Rosie moves writ for Leicester South
By Tony Grew - 6th April 2011
Shadow chief whip Rosie Winterton moved the writ for the Leicester South by-election at the start of business in the House of Commons yesterday.
Hansard reports:
"Ordered,
"That the Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a new Writ for the electing of a Member to serve in this present Parliament for the Borough constituency of Leicester South in the room of Peter Alfred Soulsby, who since his election for the said Borough constituency has been appointed to the Office of Steward or Bailiff of Her Majesty's Manor of Northstead in the County of York."
On April 1 the chancellor of the exchequer appointed Soulsby to the Manor of Northstead, the mechanism that allows an MP to stand down.
Members cannot resign and instead must be appointed to a paid office of the Crown - two such sinecures have been retained to allow MPs to leave the Commons, the other being the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds.
A by-election will take place on Thursday 5 May in the Leicester South constituency, the same day as the AV referendum and mayoral and council elections.
Soulsby stood down as an MP to run for the new post of directly-elected mayor of Leicester.
The other candidates for the mayoral election are:
Regine Anderson, UK Independence Party
John Bowley, Independent
Mohinder Farma, Unity for Peace and Socialism
Geoff Forse, Green Party
Ross Grant, Conservatives
Gary Hunt, Liberal Democrat
Rick Moore, Independent
Nima Patel, Independent
Muhamid Pathan, Independent
Lee Sowden, Independent
The mayor will initiate policies across council services.
Up to nine councillors will serve as his or her cabinet.
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