Labour and Lib Dems thrash the ruling Conservatives in by elections

Friday, July 21st 2023 - 10:00 UTC

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PM Rishi Sunak was spared the prospect of being the first prime minister for 55 years to lose three by-elections in one night

Elections can be rough and the dichotomy of frenzy results even worse. Something of this happened in England where the Conservatives on Thursday suffered two heavy defeats, but narrowly held on to former PM Boris Johnson's old Uxbridge seat, after a night of three dramatic by-election results.

In Somerton and Frome, the Lib Dems overturned a majority of more than 19,000, with a 29% swing.

And Labour made history, overturning a 20,137 majority to take the Yorkshire seat of Selby and Ainsty.

But it was disappointed as the Tories clinched Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Despite a 6.7% swing to Labour, the Tories managed to capitalize on local anger over the planned expansion of the ULEZ, Ultra Los Emissions Zone to outer London under Labour mayor Sadiq Khan, winning the seat by just 495 votes.

It meant Rishi Sunak was spared the prospect of being the first prime minister for 55 years to lose three by-elections in one night. However, it was still a bruising night for the Tories, who are trailing Labour in the national polls ahead of an expected general election next year.

In Selby and Ainsty, Labour managed to achieve a 23.7% swing to win the North Yorkshire seat and broke the record for the largest Conservative majority it had overturned at a by-election since 1945.

Keir Mather, 25, will become the youngest MP in the House of Commons, after he secured 16,456 votes compared to Conservative candidate Clare Holmes's 12,295.

The safe Conservative seat, which is largely rural, had been held by the party since its creation in 2010. Keir Mather, who grew up near Selby, most recently worked at the Confederation of British Industry.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “This is a historic result that shows that people are looking at Labour and seeing a changed party that is focused entirely on the priorities of working people with an ambitious, practical plan to deliver.

Mr Mather said his party had ”rewritten the rules on where Labour can win“. He said voters were ”extremely frustrated“ at the way the area's previous Tory MP had stood down but that the cost-of-living crisis was the top issue on the doorstep.

The resignation of Boris Johnson ally Nigel Adamas, came after he was not included in the former prime minister's honors list - although he has not said this was why he quit.

In Somerton and Frome, Lib Dem Sarah Dyke, a Somerset councilor with a farming background, secured a dramatic victory, winning 21,187 votes, while Conservative Faye Purbrick trailed in second with 10,179 votes.

In her victory speech Ms Dyke thanked ”lifelong Conservative voters“ who had voted Lib Dem for the first time, as well as Labour and Green supporters who had ”lent“ their votes.

She said the public had been ”let down and taken for granted for far too long“ by the Conservatives, with the government ”too busy being a circus of chaos“.

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Tory MP David Warburton, following allegations of drug-taking and sexual misconduct.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the ”stunning victory shows the Liberal Democrats are firmly back in the West Country“ and that the country are ”fed up with Rishi Sunak's out-of-touch Conservative government”.

It is the party's fourth by-election gain since 2019, although this has not translated into major advances in national polls.