2012 Corby by-election


The Corby by-election was a by-election held in England on 15 November 2012 to elect a new Member of Parliament for the constituency of Corby in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The election was held on the same day as by-elections in Cardiff South and Penarth and Manchester Central, the first direct election for the post of Mayor of Bristol, and the first Police and Crime Commissioner elections. Andy Sawford, the Labour Party candidate, won with 48% of the vote. The Conservatives' and Liberal Democrats' vote dropped significantly and UKIP came third with their highest-ever vote in a parliamentary by-election to that date.

Background

Formed in 1983, the Corby constituency had been held by the Labour Party since 1997, but was captured by the Conservative candidate, author Louise Mensch, at the 2010 general election. In an email to the Prime Minister David Cameron on 6 August 2012, Mrs Mensch confirmed her intention to move to New York City to spend time with her new husband, Peter Mensch, whose work is there, and their family. Louise Mensch was appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, thereby resigning her seat in the House of Commons, on 29 August 2012.
All registered Parliamentary electors who were aged 18 or over on 15 November 2012 and were on the electoral register for the constituency, were entitled to vote in the by-election. The deadline for voters to register to vote in the by-election was midnight on Wednesday 31 October 2012. However, those who qualified as an anonymous elector had until midnight on Thursday 8 November 2012 to register to vote.

Election campaign

launched the Labour campaign in the East Northamptonshire town of Thrapston rather than the traditional Labour stronghold of Corby.
In an interview with the Northamptonshire Telegraph at the campaign launch in Corby, UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said: "We intend to put together a serious campaign here."
A poll conducted 12–18 October by Lord Ashcroft in the constituency found 54% for Labour, 32% for the Conservatives, 10% for the Liberal Democrats and 8% for other candidates.
James Delingpole, a Daily Telegraph journalist who is sceptical of anthropogenic global warming, stated his intention to run as an independent, on a platform opposing wind farms. Delingpole stated this ambition on 17 September 2012 and met with prospective local voters. However, he never formally applied, pulling out after support from the Conservative energy minister, John Hayes, opposing onshore wind farms, which caused a minor rift between Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers. Chris Heaton-Harris, and campaign manager for the party at the by-election, was secretly filmed saying he had encouraged Delingpole to run as a "plan" whereby Delingpole would say he would stand, though he would never actually do so, in order to "cause some hassle" and thus promote opposition to wind farms. Lewes councillor, Donna Edmonds set up Delingpole's wind-farm campaign website. Both Heaton-Harris and Edmonds argued they had not broken any party rules on supporting an opposition candidate on the grounds that Delingpole never formally became a candidate. The news of the secret footage broke before the election in the national press.

Result

The total ballots issued were 35,775, and there were 110 spoilt ballots. The result was the second largest numerical majority ever in the Corby constituency since its creation in 1983. In percentage terms, the Labour majority is only slightly lower than that in 1997. The result also represented the highest ever vote and share for UKIP at a parliamentary by-election at the time. Corby was also the fourth by-election of the 2010 parliament at which the Liberal Democrats lost their deposit.
This was the first seat gained by Labour in a by-election since the Wirral South by-election in 1997, and it is the most recent by-election which resulted in a Labour gain.
A recount delayed the declaration of the result, called by the agent of the Liberal Democrat candidate, Jill Hope, who came 13 votes short of holding her deposit.