Labour has held the constituency of Birmingham Erdington following a by-election that was held after the death of its serving MP, Jack Dromey.
Labour’s successful candidate, nurse Paulette Hamilton, secured 55 per cent of the vote with 9,413 votes. Turnout was just 27 per cent, compared to a 50.3 per cent turnout in the 2019 general election.
Hamilton’s closest challenger, the Conservative leader of Birmingham City Council, Robert Alden, took 6,147 votes and 36 per cent of the overall share. This left Hamilton with a majority of 3,266 compared to Dromey's 3,601 majority in 2019.
Hamilton’s successful campaign sees her become the first black MP to represent a Birmingham constituency, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer congratulated her upon being elected for making history.
Sir Keir added: “As a dedicated community champion, I know that you [referring to Hamilton] will bring security, prosperity and respect to the people of Erdington.”
Following her victory, Hamilton said: “I never thought I'd be running to be an MP, but the fact that I am now not only the MP for Erdington but the first black woman - the first woman to ever get the position - I am delighted and I am still pinching myself.”
Her being elected also came as a moment of personal significance for Hamilton, after her father passed away in the weeks leading up to the by-election.
Hamilton continued: “I'd also like to say a special thank you to Keir Starmer for his endless support - even when my dad died, they were there, they wrapped me in cotton wool and they supported me, and my dad isn't even buried yet, but they were there when I was crying.”
Hamilton also took a moment to pay tribute to her family and campaign team, as well as local police and council staff for their role counting the ballots.
“I know it’s a lot of work that often goes unmentioned, so thank you for your endless professionalism and commitment to the democratic process. Something I think we all treasure even more following the events in Europe.”
Ahead of the election, Hamilton drew controversy following comments she made at a 2015 event titled "The Ballot or the Bullet - Does your vote count?", which addressed how to go about increasing representation of ethnic minority groups in politics.
Tory MP Tom Hunt had called for Hamilton to be suspended going into the poll, and that she should lose the Labour whip if elected.
Hamilton’s rival Alden said following Labour’s win that the low turnout in the by-election showed that the party was “not ready to govern”.
He said: “This is a seat that has been Labour over the last 85 years... the fact the majority is so small here today is really a damning indictment where the Labour party is nationally.”
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
