Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COULD TRUE BLUES LOSE?
Bexley Tories’ ‘disgust’ at Johnson
TORY voters are turning away from Boris Johnson in “disgust” at Conservative sleaze, Labour’s hopeful in the Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election says.
The Prime Minister’s Peppa Pig fiasco and the cost of living have also been cited ahead of tomorrow’s poll.
Labour’s Daniel Francis admits overturning an 18,952 majority in a patch of South East London held by the Tories for 70 years will be tough.
He told the Mirror a historic win “does rely on Tories staying at home, some Tories voting for us, voting for other parties, people who support smaller parties voting Labour”.
But the local councillor, 44, who believes party leader Keir Starmer is appealing to disgruntled Tories, said: “It’s a difficult path, but possible.”
Mr Starmer has reshuffled his top team, including making David Lammy Shadow Foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper Shadow Home Secretary and Rachel Reeves Shadow Chancellor.
The by-election was triggered by the death from cancer of former Cabinet Minister James Brokenshire.
Mr Francis, a dad of eight-year old twin girls, was persuaded to stand by wife Emma, a teacher, and other parents at the school gate who he calls a “broad consensus” of voters.
He said: “People’s perceptions have changed about the Prime Minister and about the sleaze surrounding this Government.”
Even some traditional Conservatives have said they will not back the party’s candidate Louie French.
He said: “People have looked at the leaders and seen who they believe is competent and in control and concluded that isn’t the Prime Min-ister. Under Keir’s leadership they want to look at Labour again.”
“I had a Conservative member tell me he had left the party and was voting Labour in disgust.”
Whatever the outcome he hopes a good performance will show Labour is back on track, adding: “We are moving to the centre where the main thrust of the British people are.”