By election watch

[Hibbyradge]

By elections at Stoke and Copeland coming up.

The last time the sitting government won a mid term by election was in 1982 when the Falkland war was at its height, and with the Tories in such disarray over the NHS and Brexit, both should shoo ins for Labour.

Obviously someone's been feeding fake news to the Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/20/exclusive-labour-set-lose-copeland-by-election-partys-canvass/

[hibsbollah]

Stoke is a hotbed of anti immigrant sentiment, EDL marches and fertile ground for UKIP who have a high profile competent candidate, its obvious who he's courting by his speech...

Nuttal:
“I am sick and tired of Englishness being the one national identity that’s not allowed to speak its mind. I’m English and proud of it. And unlike Labour I’m also proud of our flag.

“I will champion the issues that matter to the people of Stoke-on-Trent. I will make the argument for proper immigration controls … and for rebuilding our magnificent armed forces.”

Labour is in civil war, so obviously it's far from a 'shoo-in' for Labour. I expect UKIP to take it.

[Hibbyradge]

Stoke is a hotbed of anti immigrant sentiment, EDL marches and fertile ground for UKIP who have a high profile competent candidate, its obvious who he's courting by his speech...

Nuttal:
“I am sick and tired of Englishness being the one national identity that’s not allowed to speak its mind. I’m English and proud of it. And unlike Labour I’m also proud of our flag.

“I will champion the issues that matter to the people of Stoke-on-Trent. I will make the argument for proper immigration controls … and for rebuilding our magnificent armed forces.”

Labour is in civil war, so obviously it's far from a 'shoo-in' for Labour. I expect UKIP to take it.

Nothing to do with Labour's leader, then. Cool.

What about Copeland?

[hibsbollah]

Nothing to do with Labour's leader, then. Cool.

What about Copeland?

I have no idea even where Copeland is so I'm not qualified to talk about it! But if UKIP don't win in a place like Stoke-on-Trent they have no future. That's not how it will be reported, I'm sure.

[Beefster]

I have no idea even where Copeland is so I'm not qualified to talk about it! But if UKIP don't win in a place like Stoke-on-Trent they have no future. That's not how it will be reported, I'm sure.

Given Labour have held it for decades, mostly with over half of the votes, I'm not sure you can grumble at the media's focus on Corbyn if Labour loses it.

Seems to me, who admittedly doesn't pay that much attention to the minutiae of politics these days, that the goalposts move every time something goes tits up for him.

[hibsbollah]

Given Labour have held it for decades, mostly with over half of the votes, I'm not sure you can grumble at the media's focus on Corbyn if Labour loses it.

Seems to me, who admittedly doesn't pay that much attention to the minutiae of politics these days, that the goalposts move every time something goes tits up for him.

Labour have held it for years but the world has changed and they won't hold it this time. That's all I'm saying. The OP is describing it as a 'shoo-in' for Labour so when they lose he can score a political point at the supposed surprise of it all. It's all good clean fun, I think everyone who reads the Holy Ground knows how it works :greengrin

[marinello59]

I have no idea even where Copeland is so I'm not qualified to talk about it! But if UKIP don't win in a place like Stoke-on-Trent they have no future. That's not how it will be reported, I'm sure.

The fact that UKIP are still looking likely to win votes from traditional Labour supporters is entirely down to the leadership. There is no clear message being given to voters as to what Labour are actually for. It's deeply depressing.

[hibsbollah]

The fact that UKIP are still looking likely to win votes from traditional Labour supporters is entirely down to the leadership. There is no clear message being given to voters as to what Labour are actually for. It's deeply depressing.

Across all working class communities across the developed world there is a move to the right wing, often the extreme right wing. The reasons for this are fairly complex and depend on the individual voter, but usually decline of traditional industrial jobs is a factor, turmoil in Europe, Brexit, immigration, and sometimes race. In the UK you also have traditional Labour voters feeling let down by the perception that the Party has forgotten them. Labour lost two elections after Blair left, so it's problems in this respect predate Corbyn..

Even if you don't like him, it's evidently wrong to say UKIP taking votes from Labour is all one man's fault.

[Colr]

By elections at Stoke and Copeland coming up.

