Barnsley Central by-election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The Barnsley Central by-election was a by-election
for the Parliament of the United Kingdom
's House of Commons constituency of Barnsley Central which took place on 3 March 2011. The by-election resulted in the Labour Party
holding the seat with an increased majority.
of the Labour Party
was one of dozens of MPs identified by the Daily Telegraph as having made "phantom" claims for council tax
on their parliamentary expenses. Illsley claimed over £10,000 for council tax in four years although he was only charged £3,966 for his Band C property in Lambeth
in this period. He regularly submitted claims for £200 a month, which meant that he did not have to submit receipts. He was re-elected in the 2010 general election, but shortly after, on 19 May 2010, he was charged with three counts of false accounting. He was subsequently suspended from the Labour Party and continued to sit as an Independent Labour MP.
On 11 January 2011, Illsley pleaded guilty to three charges. Sentencing was postponed for four weeks, during which Illsley remained an MP and therefore continued to receive a Parliamentary salary. A prison sentence of more than 12 months would have meant Illsley being automatically disqualified from Parliament under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1981
, but a sentence of 12 months or less would not. The Speaker ruled that Illsley's case was sub judice
and therefore no motion to expel him from the House of Commons could be debated until after sentencing. Labour leader Ed Miliband
and others called on Illsley to resign, and Illsley announced on 12 January 2011 that he would do so. Illsley resigned on 8 February, two days before sentencing. The writ for the by-election was moved the following day, setting polling day as 3 March 2011. On 10 February, Illsley was sentenced to exactly 12 months.
At the 2010 general election, Barnsley Central was Labour's 52nd safest seat
, and has, with its predecessor seat of Barnsley
been held by the party since 1935. In 2010, the Liberal Democrats
and the Conservative Party
took second and third places, with only six votes separating them. The British National Party
was the only other party to retain its deposit
.
Labour Party
members of the Barnsley Central constituency chose Dan Jarvis
as their candidate on 27 January 2011. Jarvis, a Major in the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
who served in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan, is the first Labour candidate for this constituency or its predecessor
to be born outside Yorkshire since 1938.
On 10 February it was disclosed that Conservative Party
leader David Cameron
had approached former Yorkshire
cricketer Darren Gough
, known to be a party supporter, with an invitation to fight the seat. Gough declined due to other commitments but pledged to campaign in the by-election. Later that day 32-year old businessman James Hockney was announced as the Conservative candidate. Hockney is a South Cambridgeshire councillor who fought the neighbouring Barnsley East constituency
in 2010.
The Liberal Democrats
selected journalist Dominic Carman
on 12 February. The son of late barrister George Carman
, he had fought Barking
at the 2010 election and, as a long-time campaigner against the British National Party, wrote an unofficial biography of British National Party leader Nick Griffin
that remains unpublished. (On polling day, the London Evening Standard
reported that Nick Clegg
had not visited the seat at all during the campaign, and was "the first Lib-Dem leader to jettison his candidate in this way since at least 1999". )
The British National Party
had declared its intention to stand Enis Dalton as a candidate in the election. The Candidate for UK Independence Party was Jane Collins, a miner's daughter from Pontefract
.
Independent candidate Tony Devoy stood in the same constituency at the general election with policies related to living wages and MP salary reductions.
The result was notable for being the first time that UKIP came second in a Westminster election, and for the large drops in vote share by the coalition Government members, the Liberal Democrats' sixth position attracting particular attention.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
's House of Commons constituency of Barnsley Central which took place on 3 March 2011. The by-election resulted in the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
holding the seat with an increased majority.
Background
On 19 June 2009, Barnsley Central MP Eric IllsleyEric Illsley
Eric Evlyn Illsley is a former British politician who was the Member of Parliament for Barnsley Central from 1987 until 2011. He was a Labour Party representative until suspended from the party after being charged with false accounting as part of the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal,...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
was one of dozens of MPs identified by the Daily Telegraph as having made "phantom" claims for council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
on their parliamentary expenses. Illsley claimed over £10,000 for council tax in four years although he was only charged £3,966 for his Band C property in Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
in this period. He regularly submitted claims for £200 a month, which meant that he did not have to submit receipts. He was re-elected in the 2010 general election, but shortly after, on 19 May 2010, he was charged with three counts of false accounting. He was subsequently suspended from the Labour Party and continued to sit as an Independent Labour MP.
On 11 January 2011, Illsley pleaded guilty to three charges. Sentencing was postponed for four weeks, during which Illsley remained an MP and therefore continued to receive a Parliamentary salary. A prison sentence of more than 12 months would have meant Illsley being automatically disqualified from Parliament under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1981
Representation of the People Act 1981
The Representation of the People Act 1981 provides: for the disqualification from membership of the House of Commons of any person who is detained anywhere in the British Islands or the Republic of Ireland for more than a year for any offence, that the election or nomination of such persons shall be...
