Results from the City of Chester by-election are in and, as with all recent polling, will be causing concern in CCHQ. Labour held the seat on a 61.2% vote share, a majority of 38.4% on the Conservatives’ 22.4%. The worst result for the Conservatives in Chester since 1832…

However, the picture isn’t as resounding as some in Southside would want you to believe. Sensationalised stats obscure the fact that Labour actually underperformed national polls. They achieved a swing of 13%, compared to a national picture of 17%.

Reform UK’s result also somewhat bursts the bubble of their media hype. The party managed 2.7%, just 0.2 higher than in 2019 and far off UKIP’s 8.1% in 2015. Nigel has work to do yet…