Labour could take 14 Yorkshire seats from Tories by matching Wakefield swing

Labour could take 14 seats from the Conservatives across Yorkshire in the next General Election if they can match the swing recorded in last week’s Wakefield by-election, analysis by the party has found.
Chris Burn
By Chris Burn
Published 28th Jun 2022, 22:00 BST

Simon Lightwood won back Wakefield for Labour with a 12.7 per cent swing from the Tories in an election called after sitting MP Imran Ahmad Khan was convicted of a sexual offence and sent to prison.

Labour threw huge resources at the by-election while Conservative campaigning was more muted, with a planned visit by Boris Johnson called off.

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But Labour say that replicating the swing seen in Wakefield at the next election would allow them to take 14 more seats in Yorkshire.

Keir Starmer and Simon Lightwood celebrated the by-election win by speaking to activists in Ossett.Keir Starmer and Simon Lightwood celebrated the by-election win by speaking to activists in Ossett.
Keir Starmer and Simon Lightwood celebrated the by-election win by speaking to activists in Ossett.

Among its top targets are Dewsbury, where a 1.4 per cent swing is required to win the seat away from Mark Eastwood; Keighley where Robbie Moore needs to hold off a 2.1 per cent swing and Pudsey, where a 3.2 per cent swing is needed to take the seat from current MP and Housing Minister Stuart Andrew.

Other seats that would be taken include Don Valley, Colne Valley, Calder Valley, Shipley, Rother Valley, Penistone & Stocksbridge, Scunthorpe, York Outer and Scarborough & Whitby.

A 10.8 per cent swing would also win back Morley and Outwood, a seat previously held by Ed Balls until he lost to Andrea Jenkyns in 2015. She currently has a majority of over 11,000.

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Labour needs an 11 per cent swing nationally to win the next general election.

Simon Lightwood speaks to the media after winning the Wakefield by-election.Simon Lightwood speaks to the media after winning the Wakefield by-election.
Simon Lightwood speaks to the media after winning the Wakefield by-election.

Louise Haigh, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary and Sheffield Hallam MP, said: “Winning back Wakefield puts us firmly on the path to No. 10.

“The people of Wakefield have spoken, and the time is up for Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.

“Simon Lightwood’s campaign in Wakefield was based on the priorities of local people and on restoring integrity and trust in politics.

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“We are so proud of the faith that the people of Wakefield have put in Labour again and we will be fighting to earn those votes right across Yorkshire and deliver a Labour Government as soon as possible.”

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Related topics:LabourWakefieldYorkshireDewsburyImran Ahmad Khan