Labour narrowly hold on to Sheffield Hallam

Labour have unexpectedly won Sheffield Hallam by just over 700 votes.

Olivia Blake, who had previously been a Sheffield councillor, had to wait while the votes were recounted before finally announced as the victor with 19,709 votes.

It had widely been predicted, including in the exit polls, that Liberal Democrat candidate Laura Gordon would take the seat back from Labour.

Ex-Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg lost the seat in 2017 to Labour newcomer Jared O’Mara.

Mr O’Mara was suspended from the Labour Party in October 2017 after offensive comments he had posted online about women and gay men years earlier came to light.

He was eventually reinstated but chose to leave the Labour Party and sit as an independent MP before resigning in July 2019 after facing calls from his constituents to stand down.

Voters in Sheffield Hallam had expressed frustration over the lack of representation from Mr O’Mara who had missed several key votes and failed to respond to constituents who had sought his help.

Turnout was 78% – up slightly from 2017 – with Ms Gordon in a close second place with 18,997 votes.

Conservative candidate Ian Walker came in third place with 14,696 votes.

 

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