Mike Thornton MP. Photograph courtesy of the Liberal Democrats
Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to “win people back” after a disappointing result in the Eastleigh by-election that left the Conservatives in third behind their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats and UKIP.
The Lib Dems held the Hampshire seat with a reduced majority of 1,771, with Nigel Farage’s UKIP stealing votes from both them and the Conservatives. Although Mike Thornton won the seat, the Lib Dems had lost 14% of the vote since 2010 general election won by Huhne. Nevertheless, Nick Clegg heralded the victory as “stunning” in the context of the poor showing for his party in recent national polls.
UKIP had their best ever showing in a Westminster election, with Diane James coming second with 11,571 votes, 28% of the vote. However, Cameron dismissed this UKIP showing as a “protest vote” and promised not to deviate from his principles.
The Eatleigh by-election was called after former Liberal Democrat cabinet members Chris Huhne resigned as an MP after perverting the course of justice by convincing his wife to take his driving points for speeding.