Tories triumph in the seat Cameron gave up
THERESA May passed her first by-election test as Prime Minister yesterday when the Tories easily held her predecessor David Cameron’s old seat.
The Conservative share of the vote in Witney, Oxfordshire, fell from 60 per cent at the last election to 45 per cent.
But Mr Cameron’s successor, Robert Courts, a 37-yearold barrister and local councillor, still had a majority of just more than 5,700.
The party had expected Mr Cameron’s majority of more than 25,000 to be cut without his strong personal following.
Home Office minister Brandon Lewis called the win a “great result”.
Mr Cameron quit Parliament last month claiming he did not want to be a “distraction” for Mrs May after backing the losing Remain side in the EU referendum.
The Liberal Democrats came second, forcing Labour into third place. Having previously been fourth behind Labour and Ukip, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron claimed the by-election result showed his party was “back in the political big time”.
He also said the result was a “clear rejection” of the new May government’s plan to take Britain out of the single market. But experts put the party’s success down to intensive canvassing and disaffection with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson claimed his party had done “pretty well” because Witney was solidly Tory.
He said Labour’s 15 per cent vote share was just two points less than at the general election.
The result came as a new opinion poll delivered more bad news for Mr Corbyn.
Just one in four people now thinks Labour is fit to run the country, down from 35 per cent in September 2015, the Ipsos MORI poll found.
It put Labour’s standing far lower than when Ed Miliband was leader. Then, 40 per cent of voters believed Labour was ready to govern.
A second by-election on Thursday saw former Coronation Street actress Tracy Brabin, 55, become Labour MP for Batley and Spen.
Ms Brabin was unopposed by the other major parties as she stood to replace her friend, 41-year-old MP Jo Cox, who was shot dead outside her West Yorkshire seat’s surgery in June.
All those who did stand against her lost their deposits as Ms Brabin took 86 per cent of votes cast.
Mrs Cox’s widower Brendan tweeted: “Well done...great to see all the purveyors of hate lose their deposits.”