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    Public ‘fed up’ and ‘gave us a kicking,’ admits Tory party chair after by-election defeat

    The Conservative party chair says the disastrous by-election defeat in North Shropshire shows the public is “fed up” with the government – but he insisted Boris Johnson is still a vote-winner.Oliver Dowden admitted his party had been given “a kicking”, but argued the Tories have recovered before from mid-term by-election thumpings, saying: “It happens time and time again.”On Mr Johnson – blamed by Tory MPs for self-inflicted blunders over sleaze and lockdown-busting parties – Mr Dowden insisted: “I think the prime minister is an electoral asset for the Conservative party.“On the big calls, the prime minister has the vision and the direction to get us through this difficult period,” he told Sky News.He pointed to the fast-expanding booster jab campaign and falling unemployment, but admitted he had “no idea” whether Tory MPs are sending in letters to try to trigger a no-confidence vote in Mr Johnson.In a later interview, on BBC Breakfast, Mr Dowden dismissed much of the criticism of the government as “noises off and distractions”.The dramatic result – the Lib Dems overturned a majority of 22,949 in North Shropshire, the biggest by-election swing since 1993 – triggered immediate recriminations on the Tory benches.Roger Gale, a longstanding Johnson critic, said the result must “be seen as a referendum on the prime minister’s performance”, pointing to other recent blows to his authority.“The prime minister is now in last orders time,” he said, adding: “One more strike and he’s out.”And the former leader of Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson that Mr Johnson was “drinking in the last chance saloon” after “badly fumbling” issues of sleaze, lockdown breaches and MPs’ second jobs.Baroness Davidson said that Tory MPs were not yet ready to declare no confidence in the PM in large numbers, but told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “They are losing for him after Christmas to come back with a programme for government, to sharpen up the operation at No 10, to stop having all of these own goals and burning political capital.“The party is looking for a bit of bloody grip to be exerted and if they see that they might hold off, but I think the prime minister has been put on warning by his MPs.“They are tired of the constant drama coming out of No 10 and the No 11 flat. What they are looking for is a more sober prime minister that is going to get on with the job and have less of the drama around what he does.”On the right of the party, the former cabinet minister John Redwood said it was time to listen to Conservatives”, tweeting: “Will the chancellor now admit his high tax economic slowdown is wrong?”But Charles Walker, a former vice-chair of the 1922 backbench committee of Tory MPs, warned a leadership challenge now would be “completely self-indulgent”.“The Conservative party is not going to have a leadership challenge as we are heading into potential further restrictions around Covid,” he insisted.The Conservative mayor of Market Drayton, a traditionally true-blue town in the North Shropshire constituency, said that the by-election defeat was the result of “certain shenanigans down in London making the headlines with flats and parties and various other things”.Roy Aldcroft told World at One: “Quite a lot of people are a bit fed up of negative reports about Boris. People are describing him as a buffoon – I don’t think I would, but that is what I am hearing.”Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, hailed the result, a victory by 5,925 votes, as evidence that Mr Johnson is now “losing the support of lifelong Conservatives”.He pointed to his “shocking Peppa Pig speech and ‘partygate’ where they’ve broken the rules” as reasons for voters switching sides.“They were telling me that they don’t think Boris Johnson is a decent person, not a decent person to lead our country,” Sir Ed said.“And, frankly I think the people of North Shropshire have sent in a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson to the Conservative’s 1922 Committee.”The support of 15 per cent of Conservative MPs is needed to trigger a no-confidence vote, meaning 55 must submit letters to backbench steward Graham Brady. More

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    North Shropshire by-election news – live: PM takes ‘personal responsibility’ after Lib Dems win safe Tory seat

    Boris Johnson says he takes ‘personal responsibility’ for North Shropshire by-election loss Boris Johnson says he takes “personal responsibility” for the North Shropshire by-election loss but has dismissed the question of whether he would resign, after the Liberal Democrats defeated the Conservatives with a 5,925 majority and 34 per cent swing.Asked which things going wrong under his watch were to blame for the defeat, he talked about people hearing “a constant litany of stuff about politics and politicians and stuff that isn’t about them”. He also admitted he needed to “fix” issues such as the reported Downing Street parties and funding of the refurbishment of the No 10 flat.Hours earlier, a senior Tory MP warned Mr Johnson he had just “one more strike” before the party considers ousting him. Sir Roger Gale told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “We got rid of a good prime minister [Theresa May] to install Boris Johnson and he has to prove he’s a good leader. Right now he isn’t doing that.”Helen Morgan won with 17,957 votes, while her Tory rival Neil Shastri-Hurst had 12,032 votes. In 2019 the Tories won the seat with a 23,000 majority, and Ms Morgan came third. Follow our live coverage belowShow latest update

