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 and criticism from politicians, the public and the media, with "The Sun" newspaper initially considering fielding a candidate to oppose Davis in support of anti-terrorism legislation. The Labour party's non-participation stance attracted specific criticism as appearing to be afraid to debate, following recent poor election results and a record low opinion poll result; while Davis attracted criticism as being vain, wasting public money, and for contesting the issue in his safe seat. Davis, the then Shadow Home Secretary, announced his intention to resign on 12 June 2008, a day after a House of Commons vote passed the Counter-Terrorism Bill, which