Lib Dems winners of by-elections Super Thursday, sweeping the board in once true blue Surrey as Conservative council tries to delay elections again

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

• Party wins 7 out of 10 council by-elections this week, including all 6 out of 6 in Surrey.
• Wins include Caterham in East Surrey constituency, held by Claire Coutinho, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, as Ed Davey says “what remains of the Blue Wall is crumbling away.”
• ⁠Lib Dems also gain from Labour in Preston, beating Reform to the win.
• ⁠Conservatives in Surrey looking to delay elections again in bid to remain in power for another year.

The Liberal Democrats have won the most by-elections on what has been dubbed ‘Super Thursday’, winning 7 out of the 10 council seats up. The wins came in Surrey but also in Preston, Lancashire, where the party gained from Labour, beating Reform to the win.

The party’s gains include Camberley in Surrey, which Ed Davey visited last week. It is in Surrey Heath constituency, won by the Liberal Democrats in the General Election, previously held by Michael Gove.

The party won in Caterham, in the East Surrey constituency, held by Shadow Cabinet member Claire Coutinho.

Last night it emerged that the Conservative administration at Surrey County Council was attempting to delay the elections by another year, reported by the Times. The Liberal Democrats labelled the news “a disgraceful stitch up between Labour and the Conservatives”, adding that “Tory-run councils are running scared and denying voters a chance to kick them out of office”.

These results show the Liberal Democrats are on track to win the new East and West unitary councils, ending 50 years of Conservative failure in Surrey. The people of Surrey are more and more fed up with Conservative debt, pothole-plagued roads, and failing children's services.

Leader Ed Davey said that “what remains of the Blue Wall is crumbling away.”

But the Liberal Democrats’ wins weren’t just against the Conservatives. The party gained from the Greens in nearby Spelthorne.

The party also beat Reform to gain a seat from Labour in Preston.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“What remains of the Blue Wall is crumbling away. People across Surrey and beyond have voted for true community champions who will put them first.

“The Liberal Democrats are winning against the Conservatives, but also Labour, Reform and the Greens.

“These results show that the public have not forgiven the Conservatives for the mess they left the country in. Former Conservative voters feel abandoned by Kemi Badenoch’s lurch to the right, mimicking Farage instead of standing up for true British values. The Conservatives are on their way out in councils across the country.”

On reports that elections may be delayed again, he added:

“This is a disgraceful stitch up between Labour and the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats made sweeping gains against the Conservatives in Surrey, Hampshire and across the Blue Wall at the General Election, and now they are running scared and denying voters a chance to kick them out of office.”

On the gain in Preston, he said:

“Labour isn’t listening. People are feeling frustrated and disappointed that the Labour government has failed to deliver the change they promised. After years of Conservative chaos and neglect, people want to see far more urgency and ambition from this government.”

ENDS