    1639752132Anti-lockdown candidates worst defeated in North ShropshireAnti-lockdown candidates were wiped out at the North Shropshire by-election, losing their deposits and in some cases winning fewer votes than the Monster Raving Loony Party.The Freedom Alliance, which was set up this year “to resist the UK government’s draconian lockdown restrictions and attacks on medical freedom” came 12th out of 14 places in the contest, taking 0.15 per cent of the total. In 10th place was the right-wing populist party Heritage, which also ran on an anti-lockdown ticket.Both candidates finished below Howling Laud Hope, leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, who received 118 votes (0.31 per cent) and came eighth. One place above was Martin Daubney, the deputy leader of actor Laurence Fox’s Reclaim party.Our home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden has the full report:Sam Hancock17 December 2021 14:421639751271Simon Case’s office accused of throwing lockdown partiesThe cabinet secretary who has been charged with investigating whether the PM and his staff broke lockdown rules by hosting parties last year, is now himself caught up in accusations about such events.Political website Guido Fawkes published a report on Friday, claiming a whistleblower said there were two events, one of which was planned and organised by staff in Mr Case’s private office – featuring “copious booze and music”. While Mr Case wasn’t actively participating, the website states, the source claims to have spotted the cabinet secretary sticking his head into the room to call staff out at various points during the party to talk with them.A second event allegedly took place last December and saw staff, again, drinking in Mr Case’s office before departing for drinks elsewhere. Mr Case is yet to comment on the claims. Sam Hancock17 December 2021 14:271639749387Rail fares to rise by 3.8% amid cost of living crisisStepping away from North Shropshire for a moment, the PM’s government has been accused of hitting hard-pressed families with “brutal” train ticket price hikes after announcing that rail fares will rise by 3.8 per cent from March 2022.The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed on Friday that rail companies will be allowed to raise prices, despite Britain’s mounting cost of living crisis, reports Adam Forrest.The steepest increase since 2013 comes as the cost of fuel, clothing and food continue to soar, with changes to the energy price cap expected to increase gas and electricity bills in April.Sam Hancock17 December 2021 13:561639748315PM needs to ‘sort himself out’ in 2022, says senior ToryOur politics reporter Adam Forrest has the following:Senior Tory backbencher Sir Charles Walker has told Times Radio that Boris Johnson has up to “a year to sort himself out” in the wake of the North Shropshire by-election result.“The prime minister has got weeks, months, a year to sort himself out. Every day has got to be better than the day before,” he said.“If we go on making unforced errors over the next three to six months or nine months, it will become a lot more serious. It’s serious now but it’s not at a critical level yet.”Sam Hancock17 December 2021 13:381639748200Watch: Boris Johnson responds to North Shropshire resultBoris Johnson responds to North Shropshire resultSam Hancock17 December 2021 13:361639747069Lib Dem leader: Illusion of inevitable Tory power shattered Seeing Labour and Green supporters put tribalism aside was a beautiful thing, and gives us hope the Tories can be beaten at the next election, Ed Davey writes for The Independent:Jane Dalton17 December 2021 13:171639746158Frost: We may still tirgger Article 16 of NI ProtocolBrexit Minister Lord Frost has warned he could still suspend the Northern Ireland protocol of the EU agreement, by triggering Article 16.As talks for this year ended, he said it was disappointing that a fresh agreement with the European Union on its operation had not been reached.While there had been “some progress”, he said, it had not been “as much, and not as quickly as we had hoped”.He added: “A solution needs to be found urgently early next year. For as long as there is no agreed solution, we remain ready to use the Article 16 safeguard mechanism if that is the only way to protect the prosperity and stability of Northern Ireland and its people.”European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said he hoped there would be a “gear change” in the negotiations with the UK on protocol issues in the new year.Jane Dalton17 December 2021 13:021639744013PM: I take personal responsibility for by-election defeatBoris Johnson has said he takes “personal responsibility” for Conservative defeat in the North Shropshire by-election, but refused to say whether he would step down if he felt it was in the interests of the party and the country.Asked whether he would quit if it was in the interests of the Tory party and the UK for him to resign, he said it was exactly the kind of question that broke “the golden rule”.“What we’re focusing on is trying to get the job done,” he said, and talked about boosting vaccinations and mitigating the worst consequences of omicron.Asked about the defeat, he said: “Clearly the vote in North Shropshire is a very disappointing result.“I totally understand people’s frustrations. I hear what the voters are saying in North Shropshire. In all humility I have got to accept that verdict.”Jane Dalton17 December 2021 12:261639743320Cross-party tactics needed to oust Tories from No 10 – campaignerLet’s get some commentary now from a so-called better democracy campaigner, who says political parties must work together if they hope to get the Tories out of Downing Street at the next general election.Naomi Smith, the chief executive of campaign group Best for Britain, said:“In North Shropshire, the voters united against the government even though the political parties didn’t. It’s clear that without a major tactical voting operation by Labour and Green voters, this win from third place would have been impossible for the Lib Dems.“At a general election, where there is less focus on individual seats than in a by-election, our data shows that tactical voting will be insufficient to get rid of this government. Agreeing stand-asides in less than a quarter of all seats will be enough to turf the Tories out of Number 10. There is high demand among voters for the opposition parties to unite behind a single candidate in marginal seats come election time.“By not working together, they will be leaving Britons at the mercy of a government that has damaged our health, our economy, our democracy and our global reputation.”Sam Hancock17 December 2021 12:151639742720Inside the North Shropshire by-election countAt 4am on Friday morning in the Shrewsbury Sports Village, it felt entirely appropriate: their Conservative opponents here were utterly dazed. A flurry of rumours around midnight suggested a better-than-expected showing for Labour candidate Ben Wood could deny Morgan a famous result and help the Tories retain the seat.But, as the evening progressed, it became increasingly clear that anger over perceived Downing Street sleaze and misconduct had coalesced around the yellow vote. In particular, it was noted early on, the Lib Dems appeared to have taken large numbers of postal ballots – most of which would have been cast long before last week’s revelations of a lockdown-breaking Downing Street Christmas party caused widespread public fury.Our north of England correspondent Colin Drury takes us through the count that led to an historic result. Sam Hancock17 December 2021 12:05 More

