‘Disaster’ for Kemi Badenoch as Reform mocks Tories after by-election | Politics | News
The Conservatives suffered a wave of Council by-election losses that included the constituency of Kemi Badenoch as well as frontbencher MPs Robert Jenrick and Mel Stride, leading Reform to describe the results as a “disaster” for the party. In a series of local contests this week the party failed to win seats in three areas, losing to the Reform and Liberal Democrats.
In Ms Badenoch’s constituency, the Conservatives have fallen to third place in the parish council race, which previously held an independent seat. And in Mr Jenrick’s Newark constituency, Reform won two local seats, both previously held by independents. One of these was a close fight, with a difference of just 11 votes between the Reform candidate and the Conservative Party runner-up.
A Reform spokesman said: “If the remaining Conservatives had any hope that a change of leader would turn the polls, Reform’s double victory in Newark last night has crushed any hope once held in Jenrick. Far worse than a shame, Kemi’s Conservatives coming third in his constituency is a disaster.”
In Mel Strides’ Devon seat, the Conservatives also failed to make gains, losing to the Liberal Democrats who took control of two seats previously held by a Green councilor and an independent.
The Lib Dems said: “All Mel Stride has to do now is how long he has until he is unemployed. The Lib Dems have scored a hat-trick and are winning Mel-mentum in the Shadow Chancellor’s backyard.”
A spokesman for the party claimed that “the crumbling remains of the Blue Wall are attracting attention” and added: “Old Tory voters feel abandoned by Kemi Badenoch’s shift to the right, imitating Farage rather than defending true British values.”
The Conservative Party had no comment.
None of the seats had previously been held by the Conservatives. But the results came after Reformation took months of opinion polls by storm; Conservatives often come in fourth place.
The Conservatives had disastrous results in local elections earlier this year, which saw the party lose control of 16 councils and lose the seats of 674 councillors.
