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 notably, at 26, the election saw a record number of candidates and a record number of independent candidates standing for an election in the UK. 23 of them, including all independents, lost their deposit, also a record. The Labour Party's decision not to put forward a candidate meant this was the first Great British by-election since the Bristol South East in 1963 (in which the Conservative Party did not stand) in which the governing party has not stood a candidate and the first Great British by-election without a Labour candidate since the Combined English Universities by-election, 1946. Davis's result saw