2022 Birmingham Erdington by-election
3 March 2022
Birmingham Erdington constituency
Turnout27.0% (Decrease 26.3 pp)
  First party Second party
 
Con
Candidate Paulette Hamilton Robert Alden
Party Labour Conservative
Last election 50.3% 40.1%
Popular vote 9,413 6,147
Percentage 55.5% 36.3%
Swing Increase 5.2pp Decrease 3.8pp
MP before election

Jack Dromey
Labour

 Elected MP

Paulette Hamilton
Labour

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Erdington was held on 3 March 2022. It was triggered by the death of the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Dromey on 7 January.[1][2] The winner was Paulette Hamilton, standing for Labour, who won 55.5% of the votes on a turnout of 27% of the electorate.

This was the first by-election in a parliamentary constituency in Birmingham since the 2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election.

Background and voter registration

Labour has held Birmingham Erdington since the seat was re-established in 1974.[2] Dromey had been the MP for the constituency since 2010, being re-elected in 2015, 2017 and 2019. He died suddenly in his Birmingham flat on the Friday morning of 7 January 2022, according to a family statement. He had spoken in a House of Commons afternoon debate on the UK resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees the day before.[3][4]

The writ was issued on 31 January. The deadline to register to vote was 00:00 GMT on 15 February, with applications for postal votes due by 17:00 GMT on 16 February.[5]

Candidates

The Labour Party candidate was Paulette Hamilton, who is Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for Health and Social Care. She was selected in a virtual hustings against Ashley Bertie, the former West Midlands deputy police and crime commissioner, receiving 82 votes to Bertie's 32.[6]

The Conservative Party selected Robert Alden, who had contested the seat in the previous four general elections.[7]

Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party) selected Birmingham postman Jack Brookes.[5]

The Liberal Democrats selected Lee Dargue, who works in the rail sector, occupational health and safety and environmental management.[5]

The Green Party selected local businesswoman Siobhan Harper-Nunes as its candidate.[8]

Michael Lutwyche stood as an independent. Lutwyche is a Justice-4-the-21 campaigner, supporting the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings.[9]

Dave Nellist stood for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC). He was the Labour MP for Coventry South East from 1983 to 1992.[10][11] Nellist received support from the Breakthrough Party, the Northern Independence Party and Left Unity, who joined the TUSC on 20 January 2022 in the PAL - People's Alliance of the Left.[12]

David Bishop was a satirical candidate. He said he was standing for serious policies, such as scrapping HS2 and saving public lavatories, as well as less serious ones, like legalising brothels with a 20% discount for pensioners.[13][14] This would be the last by election contested by David Bishop before his death in December 2022.[15]

Campaign

Near the end of the campaign, remarks made by Paulette Hamilton in 2015 were uncovered by GB News where she suggested she was torn between a democratic vote and an uprising to enable black people to get what "we really deserve in this country".[16] The comments led to calls from some Conservative MPs for her to be suspended by the Labour Party, who responded saying the remarks were taken out of context.[17]

Results

Bar chart of the election result.
2022 Birmingham Erdington by-election[18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paulette Hamilton 9,413 55.5 +5.2
Conservative Robert Alden 6,147 36.3 –3.8
TUSC Dave Nellist 360 2.1 N/A
Reform UK Jack Brookes 293 1.7 –2.4
Green Siobhan Harper-Nunes 236 1.4 –0.4
Liberal Democrats Lee Dargue 173 1.0 –2.7
Independent Michael Lutwyche 109 0.6 N/A
CPA Mel Mbondiah 79 0.5 N/A
Independent Thomas O'Rourke 76 0.4 N/A
Monster Raving Loony The Good Knight Sir NosDa 49 0.3 N/A
Independent Clifton Holmes 14 0.1 N/A
Church of the Militant Elvis David Bishop 8 0.0 N/A
Majority 3,266 19.2 +9.0
Turnout 17,016 27.0 –26.3
Labour hold Swing +4.5

Previous result

General election 2019: Birmingham Erdington[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jack Dromey 17,720 50.3 –7.7
Conservative Robert Alden 14,119 40.1 +1.7
Brexit Party Wendy Garcarz 1,441 4.1 N/A
Liberal Democrats Ann Holtom 1,301 3.7 +1.7
Green Rob Grant 648 1.8 +0.2
Majority 3,601 10.2 –9.4
Turnout 35,229 53.3 –3.9
Labour hold Swing –4.7

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jack Dromey: Funeral held for veteran Erdington MP". BBC News. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 Murray, Jessica (7 January 2022). "Jack Dromey, Labour MP, dies aged 73". The Guardian. PA Media. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Jack Dromey: Birmingham 'will not be the same' without the veteran MP". BBC News. 8 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme — [Rushanara Ali in the Chair]". TheyWorkForYou. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Birmingham Erdington by-election 2022: The candidates standing". BBC News. 6 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  6. ↑ Haynes, Jane (26 January 2022). "Birmingham could be in line for first black MP after Paulette Hamilton gets Erdington by-election nod". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "Erdington by-election: Conservatives pick Robert Alden as candidate". BBC News. 2 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "ELECTION NEWS: Green Party announce Siobhan Harper-Nunes as Erdington by-election candidate". Erdington Local. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  9. ↑ "ELECTION NEWS: Justice-4-the-21 campaigner, Michael Lutwyche, first independent to run for Erdington MP in March by-election". Erdington Local. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  10. ↑ "ELECTION NEWS: Dave Nellist to run for Erdington MP". Erdington Local. 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Dave Nellist to stand in the Birmingham Erdington by-election". Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC). 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "People's Alliance of the Left (PAL)". Left Unity. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  13. ↑ Cardwell, Mark (10 February 2022). "Erdington election - who's who of 12 candidates who want to be MP". BirminghamLive. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Kath Stanczyszyn - David Bishop - Militant Bus-Pass Elvis Party - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Moore, Joel (6 December 2022). "Tributes to satirist Lord Biro who 'brought entertainment' to politics". NottinghamshireLive. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  16. ↑ Merrick, Rob (2 March 2022). "Labour candidate suggested 'an uprising' might help black people more than democracy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Row over by-election Labour candidate's comments". BBC News. 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  18. ↑ "STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED AND NOTICE OF POLL" (PDF). Birmingham City Council. 8 February 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  19. ↑ "Birmingham Erdington Parliamentary by-election". Birmingham City Council. 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "Birmingham Erdington Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
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