The last time the sitting government won a mid term by election was in 1982 when the Falkland war was at its height, and with the Tories in such disarray over the NHS and Brexit, both should shoo ins for Labour.

Obviously someone's been feeding fake news to the Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/20/exclusive-labour-set-lose-copeland-by-election-partys-canvass/

Have you seen the old dear that Labour have come up with to fight Copeland. Another pontificating, middle class lefty!! They're toast!!

They'll have to get the right candidate for Stoke or they will have a massively embarrassing defeat there.

[marinello59]

Across all working class communities across the developed world there is a move to the right wing, often the extreme right wing. The reasons for this are fairly complex and depend on the individual voter, but usually decline of traditional industrial jobs is a factor, turmoil in Europe, Brexit, immigration, and sometimes race. In the UK you also have traditional Labour voters feeling let down by the perception that the Party has forgotten them. Labour lost two elections after Blair left, so it's problems in this respect predate Corbyn..

Even if you don't like him, it's evidently wrong to say UKIP taking votes from Labour is all one man's fault.

Where is the strategy to combat that then? Simply giving up and saying it's happening everywhere else isn't an option. We need strong leadershup with a clear vision. We haven't got that.

[hibsbollah]

Where is the strategy to combat that then? Simply giving up and saying it's happening everywhere else isn't an option. We need strong leadershup with a clear vision. We haven't got that.

In the last few weeks the party's media strategy has obviously changed to a more aggressive one, where we've seen a lot of him in interviews, on TV, concentrating on areas where they perceive themselves to be strong like the NHS and HSC. I'm not sure how well this is going to work, or if they should have concentrated on getting out policies, on the basis that the current policies, as opposed to Corbyn himself, continue to be popular if the polls are to be believed. But someone has to present these policies through the media, so at some point a figurehead has to be getting the point across. I've got no doubt that if Emily Thornberry or another member of the front bench team were making these speeches in her role as Labour spokesperson, she'd get slated as well. It's a dilemma. You just have to continue to make a case for what you believe in as effectively as you can, I suppose.

What 'strong' leadership means depends on your definition. Which is why it's such a hard charge to refute. I guess he'll continue to get called a 'weak' leader until the polls start to improve.

[Hibbyradge]

Have you seen the old dear that Labour have come up with to fight Copeland. Another pontificating, middle class lefty!! They're toast!!

They'll have to get the right candidate for Stoke or they will have a massively embarrassing defeat there.

I think they hsve chosen the best candidate for Copeland. They rejected Corbyn's choice and went for a local woman who's husband works in the nuclear industry. She is also pro nuclear.

Of course Labour will struggle, but it should have been a shoo-in.

Corbyn's personal rating is so bad, I really don't understand why anyone thinks he's the rught man to be leader. It's utterly ridiculous.

[RyeSloan]

In the last few weeks the party's media strategy has obviously changed to a more aggressive one, where we've seen a lot of him in interviews, on TV, concentrating on areas where they perceive themselves to be strong like the NHS and HSC. I'm not sure how well this is going to work, or if they should have concentrated on getting out policies, on the basis that the current policies, as opposed to Corbyn himself, continue to be popular if the polls are to be believed. But someone has to present these policies through the media, so at some point a figurehead has to be getting the point across. I've got no doubt that if Emily Thornberry or another member of the front bench team were making these speeches in her role as Labour spokesperson, she'd get slated as well. It's a dilemma. You just have to continue to make a case for what you believe in as effectively as you can, I suppose.

What 'strong' leadership means depends on your definition. Which is why it's such a hard charge to refute. I guess he'll continue to get called a 'weak' leader until the polls start to improve.

http://www.jeremyforlabour.com/health

I'm pretty impassive when it comes to parties and policies...I really have no love for any of them but reading this leaves me stone cold. It doesn't explain why those changes would make any difference or indeed why the policies he wants to reverse are definitively at fault.

None of the narrative in the link references any of the real pressures regarding the fact that in basic terms it is a rapidly ageing population that is requiring more care for longer that is at the root of the health care 'crisis'. Taking PFI contracts back into public ownership does bugger all to address that trend.

It is pretty clear on the fact it would raise wages though but at the same time fails to mention what that would cost, what impact (if any) that would have on outcomes and of course where the money would come from.

I find a lot of Corbyn's messages like that, a lot of waffle about what's wrong from a dogmatic perspective and grand visions of central ownership being some sort of panacea.

Personally I don't think people buy it and even worse for Labour those that might actually agree on a general front re public ownership still need more than just we'll change it so it will be better.

Personally I think he comes across as weak (see his rather pathetic flip flopping muddleness on his big relaunch day), displays little or no leadership traits and as ever so slightly out of touch and stuck in the past. What the country needs is a new and modern approach to the challenges it faces but the leader of the opposition appears to be the complete opposite. Just a personal opinion of course so sure plenty will disagree but without dynamism at the top it's little surprise the party is not not displaying any in the polls.

[lord bunberry]

I think what's obvious about this election is that the old certainties are no longer so. The criticism of Corbyn is unjustified imo, he's surely only standing up for what the Labour Party has always believed in. They may lose a seat like stoke, but as has already been pointed out the political landscape is changing. The working class poor have abandoned labour in some places, but the middle class voters in other areas are horrified by the right wing policies of our government and that of the Americans.
People seem to want a tony blair style leader of the Labour Party, but I would argue that his style of leadership has gotten us into the position we're in now.
I won't be voting labour any time soon, but given the alternative between them and the tories I know where my vote would be going.
Since thatcher the rich have got richer and the poor have got poorer, anyone who argues against that is condemned as being the looney left. Ffs Edd Milliband was nicknamed red edd and his policies were probably further to the right than previous Tory prime ministers.

[lucky]

If Labour lose the two by-elections the Corbyn is finished. I'm not sure they will but more confident of holding onto Stoke

[makaveli1875]

the labour party will most likely never win another election without scotland , and it would seem like it has lost scotland for at least a generation if not forever

corbyn is the easy scapegoat and he does himself no favours but lets be honest the rot started with tony blair , got worse with brown , even worse with milliband and has just gone ridiculous with corbyn

the party has now been effectivly hijacked by these hard left extremists , alienating the traditional working class labour voter even further

[Hibbyradge]

the labour party will most likely never win another election without scotland , and it would seem like it has lost scotland for at least a generation if not forever



I'm fairly certain that Scotland's election results have never made a difference to the overall result of a general election.

[hibsbollah]

the labour party will most likely never win another election without scotland , and it would seem like it has lost scotland for at least a generation if not forever

corbyn is the easy scapegoat and he does himself no favours but lets be honest the rot started with tony blair , got worse with brown , even worse with milliband and has just gone ridiculous with corbyn

the party has now been effectivly hijacked by these hard left extremists , alienating the traditional working class labour voter even further

Blair would have won the 97 election even if it was just an English vote, I think most if not all Labour election victories have been so.

[Hibbyradge]

This isn't good.

http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/uk_588108f5e4b0b8867de7372b

[ronaldo7]

Oooft. Kezia or Jeremy?


Kilmarnock East & Hurlford (East Ayshire) result:
SNP: 48.7% (+2.1)
LAB: 29.4% (-16.6)
CON: 20.1% (+12.7)
LBT: 1.8% (+1.8)

[steakbake]

This isn't good.

http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/uk_588108f5e4b0b8867de7372b

Farage said he couldn't believe what May was saying in her address to the GOP yesterday evening - because it was things he has been saying for years. The Tories are being run by the UKIP minded.

[Hibbyradge]

Oooft. Kezia or Jeremy?


Kilmarnock East & Hurlford (East Ayshire) result:
SNP: 48.7% (+2.1)
LAB: 29.4% (-16.6)
CON: 20.1% (+12.7)
LBT: 1.8% (+1.8)

Or Ruth? 😉

[ronaldo7]

Or Ruth? 😉

The Red Tory tag seems very apt here.:wink:

[JeMeSouviens]

Oooft. Kezia or Jeremy?


Kilmarnock East & Hurlford (East Ayshire) result:
SNP: 48.7% (+2.1)
LAB: 29.4% (-16.6)
CON: 20.1% (+12.7)
LBT: 1.8% (+1.8)

Direct Lab to Con swing in E Ayrshire - the WATP factor?

[xyz23jc]

Direct Lab to Con swing in E Ayrshire - the WATP factor?

