Tim Young

Tim Young Labour candidate at Clacton

In December 2013, Councillor Tim Young, Labour leader on Colchester Borough Council, was selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Clacton constituency in the May 2015 General Election.

Tim Young was confirmed as Labour's candidate at the Clacton by-election triggered by the resignation on 28 August 2014 of MP Douglas Carswell who defected from the Conservative Party to stand as the UK Independence Party's candidate in the election scheduled for 9 October 2014.

Douglas Carswell was elected as UKIP's first MP with 21,113 votes, a majority of 12,404 over Tory rival Giles Watling who received 8,709 votes. Labour's Tim Young was beaten into 3rd place with 3,957 votes.

Background

Tim Young was born and brought up in Clacton, where he attended St Clare's Primary School and Clacton County High School. He is currently leader of the Labour group on Colchester Borough Council and is portfolio holder for planning, community safety and culture.

The Clacton constituency in Essex comprises the towns of Clacton, Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze, as well as surrounding villages, and has an electorate of 67,447 (December 2010).

Campaign begins

Upon being confirmed as Labour's by-election candidate, Tim Young told the Ipswich Star:

"Clacton has been left behind by this Tory-led Government. Prime Minister David Cameron boasts of an economic recovery in London but people locally are suffering a real cost-of-living crisis. Local unemployment remains high, rail fares and fuel prices are rising and local NHS services are under threat.

"As every day goes by it becomes clearer and clearer that Mr Cameron can’t even lead his own party, let alone give Clacton or the country the leadership it needs. This nasty little squabble between UKIP and the Tories won’t help anyone in Clacton pay their electricity bill or find a job.

"The Tories and UKIP have the same politics, the same obsessions and even the same people. They aren’t interested in the real issues that local people are facing. The only way to send a message that Clacton needs positive change is to vote Labour."

Ed Miliband's message

On 19 September 2014, Labour leader Ed Miliband e-mailed:

"I am delighted and proud that the people of Scotland have made this historic decision to stay in the United Kingdom.

"This was a vote for solidarity and social justice. It was a vote for our NHS, for the welfare state, and for unity — because we are better together.

"But whether people voted Yes or No, this was also a vote for change.

"We must change the way the UK is governed and who it is run for. And that thirst for change is not just in Scotland but across the whole of the UK.

"We need more good jobs and job security. We need decent wages and an end to poverty pay. We need a better future for our young people so they can believe they can have a better life than their parents.

"The last few weeks have been about keeping our country together. The next eight months will be about showing how we can change our country together.

"There is only one party that can do it — and that is our party."

Social media

Tim Young's team in Jaywick on the Clacton campaign trail (September 2014)

On Twitter, Tim Young (@Tim4Clacton) reported:

Delighted to have been endorsed as Labour's by-election candidate for Clacton. We'll be campaigning on the issues that really matter.

On Facebook, Tim Young is pictured in September 2014 with his team in Jaywick on the Clacton campaign trail with Richard Howitt MEP, Euro candidate Alex Mayer and Chris Bryant MP.