On election night the coverage will rightly focus on whether the Conservatives can get a majority and whether key figures in all parties can keep their seats, but, in case it's all going wrong and to draw attention to some of the overlooked seats in this General Election, here is an alternative guide to election night in 2019.
Houghton and Sunderland South
Since 1992 Houghton and Sunderland South (just Sunderland South before 2010) had been the first seat to declare its result. In 2017, however, Newcastle upon Tyne Central took the title. Neither seat have been talking up their chances this time around with Sunderland’s acting returning officer saying, “As usual, Sunderland will be looking to run an accurate and efficient count that the electorate and candidates can all have confidence in. It isn’t about declaring first, it is about delivering an efficient and organised count”. Newcastle City Council meanwhile claim they make “no conscious effort” to be the first to declare. Outside of the North East, Swindon North is one potential contender to the title, having declared at 11:58 last year, 55 minutes after Newcastle upon Tyne Central’s declaration at 11:03.
This year it will surely be closely fought again, but Newcastle upon Tyne Central may well defend the title. They have the advantage of not having to pass ballot boxes along human chains into the count station, as well as having retained election administrator Bill Crawford, poached from Sunderland before the 2017 election. The Newcastle seat is also a less marginal constituency. Maybe they could even contend with Sunderland’s all time record of 48 minutes, set in 2015.
Ashfield
Ashfield has been billed a race between Labour and the Conservatives. It is part of Labour’s “red wall” which the Conservatives have based so much of their election strategy on shattering. The constituency voted heavily to leave and the bookmakers as well as many pundits and pollsters are projecting a Tory gain. All this, however, does not make Ashfield of particular interest to this guide.
The Tory candidate, Lee Anderson, has put forward unpopular policies on the treatment of antisocial council tenants, including making them pick vegetables for 12 hours a day and sleep in tents. He staged a fake canvassing session in front of journalist Michael Crick, where he knocked on his friend’s door, only for them to advocate that he went further on antisocial behaviour, including using the cat-o-nine-tails.
The weakness of the Tory candidate means that the seat could be in play for the Ashfield Independents to pull off an Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern party style upset. They already control the council, with 30 of the 35 seats, winning a landslide in the local elections earlier this year. Jason Zadrozny, the party leader, is looking to build on the 9.2% the party gained in 2017 and has been installed as second favourite by many bookmakers.
Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Putting the Prime Minister’s seat into a guide tends to damage the alternative credentials, but this section is not about Ali Milani’s attempt to unseat Boris Johnson. It is about the battle between Count Binface and Lord Buckethead.
In 2017 Lord Buckethead stood against Theresa May in Maidenhead gaining 249 votes. The character was revived by comedian Jon Harvey after previous runs against Maragret Thatcher and John Major. He enjoyed great internet success and images of him dabbing in front of the Prime Minister were widely circulated on social media. The considerably popularity that Lord Buckethead gained drew the attention of the creators of 1984 sci-fi comedy Hyperspace, in which the character was created. Following a copyright dispute, Harvey decided to stand under the alias Count Binface, whilst Buckethead is representing the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. The two facing off against each other gives us one of the best fringe clashes since the late Screaming Lord Sutch edged out Buckethead himself for sixth place in Huntingdon in 1992.
Notably also William Tobin is attempting to become the first general election candidate to receive no votes and surpass Catherine Taylor-Dawson who stood in 2005 on the Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket and did, indeed, only get one vote.
Sheffield Hallam
Sheffield Hallam was former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s seat until he was memorably displaced by Jared O’Mara in 2017. O’Mara, however, has had a torrid time as an MP and had announced he would stand down, calling a by-election. In a dramatic sequence of events earlier this year, O’Mara’s chief of staff, Gareth Arnold, took over the MP’s twitter page to announce his resignation calling O’Mara “the most disgustingly morally bankrupt person [he] had ever had the displeasure of working with”. Having publicised his own twitter and gained something of a following on the back of this resignation, Arnold announced his intention to run for the seat of Sheffield Hallam. He later withdrew his candidacy announcing that he had found a job.
The whole saga may well have escaped the notice of most voters, but it has left the Lib Dems in a strong position to regain the seat, which is one of their top targets for this election.
East Devon
East Devon is the most likely constituency to elect an independent MP, aside from those such as South West Hertfordshire and Beaconsfield where incumbent MPs are running as independents. It is currently a Conservative held seat, but Claire Wright, an independent, has run in both of the previous two general elections finishing second just 13.3% behind the Tories in 2017. Yougov’s MRP model has the seat as a tossup between Wright and the Conservative candidate. Wright supports a second referendum on EU membership, so losing the seat to her would be a blow to Boris Johnson.