lib Dem source tells me the party's returns had them ahead by 5% at weekend. They worked on "too close to call" basis in final days & say huge GOTV effort has put them in a good position" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    24. ↑ Blackledge, Sam (17 June 2022). "The high school in such bad condition it's poses a 'risk to life'". ITV News. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
    25. ↑ Hope, Christopher; Boycott-Owen, Mason (12 May 2022). "'Porn MP' Neil Parish could stand against Conservatives in by-election". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
    26. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Mid Devon District Council. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
    27. ↑ Diver, Tony (20 May 2022). "Lib Dems 'planting our tanks on the Tories' lawn' by selecting ex-Army Major for 'blue wall' seat". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
    28. ↑ "Meet Richard". Richard Foord. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
    29. ↑ Malnick, Edward; Penna, Dominic (21 May 2022). "All-female Tory shortlist for Tiverton and Honiton by-election after porn scandal". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
    30. ↑ "Tiverton and Honiton by-election: Former head teacher in for Conservatives". BBC News . 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
    31. ↑ "Tiverton and Honiton by-election: Businesswoman in for Labour". BBC News . 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
    32. ↑ Claire, Wright (1 May 2022). "Thank you so much to everyone who has urged me to run in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election..." Twitter. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
    33. ↑ says, Christine Marshall (1 May 2022). "VIDEO: "Lib Dems can be the main challengers in Tiverton and Honiton by-election" - Ed Davey". Mark Pack. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
    34. ↑ "Tiverton & Honiton and Wakefield by-elections: how the results compare". Bournemouth Echo. PA News. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
    35. ↑ Gutteridge, Nick; Bolton, Will (24 June 2022). "Wakefield and Tiverton results: Tories lose both seats with worst by-election defeat in history". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
    36. ↑ "The results". Mid Devon District Council. June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
    37. ↑ "Tiverton and Honiton turnout 52%". Sky News. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
    38. ↑ "2019 general election results: Tiverton and Honiton". Parliament of the United Kingdom . Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    39. ↑ Davey, Ed (24 June 2022). "This Lib Dem win is a message to Tory cowards propping up Johnson – get rid of him or we will". The Guardian.
    40. ↑ Cecil, Nicholas (24 June 2022). "Sir John Curtice: Tories in trouble but Keir Starmer still missing crucial spark". Evening Standard . Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
    41. ↑ Nadhim Zahawi MP by-election reation, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, retrieved 25 June 2022
    42. ↑ Smith, Colleen; Clarke, Lewis (24 June 2022). "Defeated Tory 'hides' from media after election defeat". DevonLive.
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