Norwich North by-election, 2009
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Norwich North by-election was a by-election
for the United Kingdom
Parliament
's House of Commons constituency of Norwich North. The by-election took place due to the resignation of Ian Gibson
after being banned from standing as a Labour candidate for the next general election. The writ of election
was moved on 30 June 2009 and the by-election took place on 23 July 2009, two days after the start of the summer recess. Unusually for a UK by-election, the counting process was not started until the following day, for a variety of reasons including the high number of postal votes.
The winner of the by-election was Chloe Smith
of the Conservative Party, who at 27 became the youngest member of the House of Commons, known as the Baby of the House
.
.
The constituency includes parts of two local government areas, Norwich
and Broadland
, with the majority of the electorate in Broadland. Nine wards of Broadland (Mile Cross, Crome, Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston, Old Catton, Catton Grove, Hellesdon, Drayton and Taverham) fall within its boundaries, together with four wards of the City of Norwich (Catton Grove, Crome, Mile Cross, Sewell).
In boundary changes in place for the 2010 General Election, Norwich North lost Taverham North, Taverham South, Drayton North and Drayton South to the new Broadland
constituency.
selected Chris Ostrowski, a University of East Anglia
graduate, as their candidate on 28 June.
The Conservative Party
had already selected Chloe Smith as their candidate for the general election.
The Liberal Democrats
selected April Pond, a local businesswoman and former Norwich City Councillor, who was a candidate for South West Norfolk in 2005
.
The Green Party
's candidate at the last general election, Adrian Holmes, announced that he would not be standing, and Norwich City Councillor Rupert Read
, the Green Party's lead candidate for the East of England
in the European elections
, was selected on 24 June. In the European elections the Green Party polled 24.9% across Norwich, more than any other party, while they took 9.6% of the vote in Broadland.
Glenn Tingle stood for the United Kingdom Independence Party
.
Other minor parties included Robert West for the British National Party
, who stood as first candidate for the East Midlands Region in the 2009 European Elections, and the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
's leader, Howling Laud Hope
.
Three new parties stood candidates for the first time. The Libertarian Party selected 18 year old Thomas Burridge as their first parliamentary candidate. NOTA, which stands for "None of the Above", a party set up by former boxer Terry Marsh
, announced that Anne Fryatt would stand as their candidate. Former ambassador Craig Murray
stood as an anti-sleaze candidate for the Put an Honest Man into Parliament party, which was registered with the Electoral Commission on 3 July 2009.
There were also two independent
candidates: Bill Holden, who was a candidate in 2005, and Peter Baggs.
Ian Gibson announced that he would not be running as an independent candidate. On 26 June he hinted to Newsnight's Michael Crick that he might run as an independent, but he endorsed the Labour candidate three days later.
Broadland
District Council published the Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll, which lists candidates' names, addresses, official descriptions, and names of nominators, on 8 July 2009.
, and the Greens took 7.4% in the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Parliament
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 Norwich North. The by-election took place due to the resignation of Ian Gibson
Ian Gibson (politician)
Ian Gibson is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Norwich North from 1997 to 2009...
after being banned from standing as a Labour candidate for the next general election. The writ of election
Writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued by the government ordering the holding of a special election for a political office.In the United Kingdom and in Canada, this is the only way of holding an election for the House of Commons...
was moved on 30 June 2009 and the by-election took place on 23 July 2009, two days after the start of the summer recess. Unusually for a UK by-election, the counting process was not started until the following day, for a variety of reasons including the high number of postal votes.
The winner of the by-election was Chloe Smith
Chloe Smith
Chloe Rebecca Smith is a British politician and the Conservative Member of Parliament for Norwich North. She was elected to the seat in a by-election on 23 July 2009 following the resignation of Labour MP Ian Gibson after the MPs' expenses scandal.-Early life:Born in Ashford, Kent, she was aged 3...
of the Conservative Party, who at 27 became the youngest member of the House of Commons, known as the Baby of the House
Baby of the House
Baby of the House is the unofficial title given to the youngest member of a parliamentary house. The term is most often applied to members of the British parliament.-Australia:In Australia the term is rarely used...
