The North East Party (NEP) is a regionalist political party in North East England founded in 2014 by a group of 16 people including the former Labour MP; Hilton Dawson,[1] and 7 members of the FAIR party. The party campaigns for a better deal for North East England generally and was committed to a devolved assembly in the North East with powers similar to those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, if approved by a referendum.[2] It says bodies such as the North East Combined Authority do not have a mandate to take on new responsibilities and representatives must be directly-elected.[3] Dawson stepped down as Chair of the party in June 2016 and was replaced by John Tait. Dawson remained active in the party taking on the role of Secretary and Nominating Officer.[4]
The North East Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Brian Moore |
| General Secretary | Jenny Shotton |
| Founded | May 2014 |
| Youth wing | North East Party Youth Wing |
| Ideology | Regionalism |
| Durham County Council | 2 / 126 |
| Peterlee Town Council | 9 / 22 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The party was deregistered in November 2023,[5] before reregistration in March 2024.[6] The party has controlled Peterlee Town Council since 2017,[7][8] and has two elected councillors above parish council level, both on Durham County Council.[9]
History
editThe NEP was founded in May 2014 and is widely seen as a sister party to the Yorkshire Party.[10][11] In December 2014, the party won its first council seat at a local by-election for Peterlee Town Council in County Durham.[12] Two months later, the party won a second seat on the council in another by-election.[13] Following these successes, the party contested and won several by-elections for both Durham County and local parish council seats during 2015 to 2017.[14]
In the 2015 general election (the first election that the party fielded candidates), the North East Party contested four parliamentary seats, standing candidates in Easington, Newcastle upon Tyne North, Redcar and Stockton North. Its best performance came in Easington where candidate Susan McDonnell came in fifth of seven candidates and received 2.3% of the vote.
| General election 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Easington | Susan McDonnell | 810 | 2.3 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne North | Violet Rook | 338 | 0.7 |
| Redcar | Philip Lockey | 389 | 1.0 |
| Stockton North | John Tait | 601 | 1.5 |
In the May 2017 Durham County local government elections, the party stood 14 county councillor candidates and 27 town councillor candidates. Its candidates won three seats on Durham County Council (2 seats for Peterlee West, 1 seat for Passfield)[15] and 23 seats on Durham County town councils including 20 of 22 seats at Peterlee Town Council, 2 of 8 north ward seats at Horden Parish Council, and one of 15 seats at Shotton Parish Council.[16]
In the 2017 general election, the party ran in only one constituency, Easington. Susan McDonnell nearly tripled her vote total from 2015, saved her deposit with 6.6% of the vote, and came in third place ahead of the UKIP, Liberal Democrat, and Green candidates.
| General election 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Easington | Susan McDonnell | 2,355 | 6.6 |
The party stood two candidates in the 2019 general election.
| General election 2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Easington | Susan McDonnell | 1,448 | 4.2 |
| Stockton North | Mark Burdon | 1,189 | 2.9 |
The party nominated its founding member Hilton Dawson in Hartlepool for the first parliamentary by-election of the 2020s.[17] He came in tenth place.
| 2021 by-election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Hartlepool | Hilton Dawson | 163 | 0.5 |
At the 2021 local elections, the party retained two of its councillors on Durham County Council in Passfield and Peterlee West wards. Despite losing their second seat in the latter ward, they gained both seats being contested in Peterlee East, thus bringing them to four councillors in total.[9]
At the 2024 local elections, the party stood three candidates, and endorsed Independent candidate Jamie Driscoll for the inaugural North East mayoral election.[18] None were elected.
The party stood one candidate in the 2024 general election.
| General election 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Easington | Mary Cartwright | 1,581 | 4.6 |
List of chairs
edit| No. | Name | Term of position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hilton Dawson | June 2014 – June 2016 | Founding member of The North East Party. |
| 2 | John Tait | June 2016 – July 2017 | 2015 Parliamentary Candidate for Stockton North. |
| 3 | Mary Cartwright | July 2017 – June 2019 | |
| 4 | Mark Burdon | June 2019 – June 2020 | |
| 5 | Susan McDonnell | June 2020 – June 2021 | Parliamentary Candidate for Easington (2015, 2017 & 2019) County Councillor for Peterlee West on Durham County Council |
| 6 | Brian Moore | June 2021 - now |
See also
edit- Yorkshire Party, a regional party calling for a Yorkshire Parliament
- Northern Party, a defunct regional party that was based in Lancashire
- Northern Independence Party, a secessionist party founded in 2020
References
edit- ^ "Ex Labour MP forms The North East Party". The Guardian. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "New political party aiming for North-East devolution". The Northern Echo. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "North East Party hits out at civic structures 'developing by stealth' as devolution edges up agenda". The Journal. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "North East Party elects new chairman". 3 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ^ "The North East Party". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "View registration - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "The North East Party Manifesto for 2021" (PDF). North East Party. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^
- "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL - Durham County Election of Parish Councillors for Acre Rigg Ward of Peterlee Parish" (PDF). Peterlee Town Council. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL - Durham County Election of Parish Councillors for Eden Hill Ward of Peterlee Parish" (PDF). Peterlee Town Council. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL - Durham County Election of Parish Councillors for Dene House Ward of Peterlee Parish" (PDF). Peterlee Town Council. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL - Durham County Election of Parish Councillors for Howletch Ward of Peterlee Parish" (PDF). Peterlee Town Council. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL - Durham County Election of Parish Councillors for Passfield Ward of Peterlee Parish" (PDF). Peterlee Town Council. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Durham local election results 2021: How every candidate scored". chroniclelive.co.uk. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ "Why Yorkshire needs its own political voice". Yorkshire Post. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Political parties join forces to campaign for more powers for the North-East and Yorkshire". The Northern Echo. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "North East Party fights for first ever council seat ... and wins". The Journal. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Fledgling party wins second seat at by-election". The Northern Echo. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Previous Election Results". Durham County Council. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- ^ "Declaration of Results - County Council Elections 4 May 2017" (PDF). Durham County Council.
- ^ "Declaration of Results - Parish Elections" (PDF). Durham County Council. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- ^ "North East Party reveals Hilton Dawson as Hartlepool By-Election Candidate". Sunderland Global Media. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ The North East Party [@NorthEast_Party] (2 May 2024). "Use your vote today for Jamie Driscoll (Independent) for the Elected Mayor for the North East. Bobby Fishwick for Horden Ward in County Durham. Emile Persaud in Chowdene Ward in Gateshead. Brian David Moore in Gosforth Ward in Newcastle" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 May 2024 – via Twitter.