Great day campaigning in Middleton Cheney with Alison Eastwood and Lizzy 😊 @Conservatives pic.twitter.com/mNndrdYH4T
— Andrea Leadsom MP (@andrealeadsom) August 26, 2019
Well done to Mark Allen and team on a fantastic victory in Middleton Cheney. They won the South Northamptonshire seat from the Tories in yesterday’s by-election. This was despite local MP Andrea Leadsom campaigning hard for the Tory candidate (see above).
Full result in Middleton Cheney, South Northamptonshire – @towcesterfocus
LD Mark Allen: 384 (44.3% +10.2)
Con 345 (39.8% -2.3)
Green 89 (10.3% +6.2)
Labour 49 (5.7% -14.1)— ALDC (@ALDC) September 12, 2019
In other results,there was a strong hold for Ruth Houghton in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire. We achieved 24.6% of the vote via candidate Beverley Wrigley-Pheasant in Ryall and Casterton, Rutland, a seat that an Independent previously won unopposed. We strongly held the seat of St Mark’s in Rushmore thanks to Thomas Mitchell and team. Thanks also to Chris Nelson for flying the flag in Finedon, Wellingborough.
Full result for Bishop's Castle, Shropshire @LudlowLibDems
LD Ruth Houghton: 838 (71.4%)
Con: 229 (19.5%)
Lab: 107 (9.1%)— ALDC (@ALDC) September 12, 2019
Ryhell & Casterton, Rutland
Con: 357 (56.3%)
LD Beverley Wrigley-Pheasant: 156 (24.6%)
Green: 121 (19.1%)Many thanks to Beverley for standing and the team in Rutland for reaching almost 25% of the vote from a standing start! pic.twitter.com/uhyogZniY9
— ALDC (@ALDC) September 12, 2019
St Mark's (Rushmoor) result:
LDEM: 54.7% (+16.6)
CON: 35.9% (+2.2)
LAB: 9.4% (-6.1)Liberal Democrat HOLD.
— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) September 12, 2019
Result in Finedon, Wellingborough
Con 547 (52.1%)
Independent: 227 (21.6%)
Green: 134 (12.8%)
Lab: 76 (7.2%)
LD Chris Nelson: 64 (6.1%)A Conservative hold. Thanks to Chris for flying the flag for @WboroLibDems pic.twitter.com/xPWMFZmqtI
— ALDC (@ALDC) September 13, 2019
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
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Why Kenneth Williams wanted to be serviced by Terence Rattigan
National politicians should keep their noses out of the decision-making processes of local councillors
David Le Grice
nigel hunter
George Thomas
David Allen
Simon Mcgrath
8 Comments
Despite Andrea or because? A great result though after everything that’s happened in Northants I’m astonished that nearly 40% still voted Tory!
Also a strong advance in the Green’s share of the vote. I hope LibDems and Greens are thinking carefully about how and where they deploy their efforts in the coming General Election so as not to spoil each other’s chances.
Very good results. And there’s twitter talk of another defection to us tomorrow… https://twitter.com/ClaireEllicott1/status/1172484061601902592
Andrea Leadsom has said she is a Democrat, by which she presumably means that she voted leave in 2016. She is, of course, a Conservative.
As leader of the House of Commons she disagreed with the Speaker and has continued the vendetta after the reshuffle.
https://www.biicl.org/events/11309/sixth-annual-bingham-lecture
He has announced his retirement. He was previously elected as a Conservative, so the convention of alternation should produce as next Speaker an MP from the opposition benches. Labour seems to have several candidates. The SNP really want to leave the UK.
Betty Boothroyd’s autobiography was published in 2001 by Random House. “The House has a right to choose its own Speaker, regardless of the Government’s wishes.” ‘Elect me for what I am’ page 139. Some comment on her appearance is allowable. She did not wear a wig, thereby breaking with convention. She is now a peer and recently commented jointly with Michael Heseltine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Boothroyd
Gerry Adams explained to her why Sinn Fein does not take seats at Westminster. It is not about the oath. (To swear or not to swear? page 246)
Richard – the principle of alternation doesn’t necessarily apply. Prior to Bercow Labour had 2 successive speakers (Betty Boothroyd and Michael Martin) so it could be argued that the next one after Bercow should be another Tory.
Ross McLean: There is a good reason why it should apply,
which is that we have a Conservative government at the moment.
The Speaker should be a check on the abuse of power and support back-benchers.
“The Speaker should be a check on the abuse of power and support back-benchers.”
Indeed, but remember that includes government backbenchers as well as opposition ones. Plus, the government is likely to change during a speaker’s term, so in that sense it really doesn’t matter whether the speaker is from the non-government party when he/she is elected. The whole point is that he/she is supposed to be independent from the moment they take the chair anyway.
No, I say backbench MPs themselves are the people best placed to pick the person they think will do the job. They shouldn’t be constrained by party considerations – and they’re not. Look at Bercow. He was a Tory, but the Tory government hates him! Backbenchers like him though (all parties). That’s how it should be.
And of course John Bercow is no fool, leaving before the election means his successor will be chosen whilst there’s a minority Government and less opportunity for executive meddling. It seems to me the overwhelming majority will look to Sir Lindsay Hoyle to replace him, he’s had 9 years of deputising so is well placed to step up at a defining moment.