Tories lose both by-elections.

MawtheMerrier

Thank goodness!
If there is one thing the Tory grandees don’t like it’s a loser and I have heard the view expressed in those quarters that Boris may be a loose cannon but he got things through (Brexit, GE etc)
If at last they wake up and realise that he is walking disaster even for them they might stop turning a blind eye to the swamp that is Downing Street.
Disappointed at the % poll in Wakefield though. It is apathy which lets wrongdoing go unremarked.

"Boris" cannot rest forever on his laurels - getting Brexit 'done' (is it?) and the vaccine rollout. No politician can.

The looming trade war with Europe - I assume he thinks it will garner support from the anti-EU cohort - is simply not what's needed at the moment.

I think people's (both Brexiters and Remainers) main concern at the moment is inflation and the effect it's having, and going to have later is what they are more concerned with. And that's what he should be addressing. But in typical Johnson fashion, he's focusing on trying to shore up support for himself.

If he manages to persuade enough people to vote for him to stay in power, I don't think he gives a tinker's cuss what happens to the average 'man in the street'. I don't believe he ever has, or ever will. His ambition (it will take a 'flame thrower' to get him out of number 10, allegedly) is to stay in power for as long as possible. Johnson's focus, is on Johnson. People, events, issues - whatever - are all vehicles to him - just a means to get to the end.

I'm not even surprised by the voting result. People have had enough. It isn't just about Partygate either. It's a mixture of voter apathy, those who will not vote for the party whilst he is still in charge, and the fact that many people have had enough of his mantras, slogans, u-turns and policies which have done nothing to improve their lives. Not to mention some of the problems that Brexit has thrown up, which he and his government 'answer' by blaming the EU.

I'm still not convinced hat he won't pull something out of the hat to appeal to his supporters and those that are wavering... and some people don't give a fig either about the nation as a whole, they're just focused on their own animosity to the EU, immigrants, and 'woke lefties', and if he intimates he might 'stick it to them', it could go down well.

Wether Johnson wants to stay or not it’s not going to be his choice, his own senior MPs will decide for him he’s finished. When he gets back from Rwanda there will be a lot of pressure to go now, around 20 changing sides at the vote of confidence would have sunk him, now it’s pretty certain.

And, as the UK grapples with essential costs, and food banks increase daily, Johnson shows us, yet again, that "we are all in this cost of living struggle together, and he understands our pain".

"Boris Johnson wanted to build a £150,000 treehouse fitted with bulletproof glass for his son at Chequers but was forced to scrap the plan after 'police raised security fears', it has emerged.

The Prime Minister reportedly wanted to use money from Conservative donor Lord Brownlow to build the luxurious playhouse for his son Wilf.

Even though No 10 aides warned Johnson it would cost more than buying a house in some parts of the country, the project was only scrapped when the PM's close protection officers suggested it could be a security risk as the treehouse might be visible from the road.

There were also reportedly worries about whether such a large donation would be seen as a conflict of interest, especially considering Brownlow's involvement in the scandal of Johnson's Downing St flat refurbishment.

Lord Brownlow provided more than £52,000 to cover some of the costs of Boris Johnson's lavish renovations to his Downing Street residence, according to party accounts."

Unbelievable..?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10951425/Boris-Johnson-planned-150-000-treehouse-son-Wilf-Chequers-forced-scrap-idea.html

Unfortunately there is so much controversy surrounding this discredited PM that it's becoming too much to process - it's alarming that I now just give a shrug and think, what's new.

He's a joke, as is his Cabinet.

Pre the by-election results he was waffling the usual about what his government had achieved and said, we've just opened Crossrail the Elizabeth Line in London at a cost of so many billions, and quickly realising how that would look elsewhere went on to say, and we're going to be doing the 'Northern Powerhouse Line'.

Presumably he just made up the last bit!

DiamondLily

And, as the UK grapples with essential costs, and food banks increase daily, Johnson shows us, yet again, that "we are all in this cost of living struggle together, and he understands our pain".

"Boris Johnson wanted to build a £150,000 treehouse fitted with bulletproof glass for his son at Chequers but was forced to scrap the plan after 'police raised security fears', it has emerged.

The Prime Minister reportedly wanted to use money from Conservative donor Lord Brownlow to build the luxurious playhouse for his son Wilf.

Even though No 10 aides warned Johnson it would cost more than buying a house in some parts of the country, the project was only scrapped when the PM's close protection officers suggested it could be a security risk as the treehouse might be visible from the road.

There were also reportedly worries about whether such a large donation would be seen as a conflict of interest, especially considering Brownlow's involvement in the scandal of Johnson's Downing St flat refurbishment.

Lord Brownlow provided more than £52,000 to cover some of the costs of Boris Johnson's lavish renovations to his Downing Street residence, according to party accounts."

Unbelievable..?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10951425/Boris-Johnson-planned-150-000-treehouse-son-Wilf-Chequers-forced-scrap-idea.html

Apart from the obvious 'conflict of interest' issue, I think Johnson is confusing his detractors with those in the USA who feel they should arm themselves against what they see as an oppressive government (many regard taxation as 'oppression')... having taken Washington's words too literally in 1790.

There are always exceptions, but we tend not to shoot our unpopular politicians (nor their families) - however much we dislike them.

We 'boo' them instead.

Katie59

With a new leader Tiverton will return to Tory at the next GE don’t doubt that, but a lot of marginal seats will be lost. It’s going to be tricky choosing a leader that will retain his/her seat next time. Theresa May would be a good choice but after last time wouldn’t want it again I’m sure, would any Gransnetters, like to propose their MP as a candidate, mine is tainted.

