Get ready for a weekend’s intense campaigning for the Westminster by-election that might never happen
This weekend hundreds of LAB and LD activists will be heading for Sheffield Hallam, home of PB’s TSE, where there might or might not be a Westminster by-election in the next couple of months.
This has been triggered by the statements last month by the man who won it for LAB at GE2017 that he plans to resign as an MP on September 3rd. Jared O’Mara was the person who took this off the ex-LD leader and Deputy PM, Nick Clegg and the LDs, flush from their Brecon success would dearly love to win it back.
Now there are two big question marks over whether this will take place. A general election could be called in early September which would take away the need to elect a replacement MP. Secondly we don’t know how much we can rely on O’Mara’s statement about standing down. This is what he said last month:
“Let everyone be assured I will be tendering my resignation via the official parliamentary procedure as soon as term restarts.
“I reiterate my apology to my constituents, the people of Sheffield and the people of the UK as whole.”
Mr O’Mara had said he planned to take time out from his official duties to deal with “mental health and personal issues”.
Whatever the party machines of the LAB and the LDs have got to assume that it is happening hence the weekend of campaign activity.
Against the background of the Brexit deadline and the resurgence of the LDs the attacks by LAB against Jo Swinson might just help their efforts to win over Tory tactical voters.
The LDs are currently 1/14.