.
Boundaries
As boundary changes do not come into effect until the next election, Norwich North was fought on those boundaries in place at the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
The constituency includes parts of two local government areas, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and Broadland
Broadland
Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew, which is a suburb of the City of Norwich.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of St...
, with the majority of the electorate in Broadland. Nine wards of Broadland (Mile Cross, Crome, Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston, Old Catton, Catton Grove, Hellesdon, Drayton and Taverham) fall within its boundaries, together with four wards of the City of Norwich (Catton Grove, Crome, Mile Cross, Sewell).
In boundary changes in place for the 2010 General Election, Norwich North lost Taverham North, Taverham South, Drayton North and Drayton South to the new Broadland
Broadland (UK Parliament constituency)
Broadland is a county 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....
constituency.
Candidates
The Labour PartyLabour 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...
selected Chris Ostrowski, a University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
graduate, as their candidate on 28 June.
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...
had already selected Chloe Smith as their candidate for the general election.
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 April Pond, a local businesswoman and former Norwich City Councillor, who was a candidate for South West Norfolk in 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
The Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
's candidate at the last general election, Adrian Holmes, announced that he would not be standing, and Norwich City Councillor Rupert Read
Rupert Read
Rupert Read is an academic and a Green Party politician in England. He is currently a city councillor in Norwich, and a Reader in Philosophy at the University of East Anglia.Read comments regularly through the Eastern Daily Press 'One World Column'...
, the Green Party's lead candidate for the East of England
East of England (European Parliament constituency)
East of England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 7 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
in the European elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
, was selected on 24 June. In the European elections the Green Party polled 24.9% across Norwich, more than any other party, while they took 9.6% of the vote in Broadland.
Glenn Tingle stood for the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
.
Other minor parties included Robert West for 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...
, who stood as first candidate for the East Midlands Region in the 2009 European Elections, and the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
's leader, Howling Laud Hope
Howling Laud Hope
Alan "Howling Laud" Hope is the Leader of the United Kingdom's Official Monster Raving Loony Party . In 1999, following the death of the party's founder, Screaming Lord Sutch, Hope and his pet cat, Cat Mandu, were jointly elected as leaders of the OMRLP...
.
Three new parties stood candidates for the first time. The Libertarian Party selected 18 year old Thomas Burridge as their first parliamentary candidate. NOTA, which stands for "None of the Above", a party set up by former boxer Terry Marsh
Terry Marsh (boxer)
Terry Marsh is an English former professional boxer who was an undefeated world champion in the light welterweight division....
, announced that Anne Fryatt would stand as their candidate. Former ambassador Craig Murray
Craig Murray
Craig John Murray is a British political activist, former ambassador to Uzbekistan and former Rector of the University of Dundee....
stood as an anti-sleaze candidate for the Put an Honest Man into Parliament party, which was registered with the Electoral Commission on 3 July 2009.
There were also two independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidates: Bill Holden, who was a candidate in 2005, and Peter Baggs.
Ian Gibson announced that he would not be running as an independent candidate. On 26 June he hinted to Newsnight's Michael Crick that he might run as an independent, but he endorsed the Labour candidate three days later.
Broadland
Broadland
Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew, which is a suburb of the City of Norwich.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of St...
District Council published the Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll, which lists candidates' names, addresses, official descriptions, and names of nominators, on 8 July 2009.
Results
Both the United Kingdom Independence Party and the Green Party of England and Wales achieved their best results to date in a Parliamentary by-election; UKIP had previously taken a 10.2% share in the 2004 by-election in HartlepoolHartlepool by-election, 2004
On 23 July 2004, the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool, in England, Peter Mandelson , was nominated as the United Kingdom's new European Commissioner. On 8 September he accepted the office of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, thereby disqualifying himself from Parliament and causing a by-election...
, and the Greens took 7.4% in the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election
Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008
The 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election was a by-election held in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2008 to elect a new Member of Parliament for constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
.