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Lib Dems shock Conservatives in Chesham and Amersham by-election

The Liberal Democrats have won the Chesham and Amersham by-election held on 17 June after overturning a 16,000 Conservative majority in the Buckinghamshire constituency.

Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Green took the seat with a majority of 8,028 votes, with Conservative hopeful Peter Fleet finishing in second place.

The Greens finished third with 1,480 votes, while Labour finished fourth with a total vote of 622.

Eight parties stood in the by-election and there was a turnout of 52%.

The by-election was called after the death of Dame Cheryl Gillan in April, who held the seat for the Conservatives since 1992.

Prior to this, Conservative Sir Ian Gilmour was the constituency’s MP since it was formed in 1974 until 1992.

The main issues at the by-election was the HS2 railway project, which will run through the constituency and the reform of planning laws.


During the campaign, Ms Green said “HS2 is a big no, if elected, I will be a thorn in the side of this government and HS2 contractors" and “after the pain from HS2 works, the new planning laws would be a devastating blow to our area".

Chesham and Amersham by-election results

Candidate Party Votes
Sarah Green Liberal Democrats 21,517
Peter Fleet Conservative 13,489
Carolyne Culver Green 1,480
Natasa Pantelic Labour 622
Alex Wilson Reform UK 414
Carla Gregory Breakthrough 197
Adrian Oliver Freedom Alliance 134
Brendan Donnelly Rejoin EU 101
    37,954

The constituency saw some big name visitors during the by-election, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey also visited the constituency on a number of occasions.

Speaking after the result was declared, Ms Green said: “I will be a strong and independent voice for all of our communities, I will always put you first and continue to listen to your views while holding this government to account."

She also said: “Tonight the voice of Chesham and Amersham is unmistakable. Together, we have said 'enough is enough, we will be heard and this government will listen'.

“This campaign has shown that no matter where you live or how supposedly safe a constituency may appear to be, if you want a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, you can have a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament.”

Commenting, Mr Fleet said “it was a very disappointing result” and added:

“It’s clear that on this occasion, the constituents here in Chesham and Amersham have chosen a different candidate to represent them, to serve as their Member of Parliament.

“I look forward to how we can start to rebuild that trust and understanding amongst all those people in Chesham and Amersham, and as far as the Conservative Party is concerned, that work actually starts in the morning.”

After Ms Green’s victory, the Liberal Democrats now have 12 seats in the House of Commons.

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