There were no big shocks in store as Labour claimed a by-election victory in Newcastle’s East End.
The city’s ruling party maintained its dominance of the Byker ward after voters went to the polls on Thursday. Hayder Qureshi will be the newest face in the Newcastle City Council chamber, elected to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Stephen Sheraton in January.
He picked up almost 47% of the vote to see off challengers from the Greens, Lib Dems, and Tories – though turnout at polling stations was just 19.2%. The full by-election result was:
- Nicholas Terry Hartley (Green Party) – 375 (29.7%)
- Hayder Alam Umor Qureshi (Labour Party) – 591 (46.9%)
- Mark William Ridyard (Liberal Democrats) – 188 (14.9%)
- Aaron Whelan Harvey (Conservative Party) – 107 (8.5%)
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While still a relatively comfortable result for Labour, their share of the vote dropped substantially from the 65% that Mr Sheraton polled in May 2022. The Greens, meanwhile, doubled their vote share to record what is thought to be one of their best ever performance in a Newcastle election.
After his victory, Mr Qureshi said: “I want to say a big thank you to the people of Byker and what I want to do now is work with them on the issues that affect them. I will be working really diligently with our other councillors to make sure we help the people of Byker to the best of our ability.”
The 34-year-old pharmacist was reportedly shortlisted for Labour’s parliamentary nomination in Carlisle recently. When asked if he was committed to Byker for the long haul, he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was a “Newcastle lad through and through and here to serve the people of Byker”.
After a promising showing on Thursday, the Green Party will be hoping that they will be able to get their first councillor elected in the city when May’s local elections come around. Candidate Nick Hartley said the result “demonstrates that more and more people are turning to the Greens”.
Byker is a safe Labour seat and a ward in which city council leader Nick Kemp, who is due up for re-election in May, also sits. Mr Sheraton, who resigned his post due to ill health, had sat on the council since 2021 when he won the Byker berth previously held by the long-serving George Allison.
Labour holds 51 of the 78 seats on the council, with the Lib Dems being the main opposition with 21. There are three councillors from the Newcastle Independents party and two independents. One seat in the Chapel ward, previously held by independent Graham Middleton, is vacant but no by-election has been scheduled there as it was due to be contested on local elections day in May anyway.
A third of the council’s seats, one for each of the 26 wards, will be up for grabs on election day on May 4.
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