-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered an embarrassing defeat during a election on the outskirts of London on Friday, when his governing Conservative Party lost a previously safe parliamentary seat to the Liberal Democrats.
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The Conservatives had comfortably held the leafy, affluent Chesham and Amersham constituency in southern England since its creation in 1974, capturing quite 50% of the vote on every occasion. At the last poll in 2019, Conservative Cheryl Gillan, who died this year, won by a majority of 16,223 votes.
Since a divisive referendum in 2016, Brexit has helped reshape Britain’s political landscape, with people switching party loyalties during a way not seen for generations. Support for the Conservatives has surged in northern England.
On Wednesday, Sarah Green, the candidate for the Liberal Democrats – a centrist, pro-European Union party – won a majority of 8,028 votes over the Conservative candidate. the most opposition Labour Party came fourth, with 1.6% of the vote, its worst showing in decades.
Johnson said it had been a “disappointing result”, suggesting there have been “particular circumstances” within the area and “it was a touch bizarre” to suggest his party were on the rear foot.
“We are an excellent one-nation party and that we will continue with our mission to unite and level up because that’s the simplest thanks to deliver jobs, prosperity across the entire country,” he told reporters.
But Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said it had been a symbol of things to return , together with his party ousting the Conservatives from traditional strongholds in England’s affluent south.
“Across the south, the Tory blue wall of silence is starting to crumble,” he said during a statement. “Here and in great swathes of the country, only the Liberal Democrats can beat the Conservatives and breach their blue wall of silence .”
NEW NORTH/SOUTH DIVIDE?
The result may cause some nervousness within the Conservative Party , which has targeted traditional Labour-supporting voters in northern England but, consistent with a number of its lawmakers, has increasingly ignored its strongholds within the south.
Johnson’s parliamentary seat is simply 10 miles away, in West London.
While governing parties often lose out at so-called by-elections, the Lib Dems focused their campaign on local issues, like the new High Speed 2 rail link between London and northern England which cuts through the world .
The Conservatives have also been criticised about changes to planning laws, which some fear could mean more building of homes over green fields, something Johnson said was a misunderstanding because the government wanted construction on brownfield sites.
“I think there’s some misunderstanding about the design reforms, maybe even some wilful misunderstanding,” he said.
“What we would like is wise plans to permit development on brownfield sites … but I do think children growing up during this country should have the prospect of home ownership.”