 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
City of Chester constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnout | 41.2% ( 30.5pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aby-election for theUnited Kingdom parliamentary constituency of theCity of Chester was held on 1 December 2022.[1] It followed theresignation of incumbent member of ParliamentChris Matheson as on 21 October 2022 after accusations of sexual misconduct[2] and a recommendation from theIndependent Expert Panel that he be suspended from the House of Commons for four weeks.[2]
This was the first by-election to be held during both the reign of KingCharles III and thepremiership ofRishi Sunak. It was also the first by-election inNorth West England since the2017 Copeland by-election, the first in aparliamentary constituency inCheshire since the2008 Crewe and Nantwich by-election, and the penultimate by-election of 2022. The by-election was won bySamantha Dixon of theLabour Party. The 14-point swing was Labour's best-ever result in the seat, and the worst result for the Conservative Party in Chester since 1837 (as its precursor, theTories). The by-election was held two weeks before aby-election in Stretford and Urmston in nearbyGreater Manchester.
TheCity of Chester constituency is one of the country's oldest, having elected members of parliament since 1545. The constituency is in westernCheshire, alongsideFlintshire on theEngland–Wales border. The constituency covers thecathedral city of the same name and the surrounding rural areas.[3] The constituency varies by social class, including middle-class areas such asUpton-by-Chester and the large rural formercouncil estate ofBlacon.[4]
AConservativesafe seat for most of the 20th century, Chester elected its firstLabour MP in the1997 general election, when it was taken by librarianChristine Russell, who defeated TV personality and writerGyles Brandreth. In2010, she was unseated by ConservativeStephen Mosley, who served one term.Chris Matheson gained the seat from Mosley with a majority of 93 votes, having the third smallest majority of a parliamentary constituency in the UK in the2015 general election. At the2017 election, Matheson increased his majority from 93 to 9,176, turning Chester from a super-marginal seat into a relativelysafe seat.[5] Chester voted Remain by 54% to 46% in the2016 EU referendum.[6]
Matheson resigned on 21 October 2022, in response to theIndependent Expert Panel's recommendation that he be suspended from the House of Commons for four weeks over allegations of "serious sexual misconduct" towards a junior member of staff.[2] Following the findings, the Labour Party suspended his membership and withdrew theparliamentary whip.[7] Matheson would have faced a recall from Parliament under theRecall of MPs Act 2015, but he announced his resignation shortly after news of the findings was made public.[8][9] Matheson continued to deny any sexual misconduct, but said he felt obliged to resign for health and family reasons.[9]
Thewrit was moved for holding the by-election in the House of Commons on 25 October 2022.[10]
Libraries were made available as drop-off points for postal votes for the by-election until 30 November 2022.[11]
On 29 October, the Conservatives confirmed that Liz Wardlaw, a councillor forCheshire East Council's Odd Rode ward, would stand as their candidate in the by-election.[12]
On 30 October, the Labour Party confirmed that formerCheshire West and Chester Council leader and current councillorSamantha Dixon would represent them, following a vote by local party members.[13]
On 31 October, theLiberal Democrats announced Rob Herd, a Chester school teacher and parish councillor, as their candidate in the by-election.[14]
The Green Party chose Paul Bowers as their candidate.[15] He is a Cheshire West and Chester Councillor.[16] Reform UK chose Jeanie Barton as their candidate.[17]
Rejoin EU chose party leader Richard Hewison as their candidate.[18] UKIP chose Cain Griffiths as their candidate.[19] The Official Monster Raving Loony Party chose their party leaderHowling Laud Hope as their candidate.[20] The Freedom Alliance chose Chris Quartermaine as their candidate.[21]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Samantha Dixon | 17,309 | 60.8 | +11.2 | |
| Conservative | Liz Wardlaw | 6,335 | 22.2 | –16.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Rob Herd | 2,368 | 8.3 | +1.5 | |
| Green | Paul Bowers | 987 | 3.5 | +0.9 | |
| Reform UK | Jeanie Barton | 773 | 2.7 | +0.2 | |
| Rejoin EU | Richard Hewison | 277 | 1.0 | New | |
| UKIP | Cain Griffiths | 179 | 0.6 | New | |
| Monster Raving Loony | Howling Laud Hope | 156 | 0.5 | New | |
| Freedom Alliance | Chris Quartermaine | 91 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 10,974 | 38.6 | +27.3 | ||
| Total valid votes | 28,475 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 66 | ||||
| Turnout | 28,541 | 41.2 | –30.5 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +13.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Chris Matheson | 27,082 | 49.6 | –7.2 | |
| Conservative | Samantha George | 20,918 | 38.3 | –2.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bob Thompson | 3,734 | 6.8 | +4.1 | |
| Green | Nicholas Brown | 1,438 | 2.6 | New | |
| Brexit Party | Andy Argyle | 1,388 | 2.5 | New | |
| Majority | 6,164 | 11.3 | –5.0 | ||
| Turnout | 54,560 | 71.7 | –5.7 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | –2.5 | |||
Leader of the Labour PartyKeir Starmer called the result "a clear message toRishi Sunak".[25]Deputy LeaderAngela Rayner spoke to reporters in Chester with Dixon after the result. She said the "historic result" was due to thecost of living crisis.[26] The Conservatives saw their lowest vote share in Chester since the1832 general election,[27] while Labour saw a 14 point swing towards them from the Conservatives, which, if projected nationally, would see Labour win a general election with amajority government.[28] It was the Labour Party's best-ever result in the seat.[29]
.jpg)
