Senior Tories predict loss in Blackpool by-election as counting gets under way | Politics News
Senior Tories are predicting they will lose the Blackpool South by-election as counting gets under way.
Sources told Sky News’ political correspondent Tamara Cohen they did “not expect to hold” the seat – which they won with a 3,690 majority in 2019.
And they said the “stars could not be more aligned against us” following scandals hitting local MPs.
Follow live: Tories braced for potentially difficult night in local elections
The by-election was called after the former Conservative MP Scott Benton was caught in a sting by the Times newspaper, suggesting he was willing to break lobbying rules for money.
Former Tory MP Scott Benton. Pic: PA
As a result, he was suspended from the Commons for 35 days, meaning he was subject to a recall petition in his constituency.
But instead of facing removal from his seat, Mr Benton resigned from parliament, triggering a vote for a new MP.
In an added painful twist for the Tories, the candidate standing to replace him, David Jones, was revealed as the chairman of the Fylde Conservatives – the area represented by the latest scandal hit MP Mark Menzies.
Mr Menzies hit the headlines after claims he misused campaign funds – including by calling a member of the local association to say he was locked in a flat by “bad people” and needed £5,000 as a matter of “life and death”.
Mr Jones denied he knew anything about the incident – which was allegedly reported to the Conservative Party three months ago – until it was revealed in the media.
The by-election comes at the same time as a range of local council, mayoral, and police and crime commissioner votes across both England and Wales.
Follow our live coverage of the election results from midnight – find the full details here.
