By-elections

Last Thursday there were three elections caused by Conservative MPs, including the former PM. Polls shows that Labout were likely to win 2 and the LibDems the other one. And on Friday the results came in.

The LibDems did win theirs, and Selby went to Labout in the single largest swing in UK election history.

All three results, when taken together, saw the vote share for the Conservative Party drop, on average, 23%.

But it was the result of the Uxbridge by-eection that caused most debate and most mistakes.

The Conservatives retained the seat with a majority of just over 400.

The seat they expected to lose.

Turns out that the Conservatve winner fought it on a one issue basis, that of the Ulta-low Emmission Zone to be introduced by the Labour Mayor of London.

Much Labour hand wringing about green plicies and how they affect all levels of society, and that Starmer asked the Mayor to reconsider.

But.

But the ULEZ charge was a pre-condition from the Department of Transport, lead by Minister Grant Shapps, for additional funding to save TFL after revenues plummeted during COVID.

So, the truth of the matter was, that the emmission zone expansion was a policy from the heart of Central Government, a letter from Shapps to the Mayor was widly shared on Twitter, so the Conservative candidate was campaigning against a Central Conservative policy.

Though no newspapers or the BBC news reports saw fir to mention this fact.

Instead, talking of Labour's apparentnt failure in the by-elections, rather than on the disaster that was the Tory's results.

So, while there was talk of cancelling new zero policies, the islands of Rhodes and Corfu are being evacuated due to wild fires caused by climate change. And last year a coroner directly linked traffic pollution in the death of a 5 year old girl.

But sure, let people still be able to drive dirty twenty year old diesel Range Rovers on the school run.

History will not loo kindly on us.