Your opinion is interesting, of course, but it is simply your view without giving us facts or any obvious underlying knowledge to substantiate it.

Tiverton and Honiton was the greatest by-election victory in history. This is not just repeating the past.

For Keir Starmer, he has just won the first by-election victory for the Labour since 2012. He is showing he is turning the huge losses, at the 2019 election, around. That is moving on from the past.

The population of both shows they are prepared to vote tactically to remove this lying, undemocratic government from our country.

I hope that all Conservatives are as complacent as you appear to be about this reflection of the "will of the people". It will make it so much easier to get rid of them.

When Parish resigned, I expected a new Tory to be returned with a reduced majority, having 24000 overturned stunned everyone including Dowding who resigned. The conservatives in Devon gave a big thumbs down to the Johnson government, it’s not about policies it’s about behavior and integrity, they are disgusted that a UK PM can behave this way.

I did not vote Tory at the last election, I wasted my vote (secure seat) in protest at Johnson, my contribution to democracy LOL.

As for Starmer he has got to do a great deal more to win an outright majority, currently I don’t think he can, with a decent leader the Tories can recover, it’s 2 years to the next GE and that’s a very long time in politics.

The knives are out for Boris. This is certainly death by a thousand cuts. I think it’s an orchestrated assembly of Remainers, seizing the opportunity to displace him & usher in a softer Brexit. Not just Labour & LibDems but disenfranchised Tories too who voted to Remain.

Will it all succeed? Quite possibly. There is talk of a pact between Labour & Lib Dems in the fielding of candidates for a GE. It’s no coincidence this time around that Labour ‘got’ Wakefield and the Lib Dem’s Tiverton & Honiton. Very clever and kudos to them. Tactical voting down the line is going to be a big thing.

Plus we have a reconfiguration of the rules for the 1922 Committee coming along the track. This is a perfect storm gathering.

Many voters blame Boris for the petrol prices at the pumps, the inflated food prices resulting from a grain shortage from Ukraine. Do I think he will survive? Hmm. Not sure.

The Red Wall voters only ‘lent’ Boris their votes to Get Brexit Done and, to be honest we’ve not seen a turbo charge getting rid of quangos and unnecessary red tape yet.

Boris has an 80 seat majority and in my opinion, in many ways, he’s squandered it. He was battling on all fronts with Covid, the rush for vaccines, the war in Ukraine etc. Now? He has to let go of the barmy green levy tariff (I think, not sure, that this was brought in by Ed Milliband?), the stupid net zero - too much, too fast - thanks Carrie - and knuckle down to domestic policies. Yes Sunday is giving help but only from October. Hard working families who are struggling need help NOW ... not ‘jam tomorrow’.

Boris has talked tough but caved in over N.I. Another failure in the eyes of us Red Wall voters.

Mind you, we have to be careful now. ‘Anyone but Boris’ we might regret.

Please not Truss. Or Hunt. Nor ‘that lemon’ Keir Starmer. He’d take us back into the single market for sure. We might as well never have voted Brexit. 6 years on & very little to show for it.

C’mon Boris. Man up & get cracking. Give those who voted for you some red meat to get their teeth into. If not, sorry matey, the writing’s on the wall now.

* Sunak

Normal service is resumed...

Bet you’ve missed me. ?

When Parish resigned, I expected a new Tory to be returned with a reduced majority, having 24000 overturned stunned everyone including Dowding who resigned.

Voters have woken up to the fact that the tories won on fewer than half the votes cast in the GE and worked out that in opposing them we are stronger together. ? The two parties on the left to centrist spectrum represent more voters between them than do the UKIPtories. Tactical voting is a powerful strategy proven by the Tiverton and Wakefield results. I don't think it will be forgotten.

I like lemons.

Good to have you back Urmstongran

I’m in total agreement MaizieD. I’d just said tactical voting is going to be the Next Big Thing.

Thank you GG13 it’s good to be allowed back.

I like ‘ice and a slice’ Casdon but prefer limes. ?

Good article this morning by Jonathan Freedland.

Results in two entirely different constituencies show that the voters have rejected Johnson’s rubbish.

That Starmer’s so called dullness is playing out very well, because he isn’t frightening the horses and can attract both Lib-dem and one time Tory voters.

Brexit will not be a factor at the next election. It will be the economy with people struggling with ever bigger fuel and food bills and a government who is intent on preventing any pay rises that in affect give a pay cut let alone keep up with inflation. I suspect too that the promised return of the triple lock will not materialise.

What a fool Johnson is.

He was gibbering about “the train drivers strike” in an interview on Sky.

The triple lock will materialise in my opinion. It shouldn’t have been removed in the first place! Silver voters might be persuaded to vote Tory because of it at a GE.

Some dozy appointee to the Lords was saying last night that Boris had to go because he'd abandoned 'one nation Conservatism' by being too influenced by the hard right in the Party!

If only.

The really good thing to come out of these elections is to show exactly what tactical voting can achieve. The majority of people in the country do not and have never voted Tory. In the absence of some sort of PR, tactical voting will show a truer picture of the sort of government people really want.

The conservatives in Devon gave a big thumbs down to the Johnson government, it’s not about policies it’s about behavior and integrity, they are disgusted that a UK PM can behave this way.
That's it exactly it DaisyAnne. We can't have people standing up in parliament making speeches about this or that when the fools themselves are up to no good. No one is going to listen to them.

Oops Katie59 sorry.

What are the bets on a Labour/LD/Green pact at the next GE, distributing candidates so as not to split the anti-Tory vote, with promises of a coalition afterwards?

RMT
@RMTunion
·
2h
Can someone please tell the man with the wallpaper made of gold that this is not a train drivers strike!