POLITICAL figures across Wokingham have had their say on the “really significant” results of two by-elections which have led to the resignation of a Conservative party chairman.
The Conservatives lost seats in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, to Labour and Tiverton and Honiton in Devon to the Liberal Democrats – the party’s third by-election victory over the Tories in a year.
Tiverton and Honiton, where the seat was up for grabs after its former MP Neil Parish quit when he was found to have watched pornography in the House of Commons, saw a swing to the Liberal Democrats of 30%.
The result sees the latest brick in the “blue wall” being “smashed” by the Liberal Democrats, with party leader Ed Davey saying he’s “going to need a bigger hammer.”
Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Wokingham and Wokingham Borough Council leader, Cllr Clive Jones, said: “Our by-election machine is pretty good, we have won by over 6,000 votes.
“It is Boris Johnson; they don’t think he is in touch with ordinary people because he isn’t.
“He cannot have any comprehension of what it’s like for someone to have to decide whether they are going to heat their house, clothe their children or feed them.”
Wakefield, up for election following the resignation of ex-Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan who was jailed in May for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008, went back to Labour, having been won for the first time by the Conservatives in 2019.
Reading East MP, Matt Rodda, said: “The results last night were really significant.
“The size of the swing to Labour in Wakefield shows that Labour would win a general election if this swing was repeated across the country.
“And, both by-elections show that voters have had enough of the Conservative government.
“The results underline the outcome of recent local elections where Labour strengthened its control of Reading, winning in Caversham Heights for the first time ever and where we increased our vote in Woodley and Wokingham.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson, who claimed it would be “crazy to resign” if both elections were lost, has said he will “keep going” and address voters concerns.
The outcome resulted in Conservative co-chair Oliver Dowden handing in his letter of resignation, stating that “somebody must take responsibility” for the losses.
The office of Wokingham MP Sir John Redwood said he “does not comment on colleagues” but on Twitter Sir John said that Conservative voters “stayed at home” in the by-elections.
“They want the government to do more to ease the cost-of-living squeeze.
“I am pressing the Treasury to cut VAT on petrol and diesel and to remove it from domestic heating bills all the time while gas and oil prices remain high.
“The government needs to respond to the needs of voters,” he added.
Bracknell Forest MP James Sunderland did not respond when approached for comment.
