Liberal Democrat Candidate Sarah Olney has taken the Richmond park constituency from the Conservatives in this week’s byelection, securing just under 50 percent of the vote.
Sarah Olney defeated Zac Goldsmith for the seat, who had been the MP for the Richmond constituency since 2010. Mr Goldsmith had resigned in October over his opposition to the government’s approval of a third Heathrow runway. Despite his resignation from the Conservative party, whom he represented in the London Mayoral race, Mr Goldsmith ran as an independent for the byelection.
Since the June referendum, the Liberal Democrats have stood on a clear platform against Brexit, with the aim of representing the 48 percent who supported remaining with the European Union. Whilst many have suggested that the byelection result represents a blow to the government’s Brexit negotiations, London constituencies such as Richmond voted overwhelmingly for remain in the referendum and thus the backlash is not necessarily surprising. Richmond Park specifically voted 72 percent in favour of remaining within the European Union.
However, the win does represent a particularly worrying development for a struggling Labour party, which has increasingly struggled to assert itself as an effective opposition. Figures reveal that Labour voters turned out in force for Mrs Olney, in spite of a Labour candidate having been put forward for the seat. Whilst the majority of Labour MP’s are in favour of respecting the referendum result, the party remains in disarray as it has continued to lose the support of the working class that it has traditionally sought to represent. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott recently argued that with regards to immigration, the party:
“…can’t fight and win an election in 2020 as Ukip-lite. The idea that moving right on immigration in post-industrial Britain will save us seats is I think misconceived,”.