The Thoresby Society

2017 - 8 June

Central
H. Benn (Labour) 33,453
G. Davies (Conservative) 9,755
B. Palfreman (United Kingdom Independence) 2,056
E. Carlisle (Green ) 1,189
A. Nash (Liberal Democrat) 1,063
A. Coetzee (Christian People’s Alliance) 157

East
R. Burgon (Labour) 25,428
M. Robinson (Conservative) 12,676
P. Spivey (United Kingdom Independence) 1,742
E. Sanderson (Liberal Democrat) 739
J. Moran (Green) 434
J. Otley (Yorkshire) 422

Morley & Outwood
A. Jenkyns (Conservative) 26,550
N. Dawson (Labour & Co-op) 24,446
C. Dobson (Liberal Democrat) 1,361

North East
F. Hamilton (Labour) 33,436
R. Stephenson (Conservative) 16,445
J. Hannah (Liberal Democrat) 1,952
A. Forsaith (Green) 680
T. Seddon (Yorkshire) 303
C. Foote (Green Socialist) 116
T. Mutamiri (Christian People’s Alliance) 67

North West
A. Sobel (Labour & Co-op) 20,416
G. T. Mulholland (Liberal Democrat) 16,192
A. Lamb (Conservative) 9,097
M. Hemingway (Green) 582

Pudsey
S. Andrew (Conservative) 25,550
I. McCargo (Labour & Co-op) 25,219
A. Nixon (Liberal Democrat) 1,761
B. Buxton (Yorkshire) 1,138
M. Wharton (Independent) 291

West
R. Reeves (Labour) 27,013
Z. Metcalfe (Conservative) 11,048
M. Thackray (United Kingdom Independence) 1,815
A. Pointon (Green) 1,023
Z. McGregor (Liberal Democrat) 905
E. Jones (Yorkshire) 378
M. Davies (Green Socialist) 47

Elmet & Rothwell
A. Shelbrooke (Conservative) 32,352
D. P. Nagle (Labour) 22,547
S. Golton (Liberal Democrat) 2,606
M. Clover (Yorkshire) 1,042
D. Brown (Green) 995

 

Theresa May called the election in order to gain a strong mandate for the Conservatives as the Government prepared to open the Brexit negotiations to leave the European Union. Both pollsters and pundits forecast a landslide victory for her, writing off Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party as being far too left wing. However, the Conservatives did not have a good campaign. Their manifesto launch was mishandled, May did not perform as well as was expected and two terrorist attacks helped destabilise their campaign whilst Corbyn performed far better then many thought he would. In addition more young people voted and tended to do so for Labour whilst it was also suggested that social media played an increasing role at the expense of the traditional press. In the end the Conservatives won but were only able to form a minority government with the help of the Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party: Conservatives 318, Labour 262, Scottish National Party 35, Liberal Democrats 12, Democratic Unionist Party 10, Others 13.

In Leeds both the Town Hall and the Civic Hall were used to count the votes from the city’s 358 polling stations. Only one seat changed hands, when Leeds North West was captured by Alex Sobel for Labour from the Liberal Democrats. Young voters made a significant impact on the result whilst this constituency had the biggest increase in registered voters in the country. Whilst Fabian Hamilton more than doubled his majority in Leeds North East for Labour, the Conservatives had mixed results. In Morley & Outwood Andrea Jenkyns raised her slim 422 majority to 2,104 whilst Stuart Andrew in Pudsey saw his majority plummet from 4,501 to 331.