Bromley success boosts local Lib Dems

10.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 30th Jun 2006

Greenwich Lib Dems congratulated Ben Abbotts and his team for their stunning performance in yesterday's by-election in Bromley & Chislehurst. The Conservatives retained their 17th safest seat in the country with a tiny 633 majority, despite a huge swing to the Liberal Democrats.

The decrease in the Conservative majority percentage is the worst by-election result for the Conservative party in a Tory held seat since Wirral South in February 1997 - the last days of the John Major premiership. Labour came fourth. The BBC called it "a stunning result", "a very bad night for David Cameron" and a "very, very good night for the Liberal Democrats".

The Bromley and Chislehurst by-election result in full:

• Conservative: 11,621 (39.9%)

• Ben Abbotts (Liberal Democrat): 10,988 (37.7%)

• UK Independence Party: 2347 (8.1%)

• Labour: 1,925 (6.6%)

Labour's 4th place is the first time the party in power has finished 4th in an English by-election since Liverpool Walton, the 1991 by-election caused by the death of Eric Heffer.

Ben Abbotts said:

"This was a campaign in which the Conservative Party tried to take the support of local people for granted - Bromley & Chislehurst was the 17th safest Conservative seat in the whole country at the last General Election.

"Tonight's result has been far from convincing for the Conservatives, and it is clear that Labour has lost the trust of its former supporters. This result shows that as Labour lose support nationally - it is the Liberal Democrats to whom people are turning.

Sir Menzies Campbell MP said:

"This is a stupendous result for the Liberal Democrats in one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. It shows that there is no confidence in Cameron's Tories in the Conservative heartlands.

"Together with the results in Wales there has been a complete rejection of the Labour government following upon the Liberal Democrat success in Dunfermline earlier this year.

"Liberal Democrats are now challenging both Labour and the Conservatives, even in their heartlands."

Local party chair in Greenwich Paul Gentry said:

"This excellent result shows that David Cameron's honeymoon is well and truly over and proves that it is possible to take on the Tories and beat them."