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    Boris Johnson takes ‘personal responsibility’ for Tory defeat in North Shropshire

    Boris Johnson has said he takes “personal responsibility” for Conservative defeat in the North Shropshire by-election, but refused to say if he would step down if it was in the interests of the party and the country.Interviewed on the morning after the historic rout, the prime minister repeatedly tried to suggest that voter “frustration” with the government was down to the media’s focus on stories of sleaze and lockdown-breaching Downing Street parties.He said that a “constant litany of stuff about politics and politicians” in the headlines had drowned out the government’s messages on issues like Covid, healthcare and jobs. And he accepted that this included his own attempt to change parliament’s sleaze rules, which triggered Thursday’s by-election after disgraced MP Owen Paterson resigned rather than accept a suspension from the Commons.“I am responsible for everything that the government does and of course I take a personal responsibility,” he said.It was his job to try to persuade the media to move their focus away from stories about parties in Downing Street and onto issues that affected voters’ lives, said Mr Johnson.But asked whether he would resign as PM if became clear that he was an electoral liability for his party and that his removal would be good for the country, he dodged the question.Insisting that voters did not want to hear politicians talking about themselves, he replied: “That is exactly the kind of question that breaks the golden rule. “What we’re focusing on is getting the job done. What we’re focusing on is trying to make sure that we not only have the fastest vaccine and the fastest booster rollout, as we’ve already done, but we’re able because of the Get Boosted Now campaign to avert some of the more damaging consequences of Omicron. “That is what the government is engaged in doing. That is what I am focused on. And you know what I think that is what people would want me to be focused on right now.”Mr Johnson described the loss of a 23,000 majority in North Shropshire as “very disappointing”.And he added: “I totally understand people’s frustrations. I hear what the voters are saying in North Shropshire. And in all humility, I’ve got to accept that that verdict.“What I would say is, of course, I understand that what voters want us as the government to be doing at all times, is to focus on them and on their priorities. And my job as prime minister is to get the focus onto the stuff that really matters to all of us.”Asked whether reports of parties in Downing Street were to blame for the defeat, Mr Johnson said: “Basically what’s been going wrong is that in the last few weeks, some things have been going very well but what people have been hearing is just a constant litany of stuff about politics and politicians and stuff that isn’t about them, and isn’t about the things that we can do to make life better.”He told his interviewer: “The job of the government is to make people like you interested in the booster rollout and in skills and in housing, and in everything else that we’re doing.“Unfortunately, you’re totally right, we haven’t been able to get the focus on those issues.”Mr Johnson accepted that his own attempt to save Mr Paterson from punishment for paid lobbying had fuelled voter frustration, saying it “comes into the overall category of politicians talking about ourselves and seeming to be focused on these issues at the expense of things that really matter to people”. More

