A huge swing to the Liberal Democrats in North Shropshire dealt a crushing blow to the embattled Conservatives in Thursday's Westminster by-election. The Lib Dems came third here in 2019, but swept to victory in a previously safe Tory seat, more than trebling their vote from 5,643 to 17,957. Labour slumped to an embarrassing third place, dropping 8,806 votes in a further blow to Keir Starmer's uninspiring leadership.
Helen Morgan is the first non-Tory to ever win this rural seat, first created in 1832, abolished in 1876 and then re-established in 1983. The Conservative majority in 2019 was 22,949.
North Shropshire
Helen Morgan (LDem) 17,957 (47.2%) +37.2%
Neil Shastri-Hurst (Con) 12,032 (31.6%) -31.1%
Ben Wood (Lab) 3,686 (9.7%) -12.4%
Duncan Kerr (Grn) 1,738 (4.6%) +1.4%
Kirsty Walmsley (RefUK) 1,427 (3.8%) New
Andrea Allen (UKIP) 378 (1.0%) New
Martin Daubney (Rec) 375 (1.0%) New
Alan Howling Laud Hope (Loon) 118 (0.3%) New
Suzie Akers-Smith (Ind) 95 (0.2%) New
James Elliot (Herit) 79 (0.2%) New
Boris Been Bunged (Rejoin) 58 (0.2%) New
Earl Jesse (Freedom) 57 (0.1%) New
Russell Dean 19 (Party) 0.1 New
Yolande Kenward (Ind) 3 (0.0%) New
There were twelve council by-elections on Thursday - seven Conservative defences, four Labour defences and a free-for-all.
Of those seven Tory defences, they lost four and held three. Of those four defeats, they lost three to the Lib Dems and one to the Greens.
Labour held three of their four defences (although one of those wins is now void). They lost a seat to an independent who came from nowhere to win a seat in South Wales. Labour also gained the free-for-all in Middlesbrough after the independent incumbent had vacated the seat.
Now, let's discuss that void result in Walsall. The contest was a straightforward battle between Labour and the Tories. However, the Labour candidate was employed by Walsall Council and should have resigned prior to the election in order to be eligible to serve as a councillor. Having failed to do so, she could not accept the post she had easily won. Simran Cheema apologised to ward residents and claimed that she had been unaware her part-time job at a Walsall library barred her from standing. The farce cost an estimated £20,000 and the seat will now remain vacant until the next local elections in May 2022.
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| Labour's Simran Cheema at last night's count in Walsall, which turned out to be a costly waste of time |
Lomond North, Argyll and Bute Council
(First preference votes)
Con: 742 (40.7%) +11.3%
SNP: 459 (25.2%) +5.0%
Ind: 418 (22.9%) New
Ind: 259 (11.2%) New
Con HOLD (elected at stage 4)
Highfield, Ashford Borough Council
Grn: 191 (40.0%) +21.2%
Con: 163 (34.1%) -7.0%
Ind: 101 (21.1%) -7.4%
Lab: 23 (4.8%) New
Grn GAIN from Con
Caerau, Bridgend County Borough Council
Ind: 515 (48.8%) New
Lab: 441 (41.8%) -6.4%
Plaid: 82 (7.8%) -10.7%
Con: 18 (1.7%) New
Ind GAIN from Lab
Roffey South, Horsham District Council
LDem: 462 (41.5%) +0.6%
Con: 335 (30.1%) -11.4%
Grn: 222 (19.9%) New
Lab: 95 (8.5%) -9.1%
LDem GAIN from Con
Armitage with Handsacre, Lichfield District Council
Con: 458 (60.3%) -2.2%
Lab: 301 (39.7%) +2.2%
Con HOLD
Rochester East, Medway Council
Lab: 870 (63.3%) +15.2%
Con: 388 (28.2%) +8.7%
Grn: 69 (5.0%) -9.2%
LDem: 48 (3.5%) -2.8%
Lab HOLD
North Ormesby, Middlesbrough Council
Lab: 172 (74.5%) +47.7%
Ind: 32 (13.9%) +13.9%
Con: 20 (8.7%) +5.5%
LDem: 7 (3.0%) New
Lab GAIN from Ind
Hexham East, Northumberland County Council
LDem: 584 (47.3%) +11.7%
Con: 370 (30.0%) -13.9%
Lab: 154 (12.5%) -8.1%
Ind: 127 (10.3%) New
LDem GAIN from Con
Dawley & Aqueduct, Telford and Wrekin Council
Lab: 996 (55.8%) -6.1%
Con: 735 (41.2%) +3.0%
LDem: 55 (3.1%) +3.1%
Lab HOLD
Pleck, Walsall Council
Lab: 698 (64.6%) -15.5%
Con: 382 (35.4%) +15.5%
Lab HOLD (election VOID due to ineligibility of Labour candidate)
Tilehurst South & Holybrook, West Berkshire Council
Con: 548 (42.3%) -15.6%
Lab: 387 (29.9%) +4.8%
LDem: 359 (27.7%) +10.8%
Con HOLD
Nettleham, West Lindsey District Council
LDem: 585 (51.0%) +1.2%
Con: 374 (32.6%) -17.5%
Lab: 116 (10.1%) New
Grn: 71 (6.2%) New
LDem GAIN from Con
Abbreviations
LDem = Liberal Democrat
Con = Conservative
Lab = Labour
Grn = Green
RefUK = Reform UK
UKIP = UK Independence Party
Rec = Reclaim
Loon = Monster Raving Loony
Herit = Heritage
Rejoin = Rejoin EU
Freedom = Freedom Alliance
Party = The Party Party
SNP = Scottish National Party
Plaid = Plaid Cymru
Ind = Independents
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