Good shout.:greengrin

[marinello59]

Oooft. Kezia or Jeremy?


Kilmarnock East & Hurlford (East Ayshire) result:
SNP: 48.7% (+2.1)
LAB: 29.4% (-16.6)
CON: 20.1% (+12.7)
LBT: 1.8% (+1.8)

So much for left leaning Scotland. Labour lose votes and the centre right SNP and Tories increase their share.:devil:

[allmodcons]

So much for left leaning Scotland. Labour lose votes and the centre right SNP and Tories increase their share.:devil:

I see your wee devil but, tell me, what is right of centre about the SNP.

Any fool can see they take up a position slightly left of centre (i.e. - never left enough for Kez and never right wing enough for Ruth).

The irony is that Kez and Ruth will still sup with each other to oppose anything the SNP propose because for them the Union comes before political ideology.

[marinello59]

I see your wee devil but, tell me, what is right of centre about the SNP.

Any fool can see they take up a position slightly left of centre (i.e. - never left enough for Kez and never right wing enough for Ruth).

The irony is that Kez and Ruth will still sup with each other to oppose anything the SNP propose because for them the Union comes before political ideology.

I wasn't being entirely serious.

[allmodcons]

I wasn't being entirely serious.

I know. Just stirring :greengrin

[Hibbyradge]

The Red Tory tag seems very apt here.:wink:

She's a proper Tory.

[ronaldo7]

She's a proper Tory.

I knew you loved kezia.

[Hibbyradge]

I knew you loved kezia.

😄

[Hibbyradge]

I'll be delighted if Nuttall doesn't win.

Such a negative sentiment, but I mean it.

[Moulin Yarns]

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16640943_10155132578657147_3800462394263956892_n.j pg?oh=16067e0d34c1774441cf68257673f882&oe=5932F36C

[Hibbyradge]

Predictions for tonight?

Mine:

Labour to hold Stoke.

Tories to gain Copeland.

[Hibbyradge]

Question time saying Labour have held both seats!

A big success, if that's true.

[lucky]

Labour hold Stoke Central with over 2600 majority

[lucky]

Tories win Copeland. Not a great night for Labour. Corbyn will not survive this

[Beefster]

Tories win Copeland. Not a great night for Labour. Corbyn will not survive this

Course he will. The last two leadership elections have shown that the membership have the party leader that they want, for better or worse.

[Pretty Boy]

Turnouts of just above 50% in Copeland and just above 35% in Stoke.

I'm not really sure that these results tell us anything we didn't already know. Labour are massively unpopular, UKIPs star is fading and a divided Conservative party is getting an easy ride due to ineffective (or non existent) opposition.

[hibsbollah]

On a personal note I'm just delighted that the Nuttall creature lost, in a constituency and with timing that couldn't have been better picked for UKIP to win, they didn't. My friend and local lass has been canvassing all week for Labour down there, shes never done it before, she just didn't want to be represented by UKIP. Interactions with people face to face still has political capital.

[lucky]

Course he will. The last two leadership elections have shown that the membership have the party leader that they want, for better or worse.

He'll be away by the end of the year. I voted for him twice but he just seems incapable of connecting with voters. This seems to be the opinion of many members up here in Perth for the Scottish Labour conference

[Moulin Yarns]

He'll be away by the end of the year. I voted for him twice but he just seems incapable of connecting with voters. This seems to be the opinion of many members up here in Perth for the Scottish Labour conference

I'll be in the Capital Asset for lunch at 12:30 today, see you there :wink:

[Hibbyradge]

I'm delighted Nuttall was seen off and that UKIP's very existance is in the balance.

However, the Tories will be delighted with their evening's work overall.

Corbyn won't go, unfortunately. He'll just continue to blame the PLP, the media and Tony Blair, anyone except himself, as the Party staggers from disaster to disaster.

[Moulin Yarns]

I'll be in the Capital Asset for lunch at 12:30 today, see you there :wink:

Well there was a lot of RED in the Capital Asset at lunchtime, and they were in good voice. Mostly singing Cwm Rhondda :greengrin

[Geo_1875]

He'll be away by the end of the year. I voted for him twice but he just seems incapable of connecting with voters. This seems to be the opinion of many members up here in Perth for the Scottish Labour conference

As is the leader of Scottish Labour. Maybe they should swap jobs?

