2017 Stoke-on-Trent Central
by-election
23 February 2017
The Stoke-on-Trent Central seat in the House of Commons.
Elected by simple majority using first past the post.
Triggered by resignation of incumbent
Turnout38.2%
  First party Second party
 
Candidate Gareth Snell Paul Nuttall
Party Labour UKIP
Popular vote 7,853 5,233
Percentage 37.1% 24.7%
Swing Decrease2.2% Increase2.1%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Candidate Jack Brereton Zulfiqar Ali
Party Conservative Liberal Democrats
Popular vote 5,154 2,083
Percentage 24.3% 9.8%
Swing Increase1.8% Increase5.7%
MP before election

Tristram Hunt
Labour

 Elected MP

Gareth Snell
Labour

There was a by-election in the constituency of Stoke-on-Trent Central on 23 February 2017 following the resignation of Labour's Tristram Hunt, who became director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[1] It took place alongside a by-election in Copeland.

Labour chose Gareth Snell, a member of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, to defend their seat. Paul Nuttall, elected leader of the UK Independence Party in November 2016, was his party's candidate. UKIP were expected to do well after coming second in 2015, and the very high level of support for Brexit in Stoke in the June 2016 referendum.[2]

Nuttall became embroiled in controversy when his account of being present at the 1989 Hillsborough disaster was disputed by those who knew him at the time.[3] Snell was also criticised for historical Twitter posts he had made about women on television, Brexit and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.[4] An independent candidate, Barbara Fielding-Morriss, was arrested during the election campaign for inciting racial hatred and imprisoned for the offence in 2018.[5]

Snell retained the seat for Labour with 37% of the vote, a slight decrease compared to 2015. The turnout of 38.2% was the lowest in the history of the constituency, which usually has a low turnout anyway.[6][7]

Result

By-election 2017: Stoke-on-Trent Central[8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gareth Snell 7,853 37.1 Decrease 2.2
UKIP Paul Nuttall 5,233 24.7 Increase 2.1
Conservative Jack Brereton 5,154 24.3 Increase 1.8
Liberal Democrats Zulfiqar Ali 2,083 9.8 Increase 5.7
Green Adam Colclough 294 1.4 Decrease 2.2
Independent Barbara Fielding 137 0.6 New
Monster Raving Loony The Incredible Flying Brick 127 0.6 New
BNP David Furness 124 0.6 New
CPA Godfrey Davies 109 0.5 New
Independent Mohammad Akram 56 0.3 New
Majority 2,620 12.4 Decrease 4.3
Turnout 21,200 38.2 Decrease 11.7
Labour hold Swing -2.1

Background

The seat had been held by Labour since its creation for the 1950 general election, and by Tristram Hunt since 2010. The Liberal Democrats were second at the 2005 and 2010 elections, but the UK Independence Party (UKIP) came second in 2015. The constituency is set to be reshaped and renamed under the initial proposals of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.[10][11]

The seat had a turnout of 49.9% in the 2015 general election,[12] the lowest turnout in the country.[13] The electorate is majority working class, with higher than average levels of unemployment. The constituency is entirely urban.[10]

In the 2016 EU Referendum, Stoke-on-Trent (the whole council area) voted heavily to Leave the European Union: at 69.4%, this was the highest percentage in the West Midlands region. As the constituency is not coterminous with any local authority, the exact result for the parliamentary seat is unknown. However Chris Hanretty, a Reader in Politics at the University of East Anglia, estimated using a demographic model that in Stoke Central, 65.0% of voters voted 'Leave'.[14]

According to figures released by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, over 2,500 new applications to vote had been received before the deadline for voter registration. This followed campaigns by the council and the Staffordshire University Students' Union to increase registration. The total number of eligible electors was 57,701, an increase of 4.3% on the figure when the election was called.[15]

Candidates and parties

Labour

On 16 January 2017, Jeremy Corbyn appointed Jack Dromey MP to run Labour's by-election campaign.[16] The Labour shortlist for Stoke-on-Trent Central was confirmed as Councillor Alison Gardner, Dr Stephen Hitchin, Trudie McGuinness, and Councillor Gareth Snell. Hitchin withdrew from the contest prior to the hustings.[17] Snell was selected as the Labour candidate on 25 January 2017. Snell is a member and former leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, and supported 'Remain' in the EU referendum.[18] He did not support the re-election of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during the 2016 leadership election.[19]

Snell's platform included policies of securing a deal for the city's ceramics industry from Brexit, attracting better-paid jobs to Stoke, and increasing the amount of affordable housing.[20]

UKIP

On 21 January, UKIP leader Paul Nuttall MEP was confirmed as the party's candidate. He had previously stood unsuccessfully for parliament four times.[21]

Conservatives

On 25 January the Conservatives selected Jack Brereton, councillor for the ward of Baddeley Green, Milton & Norton, as their candidate. Brereton is a member of the Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet and is a school governor.[22]

Two days before Brereton's selection, an article in The Huffington Post quoted unnamed Conservative Party sources saying that the by-election in Stoke would be given lower priority than the Copeland by-election on the same day, which the party thought they had a better chance of winning.[23] Former Conservative minister Esther McVey had previously suggested that UKIP was significantly better placed to win the Stoke by-election than the Conservatives.[24]

Brereton's platform included securing local investment for Stoke, a crackdown on street drinking and anti-social behaviour, and placing controls on the number of EU migrants.[20][25] He would become the MP for the neighbouring constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South at the general election held four months later.[26]

Liberal Democrats

Dr Zulfiqar Ali, a National Health Service consultant who lives in Stoke, was the Liberal Democrat candidate. He contested the seat in 2015 and Stoke-on-Trent South in 2010.[27][28]

Others

Several candidates had policies related to aiding Stoke's ceramics industry

On 31 January it was announced that Adam Colclough, who had stood in two council elections, would be standing for the Green Party.[29]

Independent candidate Barbara Fielding-Morriss (standing under the name Barbara Fielding)[30] is the registered leader of the party "Abolish Magna Carta, Reinstate Monarchy"[31] and is recorded as a vexatious litigant.[32] She is a self-declared white supremacist and anti-Semite.[33]

The Incredible Flying Brick stood as a candidate for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.[34] His policies included abolishing gravity and powering trains on gravy.[20]

British National Party candidate David Furness stood for the party in the London Mayoral election in 2016, finishing tenth with 13,325 votes (0.5%).[35] He had also contested two parliamentary by-elections: Feltham and Heston in 2011 and Batley and Spen in 2016, polling 540 (2.3%) and 548 votes (2.7%) respectively.

The Christian Peoples Alliance chose Godfrey Davies, a retired Merchant Navy deck officer from Congleton, Cheshire. Davies, whose party is pro-Brexit, planned to revive Stoke's ceramics industry, and stood for conservative positions on marriage and abortion.[36]

Mohammed Akram ran as an independent, against the privatisation of the NHS, in favour of new council housing and a Brexit deal protecting migrants.[20]

Campaign

Early in the campaign, Labour candidate Gareth Snell attacked both UKIP and the Conservatives for their stance on NHS funding, while the Conservative, Brereton, raised Snell's opposition to Brexit in his acceptance speech as Conservative candidate.[18]

On 3 February, it was reported by The Guardian that the Labour Party was exploring an agreement with the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party which would involve these parties deprioritising their respective campaigns in this by-election in order to assist Labour in defeating UKIP. The report also suggested that Liberal Democrat and Green candidates could withdraw, although under electoral law the deadline for formal withdrawals has passed and the candidates would remain on the ballot.[37] On 4 February, a Labour spokesman denied this report when asked by The Independent.[38]

All candidates, bar Nuttall, Fielding and Akram, took part in personal interviews for ITV News.[39] Staffordshire University hosted a debate on 14 February, attended by all candidates bar Fielding and Akram, and attended by around 200 members of the public. The university's Professor of Journalism and Politics, Mick Temple, called it "one of the most important political elections in British political history". The NHS was a key topic of debate: Nuttall called for investment in healthcare instead of "vanity projects" like High Speed 2, Snell spoke of "stability" for EU-national NHS workers after Brexit, and Furness said that "third world" doctors and nurses were more needed in their countries of origin.[40]

A major storm, named Doris, hit the constituency on polling day, which some commentators suggested would suppress turnout.[41]

