2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election stated ""The Sun" is very, very hostile to David Davis because of his 28 day stance and "The Sun" has always been very up for 42 days and perhaps even 420 days." In its editorial "The Sun" described Davis as deranged. MacKenzie's candidature was soon considered uncertain following an apparently off-the-cuff disparaging remark, when MacKenzie described the nearby city of Kingston upon Hull as "shocking, simply shocking". MacKenzie confirmed on 19 June 2008 that he would not be standing, primarily due to having no financial backing. He urged people to vote instead for Eamonn Fitzpatrick. David Davis has held the
2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election constituency for the Conservatives since its creation in 1997, and previously held the predecessor seat of Boothferry from 1987. The area of the seat, variously covered in the past by parts of Boothferry, Howden, Haltemprice, Howdenshire and East Riding of Yorkshire, has been consistently represented by Conservative MPs since the 1837 general election. Davis's majority fell back to 4.3% in the 2001 general election and the seat became a Liberal Democrat target. However, Davis increased his majority to 10.7% in the 2005 general election. The nature of Davis's resignation resulted in a number of by-election records and unusual occurrences. Most