Activists' gloom over by-election

Dennis Skinner


The sun may have been shining outside but there was a distinct air of gloom about Blackpool's Winter Gardens as Labour activists digested Thursday night's shock by-election defeat.

Veteran left-winger Dennis Skinner described the loss of Dunfermline and West Fife to the Liberal Democrats by 1,800 votes - overturning an 11,500 Labour majority - as the biggest by-election upset he had ever witnessed.

The Labour party had simply not seen it coming.

"It was the silent revolution," said Mr Skinner. "I made over 300 calls on the phone in the constituency and nobody mentioned the Liberal Democrats."

Mr Skinner's theory is "that people were voting for Menzies Campbell", who represents a neighbouring seat.

But he conceded the Lib Dems had been "quietly cultivating" the seat.

'Difficult seat'

There were dark mutterings from others about Liberal Democrat tactics, with the party accused of campaigning while Labour's Rachel Squire - whose death triggered the contest - was on her death bed.

"It was a bad result," said Nick Forbes, who as deputy Labour leader on Lib Dem-controlled Newcastle council knows what it feels like to lose to the third party.

He said Dunfermline and West Fife was "a difficult seat, in terms of not being a traditional Labour seat".

But he said lessons had to be learned ahead of the local elections.

"It means we have got to redouble our efforts in the May elections."

BBC News