David Warburton

varian

Brilliant result!!!!

news.sky.com/story/lib-dems-win-somerton-and-frome-by-election-after-ex-tory-mp-stood-down-following-drug-scandal-12923650

Abso-bloomin'-lutely!

Brilliant result!!!!

news.sky.com/story/lib-dems-win-somerton-and-frome-by-election-after-ex-tory-mp-stood-down-following-drug-scandal-12923650

Varian You're obviously a fellow Fromie, or is that a fellow Somerton-ite? Good to know there are other Gransneters in this area. [hello]

"Yet the Tory candidate has the cheek to describe herself as local. Her blurb proclaims that "countless" local people already know her. She says "no-one we've talked to wanted this by election". !!!!!" She clearly hasn't read the Frome FB page where everyone has been asking for a by-election for the past 15 months!

varian

There are eight candidates in the Somerton and Frome by election and all of them live in the constituency except for the Labour and Tory candidates.

Yet the Tory candidate has the cheek to describe herself as local. Her blurb proclaims that "countless" local people already know her. She says "no-one we've talked to wanted this by election". !!!!!

Perhaps if she lived in the constituency and spoke to some local people she might be told that this by election should have happened over a year ago.

We are disgusted that Warburton did not have the decency to resign when his behaviour was made public and he was suspended from the House of Commons last April.

Presumably the Tories would have preferred us to remain unrepresented until the general election.

Meanwhile, a row has broken up in the local Labour Party. The candidate who stood here for Labour in the last two elections, and is also a local councillor living in the constituency, was not even shortlisted and given no reason. He has now resigned from the Labour Party after twelve years of membership.

I'm glad to say that all the LP sympathisers I've spoken to have said they intend to support the Liberal Democrat, Sarah Dyke.

The Tory candidate sent out a 'hand-written' (i.e. printed) letter which gave her address as a pub in Wincanton. When the pub was asked about it, they said she had stayed there overnight!

varian

Have the Tories given up on Somerton and

Frome?

Today there are no Tory tellers at our local polling station - only the Liberal Democrats!

It's because the LibDems are going all out to win. I've done the telling today when a Tory one was also there and they've struggled to get people involved.

varian

Sarah Dyke lives near Wincanton and has made it clear she intends to represent her own area in the new constituency which includes Glastonbury.

This by-election is based on the existing constituency of Somerton and Frome and Sarah is very strong Lib Dem candidate with an impressive record as a councillor.

Varian - My understanding, from a Zoom meeting when Sarah was chosen as the LibDem candidate, was that she would represent the Frome end of the constituency when the boundary changes kicked in. Have I got that wrong? I do hope not, as having lived in Frome with both LibDem and Tory MPs, I know which I prefer and it definitely isn't Rees-Mogg who is the MP for the area we will be joined to.

You must be Sarah Dykes campaign manager varian.

Have the Tories given up on Somerton and

Frome?

Today there are no Tory tellers at our local polling station - only the Liberal Democrats!

The Somerton and Frome constituency has traditionally been a two-horse race - Liberal Democrats held the seat from 1997, until Warburton’s win in 2015. This time around sees councillor Sarah Dyke running for the Lib Dems, with fellow councillor Faye Purbrick on the ballot for the Conservatives, as the only candidates with a realistic chance.

A huge swing would be needed for Dyke to emerge victorious - Mr Warburton secured a majority of more than 19,000 in 2019 - but the bookies say yet another defeat is the most likely outcome for the Tories.

If this neck of the woods should follow the form of neighbouring Devon, where Lib Dem Richard Foord overturned a Tory majority of more than 24,000 in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election, it could be a worrying premonition for the party in power.

We all know what happened in 2019. Perhaps more worrying for the Tories, we all know what happened in 1997. And the famous Somerset Levels could this month provide the best indication yet of a landslide on the horizon…

www.nationalworld.com/opinion/somerton-frome-by-election-a-bellwether-for-general-election-4212397

There are eight candidates in the Somerton and Frome by election and all of them live in the constituency except for the Labour and Tory candidates.

Yet the Tory candidate has the cheek to describe herself as local. Her blurb proclaims that "countless" local people already know her. She says "no-one we've talked to wanted this by election". !!!!!

Perhaps if she lived in the constituency and spoke to some local people she might be told that this by election should have happened over a year ago.

We are disgusted that Warburton did not have the decency to resign when his behaviour was made public and he was suspended from the House of Commons last April.

Presumably the Tories would have preferred us to remain unrepresented until the general election.

Meanwhile, a row has broken up in the local Labour Party. The candidate who stood here for Labour in the last two elections, and is also a local councillor living in the constituency, was not even shortlisted and given no reason. He has now resigned from the Labour Party after twelve years of membership.

I'm glad to say that all the LP sympathisers I've spoken to have said they intend to support the Liberal Democrat, Sarah Dyke.

Well done ! The LibDems are absolutely done with the Tories.

