Chester by-election could indicate whether Rishi Sunak can turn Tory fortunes around
Aboard the Lady Diana, a tourist river cruise through Chester, there is little talk of the upcoming by-election: “We don’t do politics here”, captain Paul Blessing tells me, chuckling.
But dig a little deeper, and you will find strong views on everything from shops closing to sewage in the River Dee, queues at A&E and the cost of living – not to mention Tory turmoil in Westminster.
“I was a Boris fan,” Mr Blessing says, “but I’m completely put off at the moment. I hope the new PM brings trust back to people”.
Currently a Labour constituency, the Conservatives last held Chester under David Cameron. Since then, it has gone from being a super marginal seat to a place that bucked the national swing to the Tories at the last election.
Paul Blessing is the captain of the Lady Diana tourist river cruise in Chester
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Unlike in the so-called “red wall”, Boris Johnson’s brand of Conservatism did not seem to resonate with voters here. Almost everyone we ask on the high street says they are happier now Rishi Sunak is in charge.
One shopper tells me: “He just makes a lot more sense.” But that does not mean they are necessarily voting Tory.
Robert Foulkes, a Roman centurion impersonator at Deva Roman Discovery Centre, says “people feel disenfranchised” by the rate of change in Westminster, and he thinks concerns outside London “aren’t being heard”.
Mr Foulkes depends on tourism for his livelihood, which means the situation on the high street worries him.
“What I want from both parties is more about investment into the city, making business rates cheaper and more affordable. We just want to have our opinions taken seriously,” he tells me.
Very few people we speak to recognise any of the local by-election candidates. They may be voting on local issues, but national politics drive their decisions.
Robert Foulkes is a Roman centurion impersonator in Chester
The background to this by-election is, however, uncomfortable for Labour too. Their last MP, Chris Matheson, resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct were upheld by the parliamentary watchdog. A disappointing night for the party would likely be blamed on that context – this is not a traditional Labour stronghold by any stretch of the definition.
Chester is a historically Conservative, affluent corner of England, just two miles from Wales. The Tories took neighbouring Wrexham in 2019 for the first time since 1935, but some see Chester, which sits within the Liverpool commuter belt, as being within more within the sphere of influence of Merseyside. Labour held onto their 14 seats in Merseyside at the last election.
Mike Peters, who hosts the Breakfast Show on Chester’s Dee Radio, says: “It’s a city with a modern outlook that’s trying to change, and we want to see investment in the city”. He says he wants a “commitment to levelling up and better connections with the rest of the country.”
Mike Peters is a DJ from Chester’s Dee Radio
Part of the reason this by-election is so interesting is that it is Mr Sunak’s first as prime minister. Whilst a Tory win in Chester is unlikely – partly because governing parties rarely do well in by-elections – the result could yield clues about his progress with the public.
If there is a narrow path to a Conservative victory in the upcoming general election, Rishi Sunak needs to show his message is cutting through – and turning around some of the bleak polling for his party. The size of any Labour victory in Chester matters for both major parties.
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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