This week, old footage has re-emerged of the 2001 Ipswich By-election. Not usually where Guido would expect to find the most riveting content…
This, however, was a by-election with a twist. When the result was announced the new MP was welcomed to the stage with a bizarre laser rave show, put on by the local council, which concluded with sparklers and confetti. The elderly returning officer took the whole thing in her stride…
Cleverly’s message after the Brecon by-election is essentially “Vote Farage, Get Swinson”. The Tories won’t have to worry about as long as they deliver on 31st October…
The Tories were left wondering what might have been after learning that they had lost the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election in the early hours of this morning by a narrow margin of just 1,425 votes. This was despite the Lib Dems being runaway favourites to win the seat by a landslide after other pro-Remain parties pulled out to give them a clear run, and the Tories re-standing a candidate whose conviction for fraud triggered the by-election in the first place. The May government’s decision to allow Chris Davies to re-stand for the seat looks more than a little foolish now, to say the least…
The Brexit Party vote eclipsed the size of the majority by almost 3:1, a clear warning sign for the Tories ahead of any general election. Interestingly, the Brexit Party’s tally was just seven votes different from UKIP’s in 2015 when Cameron did manage to scrape a majority…
Lib Dem: 13,826 (43%)
Conservative: 12,401 (39%)
Brexit Party: 3,331 (10%)
Labour: 1,680 (5%)
Monster Raving Loony Party: 334 (1%)
UKIP: 242 (0.8%)
At the other end of the table, Labour just managed to hold on to their deposit with a measly 5.28% of the vote. The party that won almost 50% of the vote in Wales last General Election now fighting it out with the Monster Raving Loony Party…
The Lib Dems’ answer to Harvey Weinstein, Lord Rennard, has been out on the campaign trail with them yet again – despite leader Jo Swinson previously calling for him to be kicked out of the party. The noxious Rennard has been embroiled in one of the Lib Dems’ most long-running scandals since over 40 separate sexual harassment claims from multiple Lib Dem staffers first emerged years ago. Yet the Lib Dem leadership has repeatedly failed to fully freeze him out due to his decades-long role masterminding Lib Dem ground campaigns…
Glad to have helped in Brecon with Chris Rennard who ran my 1995 by-election. He pulled out all the stops. I won – but only just. We need the same in Brecon. More help needed, and work till 10pm. Every vote is needed. @LibDems pic.twitter.com/iYz8YOXZnV
— Chris Davies MEP (@ChrisDaviesLD) July 31, 2019
Now he’s resurfaced in the Lib Dems’ by-election campaign in Brecon and Radnorshire, receiving a warm welcome from the Lib Dem old guard including MEP and former MP Chris Davies (who confusingly shares a name with the Tory ex-MP and candidate). As one furious former Lib Dem staffer puts it, the “human octopus” just can’t resist sticking his tentacles back in…
New Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson wrote a searing article two years ago about Rennard declaring him “not welcome” in the party:
“That Lord Rennard remains in the party, showing no remorse or contrition, while many of the women involved have left, fills me with sadness and anger. When I hear suggestions that the women who spoke out should not be believed, or that they were somehow manipulated, it makes my blood boil.
“Vince — and Tim before him — have repeatedly, publicly said Rennard is not welcome anywhere near their frontbench team, even as an adviser. I remain deeply frustrated that he was not expelled from the party through its disciplinary process. It just feels wrong, and I do not want Lord Rennard to continue as a member of the party. As far as I am concerned, he is not welcome.”
Now the buck stops with her there is no excuse, will she finally take action?
Labour’s Peterborough candidate Lisa Forbes was forced to apologise over the weekend for having endorsing a Facebook post saying Theresa May has a “Zionist Slave Masters agenda.” Guido can now reveal that Forbes has quietly deleted Facebook posts that attracted vile anti-Semitism in the thread below, totally ignored by Forbes herself when someone in her network alleged “ISIS leader Al-Baghdadi is a Jewish Mossad agent.” Perhaps it’s no wonder that Forbes signed a letter to Labour’s NEC calling on the party to not adopt the IHRC definition of anti-Semitism in full…
Like her party leader she accuses the BBC of being “pro-Israel”, this is now a matter of course for Corbynistas. Guido can also reveal that as recently as just a few months ago Forbes posted in an anti-Semitic hate group that talks of “Zionist rats”. The group itself posts content alleging the Jewish State has “improper influence” and “spends a fortune perverting our democracy”, promotes rallies organised by Hamas and proscribed terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. A member of the group even questioned why more Palestinians don’t go out to stab Jews. Why is Forbes active in such a deeply questionable group..?
