West Lancashire by-election: Voters head to polls in first test of 2023 for Sunak

Rishi Sunak is facing his first test at the ballot box this year as voters head to the polls for the West Lancashire by-election.

The outcome could reflect how the public feels about the prime minister and Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer ahead of the next general election and local elections in May.

The seat is up for grabs after veteran Labour MP Rosie Cooper resigned in November to become chairwoman of the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

The MP was the victim of a plot to kill her by an alleged member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action and admitted the stress of what happened had “taken its toll”.

Ms Cooper, 72, has held the constituency since 2005, securing more than 52% of the vote and a majority of 8,336 at the last election.

West Lancashire has been a Labour stronghold since 1992 when Colin Pickthall took the seat from Tory MP Ken Hind, who had held it since 1983.

Although winning with an increased majority in 2015 and 2017, Ms Cooper saw her majority drop in 2019.

Labour will be hoping to build on their current majority, having being buoyed by two recent by-election victories.

In December, the party comfortably held on to its seat in Stretford and Urmston, Greater Manchester, with a 10.5% swing from Conservatives to Labour.

The victory came just two weeks after a successful result in Chester, when Samantha Dixon held the seat for Labour with an increased majority of some 11,000 over the Tories.

If Labour increase their majority, it could indicate it has a chance of regaining Red Wall seats in the north and Midlands that deserted the party at the last election.

West Lancashire separates Liverpool, a historically Labour-supporting area, and the Conservative-held seats of South Ribble, Southport and Bolton West.

The constituency has a mix of rural and urban areas while its largest town, Skelmersdale, has relatively high levels of deprivation compared to the neighbouring towns of Aughton and Ormskirk, which are considered relatively wealthy.

With locals having different priorities, candidates have a difficult task of trying to appeal to them all.

The by-election comes as Labour continues to enjoy a 20-point lead in the national polls.

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak’s approval ratings have dropped following a tumultuous 100 days in office that has seen rows over propriety and standards continue and strikes across many public sectors.

The candidates standing in today’s by-election are:

• Jo Barton (Liberal Democrat)
• Peter Cranie (Green Party)
• Ashley Dalton (Labour)
• Howling Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
• Mike Prendergast (Conservative and Unionist)
• Jonathan Stanley Kay (Reform UK)