Diane James (UKIP) 11,571 (27.80%, +24.20%)
Maria Hutchings (Con) 10,559 (25.37%, -13.96%)
John O'Farrell (Lab) 4,088 (9.82%, +0.22%)
Liberal Democrat majority: 1,771 (4.26%)
Swing: 19.34% Liberal Democrat to UKIP
Electorate: 79,004 Turnout: 41,616 (52.68%, -16.61%)
Labour didn't gain anything but UKIP sure did - which is so unusual in a by-election that I'm starting to think UKIP is no longer just a protest party. In fact the protest voters seem to have stayed at home, going by the lower turnout.
They're going to replace the conservative side of the Tories now. As long as Cameron's cronies insist they hate UKIP for "splitting the vote", they're doomed. I used to say "we're" doomed.
ReplyDeleteThe Tories are two parties in one. They got away with it for so long as the leader was never super-radically leftist in the eyes of the population. Now he's rampantly leftist, combined with the worst aspects of Toryism - cuts to the wrong things whilst nothing is done to tax and job creation.
Interesting times.
That's a good analysis. Looks as though UKIP turncoat Marta Andreasen will find it hard to parachute into a "safe" Tory seat in 2015!
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