LibDems Celebrate Sensational By-Election Results

11.49.07am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 23rd Jul 2004

The Liberal Democrats are celebrating the election of their 55th Member of Parliament, Parjit Singh Gill. A similar swing would see the Liberal Democrats win Orpington.

Liberal Democrats across Bromley borough are celebrating the sensational by election results in Leicester and Birmingham that show the Liberal Democrats gaining from both the Conservatives and Labour parties.

Top of the national list of winnable seats for the Liberal Democrats is Orpington, which would have return a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament with a huge majority if similar swings were seen locally.

"The results in the Leicester South and Birmingham Hodge Hill Parliamentary by-elections reflect the feelings we are experiencing on the doorstep in Orpington and the rest of Bromley," said Chris Maines, Leader of the local Liberal Democrats.

Bromley's three Conservative M.Ps. were dispatched to Leicester, where their Party's vote collapse to the Liberal Democrats. A red-faced John Horam MP described the 3.4% decline in the Conservative share of the vote as doing "quite well". Mr Horam has a majority of 269.

"They would have seen very similar streets to here in Orpington and voters expressing the same disillusionment with the Conservative party." says Cllr Maines.

"People in Orpington are hurt that Labour has broken so many promises," says, Chris Maines "Above all the public don't feel Tony Blair can be trusted. It's a sign of the times, though, that they didn't trust the Conservatives either.

"As the Tories are the 'official opposition', they should have been the obvious choice for those disillusioned with the so-called Government, but they weren't.

"The Tories were never even in the race. It's an extraordinary reflection of how much Michael Howard's party is in decline that their popularity is falling and they finished with two poor third places."

"Leicester is not, as the Conservatives are trying to make out, a 'difficult' inner city seats: the Tories held it under Thatcher, and they made huge efforts to win.

"The people of Leicester voted Liberal Democrat because of interest in Liberal Democrat policies, as well as disillusionment with Labour.

"People in Leicester supported Liberal Democrat plans to axe the council tax.

"People in Leicester supported Liberal Democrat plans to scrap tuition and top up fees for students."