The Thoresby Society

2005 - 5 May

Central
H. Benn (Labour) 17,526
C. R. Coleman (Liberal Democrat) 5,660
B. A. Cattell (Conservative) 3,865
M. A. Collett (British National) 1,201
P. Sewards (United Kingdom Independence) 494
M. Dear (Independent) 189
O. Taiwo (Independent) 126
J. Fitzgerald (Glasnost) 125
[The largest number of candidates to contest a Leeds Parliamentary election.]

East
G. Mudie (Labour) 17,799
A. P Tear (Liberal Democrat) 6,221
D. D. A. Ponniah (Conservative) 5,557
P. L. B. Socrates (Independent) 500

Morley & Rothwell
C. Challen (Labour) 20,570
N. E. G. Vineall (Conservative) 8,227
B. S. Golton (Liberal Democrat) 6,819
R. P. Finnigan (Independent) 4,608
C. J. Benerley (British National) 2,271

North East
F. Hamilton (Labour) 18,632
M. R. D. Lobley (Conservative) 13,370
J. M. Brown (Liberal Democrat) 8,427
C. E. Foote (Alliance for Green Socialism) 1,038

North West
G. T. Mulholland (Liberal Democrat) 16,612
J. Blake (Labour) 14,735
G. A. Lee (Conservative) 11,510
M. F. Hemingway (Green) 1,128
A. D. Knowles (English Democrats) 545
J. Sutton (Alliance for Green Socialism) 181

Pudsey
P. A. Truswell (Labour) 21,261
P. A. Singleton Conservative) 15,391
J. F. Keeley (Liberal Democrat) 8,551
D. Daniel (United Kingdom Independence) 1,241

West
J. D. Battle (Labour) 18,704
D. Finlay (Liberal Democrat) 5,894
T. A. Metcalfe (Conservative) 4,807
D. Blackburn (Green) 2,519
A. J. Day (British National) 1,166
D. Sewards (United Kingdom Independence) 628

Elmet
C. Burgon (Labour) 22,260
A. Millard (Conservative) 17,732
M. A. Kirk (Liberal Democrat) 5,923
T. A. Andrews (British National) 1,231


For the third time Tony Blair led Labour to victory but its 355 seats saw its majority massively reduced as it lost 57 thanks to the Conservatives winning 198 and the Liberal Democrats 62. In Leeds only one seat changed hands when Greg Mulholland won Leeds North West for the Liberal Democrats, who claimed it was an ‘historic night for the Liberals in Leeds’. They had bitterly attacked the Government’s decision to invade Iraq in what they argued was an ‘illegal and immoral war’.

They had also assiduously canvassed the Headingley ward where a large number of students lived. The Tories had hoped to recapture Pudsey but their percentage share of the vote actually fell to 33.14%. The British National Party stood candidates in four of the eight constituencies but achieved only 3.88% of the vote. The Yorkshire Evening Post had run a double-page spread during the election claiming that the BNP was an ‘extremist organisation’. Leeds Central had eight candidates standing the most ever in a Leeds constituency. Turnout in Leeds was up from 59.1% in 2001 to 59.6% despite torrential rain and flash floods immediately before polling day causing chaos in Morley, Hunslet, Gipton, Churwell and Beeston.