Eastleigh by-election 2013: result
The Eastleigh by-election was held on 28 February 2013. Mike Thornton (Liberal Democrat) won with 13,342 votes, 32.1% of the valid vote, a majority of 1,771 over Diane James (UK Independence Party).
The House of Commons Library describes the result as: “Liberal Democrat hold by Mike Thornton with a majority of 1,771”.
At the general election of 6 May 2010, Chris Huhne (Liberal Democrat) won the seat with 46.5% of the vote; the same party held it at the by-election.
Turnout was 52.7% of the 79,004 electorate, lower than the 69.3% at that general election.
The largest change in a party's share since the general election was for UK Independence Party, up 24.2 percentage points.
By-election result, 28 February 2013
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Thornton | Liberal Democrat | 13,342 | 32.1% | −14.5 |
| Diane James | UK Independence Party | 11,571 | 27.8% | +24.2 |
| Maria Hutchings | Conservative | 10,559 | 25.4% | −14.0 |
| John O'Farrell | Labour | 4,088 | 9.8% | +0.2 |
| Danny Stupple | Independent | 768 | 1.9% | |
| Iain Maclennan | National Health Action Party | 392 | 0.9% | |
| Ray Hall | Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party | 235 | 0.6% | |
| Kevin Milburn | Christian Peoples Alliance | 163 | 0.4% | |
| Howling 'Laud' Hope | Official Monster Raving Loony Party | 136 | 0.3% | |
| Jim Duggan | The Peace Party - Non-violence, Justice, Environment | 128 | 0.3% | |
| David Bishop | Church of the Militant Elvis Party | 72 | 0.2% | |
| Mike Walters | English Democrats | 70 | 0.2% | −0.3 |
| Daz Procter | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 62 | 0.2% | |
| Colin Bex | Wessex Regionalists | 30 | 0.1% |
Electorate 79,004; valid votes 41,616; rejected ballots 90. Change is in percentage points against the previous general election, by party.
Previous general election in Eastleigh, 6 May 2010
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Huhne | Liberal Democrat | 24,966 | 46.5% | +8.2 |
| Maria Hutchings | Conservative | 21,102 | 39.3% | +2.1 |
| Leo Barraclough | Labour | 5,153 | 9.6% | −11.5 |
| Ray Finch | UK Independence Party | 1,933 | 3.6% | +0.2 |
| Tony Pewsey | English Democrats | 249 | 0.5% | |
| Dave Stone | Independent | 154 | 0.3% | |
| Keith Low | National Liberal Party - True Liberalism | 93 | 0.2% |
Electorate 77,436; valid votes 53,650; majority 3,864. The Commons Library describes it as: “Liberal Democrat hold by Chris Huhne with a majority of 3,864”.
All general elections and by-elections
Sources
- By-election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
142c60fde5e504da… - By-election candidate results (CSV)
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8fb3edb821ffdeb3… - Previous general election result page
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4534d5443ac7f690… - Previous general election candidate results (CSV)
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