UK PM Johnson’s Party Loses Out At Election

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered an embarrassing defeat in a election on the outskirts of London on Friday, when his governing Conservative Party lost a previously safe parliamentary seat to the Liberal Democrats.

The Conservatives had comfortably held Chesham and Amersham constituency in southern England since its creation in 1974, capturing more than 50% of the vote on every occasion.

At the last poll in 2019, Conservative Cheryl Gillan, who died this year, won by a majority of 16,223 votes.

Since a divisive referendum in 2016, Brexit has helped reshape Britain’s political landscape, with people switching party loyalties in a way not seen for generations. Support for the Conservatives has surged in northern England.

On Wednesday, Sarah Green, the candidate for the Liberal Democrats won a majority of 8,028 votes over the Conservative candidate. The main opposition Labour Party came fourth, with 1.6% of the vote, its worst showing in decades.

Johnson said it was a “disappointing result”, suggesting there were “particular circumstances” in the area and “it was a bit bizarre” to suggest his party were on the back foot.

But Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said it was a sign of things to come, with his party ousting the Conservatives from traditional strongholds in England’s affluent south.

The result may cause some nervousness in the Conservative Party, which has targeted traditional Labour-supporting voters in northern England but, according to some of its lawmakers, has increasingly ignored its strongholds in the south.