London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Labour hold City of Chester seat in Rishi Sunak's first electoral test

Labour hold City of Chester seat in Rishi Sunak's first electoral test

Labour has won the City of Chester by-election, retaining the seat and delivering a defeat for Rishi Sunak in his first electoral test as PM.

Samantha Dixon has become the constituency's new MP with a majority of 10,974 votes.

Her party secured more than 61% of the vote with a 13.76% swing from the Conservatives.

The contest was triggered by the resignation of Christian Matheson.

The Labour MP quit after Parliament's watchdog recommended he be suspended for "serious sexual misconduct".

Mr Matheson admitted he had committed a minor breach of the code and tendered his resignation with "great sadness".

Labour was fully expected to retain the seat, which it won in 2019 by a majority of 6,164.

In that election, the Conservatives came second, winning 38.3% of the vote. Labour secured 49.6% and the Liberal Democrats came third with 6.8% of the vote.

This time round, Ms Dixon won with 61.2% of the vote, defeating Tory candidate and NHS nurse Liz Wardlaw.

Election officials earlier confirmed that turnout was 41.2%, with a total of 28,541 votes cast in the December poll.

In a speech following the result, Ms Dixon said people in Chester "have said unreservedly that Rishi Sunak's Conservatives no longer have a mandate to govern."

She added: "I don't think they believe that the Conservatives have the answers, I think they think it's Labour's turn now."

The Conservatives have performed badly in recent by-elections, losing Wakefield to Labour and the historically safe Tory seat of Tiverton and Honiton to the Liberal Democrats.

Those losses increased political pressure on Boris Johnson, who later resigned as prime minister.

Thursday's by-election was the first to take place since Mr Johnson quit and his successor Liz Truss caused market turbulence with her mini-Budget.

During her campaign, Ms Dixon pledged to stop raw sewage being dumped into the River Dee.

Conservative Liz Wardlaw had promised to fight for funding for the Countess of Chester Hospital and improved rail connections to London, Manchester and North Wales.


Results in full:


* Samantha Dixon (Labour) 17,309 (61.22%, +11.58%)

* Liz Wardlaw (Conservative) 6,335 (22.40%, -15.93%)

* Rob Herd (Liberal Democrat) 2,368 (8.37%, +1.53%)

* Paul Bowers (Green) 787 (2.78%, +0.15%)

* Jeanie Barton (Reform UK) 773 (2.73%)

* Richard Hewison (Rejoin EU) 277 (0.98%)

* Cain Griffiths (UK Independence Party) 179 (0.63%)

* Howling Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party) 156 (0.55%)

* Chris Quartermaine (Freedom Alliance) 91 (0.32%)


Party officials overseeing counting for the City of Chester by-election


Before the by-election, Samantha Dixon outlined her priorities for Chester



Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×