Veteran MP: ‘We stepped up to the plate’

“But we stepped up to the plate.”

The turnout for the Huddersfield constituency was 65.5% with 43,912 votes cast out of 67,033 eligible.

He entered the 2017 election with an increased share of the votes, up 6.1% – a 7,345 majority on his Conservative rival.

Mr Sheerman was first elected as Labour & Co-operative MP for Huddersfield East in 1979.

It was renamed Huddersfield in 1983 and he has been the town’s MP since, winning the 1983, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2015 elections.

His highest polling election was in 1997 when he was returned as MP with 56.7% of the vote. His nearest rival was 15,848 votes behind him.

Second place in the Huddersfield constituency during Mr Sheerman’s reign has always been the Conservatives, except in 2005 when the Liberal Democrats came second.

During a Labour government he was the Chair of the House of Commons Select Committee on Education and Skills from 20012007, and Chair of the Children, Schools and Families Committee from 2007-2010.

Mr Sheerman is one of the most vocal MPs in Parliament – between 2010 and 2015 he was the third most active in the Commons Chamber.

He has a flat in Almondbury. He is married to Pamela and they have four children.

Barry Sheerman (Lab Co-op) 26,470 (60.39%, +15.46%) Scott Benton (C) 14,465 (33.00%, +6.22%) Andrew Cooper (Green) 1,395 (3.18%, -3.73%) Zulfiqar Ali (LD) 1,155 (2.63%, -3.21%) Bikatshi Katenga (Yorkshire) 274 (0.63%) Marteen Thokkudubiyyapu (Ind) 75 (0.17%) Lab Co-op maj 12,005 (27.39%) 4.62% swing C to Lab Electorate 67,033; Turnout 43,834 (65.39%, +3.37%) ■■2015: Lab Co-op maj 7,345 (18.15%) - Turnout 40,478 (62.02%)

Sheerman (Lab Co-op) 18,186 (44.93%); Ali (C) 10,841 (26.78%); Butler (UKIP) 5,948 (14.69%); Cooper (Green) 2,798 (6.91%); Ali (LD) 2,365 (5.84%); Forster (TUSC) 340 (0.84%)