Leicester South by-election, 2004
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A by-election was held in Leicester South on July 15, the same day as the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. It was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, over-turning a Labour majority of 13,243 votes at the 2001 General Election.
The MP for Leicester South, Jim Marshall, from the Labour Party died on May 27, 2004, shortly before the local and European elections in June.
The seat was first won by Marshall in 1974. He lost it to the Conservative Party candidate in the 1983 general election by 7 votes, but won it back at the 1987 election. Marshall had a large personal vote, and both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Parties targeted the seat.
The constituency is diverse, covering leafy suburbs such as Stoneygate and Knighton along with inner city areas with a strong Asian community.
Results
Turnout was 41.6%
Leicester_South_LibDem_Posters.jpg
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parmjit Singh Gill | Liberal Democrats | 10,274 | 34.9% |
| Sir Peter Soulsby | Labour Party | 8,620 | 29.3% |
| Chris Heaton-Harris | Conservative Party | 5,796 | 19.7% |
| Yvonne Ridley | RESPECT | 3,724 | 12.7% |
| David Roberts | Socialist Labour Movement | 263 | 0.9% |
| R.U. Seerius | Official Monster Raving Loony Party | 225 | 0.8% |
| Pat Kennedy | Independent - Save Our Schools | 204 | 0.7% |
| Paul Lord | Independent | 186 | 0.6% |
| Mark Edwin Benson | Independent (anti-EU) | 55 | 0.2% |
| Jitendra Bardwaj | Independent (yoga and meditation) | 36 | 0.1% |
| Alan Gordon Barrett | Independent (Conservative) | 25 | 0.1% |
2001 Result
From the 2001 general election:
| Jim Marshall | (Lab) | 22,958 | 54.5% | |
| Richard Hoile | (Con) | 9,715 | 23.0% | |
| Parmjit Singh Gill | (L Dem) | 7,243 | 17.2% | |
| Margaret Layton | (Green) | 1,217 | 2.9% | |
| Arnie Gardner | (Soc Lab) | 676 | 1.6% | |
| Kirti Ladwa | (UKIP) | 330 | 0.8% |
External link
- Leicester Mercury article (http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=132683&command=displayContent&sourceNode=132377&contentPK=10350594)
- BBC News article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/3831255.stm)