, but a sentence of 12 months or less would not. The Speaker ruled that Illsley's case was sub judice
Sub judice
In law, sub judice, Latin for "under judgment", means that a particular case or matter is currently under trial or being considered by a judge or court...
and therefore no motion to expel him from the House of Commons could be debated until after sentencing. Labour leader Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
and others called on Illsley to resign, and Illsley announced on 12 January 2011 that he would do so. Illsley resigned on 8 February, two days before sentencing. The writ for the by-election was moved the following day, setting polling day as 3 March 2011. On 10 February, Illsley was sentenced to exactly 12 months.
At the 2010 general election, Barnsley Central was Labour's 52nd safest seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
, and has, with its predecessor seat of Barnsley
Barnsley (UK Parliament constituency)
Barnsley was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Barnsley in England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
been held by the party since 1935. In 2010, the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
and the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
took second and third places, with only six votes separating them. The British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
was the only other party to retain its deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
.
Candidates
Barnsley Council confirmed the Statement of Persons Nominated on 16 February.Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
members of the Barnsley Central constituency chose Dan Jarvis
Dan Jarvis
Daniel Owen Woolgar Jarvis MBE is a British Labour Party politician and former British Army officer. After a career in the Parachute Regiment including most of the regiment's major deployments, he went into politics and has been the Member of Parliament for Barnsley Central since a by-election...
as their candidate on 27 January 2011. Jarvis, a Major in the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
The First Battalion, The Parachute Regiment is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade, but is permanently attached to the Special Forces Support Group....
who served in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan, is the first Labour candidate for this constituency or its predecessor
Barnsley (UK Parliament constituency)
Barnsley was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Barnsley in England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
to be born outside Yorkshire since 1938.
On 10 February it was disclosed that Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
leader David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
had approached former Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
cricketer Darren Gough
Darren Gough
Darren Gough is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The spearhead of England's bowling attack through much of the 1990s, he is England's highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 234, and took 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches, making him...
, known to be a party supporter, with an invitation to fight the seat. Gough declined due to other commitments but pledged to campaign in the by-election. Later that day 32-year old businessman James Hockney was announced as the Conservative candidate. Hockney is a South Cambridgeshire councillor who fought the neighbouring Barnsley East constituency
Barnsley East (UK Parliament constituency)
Barnsley East is a Parliamentary constituency in South Yorkshire which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The seat was created as Barnsley East in 1983 and abolished to create Barnsley East and Mexborough in 1997...
in 2010.
The Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
selected journalist Dominic Carman
Dominic Carman
Dominic Carman is a British journalist, writer and Liberal Democrat politician.-Family:Carman is the son of barrister George Carman. He wrote a controversial biography of his father, No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman ....
on 12 February. The son of late barrister George Carman
George Carman
George Alfred Carman, QC , was a leading English barrister of the 1980s and 1990s. He first came to the attention of the general public in 1979, when he successfully defended the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe after he was charged with conspiracy to murder...
, he had fought Barking
Barking (UK Parliament constituency)
Barking is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1945, usually with strong majorities.- Boundaries :The...
at the 2010 election and, as a long-time campaigner against the British National Party, wrote an unofficial biography of British National Party leader Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
that remains unpublished. (On polling day, the London Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
reported that Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
had not visited the seat at all during the campaign, and was "the first Lib-Dem leader to jettison his candidate in this way since at least 1999". )
The British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
had declared its intention to stand Enis Dalton as a candidate in the election. The Candidate for UK Independence Party was Jane Collins, a miner's daughter from Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
.
Independent candidate Tony Devoy stood in the same constituency at the general election with policies related to living wages and MP salary reductions.
Result
Labour retained the seat with a significantly increased majority, while the Liberal Democrats suffered a sharp fall in votes compared to the election 10 months previously. UKIP finished second with nearly one in eight of the votes, while the Conservatives finished third with just over 8% of the votes, and the British National Party's 6% share of the vote saw them finish fourth.See also
- Barnsley by-election, 1889
- Barnsley by-election, 1897Barnsley by-election, 1897The Barnsley by-election, 1897, was a by-election held on 28 October 1897 for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was notable for its role in the development of the Independent Labour Party.-Background:...
- Barnsley by-election, 1938Barnsley by-election, 1938The Barnsley by-election, 1938 was a by-election held on 16 June 1938 for the British House of Commons constituency of Barnsley in what was then the West Riding of Yorkshire....
- Barnsley by-election, 1953Barnsley by-election, 1953The Barnsley by-election, 1953 was a by-election held on 31st March 1953 for the British House of Commons constituency of Barnsley in the West Riding of Yorkshire....