Heywood and Middleton by-election, 2014

Heywood and Middleton by-election

← 2010 9 October 2014 2015 →
Candidate Liz McInnes John Bickley Party Labour UKIP Popular vote 11,633 11,016 Percentage 40.9 38.7   Candidate Ian Gartside Anthony Smith Party Conservative Liberal Democrat Popular vote 3,496 1,457 Percentage 12.3 5.1
Map showing the Heywood and Middleton Parliamentary constituency within Greater Manchester.
MP before election Jim Dobbin Labour Subsequent MP Liz McInnes Labour

Jim Dobbin
Labour

Liz McInnes
Labour

The Heywood and Middleton by-election was on 9 October 2014 in the Heywood and Middleton constituency following the death of its MP Jim Dobbin on 6 September 2014. It was held on the same day as the Clacton by-election. The Labour Party narrowly held the seat following a recount.UK Independence Party (UKIP) came second, and increased its vote by 36 percentage points since the previous general election.

On 10 September 2014, it was announced that the election would be held on 9 October 2014. The nominations closed at 4pm on Tuesday 16 September. The Clacton by-election was held on the same day.

Labour's decision to call for a by-election before Dobbin's funeral was criticised by Paul Nuttall and Steven Woolfe, UKIP MEPs for North West England, with the former describing it as "shoddy politics". Labour MP for Chesterfield Toby Perkins defended the timing, saying “With the agreement of Jim’s family, we have moved the writ today as it is vital that the people of Heywood & Middleton constituency are not left without representation for an extended period”.

UKIP candidate John Bickley distributed a leaflet in which he said "Labour's betrayal is no more apparent than with the young white working-class girls of Rotherham and Rochdale where rather than upset immigrant communities, years of abuse were ignored and complaints swept under the carpet".