Labour have won the Selby and Ainsty by-election after toppling one of the safest Tory seats in the country.
On a night where three crunch by-elections were held, Keir Mather defeated his Conservative opponent Claire Holmes by 4,161 votes to become the constituency’s first ever Labour MP.
Elsewhere, the Conservatives narrowly beat Labour to retain Boris Johnson’s former Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat following a bitter by-election campaign.
But in another blow to Rishi Sunak, the Lib Dems pulled off a stunning victory in the previously safe Tory seat of Somerton and Frome – wiping out a huge majority of 19,213.
Despite the Conservatives avoiding a three-nil defeat, the swing in the vote went away from the Tories in every seat.
But it’s the Selby and Ainsty by-election that will be seen as the most significant.
The ballot was held following the resignation of Nigel Adams, who retained the seat at the 2019 election with a majority of 20,137.
It is the biggest majority that Labour have ever overturned in a by-election. The previous best was was 14,654 in Mid Staffordshire in 1990.
Mather received 16,456 votes to Holmes’ 12,295, with Lib Dem candidate Matt Walker coming third with 1,188 votes. It represents a huge 23.7% swing away from the Tories.
The result is another massive blow for Sunak and is a further indication that Keir Starmer is on course to be the next prime minister.
Starmer said: “This is a historic result that shows that people are looking at Labour and seeing a changed party that is focused entirely on the priorities of working people with an ambitious, practical plan to deliver.
“Keir Mather will be a fantastic MP who will deliver the fresh start Selby and Ainsty deserves.
“It is clear just how powerful the demand for change is. Voters put their trust in us — many for the first time. After 13 years of Tory chaos, only Labour can give the country its hope, its optimism and its future back.”
