Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party suffered a big blow as the Conservatives secured thumping double by-election victories, overturning Labour strongholds in both Monmouthshire and South Ribble.
In Monmouthshire, Conservative candidate Martin Newell won the Monmouth Town seat, which had been vacated by Labour MP Catherine Fookes.
The Tories overturned a Labour majority of 127 from the 2022 local elections, with Newell gaining 350 votes, beating Labour’s Jackie Atkin, who secured 184 votes.
The victory increased the Conservative presence on Monmouthshire County Council to 19 seats, just two behind Labour.
Newell said: “I’m delighted with the result. I was born and bred in this community, and I’m honoured to represent Monmouth Town on the county council.”
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However, the win was marred by controversy as the majority of Conservative councillors left a council meeting early, allegedly to campaign in the final hours before the polls closed.
Labour councillor Laura Wright criticised the move, saying: “The Conservatives put the by-election ahead of their duty to attend council meetings. Utterly shameful.”
In South Ribble, the Conservatives also regained a Labour-held seat in Middleforth, a ward dominated by Labour since 2015.
Joan Burrows won 517 votes, securing a 46 percent share of the vote, ahead of Labour’s Laura Crawford-Lane, who received 362 votes.
Burrows attributed her win to local pensioners who were dissatisfied with the Labour government’s removal of the winter fuel allowance.
She said: “Pensioners are just so angry about losing the winter fuel allowance. People who applied for pension credit and just missed out are frightened and feel let down.”
Burrows added: “I’d like to think people voted for me because they know I work hard.”
The double victory comes at a time of growing pressure on Sir Keir, whose approval ratings have plummeted since becoming Prime Minister.
Recent polls from Ipsos indicate that almost half of Labour voters feel let down by the government’s performance.
The Ipsos polling director Keiran Pedley said: “Six in 10 people are not confident in Labour’s long-term economic plan. The upcoming budget could be a significant political risk if it doesn’t land well.”
Some Labour MPs have also reportedly expressed concerns in private, The Guardian reports.
One said: “We’re going to be compared to the Tories.
“It’s going to be really hard to explain the so-called boost to the NHS which doesn’t really touch the sides of what’s needed, alongside the cuts they’ve already planned to winter fuel payments and the two-child benefit cap which will undoubtedly put more pressure on the NHS.”
Another added: “Our campaign was focused on change. The expectations are high.
“If they’re going to make the tough announcements early with things like the winter fuel payment, they need to be confident and give people some hope on Wednesday.”
