Commenting on Boris Johnson’s visit to North Shropshire today, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
The Prime Minister turning up in North Shropshire is nothing less than a panic visit, two weeks out from the election because he’s scared of an upset.
His visit will be seen for what it is – a cynical attempt to gloss over the fact that people are worried sick about ambulance wait times and feel taken for granted.
The people of North Shropshire are ready to send a message to Johnson’s government: their local health services have been failed, local farmers are being failed, and Shropshire couldn’t be further away from his levelling up agenda.
We need to send this Prime Minister a message that he can’t just jump in and jet off after decades of Conservative neglect. Voting for local Lib Dem candidate Helen Morgan is the only way to send that message.
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9 Comments
He did the same in Chesham.
What will he promise this time.
Was Johnson’s visit to North Shropshire shorter than the waiting time most local people have to endure for an ambulance?
Perhaps he thought he had to be in North Staffs instead!
He said we have a “wonderful candidate” and then got this name wrong!
He is minus17% not plus in latest poll showing reaction of Con Voters, so his visit was probably a bonus for ourselves.
Probably be a large abstention by Con voters
There’s a lot of hype by the Lib Dems about being the main challenger in this by election, even some talk of actually winning it. However, this is not reflected in this BBC article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59464270
which suggests that the contest is a tight battle for second place between Labour and the Lib Dems, with both parties claiming to hold that position, and that Labour, having finished second last time, have the more credible claim.
John Bicknell.
You have highlighted a problem which is that the media usually have a very poor idea of what is happening on the ground. This has been apparent in several by elections, Stoke on Trent North when UKIP was goiing to romp home, Batley and Spen when it was nailed on Conservative and Chesham where it was taken for granted the Cons would win. This seems to arise because they do not actually viist the constituency and talk to say 100 ordinary voters, in shopsd on a bus, a commuter train etc, they base it on what is perceived from a distance to be the situation.
I am afraid the BBC coverage has been poor up to now, but they did get to interview to Davey yesterday which might change their perspective. I remember the Stoke campaign, sevral reporters came up on train, visited the party HQ’s and then caught the next train back. What impression would that have given them, probably just endorsed the previous misconceptions.
One prominent left wing columinst wrote saying UKIP will win and what a disaster. I actuially emailed the reporter and said I had been actively campaining for a party since the election was called and at that stage either Labour or Lib Dem woulds win . depending on who is seen to be running in a stronger positiion, whilst ther Cons vote was holding up reasonably well,.the reporter still seemed cynical. What you see from London and Westminster is one thing, reality is often another
Another classic is this by election in the New Statesmen 3 weeks ago, the main interets is how well the “Green party will do!!!!!”
My soundings and I live quite close to the seat and have had reason to pop over to it two or threee times recently is that The Conservatives are correctyy in expressing huge cvoncewrn about the Lib Dems, the Sun reports them as being ” jittery” about the result!. I am sure if you visit North Shropshire, stay for 3 or 4 days you would review the situation.
There was a Guardian article about the Chesham & Amersham by-election that managed not to mention the Lib Dems at all (but it did find a usual Labour voter who was switching to the Tories). So I would take the news media’s analysis with a pinch of salt.
John –
That’s the BBC trying to be “balanced”. I am sure the party would not be spending the resources if the leadership believed we were fighting for only 2nd place. Labour would do more campaigning there if they thought we were not pressing the Tories closely.
Alex –
Today’s Observer covers the Shropshire North by-election in an article about Tory sleaze and trust in politicians. The story only briefly mentions the Lib Dems in the penultimate paragraph. The current editorial line for the Guardian/Observer is to encourage people to see Labour as the only option to take on the Tories – except when we win a by-election, when they use that to show how badly the Tories are doing.