Selby and Ainsty by-election: Cabinet members' secret campaign visits

Many have been making secret campaign visits to the area.

As the Conservatives in Selby and Ainsty brace themselves for potential defeat today, they are not going down without a good fight.

Whilst one poll showed Labour candidate Keir Mather was set to take the ‘safe’ Conservative seat in a landslide, a Tory source told the Press today, they expect it will be ‘close.’

Former MP Nigel Adams held Selby and Ainsty with a 20,137 majority, with around three-fifths of the vote, at the last General Election in 2019.

But his prospective successor in the form of Barrister and East Yorkshire councillor Claire Holmes faces a much tougher fight.

Our source said: “We have tried to speak to as many people as possible throughout the campaign.”

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• The campaign has been a relatively short one for by-elections, of just a few weeks, but Selby and Ainsty has had visits from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and ‘lots’ of cabinet ministers.

“A lot turned up under their own steam,” The Press was told today, albeit well after the visit from the ‘big beast’ or party ‘big gun.’

The explanation given is that if it was an official visit or photos were released showing these cabinet ministers, it would be classed as a by-election expense.

But chancellor Jeremy Hunt was reported campaigning in the village of Escrick, between York and Selby early on in the campaign.

Other visitors to the constituency included Foreign Secretary James Cleverley; Energy and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps; Party Chairman Gregg Hands; Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch; Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove; Education Secretary Gillain Keegan; Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay and DEFRA secretary Theresa Coffey.

“The Prime Minister was very well received (by the public),” the Press was told.

“We have had a lot of support (from the party),” they added.

In the meantime, the polls have opened and will remain open until 10pm tonight.

Voters are asked to bring the required photo ID to the polling station.

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A result is not expected until 3-6am Friday morning, though North Yorkshire Council say they cannot guarantee a time due to the large number of candidates- 13 of them.

The candidates are: Andrew Philip Gray; Claire Holmes (Conservative); Mike Jordan (Yorkshire Party); Dave Kent (Reform UK); Keir Mather (Labour); Nick Palmer (Independent); Guy Phoenix (Heritage Party); Sir Archibald Stanton (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party); Matt Walker (Lib Dem): Arnold Francis Ignatius Warneken (The Green Party); John William Waterston (Social Democratic Party); Luke John Wellock (Climate Party); and Tyler Callum Wilson-Kerr (Independent)