[Hibbyradge]

Daniel Hewitt @DanielHewittITV

Labour's Cat Smith just told me "to be 15-18 points behind in the polls & to push the Tories within 2000 votes is an incredible achievement"

3:20 AM - 24 Feb 2017
216 216 Retweets 179 179 likes

That's the top of the current Labour Party. She's delighted that the mid-term swing TO the government was only 7%.

Clueless and deluded.

[hibsbollah]

Daniel Hewitt @DanielHewittITV

Labour's Cat Smith just told me "to be 15-18 points behind in the polls & to push the Tories within 2000 votes is an incredible achievement"

3:20 AM - 24 Feb 2017
216 216 Retweets 179 179 likes

That's the top of the current Labour Party. She's delighted that the mid-term swing TO the government was only 7%.

Clueless and deluded.

Im sure she didn't actually say that.

[Hiber-nation]

Im sure she didn't actually say that.

She did!

[hibsbollah]

She did!

Link?

[RyeSloan]

Link?

"To be 15 to 18 points behind in the polls and to push the Tories to within 2,000 votes is an incredible achievement," to ITV News.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/copeland-by-election-who-labour-blamed-and-why-a7596911.html%3Famp

[RyeSloan]

"To be 15 to 18 points behind in the polls and to push the Tories to within 2,000 votes is an incredible achievement," to ITV News.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/copeland-by-election-who-labour-blamed-and-why-a7596911.html%3Famp

The rest of the article is a hoot as well...

[hibsbollah]

The rest of the article is a hoot as well...

I agree the article is a hoot, although not for the same reasons as you, clearly. The media coverage is Orwelllian. You clearly can't point out self evident facts anymore, like the media is anti Corbyn, or the PLPs coup was damaging to the Party's electoral chances, without being dismissed as some sort of Trotskyite fantasist. Reading The Guardian, it seems there was only one by-election last night.

Crazy times.

[hibsbollah]

"To be 15 to 18 points behind in the polls and to push the Tories to within 2,000 votes is an incredible achievement," to ITV News.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/copeland-by-election-who-labour-blamed-and-why-a7596911.html%3Famp

If she did say that, in that context, that was remarkably stupid. It's an indirect quote all the same.

[RyeSloan]

I agree the article is a hoot, although not for the same reasons as you, clearly. The media coverage is Orwelllian. You clearly can't point out self evident facts anymore, like the media is anti Corbyn, or the PLPs coup was damaging to the Party's electoral chances, without being dismissed as some sort of Trotskyite fantasist. Reading The Guardian, it seems there was only one by-election last night.

Crazy times.

Oh come on, that's almost as bad as blaming Blair, Brown, Mandelson and fake news!

There really isn't much news in Labour holding a safe seat compared to losing one in such a historic fashion, what would you expect the focus to be?

I think what you are missing is that even if some of what you say might be true to some degree that's really not the reason Labour are doing so poorly. Corbyn is simply incapable of leading the party to any sort of electoral success, Orwellian coverage or not.

[hibsbollah]

Oh come on, that's almost as bad as blaming Blair, Brown, Mandelson and fake news!

There really isn't much news in Labour holding a safe seat compared to losing one in such a historic fashion, what would you expect the focus to be?

I think what you are missing is that even if some of what you say might be true to some degree that's really not the reason Labour are doing so poorly. Corbyn is simply incapable of leading the party to any sort of electoral success, Orwellian coverage or not.

I don't understand what you're getting at with your first paragraph. If we dont discuss context, there's no way we can get an understanding of events. I know you're clever enough to know that. It's not about 'blame'.

Stoke isn't a 'safe' seat anymore, for reasons I touched on earlier in the thread. Right wing anti immigrant surge. Labour massively unpopular in the polls. Labour held it, against UKIPs leader, parachuted in because it was perceived to be their best chance.

It wasn't a massively successful night. It was a 'could have been worse could have been better' sort of deal for Labour. Tories did well. UKIP are virtually destroyed, that's the big story.

