Lib Dems Storm to Victory in by-election (Southwark Liberal Democrats)

Southwark Liberal Democrats <info@southwark-libdems.org.uk>

Lib Dems Storm to Victory in by-election

February 10, 2006 10:59 AM

Willie Rennie and Nicol Stephen collect signatures for a petition against plans to levy £4 tolls on the Forth road bridge

New Lib Dem MP Willie Rennie (second right) on the campaign trail

The Liberal Democrats have won a sensational victory in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election. There was a massive swing of 16% from the Labour Party to the Liberal Democrats (and 9% from Conservative to Lib Dem), just nine months after the General Election. The Liberal Democrats turned a Labour majority of 11,562 into 1,800. This victory was the first ever Liberal Democrat gain from the Labour Party in a Scottish by-election.

North Southwark and Bermondsey MP Simon Hughes said: "My congratulations to the by-election team. This is an outstanding result for Willie Rennie and the Liberal Democrats. Where we work, we win. This result proves that there should be no glass ceiling to our ambition."

The full result was:

Willie Rennie (Liberal Democrat) - 12,391
Catherine Stihler (Labour) - 10,591
Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party) - 7,261
Carrie Ruxton (Conservative) - 2,702
John McAllion (Scottish Socialist Party) - 537
James Hargreaves (Scottish Christian Party) - 411
Thomas Minogue (Abolish Forth Bridge Tolls Party) - 374
Ian Borland (UK Independence Party) - 208
Dick Rodgers (Common Good) - 103

The result has stunned Labour and relegates David Cameron's Conservative Party to fourth in his first major electoral test since becoming Conservative leader. The result was the worst Conservative Parliamentary by-election result for 8 years (while Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard led the Party).

Willie Rennie, the Liberal Democrat victor said:

"I would like to thank the people of Dunfermline and West Fife for the trust that they have shown in me personally - and in the Liberal Democrats. Tonight they have sent a powerful message to the Labour Government. It is time that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown both got that message."

Willie added:

"There are messages tonight for all the major parties. The Liberal Democrat message that we want a fairer, greener and more democratic society - is one that wins widespread appeal.

"Labour has lost the confidence of people who supported them for generations. People want a change - but they do not want to go back to the Conservatives. This by-election has shown that the Conservatives are irrelevant in much of Britain. This is a terrible result for David Cameron - the Conservatives continue to decline."

Before the result many commentators thought that the Liberal Democrats would be fighting to retain the second place that they narrowly gained over the SNP at the General Election.

The by-election proved that the residents of Dunfermline and West Fife preferred what Willie Rennie and the Liberal Democrats had to say on the key issues of the Labour's record on health and education, pension provision, Iraq and the proposed Forth Bridge toll hike and regeneration of Dunfermline.