The 2016 Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election took place on 8 December, triggered by the resignation of Member of Parliament (MP) Stephen Phillips, a Conservative, who left Parliament due to policy differences with Theresa May over Brexit. The constituency had been held by the Conservatives since it was first contested in the 1997 general election and was considered a safe seat for the party. Sleaford and North Hykeham was estimated to have had a vote share of more than 60 per cent in favour of leaving the EU in the June 2016 EU membership referendum and Brexit was a key issue in the by-election campaign. The Conservatives nominated Caroline Johnson (pictured), a paediatrician; she won the by-election with more than 50 per cent of the vote. The UK Independence Party came second with 13 per cent of the vote, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 11 per cent and Labour with 10 per cent. The result was widely seen as poor for the Labour Party, whose vote share decreased by 7 per cent.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Sleaford_and_North_Hykeham_by-election
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
Pope Pius IX promulgated the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, proclaiming the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was conceived free of original sin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ineffabilis_Deus
1941:
The Holocaust: The Chełmno extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first such Nazi camp to kill Jews, began operations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che%C5%82mno_extermination_camp
1971:
Indo-Pakistani War: Following their successful attack three days earlier, a small Indian Navy strike force attacked the Port of Karachi again and created a de facto blockade. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Python
1991:
Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian leaders signed the Belovezh Accords, agreeing to dissolve the Soviet Union and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
Mariolatry: (Protestantism, derogatory) Adoration or veneration of the Virgin Mary to an extent regarded as inappropriate or even idolatrous. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Mariolatry
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Last thing I remember, I was Running for the door. I had to find the passage back To the place I was before. "Relax," said the night man, "We are programmed to receive. You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!" --Eagles https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eagles_%28band%29