Is this is the new mainstream in the Labour Party..?
The Liberal Democrats’ candidate in the Newport West by-election last night was nowhere to be seen at the count. Ryan Jones, a local businessman couldn’t make it to the count due to a mysterious “longstanding commitment” at ten past one in the morning. Welsh Liberal Democrat President William Powell wouldn’t let on. What was he up to..?
Both major party’s share of the vote fell in Newport West last night, with the Tories falling by 8%, and Labour by 13%. This was a larger fall than expected for Labour after 9 years in opposition. It represents a 2.4% swing from Labour to the Tories…
UKIP outperformed expectations suggesting that the party’s hard turn to the hard right hasn’t cut through to the electorate, or that its voter base simply hasn’t been put off and prioritised sending a signal about Brexit over any other concerns. This should worry both main parties…
The full results were:
The only person chuffed with tonight’s voted will be Gerard Batten…
Following the death of Viscount Slim, the House of Lords is holding a By-Election to select a new hereditary Crossbench peer to replace Slim. As only hereditary Crossbenchers are allowed to vote, the electorate consists of an impressive 31 people. That’s two electors per candidate…
Among the fourteen candidates are 25 year old Lord Glenconner who claims to “represent a younger professional generation”, Lord Dormer who among his experience says he “was politically active in the 1980s in Newcastle and in Oxfordshire in the 1990s” and Lord Aldington, whose short manifesto states that his “Concerns are young people, the regions, financing the NHS, digital regulation and improving my own landscape garden.”
The result will be announced in the House of Lords chamber tomorrow. Guido can’t wait…
Read what each of the candidates have to say here…
Latest on Jared O’Mara: the LibDems are using “rumblings” of a “highly likely” by-election in Sheffield Hallam to raise £20,000 for their candidate there:
“In January, the party launched a by-election fund, spurred by rumblings about a Sheffield Hallam by-election. That by-election is still highly likely – and we need your help. We’re just £20,000 short of our goal. I’ve been to Sheffield to help our fantastic candidate, Laura Gordon. Let me tell you, she will make a fantastic MP – and be a worthy successor to Nick Clegg. Let me also tell you, if this by-election happens, we’re in with a real chance. The reception on the doors was absolutely brilliant and the team there, with support from HQ is ready to go.”
Members of O’Mara’s local Labour Party had been calling for him to stand down in time to hold a by-election on the same day as the May elections. To be fair to Jared he has actually managed to turn up for a handful of votes in the last few weeks. Still hasn’t managed his maiden speech though…
Time for a by-election?
Afzal Khan, who tweeted comparing Israel to Nazis and is a fan of Ayatollah Khomeini, has won Labour’s selection in Gorton. He beat the Momentum candidate Yasmine Dar in the final round last night. Keith Vaz arranged an all-Asian shortlist of which Khan was always going to be the overwhelming favourite – he’s been sniffing around Gerald Kaufman’s seat for years…
As events were unfolding yesterday, Khan was busy deleting all of his previous tweets, which included various attacks on Israel. He’s cannier than Gareth Snell, you’ve gotta give him that…
George Galloway has announced he’s standing in the Gorton by-election… randomly in a blog on Arron Banks’ Westmonster website. His pitch is to get Tony Blair put on trial, defend Palestine and compare himself to football management legends Matt Busby and Pep Guardiola:
“I want to continue [Gerald Kaufman’s] work on international issues – which are particularly important in Gorton – especially the issues of Palestine and Kashmir but also the broader questions, the dangerous confrontation between the west and the Muslim world which threatens all of us…
I opposed Tony Blair with all my heart and soul and paid for it with my expulsion from the party in 2003 – after 36 years membership. This week is the 14th anniversary of the Iraq War against which I was one of the leaders of the greatest mass movements ever seen in this country. I make this plain here – if I am re-elected to Parliament I will seek to put Mr. Blair on trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity and lying to the British Parliament and people…
Whether it’s my speeches in Parliament or on the streets, my films, my TV shows, my radio shows, my work on social media where I have over a million followers, when I’m fighting for Gorton everyone will know about it. Everyone will have to listen. I have been six times elected to Parliament and I don’t think even my worst enemy would deny my impact there…
It’s true I’m not local but then neither was Sir Matt Busby. Neither was Sir Alex Ferguson nor Pep Guardiola nor Jose Mourinho. Like them I want to work for you, for Gorton, for Manchester.
I am like Sir Matt a Scot of Irish background. There are plenty of us around Manchester. My 40 year relationship with Pakistan and Bangladesh my 40 years with the Arabs mean I can speak the language. I can talk the talk but I also walk the walk.
