The Conservatives woke to a set of dire results streaming in from overnight election counts.
Labour won the Blackpool South parliamentary by-election with a swing of 26.33 per cent from the Tories, the third biggest since the Second World War.
In the contest triggered by the resignation of former Tory MP Scott Benton following a lobbying scandal, Labour’s Chris Webb secured 10,825 votes, a majority of 7,607.
Tory David Jones came in second with 3,218 votes, just 117 ahead of Reform UK’s Mark Butcher. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “This seismic win in Blackpool South is the most important result today. The swing towards the Labour Party in Blackpool South is truly historic and shows that we are firmly back in the service of working people.” Tory Party chairman Richard Holden admitted it had been a “tough night”, but insisted his party’s losses were “typical for a government in midterm”.
He also stressed that they were coming off a “very high watermark in 2021” when many of these elections were last fought at the peak of Boris Johnson’s popularity as the Covid19 vaccine was rolled out. But elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice told th e Evening Standard: “Unless things improve, the Tories are going to lose the general election. If anything, the Conservatives’ position is a bit weaker than it was 12 months ago.”
Bu hikaye Evening Standard dergisinin May 03, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Evening Standard dergisinin May 03, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis