Birmingham, Hodge Hill by-election, 2004
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A by-election was held for the United Kingdom Parliament seat of Birmingham Hodge Hill, on July 15, the same day as the Leicester South by-election. The seat was won by the Labour Party Liam Byrne, but with a vastly reduced majority. The reduction in the Labour majority has been blamed on the 2003 Iraq War. This was reflected in the notably high poll for a minor "fourth party", Respect, formed earlier that year by expelled Labour MP, George Galloway and dissident socialists.
After the election, the defeated Liberal Democrat candidate and election team have made accusations of "dirty tricks" by the Labour election campaign. Arguments for such a campaign were based on Labour's anti-phone mast stance, in the face of a Liberal Democrat candidate, Nicola Davies, employment with a mobile phone company, as well as a commitment to smashing teen gangs and in the face of the Lib Dem's liberal message on drugs. However, the Labour party maintains their tactics were legitimate.
The Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill, Terry Davis of the Labour Party, resigned from the House of Commons on June 22, 2004, thus freeing him to take up the post of secretary general of the Council of Europe.
The results were announced following a partial re-count (technically, not a recount at all, but a check of the bundles to ensure that all parties' ballot papers had been grouped together) at the request of the Liberal Democrats. Liam Byrne of the Labour Party won with 7,451 votes, a majority of 460 over Nicola Davies of the Liberal Democrats.
The area has had a Labour MP since the 1950 general election, the only break being a Conservative Party victory at a 1977 by-election for the Birmingham Stechford constituency. Stechford returned to Labour at the 1979 general election.
[edit] Results
Turnout was 37.89%.
| 2004 by-election: Birmingham Hodge Hill | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Liam Byrne | 7,451 | 36.5 | -27.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Nicola Davies | 6,991 | 34.2 | +26.1 | |
| Conservative | Stephen Eyre | 3,543 | 17.3 | +2.7 | |
| Respect | John Rees | 1,282 | 6.3 | ||
| National Front | Jim Starkey | 805 | 3.9 | ||
| English Democrats | Mark Wheatley | 277 | 1.4 | ||
| Christian Vote | Rev. George Hargreaves | 90 | 0.4 | ||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
[edit] 2001 result
From the 2001 general election.
| 2001 General Election: Birmingham, Hodge Hill | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Terry Davis | 16,901 | 63.9 | -1.7 | |
| Conservative | Debbie Lewis | 5,283 | 20.0 | -4.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Charles Dow | 2,147 | 8.1 | -0.4 | |
| British National | Lee Windridge | 889 | 3.3 | ||
| People's Justice | Perwaz Hussain | 561 | 2.1 | ||
| Socialist Labour | Dennis Cridge | 284 | 1.1 | ||
| UK Independence | Harvey Vivian | 275 | 1.0 | -0.9 | |
| Muslim Party | Ayub Khan | 125 | 0.5 | ||
| Majority | 11,618 | 43.9 | |||
| Turnout | 26,465 | 47.9 | |||
