Tory MPs in prosperous southern seats will be feeling rather nervous this morning. The Lib Dem victory in Chesham and Amersham, see Katy’s blog here, is another illustration of how the decline in tribal voting means there are far fewer safe seats than before.
One immediate consequence of this result is that it will harden backbench Tory opposition to planning reform
One immediate consequence of this result is that it will harden backbench Tory opposition to planning reform. In this campaign, the Lib Dems repeatedly attacked the Tories for wanting to take away local communities’ ability to block developments. This struck a particular chord in a constituency that has HS2 running through it. (Though, the Tories should not forget that their electoral success is closely correlated to how many homeowners there are. A decline in property ownership would be a medium-term disaster for the party.)
It will also increase Tory worries about how the levelling up agenda is perceived in the south.
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