Labour secure record win in Selby and Ainsty by-election – piling pressure on Rishi Sunak
The Conservatives have suffered a record loss after Selby and Ainsty voted against the government at a by-election.
A vote in the North Yorkshire seat was triggered last month after Boris Johnson ally Nigel Adams resigned from the House of Commons when he failed to get added to the House of Lords.
Labour have overturned a Conservative majority of 20,137 – the largest majority reversed at a by-election.
Follow by-election coverage live: Tories hang on in Uxbridge after ULEZ backlash
Labour’s Keir Mather – aged just 25 – won 16,456 votes, compared to the 12,295 cast for the Tory candidate Claire Holmes. This equals a majority of 4,161.
The Conservatives had attempted to manage expectations in the run-up to the three by-elections, although they aimed to keep a hold of Selby and Ainsty.
The loss means that for the first time since it was created in 2010, the constituency will not be represented by the Tories – or indeed Nigel Adams.
Rather, Mr Mather will now represent Selby and Ainsty voters in Westminster under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
A swing of at least 17.9% was needed by Labour to win the seat – they need a nationwide change of 12% to form a majority at the next election.
This is a larger change than Sir Tony Blair achieved in 1997 when New Labour came to power.
On the night, the swing in Selby and Ainsty ended up being 23.7. A similar swing at a general election would give Labour more seats than they won in 1997.
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Speaking after his election, Mr Mather said the Conservative government has “failed us” – and “now it’s time for a fresh start”.
“In a year’s time I believe we will be on the precipice of a Labour government,” he said. “Today we have made history.”
Labour leader Sir Keir said: “This is a historic result that shows that people are looking at Labour and seeing a changed party that is focused entirely on the priorities of working people with an ambitious, practical plan to deliver.
“Keir Mather will be a fantastic MP who will deliver the fresh start Selby and Ainsty deserves.
“It is clear just how powerful the demand for change is. Voters put their trust in us – many for the first time. After 13 years of Tory chaos, only Labour can give the country its hope, its optimism and its future back.”
In response, veterans’ affairs minister Johnny Mercer told Sky News that he reckons Conservatives stayed at home, rather than voting for Sir Keir Starmer.
He added that he felt the seat could be won back in the next general election.
Turnout in Selby and Ainsty was down 30 points compared to 2019, with just 33,549 people voting compared to around 56,000 in the last general election.
The Conservatives were down 21,700 votes.
One of the key factors in the Conservatives’ loss of Selby and Ainsty is its high rate of mortgage-holders.
It is in the top 40 seats in England and Wales for people with loans out on their homes who will have been hammered by rising interest rates – a point Labour campaigned on vociferously.
Keir Starmer and Keir Mather
The loss of Selby and Ainsty bodes badly for the Tories ahead of a general election expected next year; it has a large population of over-60s, a majority of Leave voters, is 94% white British and is fairly affluent.
In other words, it should have been a very safe seat.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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