Tories Should Be Worried About Stretford And Urmston By-Election Result, Polling Guru Says

Tories should be “worried” after a fresh by-election showed a swing away from them, polling expert Lord Hayward has said.

The Conservative peer said the party should “clearly” be concerned after Labour held the Stretford and Urmston seat on Thursday night.

It was Labour’s second by-election victory in just two weeks.

Andrew Western, leader of Trafford Council, retained the Greater Manchester constituency with a majority of nearly 10,000.

He won the safe Labour seat by securing 69.65% of the votes, up 9.34% on the snap general election three years ago, and with a 10.5% swing from Conservatives to Labour.

But the turnout was just 25.8% on a freezing cold day in south Manchester, with temperatures dipping to minus six centigrade, before polls closed.

Asked if the Tories should be worried, Hayward told Sky News: “Clearly they should be. But this is one of those results where the result itself is no surprise.

“Each of the parties can say ‘well it was good for us’. Labour got to 70% and that’s a very challenging figure.

“The Conservatives went down by 12%, which is actually less than the opinion polls were indicating.

“And there’s a smaller swing than two weeks ago at the Chester by-election. So it’s disappointing - but not bad - for the Conservatives, pleasing for the Labour Party.”

The contest was triggered after former Labour frontbencher Kate Green stepped down to become Greater Manchester deputy mayor.

In a speech after he won, Western said: “The Tories have given up on governing and it is increasingly clear that the British people are giving up on them.

“Labour stands ready to deliver for our country and only Labour has a plan for working people and to create a fairer, greener, future.

“It is clear from this result tonight, and indeed the result two weeks ago in Chester, that people are ready for a Labour government, and let the message go out tonight that Labour are ready to govern.”