• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Chesham and Amersham ‘shockwave’ puts crack in Tory Blue Wall

Boris Johnson will be faced with some harsh realities after his party’s stunning by-election loss in the Conservatives’ heartland.

Jack Peat by Jack Peat
2021-06-18 06:28
in Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Boris Johnson will be forced to confront some difficult political choices as he assesses the Tory drubbing in Chesham and Amersham.

The Liberal Democrats claim the result has sent a “shockwave through British politics” by showing that seats in the “Blue Wall” of Tory seats in southern England are vulnerable.

The warning signs were there in the local elections in May – although Conservative eyes may instead have been tempted to look north, where further inroads were being made into previously safe Labour territory.

The party lost councillors in places including Tunbridge Wells, Surrey and Oxfordshire, as well as the West of England mayoralty.

Red Wall

But there was nothing as spectacular as the loss of Chesham and Amersham – a seat which had been in Tory hands since its creation in 1974 and which returned a Tory MP with 55 per cent of the vote in 2019.

The lingering Brexit divide, the Prime Minister’s style of politics and demographic shifts which have seen younger, liberal voters priced out of cities and head to the suburbs and commuter belt have all contributed to an erosion of previously rock-solid Tory heartlands.

The shift is nowhere near as significant as the collapse in Labour support across former industrial areas in the north and Midlands – the crumbling “Red Wall” which helped Mr Johnson secure his 2019 landslide.

RelatedPosts

Labour ads appear on Conservative Home webpage following Sue Gray report

Is there a gaping oversight in Sunak’s emergency cost of living package?

Kate Hoey says Brits want Boris to resign ‘because he delivered Brexit’

Tory MP says NHS staff probably partied like Downing Street officials during pandemic

But the Prime Minister’s focus on “levelling up” means Tory priorities may lie beyond their southern strongholds, while the Chesham and Amersham contest showed that proposed planning reforms aimed at boosting housebuilding may not be vote-winners in the home counties.

The Lib Dems “didn’t just throw the kitchen sink”

After confirmation of Sarah Green’s victory, defeated Tory Peter Fleet hinted that the Conservative effort in Chesham and Amersham had not been able to match the resources directed at the Buckinghamshire seat by the Liberal Democrats – another issue to ponder in Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ).

The Lib Dems “didn’t just throw the kitchen sink at this constituency, I think it was the microwave, the table, the oven, the dishwasher, the dog, the cat and anything else that was lying around as well”, he said.

“And we should consider that when we reflect upon the extraordinary nature of the result.”

CCHQ sought to play down the wider significance of the result, with a source insisting “by-elections are always difficult for the governing party, particularly eleven years into government” – although this did not stop the Tories winning Hartlepool in May.

“Very disappointing result”

But the source acknowledged “there is no getting away from the fact this is a very disappointing result”.

For the Lib Dems, the result offers hope after a series of poor general election results since the end of the coalition government.

“We were told it was impossible for any party to beat the Tories here in Buckinghamshire. We were told this seat was too safe and the Tories too strong,” Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said.

“This Liberal Democrat win has proved them utterly wrong.

“Across the south, the Tory Blue Wall is beginning to crumble.”

Related: EXCLUSIVE: Italian and Romanian couples receive letters telling them to “go home”

Tags: Boris JohnsonChesham and Amershamconservative

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Fancy life on a farm? This one might just be out of your price range

Ant McPartlin released ‘under investigation’ after drink-drive arrest following collision

Mum-of-four & ex boyfriend jailed after attack on defenceless 16-year-old girl

Staying within our comfort zones is becoming increasingly prominent

Flashback to Brexiteers claiming EU deal is ‘one of the easiest in history’

These are the world’s most expensive handguns: £3.2 million pistols made from 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite

Laughing Bupa carer caught spraying deodorant in dementia patient’s mouth on family’s secret camera

Film Review: Under The Silver Lake

Indonesian paradise just a single stopover away after new route launched

Biblical Texts: A Lesson in Inconsistency And Amorality For Our Children

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.