Labour have dealt Rishi Sunak a double by-election blow after the party seized two rock-solid Conservative seats
The seats in contention, Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth, were held by Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher, respectively, and were considered safe with huge and healthy majorities
In Tamworth Labour’s candidate Sarah Edwards overturned a majority of more than 19,000
In her victory speech, she said the result was “historic”
It was a similar result in Mid Bedfordshire where Alistair Strathern flipped a Tory majority of nearly 25,000
Turnout was low in both with 36% in Tamworth and 44% in mid Bedfordshire
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer hailed the victories as “phenomenal”
Historic swings for Labour spell trouble for Tories
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
The two results overnight are huge moments. Both of these seats were won comfortably by the Conservatives at the last election - they should be safe Tory territory. But their vote collapsed. What we’ve seen is two results of historic significance.
The result in Mid Bedfordshire is the biggest majority to ever be overturned at a by-election. Nadine Dorries won by 24,664 just four years ago.
The result in Tamworth is the second biggest swing from the Conservatives to Labour since World War Two.
Labour have now won four by-elections with big swings in recent months - the others are Selby and Rutherglen.
A lot could happen before a general election. People sometimes vote differently at general elections than they do at by-elections. But the trend of big swings to Labour is hard to ignore.
It’s hugely encouraging news for Sir Keir Starmer as he eyes up a Labour majority. It’s a nightmare for Rishi Sunak and his MPs.
Blimey … what a turnup …
Caveat - turnout in both constituencies was very low …
Interesting, what that suggests to me is for most people a Labour government will be change from Conservatives, but not change for the better. Conservatives blew it and should never govern the country again.
Former Tory whip Chris Pincher has said he is resigning as an MP after losing his appeal against a suspension for drunkenly groping two men, paving the way for another by-election. Tory MP Chris Pincher will resign after losing his appeal against an eight-week suspension from the Commons following groping allegations.7 Sept 2023
The final humiliation of Tory saboteur Nadine Dorries
The former minister’s petulant resignation over a peerage, her unquestioning support for Boris Johnson and her very public loathing of Rishi Sunak have brought the Conservative Party to its lowest ebb in a generation, writes Andrew Grice
Err…Before we start having orgasms over a labour landslide in the next general elections, just think who labour have ousted in order to win…Some pervy old bloke who likes to grope men, and a Boris Supporter…Who would you turn out in the the rain to vote for? Even JC would receive a bad turn out in those circumstances…
Yep it’s time for the labor gang to come back in from t he cold and stuff everything up - as they will for sure - it’s not that I don’t like them its just the nature of humanity - " lets us make man in our image and the capacity to stuff things up too??" Genesis not the band the book!!
For me it’s more the disgraceful behaviour by certain Tory party MP’s & PM that went on during lockdown. The lies that were told .
Rather than some grubby old man having a fumble disgusting as it is, along with other Tory MP resigning due being caught committing unbecoming behaviour yeah being caught in flagrante delicto.
Tory party imo are unfit to govern.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.
I compared the number of votes for each party in these two constituencies for the last GE with the by-election voting numbers - and the numbers confirm it.
The number of votes for Labour haven’t changed that much since the last GE, whilst the Tory votes dropped by about 20,000 and 25,000 - in each constituency, the drop in the Tory vote was a similar amount to the drop in the numbers turning out to vote.
@Bruce it would, but likely to have more spoilt votes. Civic duty failure by our politicians is the reason for so much existential angst among voters. imo
‘Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.’
True.
And worse than that, the consequences of 13 years of austerity are plain to see. The criminal system seems to have fallen over with crime such as shoplifting surging but prosecutions significantly down. And prisons so full that they are having to release people early. But into a failed probation system after the dumb privatisation actions. Strikes still abound because of years of below inflation pay rewards.
It is now very clear that it is not possible to cut costs in order to achieve growth. Plus you’d think we would have got something to show for the hundreds of billions pumped into QE. Seems not.
So the are unfit to govern and are still peddling failed policies.
Labour shouldn’t get over confident, by-elections don’t reflect what people will do in a general election that could lead to a new government
Tory’s are notoriously loyal to their chumocracy and may well hold their noses and come out and vote in a general election, even if they don’t like the current incumbents
The disgusting way the Tory leadership behaved over Covid etc won’t deter them, they have no principles and it’s all about protecting themselves and the status quo that favours them
I think one of the most interesting things about Tamworth is the Reform party vote. If they’d voted Tory, the Tories would have won. I think it’s quite like they and the other Rabid Right voters will show their true colours and switch back to Tory in the general election
