* Former Parachute Regiment major Dan Jarvis cruises to 30 per cent majority
* Nick Clegg certain to face pressure from party after humiliating result
* Lib Dem candidate loses his deposit after Nick Clegg snubs his campaign
* UKIP take second and BNP finish fourth behind Conservatives
Nick Clegg warned critics not to write off the Liberal Democrats following their disastrous performance in the Barnsley Central by-election – with the party finishing in sixth place behind the BNP.
The Liberal Democrat leader insisted he would not be knocked off course by his party’s ‘kicking’ in a safe Labour seat on an ‘abysmally low turn-out’.
As expected, Labour candidate Dan Jarvis held on comfortably in the party’s South Yorkshire stronghold to become the newest Labour MP.
Mr Jarvis, a former Army major who has served in Afghanistan, replaces the disgraced former MP Eric Illsley, who was jailed for expenses fraud last month.
But the political fallout from the poll is likely to be greater for the Lib Dems, who slumped from second place at the General Election to sixth last night, behind both the UK Independence Party and the far-right BNP.
The Lib Dem leader is certain to come under pressure from his own party for a change in direction after one of the most humiliating results they have suffered in decades.
In a brief appearance before the TV cameras today, Mr Clegg said: ‘The result in the by-election last night was obviously a bad result for the Liberal Democrats.’
Barnsley election share of vote
He added: ‘I have no doubt that people will try to use this single result to write off the Liberal Democrats.
‘They have done it in the past and we have proved them wrong and we will prove them wrong again.
‘In Government, we will continue to do what I think is absolutely vital for the long-term benefit of the country – namely sort out the economic mess we inherited from Labour for the long-term benefit of the country.’
Mr Clegg made clear he believes his candidate had never stood a chance: ‘The truth is that it was a no-contest for any non-Labour candidate.’
There was also embarrassment for the Conservatives, whose candidate James Hockney finished third, behind UKIP’s Jane Collins.
Lib Dem candidate Dominic Carman, son of the late libel lawyer George Carman, lost his deposit and polled just 1,012 – even finishing behind local independent Tony Devoy.
At the last election they polled almost 6,500 votes. Turnout was 36.5 per cent.
Mr Jarvis, who polled 14,724, said voters had sent the ‘strongest possible message to David Cameron and Nick Clegg’ that their ‘broken promises and reckles cuts are letting communities down’.
The Lib Dems have slumped in the polls since agreeing to form a coalition with the Conservatives last year. U-turns on issues like university tuition fees have hit LibDem support, particularly in Labour seats.
In a highly unusual departure Mr Clegg did not even visit the seat during the campaign, despite the fact it is only 15 miles from his own Sheffield constituency.
The tactics – and result – are likely to increase tension between Mr Clegg and activists as they prepare for the party’s spring conference in Sheffield next weekend.
The Lib Dems have traditionally performed well in by-elections and the poor result in Barnsley will underline concerns about the impact of the coalition on its prospects.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Eric Illsley, who was jailed for 12 months in February for expenses fraud.
Despite the scandal, Lib Dem sources admit they have gone backwards.
A senior source said yesterday: ‘If this by-election had been fought 18 months ago we would have thrown everything at it and had a real chance. As it is, there is no hope.’
What interest there was in a low-key contest came in the choice of candidates for the main parties.
Mr Jarvis is a former major with 1 Para who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and quit the Army to run for Parliament.
He is also the single parent of two young children following the death of his wife last year.
He is the first serving soldier to quit the Army in order to stand for Labour since 1945.
And Tory leader David Cameron was at one point hopeful that Darren Gough would stand for the party in his home town, before the England cricket star decided being an MP would not fit in with his other commitments.
The Tories instead selected businessman and coalminer’s grandson James Hockney.
- Similar posts
- Labour win byelection (44.2%)
- Liberal Democrats hits new low (23.9%)
- Labour wins Feltham by-election (17.7%)
- Lord Owen might rejoin Labour (14%)
- Gordon Brown resigns as prime minister of the UK (11.8%)
Nick Clegg has said people should not “write off” the Lib Dems despite the party slumping to sixth place in the Barnsley Central by-election.
The party finished behind UKIP, the BNP and an independent as its share of the vote dropped to just over 4%.
Labour, which won the poll on a 36% turnout, said voters had sent a “very clear message” to Mr Clegg about their dislike of his role in the coalition.
But the Lib Dem leader said the party would prove its critics wrong.
The Lib Dems slipped from second place in last year’s general election to sixth place in Thursday’s poll – which was triggered by the conviction of the constituency’s former Labour MP for expenses fraud.
Labour held the seat with a slightly increased majority of 11,771, with UKIP doubling the share of the vote it gained in May to beat the Conservatives into third place – one of the eurosceptic party’s best-ever by-election results.
Turnout in the by-election fell to 36.5%, compared with 56.4% at the May 2010 poll.
Mr Clegg said it was “obviously a bad result” for the Liberal Democrats, whose share of the vote fell from 17.2% last year to 4.1% and whose candidate lost his deposit.
“In truth it was a no contest for any non-Labour candidate,” he said.
“It was a very safe Labour seat. Labour got a huge majority on an abysmally-low turnout and everybody else was left to pick up the pieces.”
But the Lib Dem leader was defiant about his party’s long-term fortunes and its continued alliance with the Conservatives in the coalition government.
“I have no doubt people will try to use this single result to write off the Liberal Democrats. They have done it in the past and we have proved them wrong and we will prove them wrong again.
“In government, nationally, we will continue to do what I think is absolutely vital for the long-term benefit of the country. Namely sort the economic mess we inherited from Labour for the long-term benefit of Britain.”
Labour leader Ed Miliband said the victory of the party’s candidate Dan Jarvis, a 38-year-old former soldier who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, was “fantastic” and accused the Lib Dem leader of complacency.
“I don’t think you should write off the people of any part of Britain,” he said. “They have sent them a very clear message. They don’t like the fact that he is part of a Conservative-led government which is betraying the hopes of the next generation of people in this country, that is squeezing living standards and frankly breaking a lot of the promises he made at the general election.
“I urge Lib Dems to come and work with Labour, either by joining Labour or by working with us against the direction of this Conservative-led government.”
The by-election is only the second since the coalition government took power last May, with Labour also winning the previous contest in Oldham East and Saddleworth in January.
BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the result would be a real concern for the Lib Dems ahead of May’s English council elections although it remained to be seen whether the slump in their support was a one-off or a sign of a wider trend.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage heralded the party’s performance, saying they were the “real winners” in Barnsley Central.
“We’ve shown our potential in European elections by getting big scores in the past and now we’re doing it in first past the post Westminster elections,” he said. “We are delighted though I have to say but not completely surprised.
“Because just over the last month, whether it’s votes for prisoners, car insurance for young women, annuities for old men, increasingly our Parliament is seen to be completely impotent. So the UKIP message that we should take back control of our own lives is very relevant to voters.”
Former MP Eric Illsley held Barnsley Central with a majority of just over 11,000 in last year’s general election but he resigned his seat after pleading guilty to falsely claiming £14,000 in parliamentary expenses. He was later jailed for a year.