2017 Cities of London and Westminster election

The 2017 Cities of London and Westminster election was held on 8 June 2017, as part of that year's general election. Labour's Sir Oliver Howard, then a workers' rights solicitor and the founder of Hopkins PLC, won the seat from the Conservatives by 1,412 votes, the first time Labour had ever held it.

Background

Cities of London and Westminster covers the City of London and the heart of Westminster, and had always been regarded as safely Conservative. The sitting Conservative member, Charles Whitmore, a former banker, was expected to win easily. Howard had been a Labour member for 26 years but had never stood for Parliament, and party officials had offered him safer seats in South Yorkshire.

Campaign

Howard ran a campaign aimed squarely at the City. He argued that the banks had abandoned the industries that made things, and that a government that backed manufacturing and fair work would be good for business too. His own bank, which only lends to firms that make things, made the argument hard to dismiss, and several City figures broke with tradition to endorse him. His free legal advice clinics for the area's cleaners, porters and hospitality workers also won him support far beyond Labour's usual voters.

Result

• Sir Oliver Howard (Labour): 41.2%
• Charles Whitmore (Conservative): 38.6%
• Fiona Reid (Liberal Democrat): 14.1%
• Tom Okafor (Green): 4.0%
• Others: 2.1%

Turnout was 67.3 per cent and Howard's majority was 1,412. In his victory speech he said: "They told me a lawyer from Hillsborough couldn't win the home of the banks. Tonight the City has voted for the people who make things."

Aftermath

The result made Howard a national figure overnight. Three years later he was elected Leader of the Labour Party, and in 2022 he became Prime Minister.