THE Tories have been hit with a big loss in a local council by-election where Michael Gove is the MP.
As the Tories suffer a relentless barrage of scandals following Boris Johnson's partygate fine, voters in the traditionally Tory area of Bisley and West End (Surrey Heath) have turned away from the Conservative party.
The Liberal Democrats managed to win almost twice as many votes as the Tories in what Gove will be hoping is not a forecast of things to come for his party in the upcoming May elections.
Bisley and West End (Surrey Heath) council by-election result:
— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) April 14, 2022
LDEM: 66.0% (+48.8)
CON: 34.0% (-0.8)
No Ind (-31.8), UKIP (-9.3) and Lab (-6.9) as prev.
Votes cast: 1,948
Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative.
One Twitter user wrote: “Having lived in this area for a number of years and knowing how true blue it was, take it from me, this is a colossal result”
While the turnout for the election was relatively low, Tories may fear that an election result like this -and those coming up in May – could be seen by voters as an opportunity to voice their anger over the partygate scandal and the controversial Rwanda asylum scheme.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon to launch SNP campaign bus tour of Scotland
Local Council elections will be held across Scotland and the rest of the UK on May 5.
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