The Liberal Democrats secured a stunning byelection victory to unseat Zac Goldsmith by convincing up to a third of leave-supporting Tory voters to switch to the party, Tim Farron has claimed, adding that the outcome could change the direction of British politics.
The Lib Dems overturned a 23,000 majority on Thursday to remove the former Conservative MP in a vote that became a de facto plebiscite on the government’s Brexit plans.
Sarah Olney, the winning candidate, took just under 50% of the entire vote to record a majority of 1,872. Large numbers of local Labour voters backed her, with the Labour candidate, Christian Wolmar, losing his deposit.
Richmond Park byelection results
Sarah Olney (LD) 20,510 (49.68%, +30.41%)
Zac Goldsmith (Ind) 18,638 (45.15%)
Christian Wolmar (Lab) 1,515 (3.67%, -8.68%)
Howling Laud Hope (Loony) 184 (0.45%)
Fiona Syms (Ind) 173 (0.42%)
Dominic Stockford (CPA) 164 (0.40%)
Maharaja Jammu and Kashmir (Love) 67 (0.16%)
David Powell (ND) 32 (0.08%)
LD maj 1,872 (4.53%)
Electorate 77,243; Turnout 41,283 (53.45%, -23.01%)
Speaking alongside Olney in the south-west London constituency on Friday morning, Farron was cautiously optimistic about the Lib Dems’ chances in a general election but said: “This result might change the direction of British politics. It’s about momentum.”
The party leader added: “If I tell you that nearly a third of Tory voters from the last election who voted leave in June voted Liberal Democrat yesterday, you will see that this is not just about a remain versus leave rerun, it’s about people trying to say to Theresa May: we do not like the extreme version of Brexit outside the single market you are taking us down.”
Olney, a local accountant who only became involved in politics a year ago, took to the stage at the announcement of her victory in the early hours of Friday to say voters had “sent a shockwave through this Conservative Brexit government”.
She added: “And our message is clear: we do not want a hard Brexit. We do not want to pull out of the single market. We will not let intolerance, division and fear win.”
Olney won 20,510 votes, up 30.4% on the party’s 2015 result, against 18,638 for Goldsmith. She is the Lib Dems’ ninth MP in this parliament, and the only female Lib Dem MP.
Goldsmith, who had held the seat since taking it from the Lib Dems in 2010, had resigned in protest against the government’s decision to back a third runway at Heathrow, instead standing as an independent candidate in a byelection he argued should be seen as a gauge of local opinion on airport expansion.
But the Lib Dems based the debate around Brexit, arguing that one of the most strongly pro-remain constituencies in the country should have a say on being represented by an MP who supported leave, albeit quietly.
Olney insisted the impetus for this had come from voters. She told the Guardian: “It wasn’t a conscious choice in that respect; it was us responding to what constituents were talking about. And we’ve always been a pro-European party. We were the united remain party.”
Farron said: “This was a remarkable, come-from-nowhere upset that will terrify the Conservatives … If this was a general election, this swing would mean the Conservatives would lose dozens of seats to the Liberal Democrats – and their majority with it.”
He added: “We are carrying the torch for all of those who want a real opposition to this Conservative Brexit government.”
Speaking at the declaration to cheers from her team, Olney said she had become alarmed at the post-Brexit political mood. “Richmond Park was full of people like me, who felt the country was going wrong, that the politics of anger and division were on the rise, that the liberal, tolerant values we took for granted were under threat,” she said.
“Today we have said no. We will defend the Britain we love. We will stand up for the open, tolerant Britain we believe in.”
A notably subdued Goldsmith thanked his team and insisted: “This byelection was not a political calculation. It was a promise that I made and it was a promise that I kept.”
A Conservative spokesman praised Goldsmith as a “popular figure” in the party, but added: “This result doesn’t change anything. The government remains committed to leaving the European Union and triggering article 50 by the end of March next year.
“In addition, we will continue to take decisive action in the national interest to secure the UK’s place in the world – supporting a third runway at Heathrow to secure jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond.”
In one of the more unusual and closely contested byelections of recent years, the Conservatives, Greens and Ukip stepped aside entirely. The Tories decided to not oppose Goldsmith, Ukip backed him and the Greens threw their support behind Olney, as did the Women’s Equality party.
Goldsmith, the defeated Conservative candidate this year for London mayor, campaigned entirely on local issues, particularly fears that the planned new runway for Heathrow would bring more plane noise to the south-west London constituency.
The Lib Dems poured huge resources into the seat. There were several visits by Farron and other prominent Lib Dems including Nick Clegg and Paddy Ashdown.
Lib Dem sources said the party estimated it had spoken to 52% of eligible voters over the course of the campaign, with activists knocking on 20,000 doors last weekend.
On the day before polling, the Lib Dems even brought in prominent remain supporter Bob Geldof to drum up support for Olney, even though the musician-turned-campaigner admitted he had never voted for the party.
While Goldsmith had proved a popular local MP, he attracted severe criticism over his tactics in opposing Labour’s mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan, who eventually won. A number of critics said Goldsmith’s repeated suggestions that Khan, a Muslim, had links to Islamist militancy amounted to racism. Goldsmith has stood by his tactics.
Wolmar used his speech to say a number of voters had told him they disliked Goldsmith’s “ghastly, disgusting” mayoral campaign, prompting shouts of “hear, hear” in the hall.
Olney said she found Labour voters had particularly objected to Goldsmith’s mayoral campaign methods: “Interestingly, that came up more among the Labour voters, who really objected to the mayoral campaign.”
The byelection has been seen as a test bed for the much-mooted idea of a progressive alliance to defeat the Conservatives in future general elections. Expounded most clearly by the joint leader of the Green party Caroline Lucas, it has won some limited support among a few Labour and Lib Dem MPs.
However, some local Greens were not keen and criticised the party for deciding not to field a candidate.
Olney praised the Greens for standing aside, and said such arrangements could be necessary in future unless proportional representation were introduced. “Once we have that, voters will be free to express a more nuanced range of opinions,” she said. “At the moment it’s so tribal.”
For now, Olney said, she had to learn her new job very quickly. “I haven’t got the faintest clue what happens now,” she said. I didn’t expect it so I haven’t really made any plans.”
On Friday morning, Farron said the victory proved the Lib Dems presented a “moderate, decent alternative” to the Conservatives and Labour.
“Byelections have a habit of not changing the government, but changing the direction of a government,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “There’s two main things that came across on the doorstep throughout the campaign and first was undoubtedly the fact that people were very concerned about the hard Brexit we were heading towards.
“The other thing that was clearly a concern to voters was they desperately wanted a moderate, decent alternative to the Tories now Labour have shuffled off the main stage and they were delighted to give the Liberal Democrats the opportunity to be just that.
“So let’s not overstate what it means, but it’s a big deal nonetheless.”
Olney had a stumbling start in her new role after an aide pulled her off-air during a radio interview. TalkRadio’s Julia Hartley-Brewer pushed the MP on her calls for a second referendum on any EU deal, suggesting the byelection ought to be rerun.
“Voters knew what they were voting for in your byelection, they knew what they were voting for in the EU referendum. Why do we think that one election should be rerun and one shouldn’t?” Hartley-Brewer asked. The MP argued that there was no clear manifesto on membership of the single market or free movement.
Hartley-Brewer replied: “Every single leading member of the remain campaign said a vote to leave the EU was a vote to leave the single market. Nothing unclear about that at all.”
Olney said nothing in response, and was then replaced by an aide who said: “I’m really sorry but Sarah has to leave now.”
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