If I were to win here it would be the Mother of All by-election victories for “The hard working people of Gorton” who would never be forgotten again.”
Apparently not a spoof. The LibDems won’t believe their luck…
The shortlist for the Labour candidate in Manchester Gorton is:
Afzal Khan, Luthfur Rahman, Amina Lone, Yasmin Dar, Nasrin Ali
Afzal Khan is the overwhelming favourite, he has been after the seat for years. Guido readers will remember he tweeted comparing Israelis to Nazis. The Corbynistas once again failed to stitch up the seat for their preferred candidate Sam Wheeler, despite interventions from Corbyn and Karie Murphy. Pity the people of Gorton…
Kersal is grabbing the Labour doom headlines this morning, though these two council by-election results in Redcar are worth noting too. The LibDems increased their vote share in Newcomen with a 6% swing from Labour:
Newcomen (Redcar & Cleveland) result:
LDEM: 46.0% (+6.3)
LAB: 28.0% (-5.8)
UKIP: 16.5% (-1.9)
IND: 5.6% (+5.6)
IND: 3.9% (-4.2)
LDem HOLD.— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 3, 2017
Meanwhile the Tories held Hutton as Labour slipped to third, vote share down 16%:
Hutton (Redcar & Cleveland) result:
CON: 57.4% (+3.6)
LDEM: 21.8% (+4.4)
LAB: 12.2% (-16.6)
UKIP: 8.6% (+8.6)
Con HOLD.— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 3, 2017
Tory and LibDem vote going up, Labour going down across the North…
Jeremy Corbyn is very keen for us to report on council by-election results, so… Labour have lost Kersal in Salford to the Tories. It was a Labour seat for decades and has gone blue despite Rebecca Long-Bailey’s best efforts to get out the vote yesterday. Results via Britain Elects:
CON: 42.0%
LAB: 27.3%
IND: 17.5%
UKIP: 9.0%
GRN: 2.4%
LDEM: 1.9%
34%-41% of Kersal residents are Jewish, those on the ground are already saying anti-Semitism was a factor. Shocker for Labour…
Manchester Gorton is an ultra-safe Labour seat where Gerald Kaufman leaves behind a 24,000 majority and no one else has won for 80 years. The LibDems are keen to downplay their chances of an upset, though there are a few factors which could make it interesting. First, there are rumblings that the by-election will be held on the same day as the Manchester mayoral elections. The LibDem mayoral candidate Jane Brophy is running on an “unapologetically pro-EU” ticket and has publicly said she will do anything she can to block Brexit. Manchester Gorton voted 62% to Remain, could the LibDems benefit from a joint anti-Brexit mayoral and by-election campaign?
Second, while the LibDems came fifth in Manchester Gorton in 2015, they came second here in 2010 and 2005. There is a large Muslim and student population, which benefited the LibDems until the coalition. In 2004 the LibDems won 19 of the 21 council seats in the constituency, so it is quite a Lib-Demmy area. Those on the ground say that while Kaufman was a strong local MP, they detect growing dissatisfaction with Corbyn among voters. A Labour loss here is unthinkable – it would make Copeland look like a good result…
ICYMI: this was @CatSmithMP telling my colleague @DanielHewittITV saying what an “incredible achievement” losing #copeland was for Labour pic.twitter.com/1dYCeVCeKN
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) February 24, 2017
Top Corbynista Cat Smith tells ITV why Labour’s performance in Copeland was still an “incredible achievement”. Of all the things said by Labour politicians today, surely the most ridiculous…
11:12pm last night:
“Copeland has been held by Labour. The Tories haven’t taken Copeland.”
David Dimbleby’s sources on the ground let him down…
Hilarious email sent by Momentum to their supporters this morning under the subject line: “We proved them wrong”.
“The sceptics wrote us off in Stoke but we proved them wrong. We beat them with our energy, passion and determination.
The Tories may have taken Copeland, but I’ve seen everything we need to win across the country right here in Stoke these last few weeks.
If we build on the momentum from this win, we can beat UKIP and the Tories across the country.”
What are they smoking?
“Where’s the car?” Nuttall searching for his getaway car after disappointing Stoke by-election result pic.twitter.com/9s7VxnVb6K
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) February 24, 2017
Exasperated ‘Kipper Lisa Duffy cried: “Where the hell’s the car? Where the f**k’s the car?” as Nuttall made a hasty getaway last night.[…] Read the rest
Boris as Hulk…
‘Banner might be bound in manacles, but when provoked he would explode out of them. Hulk always escaped, no matter how tightly bound in he seemed to be – and that is the case for this country. We will come out on October 31 and we will get it done.’
