The Conservatives first election test following the ouster of their two previous leaders yields a poor outcome in Chester.
Labour won the Chester by-election, the first public vote since Boris Johnson and Liz Truss was ejected from Number 10.
Samantha Dixon retained the seat for her party with 17,309 votes, a 61% share of the vote, and approximately 11,000 more than the Conservative candidate, nearly 11,000 more.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, stated that his party had presented “an optimistic plan for the future” in contrast to the government, which he described as “weary and weary.”
He told reporters, “I believe [the result] sends a clear message to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the people are fed up and want a change – there is a strong sense that the government has run out of the road, run out of ideas, and has no mandate.”
Labour was anticipated to win, however, the deficit was larger than in 2019 when it was 6,164 votes.
It represents a greater swing from the Conservatives to the Labor Party than the 12.7% in June in Wakefield.
It is also the lowest performance for the Conservatives in Chester since 1832, with Liz Wardlaw receiving 6,335 votes or 22.4% of the vote.
In her victory speech, Ms. Dixon stated that the result represented a “resounding mandate” for Labor and that the Conservatives were “living on borrowed time and the people want change.”
“People in Chester and across the nation are concerned,” she stated. “Afraid of losing their homes because they cannot afford the mortgage payments or the rent, unsure if they can manage to heat their homes or feed their family.
“This is the price of twelve years of Conservative rule. The administration has wrecked our economy, decimated our public services, and misled the people who voted for them in the previous general election.”
Chief political correspondent for Sky, Jon Craig, called it a “crushing defeat” for the Tories and “ominous” for the party’s chances in the upcoming election.
However, he stated that it would be unfair to hold the prime minister personally responsible for the outcome.
Nonetheless, Labor’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, who traveled to Chester to celebrate the victory, stated that it was Mr. Sunak’s “first test as prime minister” and that it was “quite evident that the Conservatives and their brand have taken an incredible beating.
She told reporters, “When we spoke with constituents on the doorstep, they said they had had enough of the Conservatives.
“They’ve had enough of them not addressing the challenges they and the businesses here are facing right now, and they want a change and a Labor government,”
This is the third successive loss for the Conservatives in by-elections, following Labor’s capture of Wakefield and the Lib Dems’ historic victories in Tiverton and Honiton this summer.
The Chester election was necessitated by the resignation of Christian Matheson, a Labour MP who was suspended in October after two claims of sexual misconduct by a former staff member were proven.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow international trade minister, described it as a “landslide victory” that “points to a majority Labor government” at the upcoming election.
However, he stated that his party was not “complacent,” adding, “We are aware of the work required to continue gaining the trust of the British people.” This is what we will continue to do until the day of the next national election.”
The result also coincides with a decline in the Conservatives’ standing in public opinion polls following a slew of leadership changes.
The party’s numbers increased slightly after Mr. Sunak entered Downing Street last month – the third Tory leader this year – but they consistently trail Sir Keir’s Labor in the polls.
Lord Hayward, a Tory peer, and pollster, stated that the Conservatives would be “relieved” that they still received over 20% of the vote, as the outcome was “not nearly as dismal as the opinion polls had predicted.”
He told that Mr. Sunak was now responsible for “getting on with the business” ahead of the next local elections in May.
“The [Tories] face a formidable challenge,” he remarked. “However, Rishi appears to the general public as a manager, and his ratings are significantly higher than those of the Conservative Party… indicating that he has potential.
However, the cost of living and strikes are undeniably major concerns. Rishi must convince the public that he can successfully navigate this dilemma.”
This was the first of two by-elections this month, with the second taking place in Stretford and Urmston, Greater Manchester, on December 15.
This vote was called after former Labor shadow education secretary Kate Green announced her resignation to become the deputy mayor of Manchester.
