COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 31.10.24

Seven contests this week and just two Labour defences.  They held with a reduced majority in the deepest of red territory - Salford - but lost spectacularly to newcomers Reform in Wolverhampton.  Labour's vote share was down in all six of the seats the party contested, including almost 40 percentage points in that aforementioned Wolverhampton seat.

Sileby & Seagrove, Charnwood Borough Council

Grn: 752 (52.9%) +0.1%

Ref: 297 (20.9%) New

Con: 262 (18.4%) -8.2%

Lab: 70 (4.9%) -12.0%

LDm: 40 (2.8%) -0.8%

Grn HOLD

Bishops Waltham, Hampshire County Council

LDm: 2,210 (52.2%) +28.6%

Con: 1,431 (33.8%) -23.1%

Grn: 477 (11.3%) -2.0%

Lab: 115 (2.7%) -2.6%

LDm GAIN from Con

North Middleton, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Ind: 812 (51.7%) +8.3%

Lab: 572 (36.4%) -11.9%

Con: 108 (6.9%) +0.3%

LDm: 80 (5.1%) +3.4%

Ind HOLD

Eccles, Salford City Council

Lab: 951 (51.2%) -11.8%

Con: 426 (23.0%) +6.2%

Grn: 261 (14.1%) -0.2%

LDm: 142 (7.6%) New

TUS: 61 (4.1%) -1.8%

Lab HOLD

Bramhall South & Woodford, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Con: 1,909 (47.9%) +4.6%

LDm: 1,733 (43.5%) -1.4%

Ref: 133 (3.3%) New

Lab: 115 (2.9%) -4.2%

Grn: 95 (2.4%) 2.3%

Con GAIN from LDm

Kirkby Stephen & Tebay, Westmorland and Furness Council

LDm: 887 (82.7%) +39.1%

Con: 186 (17.3%) -24.8%

LDm GAIN from Con

Bilston North, Wolverhampton City Council

Ref: 652 (34.8%) New

Lab: 471 (25.1%) -39.9%

Grn: 438 (23.4%) New

Con: 257 (13.7%) -14.3%

LDm: 55 (2.9%) -4.1%

Ref GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

Grn = Green

Ref = Reform UK

Con = Conservative

Lab = Labour

LDm = Liberal Democrat

TUS = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Ind = Independents and local groups

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 07.04.22

There were nine by-elections on Thursday and it was a very mixed bag with all but four of those seats changing hands.

The Conservatives were defending three seats - one each in Dorset, East Yorkshire and West Sussex.  They lost all three seats - two to the Greens and one to the Lib Dems.  The Green success in Horsham was particularly stunning as they were newcomers to the poll, but were undoubtedly assisted by the absence of a Labour candidate this time.

There was better news for the Tories in Derbyshire where they gained a seat from Labour and tipped High Peak Borough Council into No Overall Control.

Labour were the only party to hold any seats on Thursday, successfully defending all four.  However, there was a significant reduction in their vote in two Liverpool seats.

The remaining seat was an open contest in Devon, caused by a retiring independent.  The Lib Dems mopped up there.

Absentees this week were UKIP in East Yorkshire and Telford, Labour in Horsham, the Liberal Party in Warbreck (Liverpool) and Mid-Devon.  Independents were absent from Mid-Devon and Wolverhampton.

Lyme & Charmouth, Dorset Council

Grn: 594 (43.8%) +27.0%

Con: 359 (26.5%) -13.7%

Ind: 320 (23.6%) -6.7%

Lab: 82 (6.1%) -6.6%

Grn GAIN from Con

South Hunsley, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

LDem: 1,351 (54.7%) +41.1%

Con: 907 (36.8%) -28.5%

Lab: 110 (4.5%) -6.8%

Grn: 100 (4.1%) New

LDem GAIN from Con

Cote Heath, High Peak Borough Council

Con: 585 (55.5%) +5.4%

Lab: 413 (39.2%) -10.7%

Grn: 56 (5.3%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Storrington & Washington, Horsham District Council

Grn: 1,281 (47.9%) New

Con: 943 (35.2%) -16.1%

LDem: 453 (16.9%) -13.5%

Grn GAIN from Con

Everton, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 925 (62.0%) -24.6%

Grn: 362 (24.2%) +20.5%

Lib: 84 (5.6%) +3.4%

Con: 51 (3.4%) -1.7%

TUSC: 46 (3.1%) +3.1%

LDem: 25 (1.7%) -0.6%

Lab HOLD

Warbreck, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 912 (48.2%) -31.8%

