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2016 Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough by-election

← 2015 5 May 2016 2017 →
Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency
Turnout	33.2%
First party Second party   Candidate Gill Furniss Steven Winstone Party Labour UKIP Popular vote 14,087 4,497 Percentage 62.4% 19.9% Swing 5.9% 2.2%   Third party Fourth party   Candidate Shaffaq Mohammed Spencer Pitfield Party Liberal Democrats Conservative Popular vote 1,385 1,267 Percentage 6.1% 5.6% Swing 1.6% 5.4%
MP before election Harry Harpham Labour Elected MP Gill Furniss Labour

On 5 May 2016, a by-election was held in the UK Parliamentary constituency of Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough in South Yorkshire. It was caused by the death of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Harry Harpham on 4 February 2016. Harpham had been the Labour Party MP for the seat since the 2015 general election. The by-election took place on the same day as local elections in the United Kingdom.

Sheffield City Council published the statement of persons nominated on 8 April 2016. This showed that seven candidates would contest the by-election.

The Labour candidate was Gill Furniss, a Sheffield city councillor and the widow of Harry Harpham. She had stood for the party at the constituency level in Sheffield Hallam in the 2001 general election, where she came third.

UKIP's candidate was Steven Winstone, a local metal trader and businessman. He focused his campaign on protecting jobs in the local steel industry. He had stood for the party in Sheffield South East in the 2015 general election, where he came second.

The Conservatives selected Spencer Pitfield.

The Liberal Democrats selected Shaffaq Mohammed, a city councillor.

The Green Party reselected Christine Gilligan Kubo, a lecturer at Sheffield Business School, and their candidate from the 2015 general election.

Bobby Smith of the New Fathers 4 Justice campaign announced that he would stand in the by-election. He stood under the label "Give Me Back Elmo". He had contested the 2015 general election under the same description in Prime Minister David Cameron's Witney constituency, but took only 37 votes. Smith, of Stevenage, also contested the borough council election in his home town on the same day as the by-election.

Yorkshire First selected Stevie Manion.

By-election 2016: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gill Furniss	14,087	62.4	+5.9
	UKIP	Steven Winstone	4,497	19.9	–2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Shaffaq Mohammed	1,385	6.1	+1.6
	Conservative	Spencer Pitfield	1,267	5.6	–5.4
	Green	Christine Gilligan Kubo	938	4.2	–0.1
	Yorkshire First	Stevie Manion	349	1.5	New
	Give Me Back Elmo	Bobby Smith	58	0.2	New
Majority			9,590	42.5	+8.8
Turnout			22,581	33.2	–21.6
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.1

General election 2015: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harry Harpham	22,663	56.6	+1.6
	UKIP	John Booker	8,856	22.1	+18.0
	Conservative	Elise Dünweber	4,407	11.0	–0.5
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Harston	1,802	4.5	–15.5
	Green	Christine Gilligan Kubo	1,712	4.3	New
	TUSC	Maxine Bowler	442	1.1	–0.6
	English Democrat	Justin Saxton	171	0.4	New
Majority			13,807	34.6	–0.4
Turnout			40,053	54.8	–2.3
	Labour hold		Swing	–8.2

• List of United Kingdom by-elections (2010–present)

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References