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    First Tory MP publicly confirms sending letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson

    Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale has become the first Tory to confirm publicly that he has sent a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady.Some 55 letters are needed to trigger a confidence vote by the 361 Tory MPs, with a simple majority needed to force a new leadership election.Few in Westminster expect the necessary letters to be sent soon, but Sir Roger said he believes Mr Johnson will not lead the Tories into the next general election and could be unseated well before its expected date in 2024.The veteran MP for North Thanet, a longstanding and vocal critic of the prime minister, said that he had submitted his letter in the wake of former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings’ lockdown-breaching trip to Barnard Castle last year.But he said that he had checked recently with Sir Graham and been told that the expression of no confidence remains valid.The chairman of the “22”, which represents backbench Tory MPs, never reveals the number of letters which he has received until they reach the tipping point of 15 per cent of the parliamentary party – currently 55 MPs.“I put in a letter to Sir Graham Brady after the Barnard Castle incident, because that gave a message to me that this was not the kind of leadership that I believe the Conservative Party needed,” Sir Roger told the BBC.“I have no idea at all how many other people – if any other people – have written that kind of letter and Sir Graham Brady would certainly not reveal how many he’s got until and unless the trigger point is reached.”He said: “We don’t need a leadership election at the moment. We need to concentrate on getting people vaccinated on getting on with the job of government.“But I think that’s coming down the track.“I would personally be surprised if Mr Johnson fought the next general election, but I’m one person – only one person.“If you’re going to change your leader, you don’t do it just before a general election, so I think that may be coming down the track.”Sir Roger said that the alleged parties at Downing Street had been very damaging for the Conservatives and said he hoped they will be subjected to investigation by the police.“I find it rather strange that the Metropolitan Police is saying they haven’t got the evidence to investigate these matters,” he said.“I think they are serious. Thousands of people were denying themselves opportunities to – for heaven’s sake – visit dying relatives apart from anything else, and suffering all manner of restrictions while it looks as though improper, illegal gatherings were being held within Downing Street and elsewhere.“You can’t have one rule for one set of people and one for rule for another. People have paid fines because they’ve been partying and I fear that has to apply to Downing Street as well as to everybody else. And I would hope and expect that the Metropolitan Police will take that on board.” More

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    Rail fares to rise by 3.8% next year amid cost of living crisis

    Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of hitting hard-pressed families with “brutal” train ticket price hikes after announcing that rail fares will rise by 3.8 per cent from March 2022.The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed on Friday that rail companies will be allowed to raise prices, despite Britain’s mounting cost of living crisis.The steepest increase since 2013 comes as the cost of fuel, clothing and food continue to soar, with changes to the energy price cap expected to increase gas and electricity bills in April.Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said capping rail fares in line with inflation by tying it to the Retail Price Index (RPI) seen in July “strikes a fair balance”.He claimed the increase would mean “we can continue to invest records amounts into a more modern, reliable railway, ease the burden on taxpayers and protect passengers from the highest RPI in years”.But Labour accused the government of allowing “brutal” price hikes many would struggle to afford and leave commuters wondering “what planet ministers are on”.The average commuter now faces paying £3,263 for their season ticket next year – 49 per cent more than in 2010, according to the party’s analysis.Louise Haigh, shadow transport secretary, said: “This brutal Tory fare hike will be a nightmare before Christmas for millions of passengers.”The Labour MP added: “Families already facing soaring taxes and bills will now be clobbered with an eye-watering rise in the cost of the daily commute.”The cost of train travel normally increases on the first working day of every year – but has been pushed back until March. The increase is below the current RPI measure of inflation, which has soared to 7.1 per cent.Mr Heaton-Harris said delaying until March next year would “offer people the chance to save money by renewing their fares at last year’s price”.The minister said: “That includes the 100,000 people who are already making savings with cheaper and more convenient flexible season tickets.”Andy Bagnall, director general of industry body the Rail Delivery Group representing the train companies, welcomed the government’s decision.“We know the railway must not take more than its fair share from the taxpayer – which is why the rail industry is working to create a financially sustainable and more passenger-focused service that will both keep costs down long-term and attract people back to the train,” said Mr Bagnall.The DfT also announced the Book with Confidence scheme will be extended until 31 March. This allows passengers to change their travel plans up until the night before departure, or cancel their tickets and receive a refund in the form of rail vouchers. More

