Kelvin MacKenzie of Commons in order to fight a by-election as a protest against the Labour government's plans for 42-day detention without charge for terrorist suspects, MacKenzie announced that he was likely to contest the election on a pro-42-day detention platform, stating: "I have been associated with "The Sun" for 30 years. "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". Off-camera, before a BBC interview, MacKenzie referred to Hull, which the Haltemprice and Howden constituency borders, as "an absolute
Haltemprice and Howden (UK Parliament constituency) the 1837 general election. The constituency covers a wide area stretching from the border of Hull in the east to the outskirts of Goole in the west and northwards to Holme-on-Spalding-Moor towards York in the Yorkshire Wolds. The bulk of the population is centred in the villages of Willerby, Kirk Ella, Anlaby and Cottingham. Rural Howdenshire forms the bulk of the geographical area of the constituency but provides only a small part of the total electorate. The constituency includes many towns and villages along the A63 corridor including, Brough, Elloughton, South Cave, North Ferriby, Swanland, Gilberdyke, Newport, Welton and Melton.