North East Party

The North East Party
Chairman John Tait
General Secretary Hilton Dawson
Founded 2014 (2014)
Ideology North East English regionalism
Local government (England & Wales)
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Website
www.thenortheastparty.org.uk

The North East Party (NEP) is a regionalist political party in North East England founded in 2014 by former Labour MP Hilton Dawson.[1] The party campaigns for a better deal for North East England generally and is committed to a devolved assembly in the North East with powers similar to those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, if approved by a referendum.[2] It says bodies such as the North East Combined Authority do not have a mandate to take on new responsibilities and representatives must be directly-elected.[3] Dawson stepped down as Chair of the party in June 2016 and was replaced by John Tait. Dawson remains active in the party taking on the role of Secretary and Nominating Officer.[4]

History

The NEP was founded in May 2014 and is widely seen as a sister party to Yorkshire First.[5][6] In December 2014, the party—only six months old—won its first council seat at a local by-election for Peterlee Town Council in County Durham.[7] Two months later, the party won a second seat on the council in another by-election.[8] Following on from its local successes, the party contested four parliamentary seats and several council seats in the region at the 2015 UK election.[2]

The party stood candidates in Easington, Newcastle upon Tyne North, Redcar and Stockton North. It failed to win any seats. Its best performance came in Easington where candidate Susan McDonnell received 2.3% of the vote.

Constituency Votes %
Easington 810 2.3
Newcastle upon Tyne North 338 0.7
Redcar 389 1.0
Stockton North 601 1.5

List of Chairs

No. Name Term of Position Notes
1. Hilton Dawson June 2014 - June 2016 Founding member of The North East Party.
2. John Tait June 2016 - Present 2015 Parliamentary Candidate for Stockton North.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ex Labour MP forms The North East Party". The Guardian. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 "New political party aiming for North-East devolution". The Northern Echo. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "North East Party hits out at civic structures 'developing by stealth' as devolution edges up agenda". The Journal. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  4. ↑ unionwatch (2016-07-03). "North East Party elects new chairman". Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  5. ↑ "Why Yorkshire needs its own political voice". Yorkshire Post. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Political parties join forces to campaign for more powers for the North-East and Yorkshire". The Northern Echo. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "North East Party fights for first ever council seat ... and wins". The Journal. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Fledgling party wins second seat at by-election". The Northern Echo. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
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