By-Election Report – 22 October 2015

There were six principal council by-elections on Thursday 22nd October, but sadly none with results of note for Liberal Democrats.

An active campaign in Hampshire’s Chandler’s Ford was stymied by a UKIP collapse, most of which went to the Tories. This is something worth watching in the future as the government’s anti-immigrant and anti-EU rhetoric continue to ramp up in advance of the referendum. If the Conservatives’ right flank is shored up at UKIP’s expense, they may find themselves positioned to do better in both Labour and Lib Dem marginal wards where the purples have previously made the difference. Commiserations to the Hampshire team, who worked tirelessly (as did our Manchester Phone Bank in the weeks leading up to the election), but the result is a solid one to continue building on and the division holds real potential for future elections.

Elsewhere, the Conservatives took Bury’s Tottington by-election, gaining the seat from Labour. This is one of those elections where the circumstances of the poll prevent us reading too much into the political implications of the result, but as the only seat that changed hands on Thursday, it is worthy of mention nonetheless.

The remaining by-electi0ns were three Tory holds, in Westminster, Colchester, and South Oxfordshire, and a Labour hold in Oxford’s Northfield Brook.

Lib Dem candidates in five out of six seats isn’t bad (83.3%). Dishonourable mention to Oxford for failing to make it 100% – ALDC’s advice remains the same: “Always Stand A Candidate”.

Our thanks to all of the campaign teams who took the field yesterday, and the best of luck to all of our teams out on the doorsteps.