Controversies

Paul Nuttall

On 1 February, it was reported that nomination papers submitted by UKIP candidate Paul Nuttall declared he was living in a house in Stoke that he had not moved into at the time they were filed, potentially an offence under the Representation of the People Act 1983. A spokesman for the UKIP campaign stated that the house had been rented by the party prior to the close of nominations and that Nuttall would be moving in that day.[42][43] On 11 February, Nuttall moved out of the house following attempted break-ins and hate mail, and moved to another property in the Stoke Central constituency.[44]

Nuttall became embroiled in controversy when his account of being present at the Hillsborough disaster was disputed

On 11 February, Nuttall was accused of lying about his claims to have been present at the Hillsborough disaster when he was 12.[3] A former teacher at his school denied he was among pupils present.[45]

The Hillsborough Families Support Group said they were surprised Nuttall had never offered to support their campaigns, while people who had known Nuttall at the time of the disaster and candidates he had previously stood against said they had no recollection of him mentioning it. UKIP released statements from Nuttall's father and a long-time friend who now works for the party stating that he had been at Hillsborough. Nuttall himself said that those who suggested he was not at the ground were the "scum of the earth" but declined to confirm whether he had given a statement to the police (as everyone at the ground on the day of the disaster has been asked to). A UKIP statement said that the claims were "a new low for the Labour party and its associates".[3]

Nuttall was later challenged on a radio show about past UKIP press releases that he had lost "close personal friends" in the disaster: he admitted this was not true, saying "someone he knew" had died, and said that the press releases had not "come from him".[46][47] A UKIP press officer subsequently took responsibility and offered to resign, but the resignation was not accepted by Nuttall.[48] Two UKIP branch chairs resigned in response to Nuttall's actions and comments by UKIP donor Arron Banks on the subject.[49] On 20 February, Nuttall gave a witness statement to police officers from Operation Resolve, who are investigating the causes of the Hillsborough disaster and whether there is any criminal culpability on the part of individuals or organisations.[50]

Other

Snell was criticised for historical Twitter posts that he made about the appearance and moral character of several women on television, and apologised publicly.[4] Among his other tweets were one where he called Brexit a "massive pile of shit", and Labour leader Corbyn an "IRA supporting friend of Hamas career politician".[19] He responded by saying that despite his opposition to Brexit, he would not aim to overturn it and would look for the best deal for Stoke,[4] and said that his comments on Corbyn were "to demonstrate the absurdity of the hyperbole".[19]

UKIP Immigration spokesman John Bickley retweeted an Islamophobic cartoon saying "If you want a jihadi for a neighbour, vote Labour", a variation on an anti-black slogan from the notorious election campaign in Smethwick in 1964.[4] He apologised for the racist origin of the phrase but not for the anti-Muslim content that he had shared.[4]

Independent Barbara Fielding was arrested under Section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986, i.e. an offence to publish or distribute written material which may stir up racial hatred, because of material published on her website.[51][52] Her posts had included praise for Adolf Hitler, and compared asylum seekers to termites.[5] In June 2018, she was found guilty on three charges and not guilty of the fourth.[33] On 3 October 2018 she was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment.[5]

On 16 February, it was revealed that Muslim residents had received text messages urging them to vote tactically and suggesting they will have to "answer for this in the Grave and on the Final day" for voting for a party other than Labour. The Liberal Democrats, whose candidate is Muslim, condemned the move, and called on Labour to apologise.[53][54] The Lib Dems later reported the incident to Staffordshire Police, as the incident may breach laws on undue spiritual influence.[55]

Automated Twitter accounts, which usually posted pro-Russia propaganda, posted anti-UKIP and pro-Labour messages in the run-up to the by-election. A UKIP spokesman said that he was not concerned by the posts, nor did he believe they had been directed by President Vladimir Putin.[56]

Reaction

The turnout of 38.2% was the lowest in the constituency's history, which has been one of markedly low turnouts.[6][7]

After he was announced as the victor, Snell said that the people of Stoke had chosen the "politics of hope" over the "politics of fear". Labour MP Jack Dromey said that the party had to retain "humility" while it remained in opposition.[57]

The result was widely described in the media as poor for UKIP, as they did not capitalise on their second place in 2015, Labour's poor standing in opinion polls, and the high support in the constituency for Brexit.[2]

UKIP's campaign was criticised by former leader Nigel Farage, who said that Nuttall should have courted Conservative voters with rhetoric about immigration rather than look to gain votes from Labour.[58] Major donor Arron Banks was critical of Nuttall for not expelling former Conservatives Douglas Carswell and Suzanne Evans from UKIP, saying that the failure at Stoke had proven that the party was not gaining votes from Conservatives; he threatened to withdraw funding unless he was made chairman to expel them himself.[59][60] Carswell and Banks both left the party at the end of March.

