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>
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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>
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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>
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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>