The decline in Conservative support registered in Wakefield (down 17.3 points) and in Tiverton & Honiton (down 21.7 points) was bad enough. But the results also raise the spectre that Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters have become more willing to vote for whichever party seems best able locally to defeat the Conservatives. In Tiverton & Honiton, where there was a past tradition of substantial support for the party, the Liberal Democrat vote increased by no fewer than 38.1 points — making it the third highest increase in Liberal Democrat support in a by-election held in a Tory seat. Labour’s vote by contrast fell by 15.8 points, leaving the party nursing a lost deposit. SponsoredThe decline in the Labour vote was greater than the 14.4-point majority

Source: The Times June 24, 2022 20:14 UTC