2012 Rotherham by-election
{{Short description|2012 UK Parliamentary by-election}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2012 Rotherham by-election
| type = parliamentary
| country = United Kingdom
| seats_for_election = Rotherham
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 2010 United Kingdom general election
| previous_year = 2010
| next_election = 2015 United Kingdom general election
| next_year = 2015
| election_date = 29 November 2012
| turnout = 33.63%
| candidate1 = Sarah Champion
| image1 = x160px
| party1 = Labour Party (UK)
| last_election1 =
| popular_vote1 = 9,966
| percentage1 = 46.5%
| swing1 = {{increase}}1.7%
| candidate2 = Jane Collins
| image2 = x160px
| party2 = United Kingdom Independence Party
| last_election2 =
| popular_vote2 = 4,648
| percentage2 = 21.7%
| swing2 = {{increase}}15.9%
| candidate3 = Marlene Guest
| image3 =
| party3 = British National Party
| last_election3 =
| popular_vote3 = 1,804
| percentage3 = 8.4%
| swing3 = {{decrease}}1.9%
| candidate4 = Yvonne Ridley
| image4 = x160px
| party4 = Respect Party
| last_election4 =
| popular_vote4 = 1,778
| percentage4 = 8.3%
| swing4 = New party
| candidate5 = Simon Wilson
| image5 =
| party5 = Conservative Party (UK)
| last_election5 =
| popular_vote5 = 1,157
| percentage5 = 5.4%
| swing5 = {{decrease}}11.3%
| map_image =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| title = MP
| posttitle = Subsequent MP
| before_election = Denis MacShane
| before_party = Labour Party (UK)
| after_election = Sarah Champion
| after_party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
On 29 November 2012, a by-election was held for the House of Commons constituency of Rotherham. The by-election was caused by the resignation of its Member of Parliament Denis MacShane after the House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee found that he had submitted 19 false invoices "plainly intended to deceive" the parliamentary expenses authority,{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20178332 |title=MP's expenses: Denis MacShane resigns over false invoices |publisher=BBC |date=2 November 2012 |accessdate=2 November 2012}}{{cite report |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmstnprv/635/63502.htm |title=Second Report - Mr Denis MacShane |author=Standards and Privileges Committee |publisher=UK Parliament |date=2 November 2012 |accessdate=2 November 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.denismacshane.com/?p=3193 |title=Denis MacShane Resigns |publisher=Denis MacShane |date=2 November 2012 |accessdate=2 November 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721101848/http://www.denismacshane.com/?p=3193 |archivedate=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |df=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,{{cite web|url=http://rnn.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/Press-Releases/Three-Hundreds-of-Chiltern-682c4.aspx |title=Three Hundreds of Chiltern - Regional News Network |publisher=Rnn.cabinetoffice.gov.uk |date=5 November 2012 |accessdate=24 May 2013}} formally vacating his seat. The election took place on 29 November 2012,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20249464<|title=Croydon, Middlesbrough and Rotherham by-election dates set|date=8 November 2012|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=8 November 2012}} at the same time as by-elections in Croydon North and Middlesbrough which were caused by the deaths of the sitting MPs.
