Khumi Burton, daughter of Manipur’s first assembly speaker, wins UK's Wilmslow by-election

The Conservatives have reclaimed the Wilmslow Lacey Green and Styal ward in Cheshire East Council after a decisive win in the by-election held on Thursday. The seat, previously held by the Residents of Wilmslow since 2023, returned to Conservative hands with the election of Khumi Tonsing Burton, MBE.

Burton secured 370 votes, defeating Labour’s Steve Greaney (300 votes), Reform UK’s Nick Goulding (288 votes), Residents of Wilmslow’s Elaine Evans (215 votes), and the Green Party’s Amanda Iremonger (67 votes). The voter turnout stood at 30.46 per cent.

In her victory address, Cllr Burton expressed gratitude to the electorate. “I am humbled and delighted to have been elected to represent Wilmslow Lacey Green and Styal. The ward has been neglected for the past few years, and I am determined, with the help of the community, to improve and change it,” she said.

Burton, who has lived in the Lacey Green ward for nearly 50 years, was born in Imphal, Manipur, and is the proud daughter of the late T.C. Tiankham, the first elected Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly in 1948. A Paite community member, she is believed to be the first person from Manipur—and possibly from the entire Northeast India, to be elected to public office in the UK.

Beyond politics, Burton’s distinguished service record includes her role as a former Deputy Lieutenant of Manchester, Justice of the Peace, school governor, and her involvement in numerous community and charitable organisations. In January 2024, she was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the King’s New Year Honours List for her contributions to Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and military charities.

The by-election was necessitated by the death of Cllr Chris Hilliard earlier this year.

With this result, the composition of Cheshire East Council now stands at: Conservatives 35, Labour 28, Independent Group 13, Liberal Democrat 1, Reform UK 1, Independent Socialist 1, and Independent non-grouped 3.