The Tories won the Hartlepool by-election – occupying a seat that had been under Labor control since its inception in the 1970s.
Jill Mortimer’s victory marks a rare gain for a ruling party, but a blow to Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer.
UK election results live: quick hit for Sir Keir Starmer as ‘Super Thursday’ votes counted
Hartlepool by-election result
She defeated Labor candidate Dr Paul Williams by 6,940 votes for an overall victory for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Conservative Party co-chair Amanda Milling hailed a “historic result”.
Meanwhile, an investigation into the defeat has started within Labor ranks, with a party source saying: ‘We have said that all the way down the North East and Midlands will be difficult.
“We also said that the places declaring Thursday would be particularly difficult.
“But the voters’ message is clear and we have heard it. The Labor Party has not yet changed enough for voters to place their trust in us.
“We understand that. We are listening. And now we will redouble our efforts.
“Labor must now accelerate the program of change in our party, to regain the confidence and faith of working people across Britain.
“People don’t want to hear excuses. Keir has said he will take responsibility for these results – and take responsibility for fixing it and changing the Labor Party for the better.”
Momentum, the left-wing campaign group that backed former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, called Hartlepool’s by-election result “a disaster”.
“In 2017, we won over 50% of the vote at Hartlepool,” they posted on Twitter.
“A transformative socialist message has won at Hartlepool before, and he would have won it again.”
Hartlepool had remained under Labor control in 2019, even as other bricks of the ‘red wall’ crumbled – the Brexit Party dividing the Conservative vote.
The by-election is one of the many expected outcomes …
More information about this article Read More
Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-07 04:40:00
