Labour has won the Selby and Ainsty by-election – overturning a majority of more than 20,000, the biggest it has ever overcome at a by-election. But in a surprise result, the Tories held on in Boris Johnson’s former Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency by 495 votes following a recount.
Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak’s party lost in the Somerton and Frome by-election. The Lib Dems reversed a Tory majority of 19,000 in a decisive victory which saw Ed Davey’s party secure a majority of more than 11,000 votes. Davey said the result shows the party is ‘firmly back’.
While the results show the scale of the task ahead for Sunak, the Tory win in Uxbridge will be seen as disappointing by Labour. This morning, the party’s leader Keir Starmer focused on victory in Selby, which he described as ‘historic’. Starmer said that result shows that ‘the people are looking at Labour and seeing a changed party, focused entirely on the priorities of working people’.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in