Hartlepool by-election 2021: how does a by-election work, why is this one significant - and when is the next?
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Voters in Hartlepool will cast their votes in the first by-election of this parliament, and the first since the pandemic, on 6 May.
The contest will take place alongside the local elections in England and Wales, Scotland’s parliamentary elections and a number of mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner races - meaning Hartlepool residents will have four votes to cast on the day.
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Hide AdThe by-election will take place following the resignation of Labour’s Mike Hill MP earlier this year.


What is a by-election?
Members of parliament are usually all elected together in a general election, but if an MP resigns or has to step down then a by-election will be triggered.
There are a number of reasons that a by-election can be triggered, they include:
An MP passing away An MP choosing to resign the seat An MP being declared bankrupt An MP being convicted of a serious crime
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Hide AdA by-election isn’t triggered if an MP loses the party whip, resigns from their party or decides to switch parties.
Once a by-election has been triggered, parties will select candidates and people unaffiliated with an official party can also register to stand as independent candidates, as in a general election.
Occasionally, if the by-election is triggered in particularly tragic circumstances, opposition parties will decline to stand candidates, as was the case when Jo Cox MP was killed in 2016.
How to vote in a by-election
The process of voting in a by-election is the same as in a general election, with registered voters able to fill in a ballot paper in person at polling stations, or via post.
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Hide AdBy-elections often attract significant media attention, and can sometimes be interpreted as a kind of referendum on the incumbent government, particularly if they take place in a swing seat.
This heightened media attention means they often attract more small-party, independent and novelty candidates than a general election.
While the most candidates to stand in a general election was 15, in Tony Blair’s Sedgefield constituency in 2005, the 2008 Howden and Haltemprice by-election attracted 26 candidates, including from the Church of the Militant Elvis party and the Make Politician’s History party.
When is the next by-election?
The Hartlepool by-election will take place on 6 May, alongside the local elections, following the resignation of Labour’s Mike Hill due to allegations of sexual harassment.
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Hide AdThe SNP’s Neil Gray resigned his UK parliamentary seat to stand in the Scottish parliamentary elections, for the same constituency of Airdrie and Shotts. The resulting by-election will take place on 13 May.
Conservative MP Dame Cherly Gillan Chesham died 4 April, prompting heartfelt tributes to the former minister from across the political spectrum. Her death also triggered a by-election in her constituency, the date of which is yet to be confirmed - though it will likely be in June 2021.
If Tracy Brabin MP wins the West Yorkshire mayoral race on 6 May, she will be forced to step down and trigger a by-election in Batley and Spen, due to rules which prevent mayors with Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) powers, or PCCs from serving as MPs.