NEWS · 17 December 2021
No one saw it coming. The Conservatives didn't only lose the North Shropshire byelection, they were routed in a huge swing to the Liberal Democrats' Helen Morgan this morning.
In the seat formerly held by lobbying-scandal MP Owen Paterson, the stench of corruption stuck to the Conservatives, as well as their hypocrisy over their rule-breaking Christmas parties, the effects of Brexit on local farmers and so much else.
The result shows that the Tories can be beaten.
This shock result also demonstrates the power that the huge rise in tactical voting could hold at the next general election. If party leaders won't build a 'progressive alliance' then we can build one from the grassroots through tactical voting.
As we argue in Routes to Rejoin, a change of government – getting rid of the Tory Brexit government – is an essential part of the path to rejoining the EU. Nothing less will do.
Today, with the Tories on the back foot, that just became more possible.
... and a very Brexit New Year
At the moment, only 18% of people - not even one in five - say Brexit is "going well". But we still haven't felt the full effects of Brexit.
On 1 January 2022, long-delayed new customs rules come into effect that are set to cause another round of chaos at the borders. This has been known for a long time but largely ignored – now business groups are sounding the alarm.
A third of businesses are not prepared for the new import checks, a survey shows. Kitty Ussher of the Institute of Directors said: "This will exacerbate existing supply chain problems, leading to further congestion at ports."
Some supermarket shelves have been empty under the existing rules – that was largely due to labour shortages caused by Brexit, not problems with imports. How much worse might it get if food deliveries are stuck at the border?
Brexit isn't "done". Brexit has barely started. We will be here to resist it every step of the way.
