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Voters head for the polls in Selby and Ainsty by-election
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Voters go to the polls today in three by-elections in very different parts of the country as Labour eyes Boris Johnson’s old seat of Uxbridge and Ruislip in Greater London.
By-elections are also taking place in Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and Frome in polls that will serve as a barometer of the public mood as MPs break for summer.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak told colleagues last night that his party faced a “tough battle” to hold on to the seats and some analysts have suggested the Tories could lose all three.
Labour hopes to snatch Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which was Boris Johnson’s seat until he quit, and Selby and Ainsty - vacated by his ally Nigel Adams’ resignation.
The Liberal Democrats are eyeing victory in the contest in Somerton and Frome that was triggered by David Warburton quitting after admitting cocaine use amid allegations of sexual harassment.
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Key Points Sunak warns of ‘tough battle' Voters also go to polls in Somerton and Selby Labour eyes Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge seat
Show latest update 1689869417 In graphs: What you need to know
Why there are by-elections in seats in Greater London, North Yorkshire and Somerset, and who won them last time round:
In graphs: What you need to know ahead of the triple by-election results Voting is taking place in three very different seats in Greater London, North Yorkshire and Somerset
Jane Dalton 20 July 2023 17:10
1689866370 Watch: Cleverly says he wants to ‘stay put’ amid cabinet reshuffle rumours
Rumours have been rife this week that Rishi Sunak could shake up his top team as part of a reset of government ahead of the summer break.
Talk about the PM shuffling the deck chairs intensified after Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, announced that he would be quitting the government and standing down at the next election.
James Cleverly is among the ministers keen to stay put, saying he wants to continue as foreign secretary.
Oliver Browning has more:
James Cleverly warns Sunak he wants to ‘stay put’ amid cabinet reshuffle rumours James Cleverly has warned Rishi Sunak that he wants to remain as foreign secretary, amid speculation over an imminent cabinet reshuffle. The senior cabinet minister, who has been tipped in some reports as a contender to replace Ben Wallace at the Ministry of Defence, made clear his desire to remain at the Foreign Office during a relaxed interview at the Aspen Security Forum in the US. Mr Cleverly made it clear that he wants to “stay put” in the job, as he joked that he was speaking directly to the prime minister from across the Atlantic.
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 16:19
1689864307 Who’s in the running to replace Nigel Adams in Selby?
There are 13 candidates in total vying to replace Nigel Adams in Selby and Ainsty.
Mr Adams resigned immediately last month after being snubbed for a peerage. He had previously said he would stand down at the next election.
The next national poll must take place by January 2025 but many analysts expect it to be called next year, possibly in the spring or autumn.
Lucy Leeson has a full list of the runners and riders in Selby:
Watch: Voters head for the polls in Selby and Ainsty by-election Voters are today heading to the polls in North Yorkshire in the Selby and Ainsty by-election. The seat was left vacant by the resignation of MP Nigel Adams, who quit a day after he was snubbed for a peerage by Boris Johnson. There are 13 candidates vying to replace him. They are Keir Mather - Labour; Claire Holmes - Conservative; Matt Walker - Liberal Democrat;Arnold Warneken - Green; Andrew Gray - Independent; Mike Jordan - Yorkshire Party; Dave Kent - Reform UK; Nick Palmer - Independent; Guy Phoenix - Heritage Party; Sir Archibald Stanton - Official Monster Raving Loony; John Waterston - Social Democratic Party; Luke Wellock - Climate Party and Tyler Wilson-Kerr - Independent. Results are expected on Friday.
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 15:45
1689863373 Top Tory faces vote of no confidence after he apologises for ‘lauding the Taliban’
Tobias Ellwood, the MP for Bournemouth East, finds himself in hot water after praising the Taliban for “vastly improving” Afghanistan.
His comments came as women in the South Asian country continue to have their freedoms curtailed by the repressive regime in Kabul.
The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021 when Western countries withdrew their troops following the two-decades-long US-led occupation.
Mr Ellwood, chair of the Commons defence committee, has since apologised for the comments, saying he “got it wrong”.
But his fellow committee members are planning to remove him as their chair. Archie Mitchell reports:
‘Got it wrong’: Top Tory sorry for ‘lauding Taliban’ as he faces no confidence vote Tobias Ellwood, chairman of parliament’s defence select committee, said he ‘got it wrong’
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 15:29
1689862207 Treasury chief sacked by Liz Truss before disastrous mini-Budget handed ￡335,000 pay off
The Treasury chief sacked by Liz Truss ahead of her disastrous tax-cutting budget was handed a ￡335,000 pay off, new accounts show.
Sir Tom Scholar was sacked as permanent secretary at the Treasury within days of Ms Truss becoming prime minister as part of her crusade against “Treasury orthodoxy” – freeing her up to enact the ill-fated policies.
And the Treasury’s annual report reveals Sir Tom received a severance payment of ￡335,000 for loss of office, as well as ￡122,000 in annual leave adjustments and compensation in lieu of notice.
