Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Green arrives for the declaration within the Chesham and Amersham by-election – Jim Dyson/Getty Images
Conservatives are fearing that the social gathering’s humiliating by-election defeat in Chesham and Amersham may very well be replicated in “Tory seats south of the Humber”.
Chesham and Aversham had been a Conservative stronghold since its creation in 1974, earlier than being won by Lib Dem Sarah Green after the dying of former Cabinet minister Dame Cheryl Gillan triggered a by-election.
Writing in The Telegraph, Ben Riley-Smith blamed the Tories by-election defeat on the party’s focus on the Red Wall, on the expense of the Tory trustworthy in Southern, rural constituencies – who’ve voiced their considerations at Boris Johnson’s shake up of the planning system and commitment to HS2.
However, Telegraph readers have been fast to recommend that the consequence additionally mirrored the general public’s frustration with Mr Johnson’s climbdown over freedom day and the tip to lockdown restrictions.
Read on for the most effective dialogue factors from our readers and share your individual view within the feedback part on the backside of this text.
‘We will achieve nothing from HS2’
@Chris Beck:
“It feels strange to wake up and find that I am being represented by a party with 12 MPs led by Ed Davey! Sarah Green is a local lady, Cheryl Gillan moved to Surrey which always jarred locally. HS2 is a big issue as we gain nothing from it. This result is good for democracy.”
‘I didn’t anticipate such a radical trashing’
@Mark Slim:
“The result does not surprise me but I did not anticipate such a thorough thrashing. The media, and BBC in particular, don’t report it at all but Tory voters and Party members are fed up – not just with wokeness and planning reforms but also, and in my view a far bigger issue, the Government’s pathetic delay to reopening and their failure to take advantage of the very effective vaccination programme. We want our freedom back.
“This is an efficient wake-up name and if the Tories don’t change course, and quick, they should be out of energy – the earlier the higher. Remove all Covid restrictions, totally reopen the financial system, scrap HS2 and the Planning and Animal Rights Bills and wage a full on struggle in opposition to wokeness. Then we would vote Tory once more.”
Story continues
‘The Tories cannot think they are invincible’
@John Kelly:
“This will not be an endorsement of the Liberal Democrats, make no mistake. Conservative voters stayed house – simply take a look at the prove.
“The government needed their minds sharpened, so I can’t say I’m too disappointed. The Tories may still have an 80 seat majority, but it sends a message. They cannot think they are invincible.
“Maybe now Boris will think twice about ‘constructing again in a extra greener and gender impartial manner’ and taking away our freedoms.”
‘The two key issues were HS2 and planning reforms’
@Peter Willcox:
“The Conservative candidate, Peter Fleet, is right. The Lib Dems threw all the pieces at this. We had so lots of their leaflets we needed to connect one to our door saying no extra. It was sufficient to dissuade a supporter who gave the impression to be delivering yet one more on the day of the by-election.
“The two key issues were HS2 and the proposed revisions to planning laws. The former Chiltern district and neighbouring Beaconsfield are earmarked for hundreds of new houses without the necessary improvements to supporting infrastructure and locals feel they have no control over the process.
“On prime of those points, I’m certain there have been different contributory elements inflicting immense frustration at this authorities that led to Conservatives switching their vote. In my case, this included inaction over changing flammable cladding, the preservation of the leasehold system governing present flats that sucks cash out of flat homeowners and dithering over border controls throughout a pandemic. Facilitating the introduction of the extremely transmissible Indian variant in such giant numbers was unforgivable.”
‘The Conservatives deserved to be punished here’
@Andrew Smith:
“As a Chesham resident, I can say the Lib Dems threw all the pieces at this marketing campaign and turned the city orange. Labour had given up from the very begin, because the consequence confirmed.
“People here are very angry with the Conservatives. The way HS2 has been blasted through with total indifference to the population, with vents, drilling and the obliteration of woodland at so many locations – it hurts to travel round the area.
“The different native obsession, with good purpose, is the utter failure of the highways division, giving us what should certainly be the worst roads within the UK. They are crumbling, pitted and patched, – with craters all over the place to destroy your wheels. So, £120 billion for a railway we will not use, and nothing for our failed roads. The Conservatives deserved to be punished right here.”
‘You can’t just steamroll over voters’
@Christine Ten Holter:
“I’m certain the Lib Dems shall be leaping up and down all day however hopefully this may function a warning to Boris you can’t simply steamroll over voters. HS2 is a catastrophe and will by no means have gone forward. Ditto for the proposed planning legal guidelines.
“None of the things Boris promised are getting done including immigration, reform of the House of Lords, the BBC, social care and more.”
‘There’s been an exodus from London into the Home Counties.’
@Chris Ashley:
“It is too early in my opinion to draw definitive trends from this Lib Dem result. However, I can well believe that the Lib Dems and eventually Labour will benefit from an exodus from London into the Home Counties.
“At the very least, it could flip beforehand strong Tory seats in that space into marginals. Given that pattern, St Albans was wrested from the Tories on the final election, and Raab’s seat in Esher and Walton can also be trying very weak.”
‘HS2 is a monumental waste of money’
@David Shipley:
“It’s extraordinary how few folks perceive the energy of feeling domestically about HS2. Not simply because it’s desecrating the gorgeous Misbourne valley, however as a result of it’s such a monumental waste of cash that may very well be higher spent in a myriad of various methods.”
‘By-elections are for protest, general elections are for running the country’
@Richard Cooper:
“Conservative voters are disenchanted on the wishy-washy report of the federal government, with lockdown, with uncontrolled immigration, with the risk to the inexperienced belt, and with HS2.
“The Government needs to drop lockdown and forget it ever happened. If that means sacking SAGE, then so be it. Immigration needs to have a strict quota set, dependent upon available housing, and employment, and to exclude asylum seekers and overstayers.
“The planning reforms want to guard the inexperienced belt. They cannot make a enterprise case for HS2 as a result of there is not one. It is a make-work train and a feeding trough for the engineers. Scrap it at this time.
“By-elections are for protest; general elections are for running the country. The government must get on with running the country.”
‘This is a vote in opposition to the most recent Covid lockdown’
@melvin lomas:
“This is a vote against the latest Covid lockdown, people are tiring of it, and Boris Johnson’s late reaction to the Delta/Indian variant.
“HS2 is required as an infrastructure mission to assist with jobs for the younger in addition to increasing the rail community, plus bringing again some satisfaction to our rail business.”
‘The Conservatives need to get the country working again’
@Stephen Dolan:
“This result’s no shock in any respect given the insurance policies the Tories have been following. The sooner they get again to correct Conservative beliefs and set about getting the nation working once more, the earlier the threats like Chesham and Amersham will recede.
“Neither HS2 nor the draconian planning reforms are needed. Improving the railways we already have is important and planning needs a more sensible approach to a tricky problem.”
‘The Labour Party is dying’
@A Marlow:
“Don’t over sensationalise a Lib Dem by-election victory. They happen. A by-election is a free vote – and the Lib Dems can be all things to all men. Their only consistency is their local opportunism. They have no coherent philosophy. There is no implication for the future government of the country.
“The solely actual information is that Labour, the official opposition, solely scraped simply over 1 per cent of the vote. The Labour social gathering is dying. It has misplaced its place and its objective.”
‘A new common sense Conservatism needs to rise from the ashes’
@Peter Tapper:
“As a lifelong Conservative voter I’m delighted that the Tories have been ousted. They have confirmed that a big majority carries the horrible hazard of completely ignoring their core voters and may result in the specter of excessive authoritarianism.
“I will not be voting at the next General Election unless a new “common sense Conservatism” rises from the ashes.”