Yorkshire people are known for their aversion to being told what to think.
As a result, many in Wakefield would disagree with opinion polls suggesting Labour has a 23-point lead over the Conservatives in the by-election on June 23.
Simon Lightwood, a former NHS communications executive, is Labour’s candidate and is both confident and cautious.
He expects to win by eight to nine percentage points, allowing him to reclaim West Yorkshire’s heartlands ‘Red Wall’ constituency, which had been rock-solid Labour for 87 years until 2019.
He’s certainly capitalizing on public concerns about rising living costs, a failing local transportation system, Partygate, and the fact that the election was called after Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan was found guilty of sexually assaulting a kid.
Despite this, voters continue to be influenced by Brexit, with roughly 63 percent voting to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.
Boris Johnson, according to Graham Pitchforth, 73, of Wakefield Antiques and Collectables, has handled Brexit, Covid, and the Ukraine war’superbly.’
On the subject of Partygate, his perspective appears to be quite typical: ‘There was a lot of pressure on the Prime Minister.’
‘He’s not perfect,’ says Aneta Ford, 42, of the Little Westgate Flower Shop, ‘but neither was Churchill.’
In the seat that the Conservatives won with a 3,358 majority in 2019, fifteen candidates are running.
‘Boris Johnson still doesn’t understand that he has done anything wrong,’ claims Yorkshire Party candidate David Herdson, a former Conservative. He even stated that he would do it again.’
During the campaign, Labour hasn’t had a strong showing, with its candidate, who lives near Halifax, being chosen against the wishes of the local constituency party.
There is speculation that the Liberal Democrats have put in less effort than expected in order to ensure that the Conservatives lose.
In Wakefield, the Lib Dems don’t even have a campaign base.