Colin Sutton was elected as the new Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner after winning 32,647 votes in Friday's by-election. He became the first Reform UK candidate elected to the role and said he would “repay the trust the people of Norfolk have put in him”.
He added that he would “get to work on Monday” and said, “I’m overjoyed. Policing has been my life and it is the best job. I believe I can make a difference and make things better,” after the result was announced. Sutton won with a majority of 14,299, while Matthew Taylor of the Conservative party finished second.
Norfolk turnout at 17%
The vote drew a turnout of 17%, with 122,739 people taking part. Sutton had retired in 2011 and later moved to Norfolk, and before the election he said he wanted “more focus” on rural crime because priorities were “too focused on our city and towns”.
That argument was part of his pitch to voters, but the result also lands in a role that may not last. Police and crime commissioners are expected to be abolished as powers are devolved to Norfolk and Suffolk and a mayorship is created covering both counties.
Sarah Taylor resignation
The by-election followed Sarah Taylor’s resignation after she had been elected as a Labour Party commissioner and later became an independent. Sutton’s victory therefore fills a post that became vacant before the contest, rather than extending a settled term.
Reform UK already had a PCC before this result because Rupert Matthews had been elected as a Conservative party candidate and later switched parties, but Sutton is the first of the party’s candidates to win election to the office. He led the investigation into Levi Bellfield, who was convicted for the murders of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange. His next step is straightforward: he takes up the job with a mandate built on rural crime and a race decided by 32,647 votes.
Norfolk and Suffolk devolution
The larger question now sits with the planned change to local powers in Norfolk and Suffolk. If the commissioner role is abolished as set out, Sutton’s win may be the last time voters in the area choose the office unless a vacancy forces another contest.
