Although the Tories held the seat, they did so with a significantly reduce majority from nearly 19,000 to 4,478.
The Labour Party has recorded its biggest increase in vote share in any Parliamentary by-election since 2016, after achieving a 10% swing in the Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election.
Although the Tories held the seat, they did so with a significantly reduce majority from nearly 19,000 to 4,478. The turnout of 34% however, was the lowest at a by-election since 2018.
Louie French becomes the new Tory MP after taking more than half the votes in the contest, triggered by the death of former Cabinet minister James Brokenshire.
Votes for the Conservative candidate were down 13.06% from the last election, while Labour’s share rose 7.4%. Richard Tice, who stood for Reform UK, secured a first-time vote share of 6.59%.
Should a 10% swing be replicated across the board for the Labour Party, it would see Boris Johnson ousted from his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
Shadow solicitor general Ellie Reeves said: “We’re pleased with the result tonight.
“This is a Conservative stronghold, somewhere that had a 19,000 majority at the last general election and what we’ve seen tonight is that majority being slashed. There’s been a 10 per cent swing over to Labour this evening.
“We’ve been knocking on doors for weeks here and finding many, many Conservative voters that have said actually I’m not going to vote for them this time, I’m going to vote for Labour.”
Reeves later tweeted: “A fantastic 10.3% swing to Labour in the Conservative heartland of Old Bexley and Sidcup. If replicated at a general election Labour would be within reach of forming a majority government.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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