By-elections – they seem to come around quicker and quicker these days, don’t they? The forthcoming by-election in Selby and Ainsty was triggered by the resignation of Nigel Adams, local MP and close ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson.
Adams stepped down following Johnson’s decision to resign as an MP. This was after the privileges committee of the House of Commons released a damning report into Johnson’s conduct before parliament, when MPs had pressed him on his knowledge of parties in Downing Street during the Covid pandemic. This is a by-election that nobody would have predicted until recently and it is one that is being closely fought by a number of candidates.
The man beside the white rose
As part of a series of interviews with the candidates, I recently spoke to Mike Jordan of the Yorkshire Party. Jordan, a cheerful and deeply direct character, was able to clear up an issue that had been causing confusion – whether he would be listed as the Yorkshire Party’s candidate on the ballot paper, or as an independent. Jordan recently left the Conservative Party, just prior to Adams’ own resignation, and was encouraged by members of the Yorkshire Party to stand as their candidate in the forthcoming by-election.
As Jordan explained to me “I’m not there as an independent on the ballot paper, I’m there, third one down, it says Yorkshire Party on the emblem”. The issue, Jordan explained, had arisen through a clerical error with the application form, which hadn’t been fully explained or pointed out to Jordan at the time.
Jordan is clear – he is the Yorkshire Party’s official candidate and should be accepted as such even if “there’s just no writing underneath my name”. In other words, on the ballot paper the words ‘Yorkshire Party’ won’t be printed under Jordan’s name, but the party’s logo will still be clearly displayed next to his name, and the returning officer has officially recognised him the Yorkshire Party candidate for Selby and Ainsty.
Concerns about public transport …
Having cleared that up, I asked Jordan what he had heard on the doorstep – what did he think are the main concerns of voters in Selby and Ainsty? Jordan was midway through a canvassing session as we talked, having that day visited several villages in the area. As such, he had the opinions of voters still at the forefront of his mind.
He suggested that, rather than mortgages necessarily being at top of everyone’s list:
“There’s a lot of concern about the cost of living and a lot about public transport. We are where we are with mortgages. But with public transport, there’s just none. It’s dire, the situation is absolutely dire in North Yorkshire at the moment.”
He went on to suggest that the capped £2 charge on bus services would only benefit those living in cities like Leeds, Wakefield, Doncaster and York.
For Jordan the issue was clearly a personal one – the lack of public transport in certain parts of the county has meant that many of his constituents (Jordan is currently a councillor for the ward of Camblesforth and Carlton on North Yorkshire council, having been a councillor since 2009) are unable to get access to other parts of the county. Jordan suggested it would be better that “they spent the money trying to figure out and work out how best to get buses and public transport in rural areas”, rather than decreasing the price of bus tickets overall.
Wider concerns in Selby and Ainsty
Jordan was also clear that he felt that voters needed help with the cost of living – there was, he sensed, an understandable desire for help to relieve some of the strain that was felt by constituents of Selby and Ainsty after the difficult time they and the rest of the country have faced.
Jordan also suggested there was a great deal of annoyance directed to Adams, whose resignation was the trigger for the by-election. Jordan argued that “He only had a year to go. He was supposed to be there as a public servant, helping and assisting people. And to just walk away from them is tantamount to just giving up on your constituency”. Jordan himself recently left the Conservatives but as he pointed out, unlike Adams, “I’m still on council and I’m still helping people in my ward”.
The anger at Adams’ resignation and the cost-of-living crisis will clearly make things difficult for the Conservatives in this by-election, however Jordan suggested that he had not encountered a great deal of warmth towards Labour either. As he argued, “loads of people we spoke to don’t want to vote for either of them [the Labour Party and the Conservative Party]”.
An alternative to the mainstream parties
Jordan is clear that he believes his candidacy, however successful it is, could change the way that the Yorkshire Party is perceived, stating:
“I think it is going to have a huge positive impact because as you can probably appreciate, what we’re actually about is getting ready for the general election next year. And because of the great deal of attention this by-election is generating I want to be able to build on whatever happens in this one come the next election.”
The sense, both from Jordan and the other candidates, is that this by-election will be as much about testing the ground for the next general election, as a test of who the voters of Selby and Ainsty want as their MP right now.
Jordan suggested that he thinks that the level of the support he could receive when it comes to the final count could surprise some and that would be key to any future campaign the Yorkshire Party hope to launch whenever the next general election is.
Jordan is clearly a direct individual and one who is passionate about his local community; whether the voters of Selby and Ainsty will decide to vote for him is another matter and one that won’t be fully answered until all the votes are counted.
Whatever happens, if you’re a constituent in Selby and Ainsty or in Somerton and Frome or Uxbridge and South Ruislip, make sure to use your vote!
