Keir Starmer has reason for cheer this morning after his party comfortably held the City of Chester following yesterday’s by-election. Labour candidate Samantha Dixon increased the majority her predecessor Christian Matheson won in the 2019 general election from 6,164 to 10,974. Labour had a swing of just over 13 per cent from the Conservatives – securing 61 per cent of the vote.
Following the result, the new Labour MP was quick to pitch the result as damning for the Tories: 'Tonight the people of Chester have sent a clear message. They have said Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives no longer have a mandate to govern'. Dixon said she was confident that in a general election 'Labour will win as decisively as I have done today'.
So, how damning is the result for Sunak? It's the first electoral test he has faced since entering 10 Downing Street in October.
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