Published: November 19th 2010 - at 9:00 am

Labour make massive gains in 3 local elections


by Newswire    

Labour won a stunning by-election victory last night in Wednesbury North, in the Sandwell borough (near Birmingham)

The results were:
Labour: 1320
Conservative: 643
National Front: 76
Libdem: 45
Green: 42
It meant the Conservatives lost a council seat they’ve held for the last 36 years in the predominantly Labour borough.

The result marks a massive 16.5% swing from Conservative to Labour since May 2010. Two years ago they took 20% of vote. Last night they won 62% of the vote.

Councillor Bob Piper was very happy.

It was a good night for Labour elsewhere too. The party won both seats at the Croxteth by-election in Liverpool

The results were:
Labour: 1447 / 1424
Libdems: 611/479
SLP: 135/70
BNP: 117
Greens: 63
UKIP: 50 / 19
English Democrats: 35 / 33
Conservatives: 31 / 29 (yes, they came last!)

On Twitter Politic_Animal said:

Sniggers at Tory candidates coming 9th in Liverpool Croxteth by-election. To think Liverpool was once a Tory city.

Local elections in Baxenden were similarly positive for Labour, but they failed to win.

Paul Cotterill reported on Twitter that it was a 16% swing from Con to Lab, “safest Tory seat in Hyndburn”
Results:
Conservatives: 683
Labour: 434
UKIP 17
Independent 47


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Reader comments


Can’t find the other two for comparison – but here’s croxteth in 2009′s result.

Lab – 1810 – 51.71%

Lib Dem – 1245 – 35.57%

Ind – 171 – 4.89%

BNP – 109 – 3.11%

Cons – 88 – 2.51%

Green – 77 – 2.20%

3500
Electorate – 10,496
Percentage Turnout – 33.40%

So – turnout was down to 24 percent

Labour’s vote is down in that smaller vote by about about a quarter
Lib Dems are down by a half.

I guess not surprising given polling recently – but nice to see it in actual votes.

Let’s hope it doesn’t make them think they’re on the right track now. They have a long way to go before they can be seen as a better alternative for government. All these polls are showing is how unhappy people are with the government, hence the low turnout.

Low turnouts – Labour wins? This could be worse news for the Tories than it might at first appear. It has always been the Tories – and only the Tories – who won elections by default – they always could get their vote out. Where has it gone? – ‘ By default’ – that is – on (media) manufactured disaffection alone ( no positive alternative policies offered to attract the disillusioned or the uncommitted). Could these three results be the first signs of a wind of change blowing through English Politics? In hoping in might be so – dare we hope then for the green shoots of the overdue demise of the influence of the Tory media to peep through? O happy day! Spring has sprung.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. alexsmith1982

    Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh

  2. Matthew Bennett

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh

  3. Tudor Evans

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh

  4. Lizzie Dowd

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh

  5. DeludedDonny

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh

  6. Tax Research UK » I know a swallow doesn’t make a summer, but the Conservatives in last place? That’s good news!

    [...] know by elections don’t tell the whole story, and council by elections may say even less. But Liberal Conspiracy picks up on some results from yesterday which look pretty telling: Labour won a stunning by-election victory [...]

  7. ProgressOnline

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour http://bit.ly/aoXtEh > congrats @LiverpoolLabour & B'ham Labour!

  8. Peter Ptashko

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour http://bit.ly/aoXtEh > congrats @LiverpoolLabour & B'ham Labour!

  9. Fred Chukkawakka

    RT @ProgressOnline: RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour http://bit.ly/aoXtEh > congrats @LiverpoolLabour & B'ha …

  10. Claire Spencer

    Congratulations to all in Wednesbury, brilliant win for #Labour: http://s.coop/5el What a job they have ahead of them. (via @alexsmith1982)

  11. safefromwolves

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh > Earned? More a by-product.

  12. Brecon & Radnorshire

    Great by election gains for labour last nite http://tiny.cc/5hsq9

  13. The Election Blog

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh > Earned? More a by-product.

  14. Simon Lewis

    RT @libcon: Labour make massive gains in 3 local elections http://bit.ly/arlrIG

  15. William French

    RT @alexsmith1982 Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh < Tories last in Croxteth, woop!

  16. David Taylor

    RT @alexsmith1982: Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh

  17. Wesley Rykalski

    RT @redstarbelsize: RT @alexsmith1982 Three big by-election gains for Labour in Birmingham and Liverpool: http://bit.ly/aoXtEh < Tori …

  18. Moses Humberstone

    They were always going to get hammered, but the Tories came *9th* in a Croxteth double by-election last night. 9th! http://bit.ly/aoXtEh

  19. Barbara Cannon

    Labour make massive gains in 3 local elections http://bit.ly/arlrIG. I am delighted with my mate Stephanie Till who won in Croxteth -

  20. Adam Harrison

    RT @ProgressOnline: RT @alexsmith1982: 3 big by-election gains for Labour http://bit.ly/aoXtEh >congrats @LiverpoolLabour & B'ham Labour!

  21. conspiracy theo

    Labour make massive gains in 3 local elections | Liberal Conspiracy http://bit.ly/bjr0MV

  22. Abigail Jacobi

    Great news to wake up to – http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/11/19/labour-make-massive-gains-in-3-local-elections/ #Labour #byelection

  23. emma dow

    toryscum come in 9th place http://tinyurl.com/34gdkx5

  24. Rachel Hubbard

    Labour make massive gains in 3 local elections | Liberal Conspiracy: http://bit.ly/945qba via @addthis





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