2022 Wakefield by-election

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Wakefield is expected to be held in 2022. It is set to be triggered by the resignation of Member of Parliament (MP) Imran Ahmad Khan, who was elected as a Conservative. Following his conviction for sexually assaulting a teenage boy, he announced on 14 April 2022 that he would resign the seat.[1]

2022 Wakefield by-election
2022
Wakefield constituency
Boundary of Wakefield constituency in West Yorkshire
Incumbent MP

Imran Ahmad Khan
Independent


Background

Constituency

Wakefield lies in the West Yorkshire region and the constituency is dominated by the city of Wakefield.[2] In the 2016 EU referendum, 63% of the voters who turned out voted to leave the European Union.[3]

The by-election is expected to be the ninth or tenth of the 2019 Parliament. Before Ahmad Khan won the seat for the Conservatives at the 2019 general election, it had been held by the Labour Party since the 1932 Wakefield by-election, when Labour gained the seat from the Conservatives.[4] The seat is regarded as part of the so-called "red wall" and Labour hopes to regain the seat.[5]

Trigger

Ahmad Khan announced his intention to resign as an MP on 14 April 2022.[6] This followed his conviction on 11 April for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008.[7] He was first elected as a Conservative MP in the 2019 general election but lost the whip in June 2021 as a result of the court case and sat as an independent for the remaining months of his tenure as MP.[8] He was expelled from the Conservative Party also on 11 April following his conviction.[9] On 25 April, Khan submitted his resignation, effective from 30 April, enabling him to claim his full pay as MP for the month.[10][11] On 3 May, Khan was appointed as Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern, officially making him cease to be an MP.[12]

Candidates

Mary Creagh, Labour MP for the constituency until the 2019 general election, confirmed in a statement on Twitter that she would not be seeking to be the party's candidate for the by-election.[13][14] Sources within the Labour Party initially suggested that Ed Balls, former minister and MP for neighbouring Morley and Outwood, could be a potential candidate in the by-election with the backing of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, as reported by Politico and The Times.[15] However, Balls clarified on social media that he would not be putting his name forward as the Labour candidate.[16]

Previous result
General election 2019: Wakefield[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Imran Ahmad Khan 21,283 47.3 +2.3
Labour Mary Creagh 17,925 39.8 –9.9
Brexit Party Peter Wiltshire 2,725 6.1 N/A
Liberal Democrats Jamie Needle 1,772 3.9 +1.9
Yorkshire Ryan Kett 868 1.9 –0.6
Independent Stephen Whyte 454 1.0 N/A
Majority 3,358 7.5 N/A
Turnout 45,027 64.1 –1.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +6.1

References
  1. "Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan quits after sexual assault conviction". BBC News. 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  2. "Wakefield | England, United Kingdom | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. "Seat Details - Wakefield". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. "House of Commons". 15 February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  5. Adu, Aletha (14 April 2022). "Tory Imran Ahmad Khan quits as MP triggering by-election after sexual assault conviction". Daily Mirror. Reach. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  6. Steerpike (14 April 2022). "Exclusive: disgraced MP to quit". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  7. Pidd, Helen (11 April 2022). "Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan found guilty of sexually assaulting boy, 15". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  8. Vincent, James (11 April 2022). "Imran Ahmad Khan: What happens when an MP is convicted?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  9. Atkinson, Emily (11 April 2022). "MP thrown out of Conservative Party after being found guilty of sexual assault of boy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  10. Pidd, Helen (28 April 2022). "Imran Ahmad Khan completes MP resignation process with full April pay". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  11. "Contact Imran Ahmad Khan". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  12. "Three Hundreds of Chiltern". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  13. Creagh, Mary [@MaryCreagh_] (15 April 2022). "I've been moved and humbled by people asking me to stand in the Wakefield by-election. After a lot of thought, I have decided not to put myself forward as Labour's candidate. I am sure voters will choose an MP worthy of our great city" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. Norden, Jasmine (17 April 2022). "Former Wakefield MP announces she will not run in by-election". YorkshireLive. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  15. Wickham, Alex (20 April 2022). "London Playbook: Indian runner — 8,000 miles apart — Don't mention the NLAW". Politico. Archived from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  16. Morris, Sophie (22 April 2022). "Ed Balls strictly not interested in Westminster comeback through Wakefield by-election". Sky News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  17. "Wakefield Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
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