Labour Does The Double

[ichkeria]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/by-elections-results-live-tamworth-mid-bedfordshire-b2432668.html
 

Ok those seats may return to the Tories at the general election but what of the several more marginal neighbouring "blue wall" seats?

Interestingly, the Reform party vote in each case, had it gone a different shade of blue, would have saved the government. 

[jourdain2]

Ich   UKIP weren't hot on winning seats, like Reform, but they did scare the Tories enough to change enough to win. Yes, I was a bit late on the scene, but I looked at the figures earlier and if Reform had not existed the Tories would have won both seats.

Should be interesting.  Right now the Conservatives have a big problem.

[ichkeria]

UKIP's only influence was the Brexit issue. They pushed that and spooked the Tories into becoming more Eurosceptic. After Brexit happened their support fell away: even allowing for the almost comical disarray they got in after Farage departed.

There is no evidence I can see that the Tories would do any better if they tried to tempt voters away from Reform. All that will do is push even more of their more moderate voters away. The Reform Party don't have a Big Issue like UKIP did: the "make sure we take back control properly after Brexit" is now very much a minority issue. A lot of people voted Tory the last time because they wanted their "Leave" vote honoured. Or simply get shot of the whole saga and move on.

[Khandro]

ichi; //The Reform Party don't have a Big Issue like UKIP did//

Are you blind to what is happening around you? The 'big Issue' for Britain (& Europe) is Immigration !!!!,  both 'legal' & illegal.

 1.2 million for the year ending December 2022.   In 2021, 10.0 million (16.8%) residents in England and Wales were born outside of the UK, compared with 7.5 million (13.4%) in 2011 and 4.6 million (8.9%) in 2001.

Perhaps you are living within the luxury of some kind of bubble of private education, BUPA, & are already a householder, but the majority of British citizens are not, including my family, & that is why they are, as others in the EU, beginning to seek alternatives to the long-established political parties who believe they have some form of divine right to governance.

I shall most definitely vote for Reform UK at the next GE. You do as you wish, that is democracy.  

[tomus42]

//It's well known that nearly all seats turned over in by elections return to the original holder.//

Big ask for a 20k majority swing to swing back again but hey who knows.