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    Jubilant Lib Dems claim they have ‘burst Boris’s bubble’ in North Shropshire

    North Shropshire by-election victor Helen Morgan today declared that Liberal Democrats are literally “bursting Boris’s bubble” by popping a giant blue balloon at the scene of the dramatic Tory defeat.Hours after being confirmed as the first non-Conservative MP for the area for almost 200 years, Ms Morgan was joined by Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper and ex-leader Tim Farron to celebrate the historic result in Oswestry.Wielding a large yellow pin, she burst the balloon marked “Boris bubble” to cheers from local activists.Mr Farron said that “millions of people have woken up this morning feeling a bit of light has broken into the darkness” thanks to the shock result.“It turns out that if you are incompetent, it turns out if you tell lies, it turns out that if you take the people for granted, there is a price to pay,” he said.“Democracy and justice is alive and well in Britain and the people of North Shropshire have spoken for the whole of Britain.”Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey was unable to attend the rally as he is isolating at home after testing positive for coronavirus.Mr Farron said that the communities of rural areas like Shropshire had been “taken for granted by the Conservatives for so long”.“It’s not just the communities in places like North Shropshire, Cornwall, Northumberland, Cumbria, elsewhere around the country that have been taken for granted,” he said.“It’s the people who live there who have been taken for granted. So you’re a farmer, you’ve seen your payments cut, and the Tories think you’re just going to vote for them anyway. Or you’re somebody concerned about your health service being taken away, closed down, moved further already away from you. Or you’re somebody whose expenses are going up, your costs are going up and your income is not rising with it. You are being and have been taken for granted.“And the assumption from the Conservatives is that they can just behave how they have done – especially these last few weeks – and no-one will punish them for it.“The result in North Shropshire shows the people of North Shropshire speaking for the people of Britain and saying ‘Enough is enough. We will not be taken for granted and things can be better than this’.” More

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    Department for Education chief paid £278,000 to leave after exams fiasco

    The former top Department for Education (DfE) civil servant received a payout of nearly £278,000 to quit his post in the wake of last year’s exam grade fiasco, it has emerged.Jonathan Slater was ousted as permanent secretary after Boris Johnson demanded “fresh official leadership” in August 2020.He had just months left in the £165,000-a-year role when the DfE said he agreed to step down. Official department documents have now revealed Mr Slater was paid £277,780 “for loss of office”.He took home as much as £380,000 in the last financial year, including the severance payment, salary and pension benefits, the annual report and accounts show.His departure from the DfE sparked outrage last year, with Boris Johnson accused of “throwing civil service leaders under a bus” as Mr Slater joined a list of officials to be removed. Less than two weeks after the A-level exam fiasco, the government said in a statement: “The prime minister has concluded that there is a need for fresh official leadership at the Department for Education. “Jonathan Slater has therefore agreed that he will stand down on 1 September, in advance of the end of his tenure in Spring 2021.”Earlier that month, the DfE had come under fire for its system for working out exam grades – which initially relied on an algorithm – after exams were cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. After tens of thousands of A-level grades were downgraded in moderation, the government U-turned and allowed students to take higher grades predicted by their teachers. Mr Slater told Schools Week he first heard about his departure after an enquiry from a journalist for The Times. “One of the advantages of the prime minister having had enough of me is I have more time with the family,” he said earlier this year. Mr Slater and the DfE have been approached for comment. More

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    ‘The end of a one-party state’: Inside North Shropshire by-election count that saw historic Tory defeat

