Last night’s monumental gain of Tiverton and Honiton constituency is being celebrated by Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats.
They say that repeated locally, the scale of victory could lead to the Island switching from blue to orange at the next general election.
Stuart: Seely mistake in backing Johnson
Vice-chair of the local Liberal Democrats, Nick Stuart, said,
“Voters in Tiverton and Honiton have delivered an enormous political upset, with Conservative voters switching massively to the Liberal Democrats to send a message to Boris Johnson.
“Like the Isle of Wight, Tiverton and Honiton is a mix of smaller towns and rural villages, with an economy in which tourism and farming are key components.
“Voters in the Devon constituency raised the same sort of issues that effect Islanders – the cost-of-living crisis, the need for greater long-term investment in the NHS and schools.
“And, of course, the need for Boris Johnson to resign. The result shows just how bad a mistake our local MP, Bob Seely, made in backing Boris Johnson in the vote of confidence.”
Stuart: From third to first place
He went on to say,
“In Tiverton and Honiton, the Liberal Democrats came from third place to comfortably beat the Conservatives, repeating the same feat as the party had achieved in North Shropshire earlier this year.
“It’s clear politics is re-setting towards what we’ve seen in the past. In the case of the Isle of Wight that is a traditional close election fight between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and Liberals before them. Many residents will remember the passionate and effective liberal representation we had from former MPs Steve Ross and Peter Brand.
“We look forward to campaigning hard to get middle-ground, fair-minded Liberal Democrat representation in Parliament, taking on the need for better ferry services, decent environmentally friendly housing, an Island deal for our council, and sustained investment in our schools and NHS.”
If you want to find out more about the Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats contact their Chair, Steph Burgess on [email protected]
