Lib Dems win seat from Labour in first by-election of 2022
What a great start to the year: one by-election, one Liberal Democrat gain.
The victory came from third place with a 20% swing in Nottinghamshire:
Many congratulations to new councillor Andrew Dunkin and the team.
Especially as this is very much not Blue Wall territory. It’s in Gedling constituency which Labour held from 1997 until losing it to the Conservatives in 2019. But the ward is in an area where the Lib Dems used to have some local government success until the Coalition years (and Andrew was a councillor in the area under different boundaries, winning pre-Coalition).
So this is just the sort of area the party needs to start winning in again to have a breadth of recovery to compliment the emphasis on the Blue Wall for the next general election.
For what this means for the running total of council by-election results since the last May elections, see my council by-elections scorecard here.
These by-election results round-ups cover principal authority by-elections. See my post The danger in celebrating parish and town council wins for your own party for the reasons to avoid straying too often into covering town, parish or community council by-elections.
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A very interesting, encouraging and significant result. Congratulations to those involved. Significant because it must make Lib Dem strategists take seriously the view that Lib Dems must take the fight to Labour in their areas. Winning in these places can only encourage soft Conservative voters to come over to the Liberal Democrats. There is unsettling mention in “The New Statesman” by Stephen Bush that there is low profile collusion between Ed Davey’s office and Starmer’s office to co-ordinate electoral strategy in order to win in Conservative- held Commons seats. While that is the goal, that should not be the method. Whatever the merits of Starmer, the Labour Party as an institution is as rotten and dangerous as it was in the days of the beginnings of the SDP. Lib Dem collusion with Labour, under FPTP, however appealing for short-term advantage, is perilous in the extreme. A straight, undeviating path between Scylla and Charybdis should be the obvious course to steer. Possible arrangements with Greens, on the other hand, as valid here as in Germany, in my opinion. Remember Richmond Park. Also significant – this was a win by a candidate who lives in the ward he represents, according to Tom S. An essential qualification, I believe.
Yet more evidence to say we should fight Southend West and win.
Fantastic result.
Looks like a key ingredient is local candidate standing and winning something strategist should be aware of.
Interesting that the core Conservative looks to of held up and the swing looks to of come from people turning out to vote LibDem to either prevent Conservative or Labour winning the seat.
Of course now they have voted LibDem we need to keep them voting LibDem.
– Show our policies CARE
– Show our policies are FAIR
– Show our policies are GREEN
The work starts Today, Tomorrow