    Lib Dem activists have a phrase for the way they attack by-election campaigns where they sense an improbable victory: shock and awe.At 4am on Friday morning in the Shrewsbury Sports Village, it felt entirely appropriate: their Conservative opponents here were utterly dazed.In what will rank as one of the most stunning by-election results ever, the yellow rosette party overturned a 23,000 Tory majority in North Shropshire to steal this supposed safest of rural blue heartlands.After a campaign in which they flooded the area with activists – in which leader Ed Davey visited five times, no less – Helen Morgan was announced as the area’s new MP with some 5,925 more votes than Tory rival Neil Shastri-Hurst.It wasn’t just a victory, as the party’s treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine noted, it was a “comfortable” one. More to the point, it was historic: Friday is the first day this area has not had a blue MP in more than a century.“Tonight, the people of North Shropshire have spoken on behalf of the British people,” said Morgan in her victory speech. “They have said loudly and clearly: ‘Boris Johnson, the party is over’.”This was not, as it turned out, a speech that was five minutes of platitudes. The 46-year-old used her first platform as a parliamentarian to go firmly on the attack. She spoke of an NHS “teetering” on the brink; of local people struggling to make ends meet; and of a prime minister more interested in decorating his flat than the good of the country. It was yet more shock and awe.“Your government, run on lies and bluster, will be held accountable,” she said. “It will be scrutinised, it will be challenged and it can and will be defeated… Mr Johnson you are no leader.”Voters here, she concluded, had been left “dismayed by Boris Johnson’s lack of decency”.In the end – astonishing as it may seem – the yellow victory was never really in doubt from the moment polls closed at 10pm on Thursday.A flurry of rumours around midnight suggested a better-than-expected showing for Labour candidate Ben Wood could deny Morgan a famous result and help the Tories retain the seat.But, as the evening progressed, it became increasingly clear that anger over perceived Downing Street sleaze and misconduct had coalesced around the yellow vote. In particular, it was noted early on, the Lib Dems appeared to have taken large numbers of postal ballots – most of which would have been cast long before last week’s revelations of a lockdown-breaking Downing Street Christmas party caused widespread public fury.“Once you factor in that anger to the remaining votes,” said David Vasmer, leader of the Lib Dems on Shropshire Council around 1am, “the numbers could be really good”.When his prediction ultimately came true – the swing was an astonishing 34 per cent; even bigger than that in Chesham and Amersham in June – he could hardly hide his excitement.“Ecstatic,” he said. “Over the moon. To end 200 years of Tory dominance is the most wonderful thing. Whatever happens now, they will never take the people of North Shropshire for granted again.”How would he celebrate? It was gone 4am, he noted. He was going home to bed.So, too, were those shell-shocked Tories. There had been party briefings all day that they might lose but no-one thought it would be this bad. A devastated-looking Shastri-Hurst headed straight for the door after the results were announced, stopping only when a media scrum made it all but impossible for him to escape without comment.A “disappointing” result, he said, but he was “proud” of the campaign. Was Boris Johnson to blame for the defeat? He declined to offer a yes or a no. So, too, did Edward Timpson, the Tory MP for nearby Eddisbury. “We have to reflect on what we have been told on the doorstep,” he told The Independent. He was slouched and gloomy, and clutching a coffee that, frankly, didn’t look strong enough.Vince Hunt, the Tory chair of Shropshire Council, was less diplomatic. “He [Boris] has to sit down and have a long hard think about his future,” he declared. It was an early call for a possible leadership change – but it seems probable many more will follow in the days to come.Not, Hunt said, that Boris was solely to blame. Who else? “The media!” he declared. “Too much focus on the negatives of what happened a year ago and not enough focus on what has gone right, on how the government has got a lot of things right in this pandemic.”It was, as one might say, a view point.Yet, perhaps, ultimately, it is too simplistic to see this as a simple referendum on the prime minister or the government or even the wide range of local issues – ambulance waiting times; poor transport links – that were continually raised on the doorstep during this campaign.Perhaps this was about wider voting trends, as Green Party candidate Duncan Kerr noted with 3am astuteness. Perhaps what happened here was something similar to the decimation of the old Red Wall in 2019. “North Shropshire has been more or less a one-party state ,so to have that broken is marvellous,” he said, all smiles, despite a relatively poor poll showing himself. “It shows that politics is changing. People here – and across the country – have voted the same way for generations because of tradition or history or fear of the unknown. Now those days are gone. They have broken the habit of voting Conservative here and I think that will stay broken now.” More