LibDem
surge leaves Labour in fourth
Battered
Labour left reeling, desperate Tories cling on by
their fingertips in Howard’s back yard
Lib
Dems Celebrate Good Omens as Labour Face Meltdown
In Rural South-East After Coming Fourth Behind UKIP
in North Nailbourne
By
Alex Perkins,
Liberal Democrat Canterbury City Council Leader
The sleepy rural villages of Bridge & Bekesbourne,
just over the border from Michael Howard’s Folkestone
constituency, served up a salutary lesson to both
the Labour and Conservative hierarchies this week.
The supposedly safe Tory seat of
North Nailbourne
stubbornly refused to acknowledge any form
of “Howard factor” as the once
Tory stronghold, five minutes from the Conservative
leader’s own constituency, was very nearly lost
to the Liberal Democrats' Janet
Horsley. The Liberal Democrats already easily
took control of the Shepway District Council in the
Conservative Party Leader’s Constituency last
May.
It was an even worse night for the Labour
Party, however. Their candidate trailed
in fourth – behind the UK Independence
Party! The result is rumoured to be Labour’s
worst ever in Kent. Their candidate, Paul Todd got
just 21 votes.
The Conservatives poor showing, in a normally safe
rural Tory seat so close to Michael Howard’s
vulnerable Folkestone constituency, would seem to
show the failure of Michael Howard to bring
any improvement to Tory fortunes. The Liberal
Democrats capture of his local council last May is
seen as highly significant, and there are likely to
be a few furrowed brows at Conservative Central office.
The pretty rural village of Bridge, at the heart
of the garden of England, has never returned anything
other than a Conservative member to neighbouring LibDem
run Canterbury City Council. Yet former local parish
council leader John Anderson struggled to make an
impact as the Conservative majority was cut to just
66 votes. His Liberal Democrat challenger Janet Horsley
who polled 45% of the vote was delighted to have pushed
her Tory opponent so hard. “The Conservatives
had been boasting that the new confidence in Michael
Howard’s leadership would give them victory
here by a factor of eight to one – they were
mistaken!” said Janet.
Labour, who attracted less than 2% of the
vote remain tight lipped about their continued
recent unpopularity across the region.
Result – North Nailbourne By-election for
Canterbury City Council on 22-1-04
(Vacancy caused by incumbent Conservative member’s
bankruptcy)
Con 544 (51%)
LibDem 478 (45%)
UKIP 26 (2.5%)
Labour 21 (2%)
(Con maj 66)
