Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, 2004
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A by-election was held for the United Kingdom Parliament seat of Birmingham Hodge Hill, on July 15, the same day as the Leicester South by-election. The seat was won by the Labour Party Liam Byrne, but with a vastly reduced majority. The reduction in the Labour majority has been blamed on the 2003 Iraq War. This was reflected in the notably high poll for a minor "fourth party", Respect, formed by expelled Labour MP, George Galloway and dissident socialists earlier that year.
The member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill, Terry Davis of the Labour Party, resigned from the House of Commons on June 22, 2004, thus freeing him to take up the post of secretary general of the Council of Europe.
The results were announced following a partial re-count (technically, not a recount at all, but a check of the bundles to ensure that all parties' ballot papers had been grouped together) at the request of the Liberal Democrats. Liam Byrne of the Labour Party won with 7,451 votes, a majority of 460 over Nicola Davies of the Liberal Democrats.
The area has had a Labour MP since 1950, the only break being a Conservative Party victory at a 1977 by-election for the constituency of Stetchford. Stetchford returned to Labour at the 1979 general election.
Results
Turnout was 37.89%.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liam Byrne | Labour Party | 7,451 | 36.5% |
| Nicola Davies | Liberal Democrats | 6,991 | 34.2% |
| Stephen Eyre | Conservative Party | 3,543 | 17.3% |
| John Rees | RESPECT The Unity Coalition | 1,282 | 6.3% |
| Jim Starkey | National Front | 805 | 3.9% |
| Mark Wheatley | English Democrats Party | 277 | 1.4% |
| Rev. George Hargreaves | Operation Christian Vote | 90 | 0.4% |
2001 result
From the 2001 general election.
| Rt. Hon. Terry Davis | Labour Party | 16,901 | 63.9% | |
| Debbie Lewis | Conservative Party | 5,283 | 20.0% | |
| Charles Dow | Liberal Democrats | 2,147 | 8.1% | |
| Lee Windridge | British National Party | 889 | 3.3% | |
| Perwaz Hussain | People's Justice | 561 | 2.1% | |
| Dennis Cridge | Socialist Labour Party | 284 | 1.1% | |
| Harvey Vivian | UK Independence Party | 275 | 1.0% | |
| Ayub Khan | Muslim Party | 125 | 0.5% |
External link
- Birmingham City Council's elections office (http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/elections)