Rotherham by-election 2012: result
The Rotherham by-election was held on 29 November 2012. Sarah Champion (Labour) won with 9,966 votes, 46.5% of the valid vote, a majority of 5,318 over Jane Collins (UK Independence Party).
The House of Commons Library describes the result as: “Labour hold by Sarah Champion with a majority of 5,318”.
At the general election of 6 May 2010, Denis Macshane (Labour) won the seat with 44.6% of the vote; the same party held it at the by-election.
Turnout was 33.8% of the 63,420 electorate, lower than the 59.0% at that general election.
The largest change in a party's share since the general election was for UK Independence Party, up 15.7 percentage points.
By-election result, 29 November 2012
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Champion | Labour | 9,966 | 46.5% | +1.8 |
| Jane Collins | UK Independence Party | 4,648 | 21.7% | +15.7 |
| Marlene Guest | British National Party | 1,804 | 8.4% | −2.0 |
| Yvonne Ridley | Respect Party | 1,778 | 8.3% | |
| Simon Wilson | Conservative | 1,157 | 5.4% | −11.3 |
| David Wildgoose | English Democrats | 703 | 3.3% | |
| Simon Copley | Independent | 582 | 2.7% | |
| Michael Beckett | Liberal Democrat | 451 | 2.1% | −13.9 |
| Ralph Dyson | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 281 | 1.3% | |
| Paul Dickson | Independent | 51 | 0.2% | |
| Clint Bristow | Independent | 29 | 0.1% |
Electorate 63,420; valid votes 21,450; rejected ballots 46. Change is in percentage points against the previous general election, by party.
Previous general election in Rotherham, 6 May 2010
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denis Macshane | Labour | 16,741 | 44.6% | −13.1 |
| Jackie Whiteley | Conservative | 6,279 | 16.7% | +3.4 |
| Rebecca Taylor | Liberal Democrat | 5,994 | 16.0% | −0.4 |
| Marlene Guest | British National Party | 3,906 | 10.4% | +4.5 |
| Peter Thirlwall | Independent | 2,366 | 6.3% | |
| Cavan Vines | UK Independence Party | 2,220 | 5.9% | +2.0 |
Electorate 63,563; valid votes 37,506; majority 10,462. The Commons Library describes it as: “Labour hold by Denis Macshane with a majority of 10,462”.
All general elections and by-elections
Sources
- By-election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
f0ffc83ea63de473… - By-election candidate results (CSV)
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75d3f15a2ad6a572… - Previous general election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
61a57f84857c9747… - Previous general election candidate results (CSV)
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