North Somerset Labour Party
By-election triumph
What an extraordinary week it has been! As we watched the car crash of the Conservative Party Conference, something amazing happened in Rutherglen and Hamilton West. Labour secured a stunning victory, demonstrating a seismic shift in political fortunes, with dreams of Labour’s Scottish resurgence becoming tangible reality in the form of Michael Shanks being declared Labour’s newest MP.
Rutherglen and Hamilton West was an amazing result. Labour achieved a swing from the SNP of 20%, obliterating the previous SNP majority of 5230 votes. Labour took 59% of the vote and the Tories and Lib Dems lost their deposits.
The changing tide in North Somerset
The events in Scotland are a powerful reminder of the potential for change. They have shown us that Labour can win, even in our Conservative stronghold of North Somerset. Labour has come second to the Conservatives here in the last three general elections and is the only party that can seriously challenge incumbent Dr Liam Fox.
The polls are showing momentous swing towards Labour across the country, and tactical voting sites (such as Electoral Calculus and Tactical Vote) are placing Labour as the party most likely to unseat Dr Fox in North Somerset.
On the doorstep, we have spoken to countless Conservative voters switching to Labour for the first time. To win, we need Liberal Democrat and Green voters to do the same. Without tactical voting it’s predicted that Labour will come within a hair’s breadth of the Conservatives, but if Liberal Democrats and Greens vote tactically for Labour, victory is ours.
It’s time for change
The Conservatives have caused our nation so much harm and we mustn’t allow them another term in office. The message is clear – vote Liberal Democrat or Green and you risk a Conservative win – vote Labour and we will turn the tide and win.
The Conservative Party conference was nothing short of a car crash, with policy announcements in disarray and a desperate attempt to sweep their failures under the rug. Rishi Sunak’s speech, in particular, tried to gaslight the electorate into believing that all is well when, in reality, we face mounting challenges, from a broken social care system to rising living costs. Let’s not even mention the change in direction and flip-flopping displayed by the Prime Minister on HS2.
There were so many “did they really say that?” moments from the front bench as they attempted to court the extreme right of their party, with language used by Suella Braverman chillingly echoing that used by Enoch Powell in his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech and was condemned by many.
Our victory in Rutherglen serves as a rallying cry as Labour heads into its own party conference, where we will unveil our vision for a fairer, more just society. We will discuss policies that address the pressing issues facing our nation, from healthcare and education to housing and the environment. It is an opportunity to show the electorate that we are ready to govern and ready to make a real difference.
Together, we can achieve the unthinkable. Together, we can unseat Dr Fox and return a Labour MP for North Somerset. Let us make history together.