THROWING A SHROP
Huge blow to Boris Johnson as he loses safe North Shropshire seat to Lib Dems after Owen Paterson sleaze saga
BORIS Johnson has suffered a defeat in the North Shropshire by-election as the Lib Dems wiped out a 23,000 Tory majority.
Lib Dem Helen Morgan beat her Tory rival by almost 6,000 votes as Conservative support collapsed in the party's historic stronghold.
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The loss piles more pressure on the PM who has been feeling the heat since the Owen Paterson furore last month.
The former minister had wielded a near 23-000 majority in the true-blue rural constituency before quitting amid a sleaze scandal that rocked the PM.
New Tory candidate Neil Shastri-Hurst today managed only 12,032 votes while Ms Morgan mopped up 17,957 to clinch victory.
Ms Morgan had a scandal-hit campaign when social media posts emerged of her comparing Priti Patel to a Nazi.
In shocking comments revealed by The Sun she told the Home Secretary to tear up her copy of "Goebbels' manual", in a reference to Hitler's right-hand man and sick propaganda chief.
The 46-year-old accountant - who had also likened the experience of Channel migrants to Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz - was forced to make a grovelling apology.
She said: “I apologise for this insensitive tweet which I have taken down.”
The Lib Dems hailed the shock 34 per cent swing and vowed to continue their assault on Mr Johnson's southern heartlands.
It comes at a tough time in Downing St that's seen the PM face down allegations of sleaze and lockdown-busting Christmas parties - many of which have been denied.
Ms Morgan said: "Tonight, the people of North Shropshire have spoken on behalf of the British people. They have said loudly and clearly, 'Boris Johnson, the party is over'."
"Your Government, run on lies and bluster, will be held accountable. It will be scrutinised, it will be challenged and it can and will be defeated."
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The by-election result heaps more political pressure on Mr Johnson who on Wednesday was bruised by a 100-strong Tory rebellion against his Covid rules.
Tory chair Oliver Dowden said this morning that the PM was the right man to lead the country but insisted lessons would be learned.
He said: "The voters of North Shropshire were fed up, and they gave us a kicking.
"And I think they wanted to send us a message and I want to say as chairman of the Conservative Party we've heard that loud and clear."
The Cabinet Minister pointed out that many governing parties suffer by-election losses mid-term.
Both Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher lost seats in office before going on to win massive majorities.
OWEN GOAL
North Shropshire has always had a Tory MP in its modern form and the West Midlands area has only twice-voted for any other party since 1830.
Mr Paterson represented the constituency for 24 years before quitting after the PM's botched bid to shield him from a 30-day Commons suspension.
The ex-Cabinet Minister was ruled to have broken rules by using his position as an MP to lobby for two firms that paid him more than £100,000 a year.
At first defiant, he later said he was quitting the "cruel world of politics" after Mr Johnson pulled the plug on a controversial attempt to save him - triggering the by-election.
In 2019 Ms Morgan was trounced by Mr Paterson to come third in the seat after taking just 10 per cent of the vote.
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Mr Shastri-Hurst, a barrister from Birmingham, said: "We've run a positive campaign here, I'm extremely proud of the work that everybody's done. Of course it's a disappointing result for us."
Asked if the party needs to change, he said: "We're 11 years into a Conservative Government, by-elections are never an easy thing to do."
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The turnout in North Shropshire was 46.3 per cent, or 38,110 voters.
Labour's Ben Wood came third with 3,686 votes, and the Greens' Duncan Kerr came fourth with 1,748.
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