Candidates
Rotherham Borough Council released the statement of persons nominated on 14 November 2012, confirming 11 candidates for the by-election.[http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/362/elections-voting/2395/uk_parliamentary_by-election_for_rotherham_constituency/3] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120010006/http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/362/elections-voting/2395/uk_parliamentary_by-election_for_rotherham_constituency/3|date=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.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-20495560 "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.[http://www.tusc.org.uk/press081112.php 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.[http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/2332/hope-not-hate-exclusive-edl-stand-candidate-i Hope Not Hate Exclusive: EDL Stand Candidate in Rotherham By Election] Hope Not Hate[http://www.edlnews.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/latest-news/922-edl-member-to-stand-for-rotherham-byelection?COLLCC=4140928833& EDL member to stand for Rotherham byelection] {{Webarchive|url=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 |date=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.{{cite news|title= Lib Dems slump to sixth as Labour win Barnsley poll| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12643639 | work=BBC News|publisher=BBC| accessdate=20 November 2012| date=4 March 2011}} Marlene Guest had stood for the BNP in Rotherham previously.[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/10319/marlene-guest Marlene Guest: electoral history] The Guardian
Respect confirmed their selection of Yvonne Ridley on 12 November.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-20289025 "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 [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/aug/02/stopharassingjews "Zionism is not apartheid"], theguardian.com, 2 August 2006[http://www.engageonline.org.uk/blog/article.php?id=253 Respect is a 'Zionist Free Party'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908223547/http://www.engageonline.org.uk/blog/article.php?id=253 |date=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".{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-20495560|title=Rotherham by-election candidate list|date=26 November 2012|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=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 Miliband[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20475812 Ed 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.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20476654 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.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9772000/9772576.stm UKIP leader 'very upset' over foster row], BBC Radio4, 24 November 2012{{cite news|title=Nigel Farage "appalled" at fostering decision|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20475323|accessdate=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.{{cite news|title=Constitution of The UK Independence Party|url=http://www.ukip.org/page/constitution-of-the-uk-independence-party-ukip|accessdate=24 November 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217082226/http://ukip.org/page/constitution-of-the-uk-independence-party-ukip|archivedate=17 February 2012|df=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.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-22604081|title=Rotherham Council apologises over UKIP foster row|date=20 May 2013|accessdate=22 July 2013|work=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.{{cite news |title= Labour holds Rotherham seat |url=http://www.itv.com/news/story/2012-11-29/middlesbrough-croydon-north-rotherham-by-elections/ |publisher=ITV News |date=30 November 2012 |accessdate=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,[http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/11/30/lib-dems-rotherham-result_n_2217768.html 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.
{{Election box begin|title=2012 Rotherham by-election}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Sarah Champion
|votes = 9,966
|percentage = 46.3
|change = {{increase}} 1.7
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=UK Independence Party|candidate=Jane Collins|votes=4,648|percentage=21.8|change={{increase}} 15.9}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=British National Party|candidate=Marlene Guest|votes=1,804|percentage=8.5|change={{decrease}} 1.9}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Respect Party|candidate=Yvonne Ridley|votes=1,778|percentage=8.3|change=N/A}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Simon Wilson|votes=1,157|percentage=5.4|change={{decrease}} 11.3}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=English Democrats|candidate=David Wildgoose|votes=703|percentage=3.3|change=N/A}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Independent politician|candidate=Simon Copley|votes=582|percentage=2.7|change=N/A}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Liberal Democrats (UK)|candidate=Michael Beckett|votes=451|percentage=2.1|change={{decrease}} 13.9}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition|candidate=Ralph Dyson|votes=261|percentage=1.2|change=N/A}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Independent politician|candidate=Paul Dickson|votes=51|percentage=0.2|change=N/A}}
{{Election box candidate
|party = no description
|candidate = Clint Bristow
|votes = 29
|percentage = 0.1
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box majority|votes=5,318|percentage=24.5|change={{decrease}} 3.4}}
{{Election box turnout|votes=21,430|percentage=33.63|change={{decrease}} 25.37}}
{{Election box hold with party link
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing = {{decrease}} 7.1
}}
{{Election box end}}
Previous result
{{Election box begin|title=General election 2010: Rotherham{{Cite web |url=http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/2913/sopn_and_nop_for_rotherham_constituency |title=Statement of Persons Nominated |access-date=23 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615104754/http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/2913/sopn_and_nop_for_rotherham_constituency |archive-date=15 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/d78.stm|title=UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Rotherham|date=7 May 2010|work=Election 2010|publisher=BBC|accessdate=10 May 2010}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Denis MacShane
|votes = 16,741
|percentage = 44.6
|change = {{decrease}} 13.1
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Conservative Party (UK)
|candidate = Jackie Whiteley
|votes = 6,279
|percentage = 16.7
|change = {{increase}} 3.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
|candidate = Rebecca Taylor
|votes = 5,994
|percentage = 16.0
|change = {{decrease}} 0.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = British National Party
|candidate = Marlene Guest
|votes = 3,906
|percentage = 10.4
|change = {{increase}} 4.5
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Independent politician
|candidate = Peter Thirlwall
|votes = 2,366
|percentage = 6.3
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = UK Independence Party
|candidate = Caven Vines
|votes = 2,220
|percentage = 5.9
|change = {{increase}} 2.0
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 10,462
|percentage = 27.9
|change = {{decrease}} 7.7
}}
{{Election box turnout
|votes = 37,506
|percentage = 59.0
|change = {{increase}} 4.9
}}
{{Election box hold with party link
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing = {{decrease}} 8.3
}}
{{Election box end}}
See also
{{Portal|Yorkshire|Politics|United Kingdom}}