Labour got fewer votes than they have members in Richmond Park The Labour Party in Richmond Park was left scratching its head after earning fewer votes in the by-election than it […]

The Labour Party in Richmond Park was left scratching its head after earning fewer votes in the by-election than it has members in the constituency.

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Christian Wolmar lost his deposit on the night, winning just 1,515 votes. The local constituency Labour Party claims to have more than 1,600 members.

Mr Wolmar’s limited electoral appeal may leave the party reflecting on suggestions by Clive Lewis, Lisa Nandy and Jonathan Reynolds that Labour should stand aside in Richmond to give the Lib Dems the greatest chance of unseating Zac Goldsmith.

Party members

There were reports from the constituency party that members favoured skipping the by-election but were over-ruled by a party official, who refused calls for a vote.

Mr Wolmar, in a concession speech seen as “ungracious” by some observers, cast the by-election as a “personal indictment” of what he saw as Mr Goldsmith’s racist London mayoral campaign and warned Ms Olney that the electorate did not want “Tory-lite” policies.

Mr Wolmar himself sought Labour’s nomination to run for mayor earlier this year, gaining 5 per cent of the vote and losing to eventual victor Sadiq Khan.

Labour’s comprehensive defeat in Richmond forms part of a worrying landscape for the party under Jeremy Corbyn. A recent poll showed the Conservatives in second place, 10 points ahead of Labour, in Scotland, while new Ukip leader Paul Nuttall plans an assault on red strongholds in the north.

However, Mr Wolmar himself was an Owen Smith supporter during the summer’s leadership struggle.

Brexit battle

The result, which left the party in third place with just 3.7 per cent of the total vote, was partly down to the fact that the by-election was seen by many as a battleground over Brexit.

The Green Party opted not to run a candidate, with joint leader Caroline Lucas encouraging supporters to get behind the Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney. Former Conservative Mr Goldsmith, who resigned over plans for a third runway at Heathrow, was a strong supporter of Brexit.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron hailed the Lib Dem victory and said it showed Labour’s weak position. “No one believes the Labour Party will win any seats off the Tories – and the SNP could only possibly win one,” he said.

“But there are dozens in our reach. So as this by-election has demonstrated, the only way to prevent a Conservative majority at the next election is to vote Liberal Democrat.”