Voters in Copeland, the west Cumbrian constituency vacated by Jamie Reed in December, will go to the polls on 23 February. Though Labour have held the seat (previously called Whitehaven, after its main settlement) since 1935 and have controlled the borough council for 38 years, they face a fierce challenge from the Conservatives, who squeezed Labour’s majority to just 2,564 at the 2015 general election and have been campaigning hard. But what are the main issues at play?
Copeland voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU in June – its 62 per cent Brexit majority was the highest in Cumbria. While outgoing MP Jamie Reed was a vocal Remainer, the borough’s elected mayor, independent Mike Starkie, backed Brexit. Starkie’s diagnosis is a familiar one: the remote constituency’s physical and perceived isolation from Westminster decision-making and frustration over migration meant Vote Leave’s promise of taking back control was an attractive proposition.
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