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2003 Brent East by-election

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Brent East parliamentary seat
Turnout	36.2%
First party Second party Third party   Candidate Sarah Teather Robert Evans Uma Fernandes Party Liberal Democrats Labour Conservative Popular vote 8,158 7,040 3,368 Percentage 39.1% 33.8% 16.2% Swing 28.5% 29.4% 2.0%
MP before election Paul Daisley Labour Subsequent MP Sarah Teather Liberal Democrats

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Brent East on 18 September 2003, following the death of Labour Party MP Paul Daisley on 18 June that year. It was won by the Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Teather.

The Liberal Democrats held the seat in the 2005 general election.

Result

The turnout was 36.23%. Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Teather won with 39.12% of the vote, which was a swing of 29% from Labour. This was the largest swing from Labour to a Liberal or Liberal Democrat candidate since the Bermondsey by-election in 1983. Commentators linked the result to anger from traditional voters over the Iraq War, as well as to the private sector's involvement in public services.

There were 109 spoilt ballots.

Previous result

Labour held the seat with 63.2% of the vote at the 2001 general election. The Liberal Democrats came third in the seat at that time, with only 10.6% of the vote.

Aftermath

Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy called the result "a big boost for British politics". He said, "We have shown that there is no such thing as a no-go area for the Liberal Democrats. In Britain's most diverse community, we have shown that we can speak for every section of society and the Liberal Democrat message is one they want to hear and support."

In The Independent, psephologist John Curtice stated that "the defeat is not simply a little local difficulty. The finger of blame lies with the party nationally. And there are two obvious candidates – Iraq and the domestic agenda." He went on to say that, due to Brent East's substantial Muslim and ethnic minority population, "the war is likely to have been especially unpopular. And there are plenty of Labour MPs whose electoral fortunes depend in part on the votes of Britain's ethnic minority communities."

Labour Party chairman Ian McCartney admitted that the invasion of Iraq had played a major role in the party's defeat. "It is the first time since 1988 that we have lost an election," he said. "It's been unprecedented in modern times, so I am very disappointed, particularly as we had an excellent candidate in Robert Evans and an excellent campaign. The backdrop of the controversy over Iraq in its many forms has caused difficulty in the by-election and generally in getting our message across about the big investment programme we have got in public services, the economy and tackling anti-social behaviour and crime."

The Conservative candidate, Uma Fernandes, was a local councillor. Her daughter Suella Fernandes, a young lawyer who was also on the list of parliamentary candidates, had to be persuaded not to seek the nomination, and in the event campaigned for her mother. In 2015, Suella Fernandes was elected for Fareham.

References

1. Press Association (19 September 2003). "Brent East byelection results in full". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
2. ^ Curtice, John (20 September 2003). "Defeat heralds a new era for the PM". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
3. "Lib Dems seize Brent East victory". BBC News. 19 September 2003. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
4. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 2001-2005 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
5. Press Association (19 September 2003). "Lib Dems win Brent East from Labour". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
6. "Brent 'highlights Labour's failings'". BBC News. 19 September 2003. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
7. Benedict Brogan, Uma Fernandes: Mother goes first in race to become a Tory MP, Goan Voice, 14 July 2003, accessed 10 July 2022
8. Hawkins, Oliver; et al. (28 July 2015). General Election 2015 (Briefing Number CBP7186). House of Commons Library. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2017.

External links

• British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-election

See also

• List of United Kingdom by-elections

• 2003 elections in the United Kingdom
• By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London constituencies
• Elections in the London Borough of Brent
• 2003 in London
• September 2003 events in the United Kingdom