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Tom Simon, left, celebrates his win with Ed Fordham and Keith Moffitt |
Lib Dems: ‘no more Tories’
Party’s canvassing ‘machine’ clinches another by-election victory
AS raucous chants of “No More Tories in Camden” echoed around the Town Hall, the dizzy celebrations might have seemed a little cocky.
But the Liberal Democrats had reason to gloat. Threatened with losing a seat on the council, the party did what it has now done repeatedly in recent years: it triumphed at the polls. The Lib Dems have won all but one of the last seven by-elections in Camden and rivals are understandably wondering how they can possibly stop their army of faithful leafleters and canvassers.
Tom Simon was the latest to benefit from the work of the “Lib Dem machine”, winning Thursday’s by-election in Belsize by 184 votes and taking the seat on the council previously held by Chris Basson, the troubled councillor who quit earlier this year after suffering from manic depression.
“Obviously I’m delighted,” said Mr Simon, who was given a hug by his proud mum as the result was read out. “It is a tribute to the work the Lib Dems have done at the council – people are pleased with what has happened over the last few years.
“It also sends out a powerful message that it is the Lib Dems that can win here in the next council elections and at the next general election.”
The delight on the faces of the cheering Lib Dems told its own story. Winning in Belsize is the perfect result for the party to run into next year’s borough-wide elections with.
It is also a fillip for Ed Fordham, the Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, who is keen to establish himself as the best-placed opposition to Labour MP Glenda Jackson.
The Lib Dems and the Tories have a coalition agreement to run Camden until May next year. When it expires the two sides look set to turn on each other. Although an area where Labour and the Greens struggle to make an impact, Belsize is a key election battleground as it was once held by the Conservatives – they will need to win it back if they are to stand any chance of upping their stake at the Town Hall.
Tory candidate Gary Benardout enjoyed support from central office when Michael Gove, the Shadow Education Secretary, joined the campaign trail. The Lib Dems, however, are famous for flooding the streets with campaigners at by-election time and the candidates they defeat have in the past talked of their “death by 1,000 leaflets”.
Both the Lib Dems and the Conservatives insisted the campaign had been “amicable”, even though the weeks before the vote had been filled with claims and counter claims about the candidates’ local commitment and attendance on various bodies.
Conservative leader Councillor Andrew Marshall said: “We had the excellent local candidate and we got a lot of support. We increased our share of the vote, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough. Of course, we will hope that we will do better here next year.”
Result for the Belsize ward by-election
TOM SIMON (Liberal Democrat) 1,136
GARY BENARDOUT (Conservative) 952
SEAN BIRCH (Labour) 270
NAOMI APTOWITZER (Green) 109
Turnout: 29.82%. |
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