Looking back at recent city vote results

With the UK heading back to the polls on December 12, we have taken a look at what has happened in recent votes in Peterborough.

There are two parliamentary constituencies which are in or cross over into Peterborough: North West Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Between them, they elected one Conservative and one Labour MP in the last general election, held in June 2017.

The Conservatives took the largest share of the vote – 53.6% in total, ahead of Labour with 38.0% and the Lib Dems with 4.3%.

This contrasted with the picture in the European Parliament elections this May, the most recent occasion on which the country went to the polls, when the Brexit Party took 38.3% of the vote in Peterborough’s local authority area, the largest share.

Labour finished second, with 17.2%, and the Lib Dems third with 15.4%.

The East of England – the EU consituency in which Peterborough lies – returned three Brexit Party MEPs, two Liberal Democrats, one Green and one Conservative to Brussels in May.

Turnout was, however, much lower in those elections – while 67.8% of the electorate came out to vote across the two constituencies in 2017, just 34.9% did in the local authority for the European Parliament elections this year.

Both those turnouts, however, were beaten by that for the referendum on the topic which will dominate December’s general election: Brexit.

Many commentators think that a decision between leaving and remaining in the European Union will form the basis for many voters’ choices in polling booths this year, rather than traditional party lines.

The major parties have each made significantly different pledges for the UK’s departure.

While the Conservatives have said they will push through a departure on the terms of the deal Prime Minister Boris Johnson has negotiated, the Labour Party has said it will agree a closer alignment with the EU and hold a second referendum on its deal against the option to remain.

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to immediately revoke Article 50, keeping the UK in the EU, while the Brexit Party will pursue a “no-deal” departure.

The Brexit referendum in 2016 brought more voters to the polls across the UK than any referendum or general election in 24 years. In Peterborough, 72.4% of the electorate voted, with a large majority in favour of leaving the EU, with 60.9% of the vote.

The EU Referendum result

• in Peterborough in June 2016:

- Remain: 34,176 (39.1%) - Leave: 53,216 (60.9%)

The vote share for the

•

top three parties in each constituency in June 2017:

North West Cambridgeshire:

Conservative: 37,529 votes (58.6%)

Labour: 19,521 (30.5%) Liberal Democrats: 3,168 (5.0%)

Peterborough:

Labour: 22,950 (48.1%) Conservative: 22,343 (46.8%)

Liberal Democrats: 1,597 (3.3%)

Top three parties in Peterborough

• for the European Parliament in May: The Brexit Party: 38.3% Labour: 17.2%

The Lib Dems: 15.4%