In April 2020, Novara Media's Aaron Bastani claimed that members of Labour's senior management team (SMT), including the former general secretary Iain McNicol, actively attempted to get Labour to lose this by-election in the hope that such a defeat would remove Corbyn as leader.[61]

2015 result

General election 2015: Stoke-on-Trent Central[62][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tristram Hunt 12,220 39.3 Increase 0.5
UKIP Mick Harold 7,041 22.7 Increase 18.3
Conservative Liam Marshall-Ascough 7,008 22.5 Increase 1.5
Independent Mark Breeze 2,120 6.8 New
Liberal Democrats Zulfiqar Ali 1,296 4.2 Decrease 17.5
Green Jan Zablocki 1,123 3.6 New
CISTA Ali Majid 244 0.8 New
The Ubuntu Party Paul Toussaint 32 0.1 New
Majority 5,179 16.7
Turnout 31,084 49.9
Labour hold Swing

See also

References

  1. ↑ Stewart, Heather (13 January 2017). "Tristram Hunt to quit as MP to become V&A director". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 Cullimore, Ben (24 February 2017). "Paul Nuttall failed his first test as UKIP leader". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Cobain, Ian (10 February 2017). "Ukip leader Paul Nuttall denies lying about being at Hillsborough disaster". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Elgot, Jessica (13 February 2017). "Labour's Stoke by-election candidate apologises for offensive tweets aimed at women". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Stoke-on-Trent Central candidate jailed for race hate crimes". BBC News. BBC. 5 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  6. 1 2 Woods, Rebecca; Meierhans, Jennifer (24 February 2017). "Did 'politics of hope' win in Stoke by-election?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 Koshy, Yohann (5 June 2017). "Hanging Out in Apathy Town to Find Out Why People Don't Vote". Vice News. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  9. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew (24 February 2017). "Stoke and Copeland byelections: Unison boss suggests Corbyn partly to blame for historic defeat - Politics live". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Labour's Tristram Hunt quitting as MP to head V&A Museum". BBC News. 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the West Midlands" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency – Election 2015". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Wigmore, Tim (13 May 2015). "20 seats with the lowest turnout show Labour voters drifting to UKIP - or not voting at all". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "Revised estimates of leave vote in Westminster constituencies". Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  15. ↑ Corrigan, Phil. "Thousands of new voters register". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  16. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (16 January 2017). "Labour MPs press Jeremy Corbyn for clearer stance on Europe". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  17. ↑ "Exclusive: Labour's shortlist for Stoke". LabourList. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  18. 1 2 May, Josh (26 January 2017). "Labour candidate in Stoke by-election described Brexit as a 'pile of sh*t'". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 Will Worley, Rachel Roberts (27 January 2017). "Labour candidate for Stoke by-election brands Brexit 's***' and Jeremy Corbyn an 'IRA supporting friend of Hamas'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Stoke-on-Trent Central By-Election: The Candidates". Staffordshire University Student Union. 23 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  21. ↑ "UKIP's Nuttall stands in Stoke by-election". BBC News. 21 January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  22. ↑ Burnett, Tom (25 January 2017). "Jack Brereton announced as Conservative Party candidate". Stoke Sentinel. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  23. ↑ "Tories Write Off Stoke-on-Trent Central By-Election, Party Sources Say". The Huffington Post. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  24. ↑ "Ukip is the main challenger in the Stoke-on-Trent by-election, former Tory minister says". The Daily Telegraph. 15 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  25. ↑ "My Plan". Jack Brereton. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  26. ↑ "Election results 2017: Tories gain Stoke-on-Trent South seat after 82 years". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  27. ↑ "Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election: Candidates list". BBC News. 21 January 2017. Archived from the original on 22 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  28. ↑ Lindsay, Caron. "Dr Zulfiqar Ali's campaign for Stoke Central gets underway". LibDem Voice. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  29. ↑ Corrigan, Phil (31 January 2017). "Green Party hoping for breakthrough in Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election". The Stoke Sentinel. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  30. ↑ "Election Agents Notice" (PDF). Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  31. ↑ "Abolish Magna Carta, Reinstate Monarchy". Register of Political Parties. Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  32. ↑ "Vexatious litigants". HM Government. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  33. 1 2 "Stoke-on-Trent Central candidate guilty of race hate charges". BBC News. 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  34. ↑ "Five Questions - The Incredible Flying Brick (Monster Raving Loony Party)". ITV News. 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  35. ↑ "Mayoral candidate: David Furness". London Elects. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  36. ↑ Corrigan, Phil (17 January 2017). "Christian party selects candidate for Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election". Stoke Sentinel. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  37. ↑ Stewart, Heather (3 February 2017). "Labour looks at collaborating with Lib Dems and Greens in Stoke". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  38. ↑ Cowburn, Ashley (4 February 2017). "Labour dismisses 'collaboration talks' with Lib Dems to take on Ukip in Stoke by-election". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  39. ↑ "Stoke by-election: meet the candidates!". ITV News. 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  40. ↑ Pearson, Alex (14 February 2017). "Candidates face tough questions at Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election hustings". Staffs Live. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  41. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (21 February 2017). "Storm Doris could blow away Labour byelection hopes, MPs fear". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  42. ↑ Walker, Peter (1 February 2017). "Paul Nuttall's Stoke byelection papers gave address he had not moved into". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  43. ↑ Smith, Mikey (2 February 2017). "Ukip leader Paul Nuttall under police investigation over election fraud claims". The Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  44. ↑ Corrigan, Phil (11 February 2017). "Ukip leader Paul Nuttall moves out of Stoke-on-Trent house". Stoke Sentinel. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  45. ↑ Edwards, Jim (10 February 2017). "UKIP's Paul Nuttall denies he lied about being at the Hillsborough Disaster as a 12-year-old". Business Insider UK. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  46. ↑ "Nuttall admits he did not lose 'close friends' at Hillsborough". BBC News. 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  47. ↑ Cobain, Ian; Mason, Rowena (14 February 2017). "Paul Nuttall admits claim he lost close friends at Hillsborough was false". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  48. ↑ "Nuttall aide offers to quit over Hillsborough mistakes". BBC News. 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  49. ↑ "UKIP officials quit in Hillsborough row". 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  50. ↑ "UKIP leader Paul Nuttall gives Hillsborough statement". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  51. ↑ Corrigan, Phil. "Arrested Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election candidate: 'I've done nothing wrong'". The Sentinel. No. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  52. ↑ "Stoke byelection candidate arrested over anti-immigrant comments". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  53. ↑ Sproson, Kit (16 February 2017). "Stoke-on-Trent: Text messages warn 'vote Labour or go to hell'". ITV News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  54. ↑ "Muslim voters warned they will go to hell if they do not vote Labour in Stoke by-election". Liberal Democrats. 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  55. ↑ Proctor, Kate (16 February 2017). "Labour reported to police over Stoke by-election texts warning 'voting UKIP is anti-Islamic'". The Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  56. ↑ Hope, Christopher; Swinford, Steven; Hughes, Laura/ (21 February 2017). "Vladimir Putin told to keep out of Stoke by election after pro-Russia Twitter accounts target Ukip and Paul Nuttall". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  57. ↑ Vernall, Richard (24 February 2017). "Senior Labour MP Jack Dromey calls for 'humility' after Stoke by-election win". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  58. ↑ Watts, Joe (24 February 2017). "Ukip divisions emerge as Nigel Farage says Stoke by-election focus should have been on immigration". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  59. ↑ "Major Ukip donor Arron Banks threatens to pull funding if he is not made chairman". ITV News. 25 February 2017. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  60. ↑ Gayle, Damien (25 February 2017). "Nigel Farage stands by Paul Nuttall despite loss in Stoke byelection". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  61. ↑ "'It's going to be a long night' – How Members of Labour's Senior Management Team Campaigned to Lose". Novara Media. 12 April 2020. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  62. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
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