LDem: 874 (46.2%) +38.3%

Grn: 61 (3.2%) -1.1%

Con: 46 (2.4%) -4.1%

Lab HOLD

Cullompton South, Mid Devon District Council

LDem: 318 (47.9%) +26.2%

Con: 279 (42.0%) +9.3%

Lab: 67 (10.1%) New

LDem GAIN from Ind

Brookside, Telford and Wrekin Council

Lab: 531 (58.8%) +20.0%

Con: 318 (35.2%) +11.8%

LDem: 54 (6.0%) -11.6%

Lab HOLD

East Park, Wolverhampton City Council

Lab: 783 (65.5%) +6.2%

Con: 412 (34.5%) +17.0%

Lab HOLD

Abbreviations

Grn = Green

Con = Conservative

Lab = Labour

LDem = Liberal Democrat

Lib = Liberal

TUSC = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Ind = Independents

ELEANOR'S 'RACIST FLAG'

It may be a little known event outside the West Midlands, but today is Black Country Day.  The date recalls the inauguration of the regional flag on 14 July 2012.  Ahead of the event most of the region's MPs gathered for a photoshoot in Westminster, something that twelve months ago would have required significant more Labour involvement than it did this time around.  Prior to the general election Labour held eight of the thirteen seats, but were left with just three on December 13.

Warley's Labour MP John Spellar joined seven Tory MPs for the photoshoot, posing with a flag that one of his former colleagues dubbed 'racist' in 2017.

Black Country MPs pose with the regional flag, including Labour's John
Spellar (middle, left)

Every aspect of the Black Country flag symbolises the region's industrial past.  The black third represents the name for which the region is known, from the soot that is said to have blackened the sky.  The red third represents the sky at night, from the many burning furnaces.  The white cone shape that is formed in the centre of the flag represents the glass-making industry, while the chains represent another Black Country industry.  It was the chains that upset former Labour MP Eleanor Smith.

Smith represented Wolverhampton South-West for one brief term between 2017-19.  Just weeks after she was elected she slammed the local flag on Black Country Day itself and demanded that it be scrapped and redesigned in order to represent the region's multi-cultural communities.  Smith was not a Black Country native and saw the flag completely differently to everyone else, espousing views that would be perfectly at home in the Black Lives Matter cancel culture of 2020: "I have serious concerns about the racist connotations of the flag, particularly the fact that chains are being used to represent the Black Country.  The white on black imagery used together with the chains... when you break it down I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t worry me as a black person.  People have to understand that it can be seen as offensive".

Labour's Eleanor Smith

Smith continued her daft assault on the flag: "I understand the flag was designed by a young person, and I don’t for one minute think they realised its connotations.  I think it is time for an intelligent conversation about the flag.  I would look to have it changed.  Why can’t we have a flag that represents all of us united as a collective rainbow of people?  In my constituency there are 130 different languages spoken.  Let’s get a flag that actually says we are proud of where we come from".

Smith was roundly mocked by local people and she didn't garner any support from her Parliamentary colleagues who were only too happy to pose with the flag.  Perhaps it was no surprise that on December 12 her 2,185 majority was overturned as the Conservatives regained a seat they'd lost in 2015.

Labour MPs Ian Austin, Tom Watson, Pat McFadden and Adrian Bailey in
2017.  After the 2019 general election only McFadden remained in office.

COUNCILLOR TELLS MP TO F*** OFF

This was the extroadinary tweet that was sent by a Labour councillor in response to Conservative MP Jane Stevenson.

Cllr Paul Sweet represents the Bushbury South & Low Hill ward on Wolverhampton City Council.  On Friday evening the Conservative MP for Wolverhampton North East tweeted about a visit she'd made to Low Hill to meet a local community group.  It wasn't until Sunday morning that Cllr Sweet sent the foul-mouthed tweet, complete with laughing emoji.

He deleted the tweet following a backlash, but referred to it in a follow up tweet:  "The perils of twitter.  Too quick on the keypad sometimes".  He has since been reported to the council's standards committee, but has not yet responded to newspaper requests for comment.

Local Tories were quick to denounce his behaviour.  Wendy Thompson, Woleverhampion Tory group leader said: "Using derogatory language like that, I think he should apologise and provide an explanation".  Neighbouring MP Stuart Anderson said:  "This is utterly disgusting and this kind of behaviour should be addressed".  Jay Singh-Sogal, Conservative candidate for West Midlands Crime Commissioner, was with Stevenson during her visit:  "Absolutely outrageous, our political discourse does not need this sort of language and an elected official should know better and set a higher standard.  Where’s the apology?"

Cllr Sweet

Jane Stevenson herself brushed off the remark, saying she hoped it was an 'accident', as she had always found Cllr Sweet"to be perfectly polite and we share a love of animals".  She overturned a 4,587 Labour majority in December and became the first Tory MP to represent Wolverhampton North East since 1992.

Wolverhampton North East 2019 general election

Jane Stevenson (Con) 17,722 (51.7%) +11.4%
Emma Reynolds (Lab) 13,642 (39.8%) -13.0%
Vishal Khatri (Brexit) 1,354 (3.9%)0 New
Richard Maxwell (Lib Dem) 960 (2.8%) +1.2%
Andrea Cantrill (Green) 603 (1.8%) +0.4%