Richmond Park by-election 2016: result
The Richmond Park by-election was held on 1 December 2016. Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat) won with 20,510 votes, 49.7% of the valid vote, a majority of 1,872 over Zac Goldsmith (an independent candidate).
The House of Commons Library describes the result as: “Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative by Sarah Olney with a majority of 1,872”.
At the general election of 7 May 2015, Zac Goldsmith (Conservative) won the seat with 58.2% of the vote; at the by-election Conservative did not stand.
Turnout was 53.5% of the 77,243 electorate, lower than the 76.5% at that general election.
The largest change in a party's share since the general election was for Liberal Democrat, up 30.4 percentage points.
By-election result, 1 December 2016
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Olney | Liberal Democrat | 20,510 | 49.7% | +30.4 |
| Zac Goldsmith | Independent | 18,638 | 45.2% | |
| Christian Wolmar | Labour | 1,515 | 3.7% | −8.7 |
| Howling Laud Hope | Official Monster Raving Loony Party | 184 | 0.5% | |
| Fiona Syms | Independent | 173 | 0.4% | |
| Dominic Stockford | Christian Peoples Alliance | 164 | 0.4% | |
| Maharaja Jammu And Kashmir | One Love Party | 67 | 0.2% | |
| David Powell | Independent | 32 | 0.1% |
Electorate 77,243; valid votes 41,283; rejected ballots 78. Change is in percentage points against the previous general election, by party.
Previous general election in Richmond Park, 7 May 2015
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zac Goldsmith | Conservative | 34,404 | 58.2% | +8.5 |
| Robin Meltzer | Liberal Democrat | 11,389 | 19.3% | −23.5 |
| Sachin Patel | Labour | 7,296 | 12.4% | +7.3 |
| Andree Frieze | Green Party | 3,548 | 6.0% | +5.0 |
| Sam Naz | UK Independence Party | 2,464 | 4.2% | +3.0 |
Electorate 77,303; valid votes 59,101; majority 23,015. The Commons Library describes it as: “Conservative hold by Zac Goldsmith with a majority of 23,015”.
All general elections and by-elections
Sources
- By-election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
aa68ae42c4db0009… - By-election candidate results (CSV)
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
29a0220acaa01e0a… - Previous general election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
d2aef4d341319174… - Previous general election candidate results (CSV)
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