Is the Wellingborough by-election really such a gift for Labour?
The Northamptonshire constituency will vote for a new MP after Peter Bone was unseated by a recall petition
Conservative MP Peter Bone has been unseated in a recall petition by his constituents in Wellingborough, in what appears to be an early Christmas present for Labour.
Bone was ousted after being suspended from the Commons for the past six weeks after a Parliamentary inquiry upheld allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying. Bone, who denies the allegations, lost the Tory whip and was sitting as an independent until he was unseated by voters.
A by-election is set to take place in the new year, and has meant calls "for a general election are louder than ever", said The Independent, but Labour will still need to "fight hard to overturn a chunky majority" in the Northamptonshire constituency, added David Wood at ITV News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What the papers said
With Parliament in recess for Christmas, the date of the by-election has yet to be determined, but it is certainly an "unwelcome gift" for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said The Spectator. The government will be trying to make it happen at "the least possible damaging moment" for Sunak and the rest of his "beleaguered troops".
Cabinet minister Mel Stride said the Tories would "fight for every single vote" as it looks to defend the 18,540 majority it won in 2019. But while such a figure would "normally make it safe", the party has "suffered a string of bruising by-election defeats" and has seen "bigger majorities evaporate", said The Standard.
Labour, which finished second in the constituency at the last general election, will be "running at it hard" to try to take another "true blue" seat and add "yet more evidence of the overall direction" voters are leaning in the run-up to the next election, said Politico. While it may be an "uphill battle for Labour", they might still "expect to win it". And "they would be doing very well," even if they took a large bite out of the Tory majority without winning, polling expert John Curtice told the news website.
Indeed, while Labour will try to "hit the ground running on this campaign" and "throw the kitchen sink at it" before a date has even been announced, they know "they will really have to fight hard to win voters over" in the constituency, added Wood.
The Wellingborough seat is a "classic Con/Lab marginal" and has often "been a bellwether" for the overall outcome until Bone took the seat, despite an overall win for Labour in 2005, said The Independent. He built up a "sizeable majority in the intervening years" and it became "especially propitious" in 2019 for the Tories because of the "unusually large Leave vote" and Bone's backing of Brexit.
What next?
It is unclear if Bone will stand again as an independent, as he is allowed to do, but he "didn't rule out" running again having fervently denied the allegations against him, said Politico. However, that may make things more difficult for the Tories. Though Bone was a "popular MP", that may be "less true now" and his presence on the ballot may "split the Tory vote and help Labour" to victory, added the Independent.
Win or lose, there is "not much" meaning in the results for either Labour or the Conservatives in the "long term", said Politico, as it's "only one by-election". For Sunak though, Bone's exit is the loss of one of his slim majority that helped him succeed in the vote on the Rwanda bill last week.
For Labour, Wellingborough is not a seat it "has to win to get the keys for No. 10", said Wood. But the Labour leader Keir Starmer will nevertheless be determined to grab victory and deliver another blow to the Tories, as he remains "desperate to look in control and on track to win Downing Street".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Richard Windsor is a freelance writer for The Week Digital. He began his journalism career writing about politics and sport while studying at the University of Southampton. He then worked across various football publications before specialising in cycling for almost nine years, covering major races including the Tour de France and interviewing some of the sport’s top riders. He led Cycling Weekly’s digital platforms as editor for seven of those years, helping to transform the publication into the UK’s largest cycling website. He now works as a freelance writer, editor and consultant.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why might The Washington Post's nonendorsement matter more?
Today's Big Question The Jeff Bezos-owned publication's last-minute decision to rescind its presidential preference might not tip the electoral scales, but it could be a sign of ominous things to come
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Was Georgia's election stolen?
Today's Big Question The incumbent Georgian Dream party seized a majority in the disputed poll, defying predictions
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Will Elon Musk's million-dollar election scheme pay off?
Today's Big Question By offering a million bucks to prospective voters to sign his pro-Trump petition, the Tesla billionaire is playing a risky electoral game — and a potentially criminal one, too
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How would slavery reparations work?
Today's Big Question Caribbean nations lead call for 'meaningful' conversations on reparations at Commonwealth summit
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is legal weed a bipartisan issue now?
Today's Big Question Trump and Harris both favor legalization
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Is Labour risking the 'special relationship'?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer forced to deny Donald Trump's formal complaint that Labour staffers are 'interfering' to help Harris campaign
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published