Archie Mitchell reports:
Treasury chief sacked by Liz Truss handed ￡335,000 pay off Former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who quit after drunkenly groping two men, was given ￡7,920 in severance pay
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 15:10
1689861307 By-election coverage hit by BBC strike
BBC journalists are launching a fresh strike in a dispute over cuts to local radio that will affect the corporation’s coverage of today’s by-elections,
Members of the National Union of Journalists will walk out at 11am for 24 hours, with picket lines mounted outside local radio stations across England.
The union said it is receiving huge public support for its campaign.
Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, said: "This strike action will again have a huge impact on BBC Local output, with many stations and programmes expected to be off air.
"NUJ members would much rather be working in newsrooms on Thursday and Friday, but the BBC’s damaging plans for job cuts, slashing local radio and changing ways of working remain deeply unpopular.
"We believe there are ways to protect and promote digital investment without cutting much-loved and valued local radio content.
"With an election around the corner, holding local politicians to account is more important than ever.
"Let’s protect and promote BBC Local, not eviscerate it."
NUJ members at the BBC during a previous picket line at Broadcasting House in central London (PA)
(PA Wire)
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 14:55
1689860407 ‘Enough is enough’, says Labour’s Uxbridge candidate as polls open
Labour’s candidate in Uxbridge said “enough is enough” as he urged people to reject the Tories and vote for him as polls opened in the constituency earlier.
“Enough is enough,” Mr Beales said in a tweet with a video showing him meeting with locals in the area.
“Vote for change and vote Labour.”
Labour hopes to snatch Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which was Boris Johnson’s seat until he quit, and Selby and Ainsty - vacated by his ally Nigel Adams’ resignation.
Mr Beales will have to overturn a 7,000 majority if he is to win the seat for his party.
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 14:40
1689859507 ‘I don’t trust any of them’: How Boris effect is hitting Tory hopes of keeping Uxbridge seat
Will this Tory town change its colours after Boris Johnson’s dramatic departure from the Commons? Maryam Zakir-Hussain visits Uxbridge ahead of Thursday’s crunch by-election
Full story:
How Boris effect is hitting Tory hopes of keeping Uxbridge Will this Tory town change its colours after Boris Johnson’s dramatic departure from the Commons? Maryam Zakir-Hussain visits Uxbridge ahead of Thursday’s crunch by-election
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 14:25
1689858607 Somerton and Frome in numbers
Somerton and Frome. Conservative majority: 19,213
The Somerton and Frome byelection was sparked by the resignation of David Warburton, who quit after being accused of sexual harassment, which he denies, and admitting to taking cocaine.
The Liberal Democrats are tipped to win the Somerset seat, which has been a Conservative stronghold - returning a Tory MP every year since 2010.
View more
The Tories held it from 1983 to 1997 and the Lib Dems from 1997 until 2015, when David Warburton won it back for the Conservatives.
Mr Warburton had a majority of 19,213 at the 2019 election and took nearly 56 per cent of the vote, with the Lib Dems second on just over 26 per cent and Labour third on 13 per cent.
The Lib Dems need a swing in the share of the vote of 14.9 percentage points to come first at the by-election: the equivalent of a net change of 15 in every 100 people switching sides since 2019.
If a general election were held tomorrow , EC estimates that the Conservatives would hold the seat with 34.1 per cent with Labour in second on 28.2 per cent and Lib Dems on 23.1 per cent.
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 14:10
1689857707 Selby and Ainsty in numbers
Selby and Ainsty. Conservative majority: 20,137
Labour, which has held a double-digit poll lead over the Tories for months, is also tipped to win in the North Yorkshire constituency of Selby and Ainsty, which has also returned a Conservative MP at every election since the seat was created in 2010.
The byelection was triggered after Mr Adams, an ally of Mr Johnson, resigned after being denied a peerage.
But the MP, who previously said he would stand down at the next general election, insisted that his decision to quit had nothing to do with his elevation to the House of Lords being blocked.
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Mr Adam, at the 2019 general election, secured 33,995 (60.3 per cent) of the votes, with Labour candidate Malik Rofidi coming second on 13,858 (24.6 per cent) and Lib Dem candidate Katharine Macy third on 4,842 (3.4 per cent)
If a general election were held tomorrow EC estimates that Labour would win the seat with 41.5 per cent of the vote, with the Conservatives in second 35.2 per cent and the Lib Dems third on 8 per cent.
A JL Partners poll also published earlier in July predicted Labour had a 16 point lead over the Conservatives with 41 per cent of the vote.
The survey predicted Conservative support has more than halved, dropping 31 per cent to 29 per cent and the Lib Dems on 6 per cent.
Matt Mathers 20 July 2023 13:55
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1/ 1Polls open in three by-elections as Labour eyes Boris Johnson’s seat
Polls open in three by-elections as Labour eyes Boris Johnson’s seat
Three by-elections are taking place on Thursday (PA)
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