Boris Johnson has described his party’s defeat in the Chesham and Amersham by-election as “disappointing” and “a bit peculiar” – and appeared to blame a public misunderstanding of Tory reforms to planning rules.
The Lib Dems overturned a huge Tory majority to score an historic win, with Sarah Green wining by 8,000 votes in a seat which had been a safe Conservative stronghold since its creation but has seen growing opposition to the HS2 high speed railway line and plans for large-scale housing developments in the region.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the result showed that the “blue wall” of Tory seats in the south could be demolished. One former Tory minister said it showed that some voters in the south considered Boris Johnson to be a “charlatan”.
Meanwhile, the DUP is yet looking for another new leader after the short tenure of Edwin Poots – forced out last night after only 20 days in charge of the party.
His resignation came after an angry party revolt against his decision to agree a deal with Sinn Fein and nominate a new first minister – leaving power-sharing arrangements at Stormont in disarray.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is set to strip the Electoral Commission of the power to prosecute law-breaking – just weeks after it launched an investigation into his controversial flat refurb.
‘I’m furious over HS2,’ says Chesham ex-Tory voter
Long-term Tory voters in Chesham have confirmed that HS2 was a major reason for turning away from the party and handing the Liberal Democrats a shock by-election victory.
Alan Price, 82, told Press Association that it was key to his decision to vote for Lib Dem candidate Sarah Green.
He said: “I just wanted to see a change. Like many, I’m so fed up and furious over the building of HS2. It’s a big, big bugbear for me.
“My partner lives in Maidenhead and I used to be able to travel there in 30 minutes or so, now it takes me at least two hours. It’s chaotic.
“It’s been really hard as she’s become ill. I don’t think they realise how many people it has affected.”
Shabaz Nawaz, an employee of Simply The Best launderette, said: “It’s the railway, HS2, that’s done it. Everywhere around here the traffic is unbearable.”
Jit Mistry, owner of Chesham Post Office, said: “This is a beautiful place but people are totally against what’s happening with the railway, and I think that’s what has driven this.”
‘Extremely boring? It’s all part of the plan’
The president of the Cop 26 climate summit, Alok Sharma, claims he has deliberately cultivated his image as an “extremely boring” politician who prefers the “minimum of fuss”.
Is that what the global environmental crisis needs? We shall see when the conference arrives in November.
Former Tory minister rounds on ‘charlatan’ PM
Voters think Boris Johnson is a “charlatan”, a senior Tory and former minister has said in a withering attack on the prime minister following his party’s by-election defeat to the Liberal Democrats.
Dominic Grieve, who served as attorney general, spoke out against Mr Johnson after Sarah Green overturned a huge Conservative majority to record a stunning victory at the Chesham and Amersham contest.
Irish Taoiseach calls for ‘calm heads’ in Northern Ireland
Irish premier Micheal Martin has urged those at the centre of the political crisis in Northern Ireland to remain “calm”, as the province emerges from a “very turbulent” 24 hours.
Mr Martin said it was important everyone worked collectively to maintain stability in Northern Ireland.
Edwin Poots announced he was quitting as leader of the DUP on Thursday, just weeks after taking up the role.
The DUP is now searching for a new leader, after party members rebelled against Mr Poots’ decision to nominate Paul Givan as Northern Ireland First Minister.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr Martin said it had been a difficult period for Northern Ireland.
“I think it is very important that we all work collectively on the island towards maintaining stability and calm heads and staying focused on what is important to the people within Northern Ireland,” he added.
Speaker to welcome Pelosi for G7 conference
Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will host the G7 Speakers’ conference in his Lancashire constituency from 17 to 19 September.
Nancy Pelosi, Washington’s house speaker, is expected to attend, along with representataives from the EU, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan.
The politicians will share experiences and information on parliamentary matters at the summit, which will be held at Astley Hall in Chorley.
“I look forward to welcoming my counterparts to one of the most beautiful parts of the UK – to the town where I was born and brought up – to Lancashire and the north west,” Sir Lindsay said.
What happens next for the DUP?
Edwin Poots lasted less than three weeks as the DUP’s leader, handing in his resignation on Thursday evening.
Who is likely to replace him? And what will this mean for the tense power-sharing arrangements with Sinn Fein?
Downing Street rejects Cummings’ claim PM is ‘gaffe machine’
Downing Street has rejected Dominic Cummings’ claim that Boris Johnson is a “gaffe machine”.
The prime minister’s former chief aide tweeted the comment in reference to his advice that Mr Johnson should not be interviewed by Andrew Neil ahead of the 2019 general election.
Mr Cummings said it made no sense to put a “gaffe machine clueless about policy & government up to be grilled for ages”.
In response to the allegation, a No 10 spokesperson said: “Of course that is not a characterisation that we would accept.
“But I’m not going to get into specific allegations.”
Defiant Johnson tells planning critics they’re wrong
A defiant prime minister has insisted that his party’s planning shake-up is “sensible”, despite an embarrassing defeat in the Chesham and Amersham by-election.
Describing the lose as “a bit peculiar, a bit bizarre”, he argued that there had been “some misunderstanding” about the reforms.
“What we want is sensible plans to allow development on brownfield sites. We’re not going to build on greenbelt sites, we’re not going to build all over the countryside,” he said.
Here’s more on this breaking story:
PM calls by-election defeat ‘disappointing’
Boris Johnson has described yesterday’s by-election result as “disappointing”, before pledging to continue with his government’s “levelling up” programme.
When asked if the Conservatives were ignoring southern voters in favour of northern ones, the prime minister said his programme was interested in “uniting and levelling up” the whole country.
Mr Johnson also thanked Peter Fleet, the Tory candidate in Chesham and Amersham, calling him “an outstanding local candidate”.
Why did Lib Dems win by-election?
The Liberal Democrats thinks the party’s by-election win in Chesham and Amersham has sent “shockwave through British politics”.
Regardless of whether this is borne out by future results, it was a significant victory in itself.
But what helped them to such a large win? Was it their stance on planning rules, HS2, Brexit or a combination of the three that tipped them over the line?
Adam Forrest takes a look:
