Bradford West Parliamentary By-Election : Date to be confirmed

[YL]

Let's hope he gets better.

This constituency has a slightly odd recent history.  As Andrea says, it had a pro-Tory swing in 1997, and it also had a pro-Labour swing in 2010.  (If the national swing from 2005 had applied, I think it would have gone Tory.  But national swings and Bradford West don't appear to mix.)  In between, the Lib Dem vote collapsed in 2001 and then had a big increase in 2005 (Iraq may well have been a factor in the latter).

[YL]

2011 Bradford Council election results in the constituency (from the Council website):

City: Lab 64%, Con 28%, Green 5%, LD 3%

Clayton & Fairweather Green: Lab 56%, Con 30%, Green 8%, LD 6%

Heaton: Lab 48%, Con 26%, Green 21%, LD 4%

Manningham: Lab 72%, LD 20%, Green 5%, Con 3%

Thornton & Allerton: Con 47%, Lab 38%, Green 12%, LD 3%

Toller: Lab 81%, Con 12%, Green 5%, LD 2%

[YL]

Those wards look like far stronger Labour than their constituency's recent results would suggest.

... and indeed than their own recent results would suggest.  In 2004 (see Andrew Teale's website) every one of them elected at least one Tory.  As recently as 2008 (link to Andrew's site again) four of them voted Tory, including Toller.

[YL]

I somehow thought Marsha Singh was ancient, but I've just looked it up and he's not even 60. Who am I confusing him with?

The late Piara Khabra?