You might well be right with your final paragraph. The election is in 2020, at which point this thread might have run its course :greengrin

[RyeSloan]

Jeez 3 years? This parliament seems to have lasted a lifetime already! [emoji24]

[Hibbyradge]

Link?

https://t.co/1dYCeVCeKN

Comical Ali.

[Hibbyradge]

Some facts.

https://www.ncpolitics.uk/2017/02/copeland-stoke-trent-central-election-results.html/?utm_content=buffer42b74&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Hibs Class]

Gerald Kaufman has died, so another by-election coming up.

[Hibbyradge]

Gerald Kaufman has died, so another by-election coming up.

In name only. Kaufman's majority was colossal.

There won't really be much to learn either, because although Labour's share might reduce, it'll be put down to Kaufman being personally popular and the new candidate won't have that benefit.

The interesting thing for me will be who gets the nomination.

[hibsbollah]

In name only. Kaufman's majority was colossal.

There won't really be much to learn either, because although Labour's share might reduce, it'll be put down to Kaufman being personally popular and the new candidate won't have that benefit.

The interesting thing for me will be who gets the nomination.

Getting your excuses for another Corbyn victory in early? :faf:

[Hibbyradge]

Getting your excuses for another Corbyn victory in early? :faf:

Seriously? I thought you better than that.

Kaufmen had 67% of the votes. 28000 to the Greens in second with 4000.

Even the remorselessly incompetent Corbyn couldn't screw that up.

Or do you think there's a chance he could?

[Hibbyradge]

https://labourlist.org/2017/03/council-by-elections-labour-loses-salford-seat-to-the-conservatives/

Some people blaming anti-Semitism for another loss to the Tories, at least in part.

[lucky]

Labour council approved planning application to build a new Stadium for Neville's Salford City for 5,000 fans in Kersal. And the locals weren't happy.

They put up an anti stadium independent candidate

http://salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=3655
Looking at previous results for Kersal, Tory candidate Arnold Saunders who won last night is a local rabbi who stood for the ward in 2015 and 2016.

According to the Manchester Evening News report of the planning application for the Salford City FC stadium, 41% of ward identify as Jewish

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-city-fc-stadium-plans-12324570

The Jewish community in Kersal were concerned that thousands of football supporters walking past their homes would disrupt their Sabbath.

So you have an independent candidate standing against Labour on the planning decision and a Tory rabbi also against it.

The Tory candidate also has a high profile standing up to anti-semitism

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/ive-been-punched-threatened-pelted-8100672.amp

[Hibbyradge]

Labour council approved planning application to build a new Stadium for Neville's Salford City for 5,000 fans in Kersal. And the locals weren't happy.

They put up an anti stadium independent candidate

http://salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=3655
Looking at previous results for Kersal, Tory candidate Arnold Saunders who won last night is a local rabbi who stood for the ward in 2015 and 2016.

According to the Manchester Evening News report of the planning application for the Salford City FC stadium, 41% of ward identify as Jewish

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-city-fc-stadium-plans-12324570

The Jewish community in Kersal were concerned that thousands of football supporters walking past their homes would disrupt their Sabbath.

So you have an independent candidate standing against Labour on the planning decision and a Tory rabbi also against it.

The Tory candidate also has a high profile standing up to anti-semitism

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/ive-been-punched-threatened-pelted-8100672.amp

Yes, as is almost always the case, there are various reasons when an encumbent party loses its seat.

But, of course, it's never anything to do with Jeremy Corbyn. :wink:

[lucky]

Yes, as is almost always the case, there are various reasons when an encumbent party loses its seat.

But, of course, it's never anything to do with Jeremy Corbyn. :wink:

I doubt a council bye election has anything to do with party leaders. Corbyn is in a no win situation if Labour wins seats it's not because of him but if they lose it's his fault. If Corbyn was to step down then who becomes leader?

[Hibbyradge]

I'm just waiting for Cat Smith to come along and tell us that because Labour are now 19 points behind the Tories nationally, to only lose 14.8% of your share of the vote, after the worst budget statement in decades, is an incredible achievement.

Waltham Cross (Broxbourne) result:

CON: 41.0% (-3.5)
LAB: 40.8% (-14.8)
UKIP: 12.6% (+12.6)
LDEM: 5.6% (+5.6)

I know, I know, local factors . . .