The Conservatives have held on to the seat of Southend West after a byelection triggered by the killing of Sir David Amess. Anna Firth, won the seat with 86% of the vote after Labour, the Liberal Democrats and other mainstream political parties chose not to contest the seat. The byelection was held after Amess was killed at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on 15 October during a constituency surgery. The 69-year-old had served Southend West since 1997, and Basildon before that since 1983.
Firth, a barrister, vowed to “work tirelessly to build on everything” achieved by Amess during his lengthy tenure. In her victory speech, she praised his widow, Lady Amess, adding that she recognised it was a “sad and painful day” for his family. “It is the honour of my life to represent the people of Southend West and the place where I was born,” Firth told supporters. Fellow Conservatives congratulated Firth on her victory including the work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, the chair of the Conservative party, Oliver Dowden, and the Foreign Office minister James Cleverly.
Luke Pollard, the Labour MP and shadow armed forces minister, said: “Congratulations to new Tory MP Anna Firth who won the Southend West byelection last night replacing Sir David Amess. Labour rightly didn’t stand in the byelection. I wish Anna well as she helps her community heal after such an awful tragedy.”
The byelection was contested by a number of fringe parties and independent candidates, drawing a turnout of 24% – a figure just below that of the Batley and Spen contest in 2016, which was held in similar circumstances after the Labour MP Jo Cox was killed. There were 1,084 spoilt ballot papers, more than twice the number of votes that second-placed Jason Piley received. Southend West has 66,354 registered voters and has been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1950. Against a stage backdrop with “Southend City” branding – a nod to Amess’s posthumous success in seeing the coastal location’s status upgraded – Firth used her speech after being elected to praise her predecessor as a “passionate advocate” for the area. “Sir David was a truly exceptional MP,” she said. “He was a friend to all and had a huge impact on everyone who lives here. “For Sir David’s family and his friends tonight will be a sad and painful day and I would like to pay tribute to Lady Amess and their children. We are thinking of you tonight.” Ali Harbi Ali is accused of murdering Amess. The 25-year-old is also charged with preparing acts of terrorism. Ali denied the charges at a hearing at the Old Bailey in December and faces a trial later this year. In Thursday’s poll, the Psychedelic Movement’s Jason Pilley came a distant second in the contest with 512 votes, giving the Conservative’s a majority of 12,280. There were 1,084 rejected ballot papers. The results for each candidate were as follows: - Anna Firth (Conservative party) 12,792 (86.10%) - Jason Pilley (Psychedelic Movement) 512 (3.45%) - Steve Laws (Ukip) 400 (2.69%) - Catherine Blaiklock (English Democrats) 320 (2.15%) - Jayda Fransen (Independent) 299 (2.01%) - Ben Downton (Heritage party) 236 (1.59%) - Christopher Anderson (Freedom Alliance) 161 (1.08%) - Graham Moore (English Constitution party) 86 (0.58%) - Olga Childs (No description) 52 (0.35%)