WOKINGHAM Liberal Democrats are hoping to gain further political power in Wokingham, following recent shock elections across the nation.
On Friday, December 17, the Liberal Democrats took control of North Shropshire following a by-election, taking a seat that has been blue for almost 200 years.
Helen Morgan took the seat by nearly 6,000 votes, overturning a Conservative majority of almost 23,000.
And Cllr Clive Jones, leader of Wokingham Liberal Democrats, has similar ambitions for Wokingham.
Having been in North Shropshire for the vote and canvassing on the streets, he said that there was “rising discontent” with the Conservative Government, particularly regarding recent revelations about No.10 hosting Christmas parties while in lockdown last December.
He said that many rural farmers in the constituency, most of whom voted for Brexit, were frustrated at the way the leaving deal had been handled, with many facing higher costs than before.
Cllr Jones said: “The absolute shambles from the Government over the last month has changed opinion on the doorstep.
“Voters were saying that the Conservative Government doesn’t do anything for them, and that they take them for granted.”
Cllr Jones said that the revelations about lockdown breaches from No.10 shows that “Boris and his mates don’t believe the rules apply to them.”
Cllr Jones said he thinks voting patterns could sway in Wokingham too.
“I think we could have exactly the same situation here in town council and general elections,” he said.
“Shropshire was a massive victory that could never have been predicted. If an election was held tomorrow, we would be looking at significant gains.”
Last week, Boris Johnson faced rebellion in the Commons, when 100 of his MPs rejected new Covid regulations.
Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said that voters in North Shropshire spoke “for the whole of Britain” last week.
It comes after the Chesham and Amersham by-election in June, when the Liberal Democrat party took control of a traditionally Conservative seat.It had been Tory for 47 years, since the seat was formed in 1974.
Cllr Stephen Conway, deputy leader of the Wokingham Liberal Democrats said that the significance of both elections cannot be overstated.
“I suspect that there will be lots of Conservatives nervous of their seats where the Liberal democrats are challenging them.”
Cllr Conway said that many residents feel that the Conservative Government has “no moral authority” any more, with “hostility” rising towards the Government on many levels.
He also said that many voters who have not voted Liberal Democrat before are prepared to vote tactically in order to remove Conservative MPs from power.
In the North Shropshire by-election, the Lib Dems were in third place in 2019, but Cllr Conway believes that lots of traditional Labour voters turned yellow in this election.
He added that the political landscape has changed significantly in Wokingham borough, with the Liberal Democrats now running both Wokingham and Earley town councils.
“It was not that many years ago that the Conservatives were dominant,” he said. “The situation has completely turned around. things are moving in our direction — there are possibilities everywhere.”
