Dear Ealing Council,

I just thought I should let you know there’s a parliamentary by-election on, in case you hadn’t noticed.

Yours,

A. Geek

The most likely explanation, of course, is that the council’s electoral administration department are completely snowed under – not surprising given the absurdly short timescale to which they are being made to work. No doubt wary of the challenge from the Liberal Democrats, Labour have called a quick by-election – although the council in Ealing had a week’s more notice than in Sedgefield.

It’s interesting to note from the notice of the concurrent Ealing Council by-election that the deadline for nominations was Friday 22nd June – almost a week before the writ for the parliamentary by-election had been moved. What a bizarre democracy we live in where a council by-election takes longer than a parliamentary one.

Liberal Democrats in Ealing Southall have selected local campaigner Nigel Bakhai, our candidate in the General Election two years ago, to challenge Labour in the Ealing Southall by-election.

More here.

For those interested in such things, here are the writs for July’s two parliamentary by-elections as they were moved yesterday morning. The description of Tony Blair’s departure from Parliament is a particular highlight.

1 Ealing Southall Writ,—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 Ealing Southall in the room of Piara Singh Khabra Esquire, deceased.—(Jacqui Smith.)

2 Sedgefield Writ,—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 County Constituency of Sedgefield in the room of the Right honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, who since his election for the said County Constituency has accepted the Office of Steward or Bailiff of Her Majesty’s Three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham, in the county of Buckingham. —(Jacqui Smith.)

These were also presumably Jacqui Smith‘s last parliamentary acts as Chief Whip becoming Home Secretary.

…so we need as many Liberal Democrats as possible to come and help in Ealing Southall and Sedgefield.

Here’s a video on the subject from the party’s Chief Executive, Lord Rennard: