Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, 2004
A by-election was held for the United Kingdom Parliament seat of Birmingham Hodge Hill, on July 15, the same day as the Leicester South by-election. The seat was won by the Labour Party Liam Byrne, but with a vastly reduced majority. The reduction in the Labour majority has been blamed on the 2003 Iraq War - had the anti-war vote not been split by RESPECT The Unity Coalition, the Liberal Democrats may well have won.
The member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill, Terry Davis of the Labour Party, resigned from the House of Commons on June 22, 2004, thus freeing him to take up the post of secretary general of the Council of Europe.
The results were announced following a partial re-count (technically, not a recount at all, but a check of the bundles to ensure that all parties' ballot papers had been grouped together) at the request of the Liberal Democrats. Liam Byrne of the Labour Party won with 7,451 votes, a majority of 460 over Nicola Davies of the Liberal Democrats.
The seat has nearly continuously had a Labour MP since 1950, the only break being a Conservative Party victory at a 1977 by-election. The seat returned to Labour at the 1979 general election.
Results
Turnout was 37.89%.
2001 result
From the 2001 general election.
