Witney by-election 2016: result
The Witney by-election was held on 20 October 2016. Robert Courts (Conservative) won with 17,313 votes, 45.0% of the valid vote, a majority of 5,702 over Elizabeth Leffman (Liberal Democrat).
The House of Commons Library describes the result as: “Conservative hold by Robert Courts with a majority of 5,702”.
At the general election of 7 May 2015, David Cameron (Conservative) won the seat with 60.2% of the vote; the same party held it at the by-election.
Turnout was 46.7% of the 82,277 electorate, lower than the 73.3% at that general election.
The largest change in a party's share since the general election was for Liberal Democrat, up 23.4 percentage points.
By-election result, 20 October 2016
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Courts | Conservative | 17,313 | 45.0% | −15.2 |
| Elizabeth Leffman | Liberal Democrat | 11,611 | 30.2% | +23.4 |
| Duncan Enright | Labour | 5,765 | 15.0% | −2.2 |
| Larry Sanders | Green Party | 1,363 | 3.5% | −1.5 |
| Dickie Bird | UK Independence Party | 1,354 | 3.5% | −5.6 |
| Helen Salisbury | National Health Action Party | 433 | 1.1% | +0.1 |
| Daniel Skidmore | Independent | 151 | 0.4% | |
| Alasdair de Voil | Official Monster Raving Loony Party | 129 | 0.3% | |
| Nicholas Ward | Independent | 93 | 0.2% | |
| David Bishop | Church of the Militant Elvis Party | 61 | 0.2% | |
| Lord Toby Jug | The Eccentric Party of Great Britain | 59 | 0.2% | |
| Winston McKenzie | English Democrats | 52 | 0.1% | |
| Emilia Rose | One Love Party | 44 | 0.1% | |
| Adam Knight | Independent | 27 | 0.1% |
Electorate 82,277; valid votes 38,455; rejected ballots 38. Change is in percentage points against the previous general election, by party.
Previous general election in Witney, 7 May 2015
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Cameron | Conservative | 35,201 | 60.2% | +1.4 |
| Duncan Enright | Labour | 10,046 | 17.2% | +4.2 |
| Simon Strutt | UK Independence Party | 5,352 | 9.2% | +5.7 |
| Andy Graham | Liberal Democrat | 3,953 | 6.8% | −12.7 |
| Stuart Macdonald | Green Party | 2,970 | 5.1% | +1.0 |
| Clive Peedell | National Health Action Party | 616 | 1.1% | |
| Colin Bex | Wessex Regionalists | 110 | 0.2% | +0.1 |
| Chris Tompson | Independent | 94 | 0.2% | |
| Vivien Saunders | Reduce VAT in Sport | 56 | 0.1% | |
| Bobby Smith | Give Me Back Elmo | 37 | 0.1% | |
| Deek Jackson | Land Party | 35 | 0.1% | |
| Nathan Handley | Independent | 12 | 0.0% |
Electorate 79,767; valid votes 58,482; majority 25,155. The Commons Library describes it as: “Conservative hold by David Cameron with a majority of 25,155”.
All general elections and by-elections
Sources
- By-election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
9534da7af4957b93… - By-election candidate results (CSV)
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
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Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
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