The seat, and its predecessor seats, had returned Tory MPs in an almost uninterrupted line stretching back to the 1830s: it had, until the revelations of a series of unlawful Downing Street parties were made public last week, been a seat that alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson and his coterie of ineptitude would hold, albeit with a reduced majority. North Shropshire was the safest of safe seats.
Owen Paterson has gone ...
Now, Bozo and his pals are
left to survey the wreckage of another car crash campaign as Owen Paterson’s 23,000 majority from just two years ago was not just wiped out by Lib Dem challenger Helen Morgan (who came third in 2019, behind Labour), but turned into a 5,900 majority for Ed Davey and his increasingly confident band of insurgents.
The Tory vote sank by more than 30 points as the Lib Dem vote rose by over 37; the swing from former to latter was over 34%. Labour’s vote sank by more than 12 points as tactical voting took hold. The pressure is now on Bozo: as commentators were swift to point out, this wasn’t just a re-run of Chesham and Amersham. North Shropshire was solid Leave territory, but has now returned an MP representing the most Remain of parties.
... Daniel Kawczynski could be next ...
But just to the south lies Shrewsbury and Atcham, which may see its own by-election, and sooner rather than later: sitting Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski could be about to run out of road the same way Paterson did - over lobbying. The
Guardian’s head of investigations Paul Lewis: “
Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski has been referred to the House of Commons standards watchdog. Follows Guardian investigation revealing WhatsApp messages in which he touted his ‘pro-Saudi’ stance in parliament in a bid to get a second job”.
The
Guardian “
revealed how the politician hosted a Saudi Arabian businessman in parliament while hoping to secure a lucrative second job … Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow leader of the Commons, has now asked Kathryn Stone to investigate whether any wrongdoing took place, saying: ‘This would appear to be yet another potentially egregious breach of the rules. An MP trying to use their parliamentary resources to tout for a second job is unacceptable’”. A
recall petition could be on the cards.
And then there may be yet another by-election, but unlike North Shropshire, where Labour could shrug off coming third and losing vote share as some kind of one-off event, the party would have to step up and win if it wants to be considered a Government in waiting. Why that should be not merely possible, but probable, is not hard to deduce.
Labour won there in 1997 and 2001 - two successive General Elections. If Keir Starmer is to cut through with Middle England, with swing voters, with the disaffected who have habitually voted Tory but have recoiled at the stench of corruption, revelations of Covid rule-breaking, the shameless lying and the failure of Brexit, he will have to perform here.
... at which point, he has to ask himself: Do I Feel Lucky?
Because no matter who the candidate is, it is the Labour leadership that would be on the ballot. If the Lib Dems can up-end the Tories in the next door constituency, Labour should be able to match them in a seat they have held recently. Seeing the likes of Wes Streeting doing the studio rounds the next day leering about making a big dent in the Tory majority - after failing to take the seat - would not be good enough.
Today Bozo’s leadership is in the balance.
Tomorrow it may be Keir Starmer’s turn.
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6 comments:
Unlike many I have always thought Starmer's "New Labour" stood a chance at the next general election. If he's still in place.
It has nothing to do with policies because Starmer doesn't have any policies. But it has everything to do with sheer corruption and hypocrisy of the incumbent government.
The same conditions applied in 1997 and that led to 13 years of Blair/Brown treachery, betrayal and urfascist warmongering.
Right wing Starmer and his apologists, win or lose, won't make any discernible difference to a nation clearly on the edge of socio-economic and moral disaster.
Tim my dear fellow. Starmer may not be your cup of tea but atleast we are rid of Corbyn old boy.
That's what will lead to a 50 seat majority for Labour at the next election.
@ 15:23.
Nah.
All it would lead to is more of the same far right shite. This time with a greasy quiff, shiney suit, weasel words and "...a Zionist without qualification."
If that's what people want that's what they're going to get. In SPADES.
Same turds, different arseholes.
If the Lib Dems can up-end the Tories in the next door constituency, Labour should be able to match them in a seat they have held recently.
Sure, but the LibDems won in North Shropshire from *third place*. What if they pull the same trick again next door?
Bloody Stupid Johnson is, natch, blaming the media for, er, asking awkward questions about corruption instead of praising the NHS to the skies. The main thing we should worry about right now, though, is who will replace the terrible arsepump when the backbenches inevitably knifecrime him in the kidneys.
"Malcolm Armsteen said...
Tim my dear fellow. Starmer may not be your cup of tea but atleast we are rid of Corbyn old boy.
That's what will lead to a 50 seat majority for Labour at the next election".
You need boots on the ground to win election, as Starmer is purging the left there are very very very few campaigners willing to turn out for the Zionist.
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