Tag Archives: mosborough by-election

Every time I hear the word Mosborough, it makes me smile. What a brilliant result. From 14% and 4th place just 4 months ago, the Liberal Democrats took a stunning victory in a local by-election on Thursday night. I’m told Mosborough is a bellweather ward in Sheffield so it may well reflect how voters across the city are feeling.

This takes me back to the 90s when we were routinely winning by-elections against Labour in Sheffield and Chesterfield. Let’s hope that Thursday’s victory is a big leap forward to getting that sort of success again.

The Sheffield Star has some great coverage, including one of returning Cllr Gail Smith and the Lib Dem Leader on Sheffield City Council.  Shaffaq Mohammed, looking very pleased. Shaffaq said of Gail’s victory:

In 2008, we actually took control of the council by winning Mosborough. “This is a huge victory, it shows the Lib Dems in Sheffield are back and actually, all those seats we lost during the coalition years are there up for grabs. “This arrogant Labour council has been sent a very strong message that they cannot take the people of Sheffield for granted. “Mosborough has spoken on behalf of Sheffield – well done to the people of Mosborough for electing Gail Smith who is going to be an outstanding councillor.

Elsewhere, just like the losing team on the Apprentice, Labour are sobbing into their tea and kicking lumps out of each other. I saw on social media yesterday that some of them were saying that the candidate wasn’t a Corbyn backer, which is why the local Corbynista were to be found phoning for Corbyn, not their candidate on polling day. The voters, of course, didn’t know the candidate wasn’t a Corbyn fan so she was, they said, caught between a rock and a hard place. The Sheffield Star reports on that angle and on Sheffield MP Angela Smith blaming Corbyn for the terrible result. Isn’t it funny how none of them blame their awful local council?