Rosie Cooper announced her resignation last year
(Picture: PA Media)Voters in the Labour seat of West Lancashire will head to the polls on Thursday following the resignation of MP Rosie Cooper last year.
Ms Cooper announced her resignation after 17 years in the role two months ago, which triggered a by-election for the seat.
Voting in the by-election could show how the public feels about Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer ahead of the next general election.
Why is the MP stepping down?
Ms Cooper was appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern by the Chancellor, the process that effectively resigns an MP, in November.
The MP said that following her appointment as chair of the Mersey Care NHS Foundation, she said she could no longer continue her role as MP which she has held for 17 years.
Ms Cooper had also been the target of a murder plot by neo-Nazi, Jack Renshaw in 2017 - he is serving a life sentence for plotting to kill the MP.
Announcing her resignation, the MP said she had accepted the position “after a considerable period of soul-searching and reflection”.
In a statement, she said: “I appreciate this will come as a surprise to many people having recently secured re-selection to stand as West Lancashire’s Labour Party candidate for the next general election. This was prior to the recruitment process for the Mersey Care position.
"This decision to apply for the role was taken after a considerable period of soul-searching and reflection. The events I have faced over the last few years are well documented and undoubtedly have taken their toll."
A Labour stronghold
West Lancashire has been a Labour stronghold since 1992 when Colin Pickthall who took the seat from Tory MP Ken Hind who had held it since 1983.
Although winning with an increased majority in 2015 and 2017, Ms Cooper saw her majority drop to 8,336 in 2019 - a 5.7 per cent reduction on the previous election.
What are the ramifications of the vote?
The seat separates Liverpool, a historically Labour-supporting area and the Tory seats of South Ribble, Southport and Bolton West.
Like many other seats in the area, West Lancashire voted to Leave the EU (55 to 44 per cent) in the 2016 referendum.
If Labour were to win the seat with an increased majority, it would show there may be a chance of regaining Red Wall seats in the north and Midlands at the next general election, seats which deserted the party in favour of Boris Johnson in the December 2019 election.
A victory for the Opposition would also continue a run of strong by-election performances by Labour after retaining Stretford and Urmston, the City of Chester, Birimingham and Erdington and gaining Wakefield over the last year. The party also held Batley and Spen in 2021.
A YouGov poll on February 3 showed Labour to be 24 per cent ahead of the Opposition (24 to 48 per cent).
Retaining the seat would not also strengthen the public feeling for the Opposition, but give momentum to Labour as they approach the May local elections and put further pressure on Rishi Sunak.
Who are the candidates?
Jo Barton - Liberal Democrats
Peter Andrew Edward Crainie - Green Party
Ashley Dalton - Labour Party
Howling Laud Hope -The Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Jonathan Stanley Kay - Reform UK
Mike Prendergast - Conservative Party
