2016 Batley and Spen by-election
On 20 October 2016, a by-election was held in the UK parliamentary constituency of Batley and Spen. It was triggered by the murder of the incumbent member of parliament (MP), Jo Cox, on 16 June 2016. The Labour candidate, Tracy Brabin, won with 85.8% of the vote. Four parties with parliamentary representation did not enter candidates, out of respect for Cox. Nine candidates contested against Labour, and none reached the 5% threshold to keep their deposit. The by-election was scheduled to coincide with the Witney by-election. They were the fifth and sixth by-elections of the 56th UK Parliament. Candidates The Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Green Party all declined to contest the election, as a mark of respect. Brendan Cox, Jo Cox's widower, also ruled out standing for the seat. Labour began selecting a candidate on 14 September. The Batley-born actress Tracy Brabin and the Keighley-based campaigner, Jane Thomas, were shortlisted for selection on 19 September. Brabin won the selection on 23 September. She had campaigned for Cox at the 2015 election, and had been told by her that "you should be an MP". On 18 July, the English Democrats announced that its deputy chairman, Therese Hirst,