Labour have comfortably won the West Lancashire by-election in the latest setback for Rishi Sunak.
Ashley Dalton held the seat for the party with a majority of more than 8,300 over Conservative candidate Mike Prendergast. She immediately told the Tories to “move out of the way” and demanded a general election.
While Labour’s majority has not changed as Rosie Cooper, who represented the constituency for 17 years, stepped down, the party’s share of the vote has increased by more than 10% as the Tory voted declined sharply.
The similar majority to the 2019 snap election can be explained by the low turnout this time around of less than 32%, amid cold conditions on polling day and the expectation of an easy Labour win.
It is the first time the Conservative vote has dipped below 30% since the 1997 general election, which Tony Blair’s Labour party won by a landslide.
Ashley Dalton (Labour) 14,068 (62.30%, +10.16%)
Mike Prendergast (Conservative) 5,742 (25.43%, -10.88%)
Jonathan Kay (Reform UK) 997 (4.42%)
Jo Barton (Liberal Democrat) 918 (4.07%, -0.80%)
Peter Cranie (Green) 646 (2.86%, +0.49%)
Howling Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party) 210 (0.93%)
Labour majority 8,326 (36.87%)
It is the latest by-election test for Sunak since entering Downing Street last October and comes amid a cost-of-living crisis, soaring inflation and a wave of industrial action across the UK.
The party leader is also facing MPs abandoning ship, with Nadine Dorries becoming the 19th sitting Tory member to declare they will not stand at the next election.
Despite Sunak promising to draw a line under the chaos of the Johnson and Truss administrations, he has failed to appreciably improve the party’s poll rating, with Labour leading by at least 20-points in most surveys.
In her victory speech at Burscough Racquet and Fitness Centre, Labour’s Dalton said: “These are testing times for our country. I have had hundreds of conversations with voters and I know how hard life has become and the unthinkable choices people are having to face – paying their bills or buying food.
“Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives no longer have a mandate to govern. His government has no ideas, no plan to address the big issues facing our country and the voters tonight have sent a message to the prime minister – your government is failing British people.
“Move out of the way. Let Labour take over and it’s time for a general election.”