Former Sheffield Lord Mayor Gill Furniss was selected as Labour’s candidate for the Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough by-election, triggered by the death of Labour MP Harry Harpham. Her selection mattered because Labour was seeking to retain a parliamentary seat it had held comfortably, while the contest also took place alongside local elections.

Furniss, a Sheffield councillor and former Lord Mayor, was chosen by local Labour members over two other shortlisted women. Harpham had been elected less than a year earlier, in 2015, with a majority of 13,807 votes; the by-election was expected to be held on 5 May 2016.