Tories lose seat they held for nearly 200 years
LONDON - The Conservatives have lost the North Shropshire seat they held for nearly 200 years to the Liberal Democrats in a by-election blow to Boris Johnson.
Winner Helen Morgan overturned a Tory majority of almost 23, 000, declaring that the "party is over" for the Prime Minister.
The result follows a torrid week for Johnson, who has faced criticism over Downing Street parties and a rebellion by his own MPs over Covid measures.
Tory MP Roger Gale said the Prime Minister was on "last orders."
"One more strike and he's out," he said in an interview, adding that the by-election "has to be seen as a referendum on the Prime Minister's performance."
Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden said: "I know that the voters of North Shropshire are fed up and they wanted to give us a kicking... We've heard that message loud and clear."
But he added: "I don't think this amounts to a sea-change."
The by-election followed the resignation of Owen Paterson, the MP for North Shropshire since 1997, who was found to have breached parliamentary rules on lobbying.
In her victory speech, Ms Morgan, who won by 5, 925 votes, said: "The people of North Shropshire have spoken on behalf of the British people. They have said loudly and clearly, 'Boris Johnson, the party is over.'
Morgan's victory takes the number of Lib Dem MPs up to 13, still significantly down from a high of more than 60 during the mid-2000s. The party lost dozens of its seats at the 2015 general election after being part of a coalition government with the Conservatives. – BBC.