Let's hope that everyone who wants rid of them supports Sarah in Somerton and Frome.

If I were voting in either of the other two by elections I would vote Labour.

I've postal voted Lib Dem to get the Tories out in Somerton and Frome so we might get a Labour government after 13 years of mess but I would have preferred another candidate. The LibDems are very busy - umpteen leaflets through the door - they're obviously spending. I just hope they don't go into coalition with the Tories. Yes, I know, but that's what they said last time.

varian

As a voter in Somerton and Frome, I have received several communications from the LibDem candidate Sarah Dyke and one each from four other candidtates.

Today I got a letter addressed to me by name from the Conservative candidate, who does not live in the constituency.

It starts - "I know you didn't want this by-election. Trust me, no-one did"

I do want this by-election and everyone I have spoken to has wanted this by-election for more than a year since the disgraceful David Warburton was suspended, leaving us unrepresented.

How dare this person tell me what I do or don't want. She claims that she hasn't spoken to anyone who wants this by-election. Is she just hopelessly out of touch or is this just another pack of lies from the Tories?

Perhaps she is telling the truth because she’s only spoken to known Tory voters?

As a voter in Somerton and Frome, I have received several communications from the LibDem candidate Sarah Dyke and one each from four other candidtates.

Today I got a letter addressed to me by name from the Conservative candidate, who does not live in the constituency.

It starts - "I know you didn't want this by-election. Trust me, no-one did"

I do want this by-election and everyone I have spoken to has wanted this by-election for more than a year since the disgraceful David Warburton was suspended, leaving us unrepresented.

How dare this person tell me what I do or don't want. She claims that she hasn't spoken to anyone who wants this by-election. Is she just hopelessly out of touch or is this just another pack of lies from the Tories?

After last year's election for the new unitary authority of Somerset, the Tory supporting Spectator magazine reported

"One declaration in Somerset will particularly trouble Conservative high command after the party’s expert on defeating the Liberal Democrats was himself defeated, er, by the Liberal Democrats.

For incumbent councillor Hayward Burt has been soundly beaten in the Blackmoor Vale ward for Somerset Council, losing alongside his colleague William Wallace to two Lib Dems Sarah Dyke and Nicola Clark. The two Tories gained 1,443 and 1,328 votes respectively, compared to Dyke on 1,814 and Clark on 1,590.

Burt runs the ‘Lib Dem unit’ over at CCHQ and last year ran a ‘masterclass‘ for the Conservative Women’s 5 "

Sarah Dyke lives near Wincanton and has made it clear she intends to represent her own area in the new constituency which includes Glastonbury.

This by-election is based on the existing constituency of Somerton and Frome and Sarah is very strong Lib Dem candidate with an impressive record as a councillor.

Im just a bit wary of the boundary change which will mean Milborne Port living Sarah Dyke will represent Frome but not her area which will move to the Glastonbury bit. The boundary changes will kick in the next GE presumably next year?

Probably a Lib Dem win though I don't think much of the candidate.

I think this is now expected to be a LibDem win, in spite of Warburton having a majority of over 19,000 at the last election tion.

Why do you think it would be a shock result varian, as it was previously a Lib Dem seat anyway? I’d be very surprised if they didn’t win it back.

Ed Davey has kicked off Liberal Democrat bid to win Somerton & Frome by-election

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey made his first by-election campaign visit to Somerton & Frome where he met the Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Dyke and local activists in Castle Cary.

During his visit, Ed Davey told campaigners it is "either a sleaze ridden Conservative party or the local Liberal Democrats in Somerton & Frome." Next month, people across Somerton & Frome will finally have the chance to get the representation in Westminster they deserve.

After addressing local campaigners Ed Davey headed out with Lib Dem candidate Sarah Dyke to knock on doors and listen to local people about their concerns.

The Liberal Democrats have proven to be the best challengers against the Conservative party in rural Blue Wall seats like this one. In last year's local elections the Liberal Democrats won 16 of the 26 seats in the constituency with the Party's candidate Sarah Dyke beating the head of the "Lib Dem Unit" at Conservative Headquarters.

Previous elections show it's a clear contest, with only the Liberal Democrats able to win against the Conservatives. Labour trailed in a poor third place at the last General Election, the Liberal Democrats previously held the seat from 1997 until 2010.

Sarah Dyke will be asking Labour supporters to back her and elect a local champion and send a shock result to this Conservative Government.

www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/somerset-councillor-stand-lib-dems-7076011

Thank God he's gone. Maybe we can now have a real MP.

It may also be a case of revenge being a dish best served cold.

When the news of his drug taking and other behaviour hit the news and the Conservative Whip was with drawn, he has sat for his constituency as an Independent.

In the current hiatus with three bye-elections already happening and a possible fourth pending, what better way of sticking in the knife and turning it, than deciding to resign his seat now so that the Conservatives face yet another bye-election in a seat they are very likely to lose.

maybe there is something legal going on ?