Conservative Candidate Flees As Labour Captures Tory Stronghold Tamworth

ITV News captured the moment that devastated Conservative Party candidate Andrew Cooper ran for the door on Friday morning as his Labour counterpart, Sarah Edwards, began her victory speech in Tamworth.

Labour achieved a groundbreaking by-election victory over the Tories in Tamworth, taking the seat in what is the biggest swing in post-war history in what is being seen as a shift indicative of change in voter sentiment.

The party also took the Mid Bedfordshire seat for the first time, overturning the biggest majority in British by-election history.

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it.”

The confidence of the Tories was underlined in videos uploaded to social media by Cooper’s wife:

Nadine Dorries, who secured her Mid Bedfordshire seat in 2019 with a majority of 24,664, saw her party’s stronghold crumble; the Conservatives had held Mid Bedfordshire since 1931.

Meanwhile, in Tamworth, where the Conservatives were defending a 19,634 majority, Labour’s Edwards triumphed by a margin of 1,316 votes. In a speech given after her “made it clear it’s time for change”.

On his Political Currency podcast, former Conservative chancellor George Osborne said the outcome was a sign of impending doom for the Conservatives, suggesting the record defeats could herald “armageddon” for the party.

With these significant losses, the Tories are reeling, and the twin defeats serve as a substantial blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, positioning Labour for potential success in the upcoming general election.