Party leader to consider future electoral pacts with other pro-EU parties as tactic pays off

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Jo Swinson has declared the Liberal Democrats are “winning and on the up” after reducing Boris Johnson’s majority to one by taking a seat off the Conservatives in the Brecon and Radnorshire byelection.

The Lib Dem leader said her party would consider future electoral pacts with other pro-EU parties after its candidate, Jane Dodds, was aided by the decision of Plaid Cymru and the Greens to stand aside.

“The country doesn’t have to settle for Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “There is another positive alternative that is the Liberal Democrats who are winning again and on the up.”

Lib Dems win Brecon and Radnorshire byelection, cutting Johnson majority to one Read more

The Lib Dems won 13,826 votes with the Tories taking 12,401, a margin of 1,425 that overturned the Tories’ previous majority of more than 8,000. It was a sobering night for the Labour party (1,680 votes), which was beaten into fourth place by the Brexit party (3,331), and only just held on to its deposit. Ukip (242) came last behind the Monster Raving Loony party (334).

The Conservatives lost by slightly less than expected, given that the party’s candidate, Chris Davies, was forced by voters in the constituency to face a byelection after an expenses scandal.

But Johnson is facing an extremely difficult parliamentary situation when MPs return after the summer as the “Boris bounce” suggested by the polls did not eat into the Brexit party’s vote enough for him to see off the Lib Dem threat.

The elections expert Prof Sir John Curtice said the result affirmed the opinion polls but if Johnson called an election soon then the Conservatives would be at risk of losing because the Brexit party is still viable enough to deny them a majority.

He said the Boris bounce was good news for the Conservatives but not yet “good enough or substantial enough” for Johnson to call an election.

James Cleverly, the Conservative party chairman, said the result was disappointing but he highlighted the fact the Lib Dems had only won on the back of an “unofficial coalition”.

“What we saw was a very close result in a byelection where the Lib Dems were expecting to romp home comfortably,” he said.

In her acceptance speech, Dodds said: “I am incredibly humbled by the support. From every walk of life and every political persuasion, people have chosen to believe in my positive liberal vision for something better.

“And by backing that liberal vision, people in Brecon and Radnorshire have sent a powerful message to Westminster: we demand better.”

She continued: “People are desperately crying out for a different kind of politics. There is no time for tribalism when our country is faced with a Boris Johnson government and the threat of a no-deal Brexit.

“My very first act as your MP when I arrive in Westminster will be to find Mr Boris Johnson, wherever he’s hiding, and tell him loud and clear: stop playing with the futures of our communities and rule out a no-deal Brexit.”

The byelection in mid-Wales was called after Davies was ousted from parliament when he was found guilty of submitting a false expenses claim. Despite the scandal, he was chosen to stand again.

After the result, Davies congratulated Dodds and wished her well for the future. He also paid tribute to his family, saying they had experienced “a difficult time over the past few months”. Earlier, he said his party had run a “clean and positive” campaign but added: “Sadly a few of our competitors have led a dirty campaign.”

Davies had occupied the seat for the Conservatives since 2015. The Lib Dems held it from 1997 to 2015.