Eastleigh
Exclusive: Nick Boles to get roasting from No 10 over ‘rotten campaign’ comments
Nick Boles is getting a roasting in Number 10 tonight for his comments in The Times about the Eastleigh by-election, I understand. There was considerable disquiet about the interview, in… Continue reading
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‘We aren’t connecting with the electorate’: Michael Fabricant on the Tory election challenge
The only Tory more Tiggerish than Michael Fabricant is the party chairman Grant Shapps, and perhaps that’s why the two work so well together on campaigns. But even the jovial… Continue reading
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‘We called quite a few dead people’: How the Tories’ lack of data let them down in Eastleigh
At 9.15pm, with 45 minutes until polls closed in the Eastleigh by-election, the ‘get out the vote’ telephone operation at Conservative Central Headquarters stopped. As one fellow volunteer put it,… Continue reading
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Eastleigh result: the Tories aren’t panicking, but that doesn’t mean they won’t
Don’t panic, don’t panic! But are the Tories actually panicking about the Eastleigh result? Coffee House readers will have seen Stewart Jackson’s call on the government to get more robust… Continue reading
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Don’t panic: the Tories can do better than Eastleigh
There’s no disguising the fact that last night’s result was a very disappointing one for Conservatives. There were three small crumbs of comfort. First, the poor performance of Labour, our… Continue reading
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If David Cameron is serious about losing the next election he'll cuddle-up to UKIP
OK. Remember this: by-elections are always liable to be interpreted too keenly. Elections often fought on local issues then have their results scrutinised as though the election was a miniature… Continue reading
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Eastleigh by-election: The Tories are suffering for gay marriage, and need to focus on migrants and a cost of living budget
It would be churlish to suggest that the Eastleigh by-election is ‘disastrous’, but coming third in a seat we polled almost 40 per cent in the general election is not… Continue reading
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Move to the right? The Tories need to worry about anti-politics voters too
So in the end Eastleigh went for the ‘crisis for Cameron’ option by putting the Tories in third behind UKIP. For those opponents of the Prime Minister, last night’s result… Continue reading
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Lib Dems hold Eastleigh as UKIP force Tories into third
It was a successful night for the Liberal Democrats in Eastleigh and a disastrous one for the Tories. The Liberal Democrats held on with a majority a touch over 1,700.… Continue reading
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Eastleigh by-election live blog
12am: The word from the count is the Liberal Democrats have held Eastleigh. Intriguingly, the Liberal Democrats think UKIP have taken second. Labour appear set for a poor fourth. If… Continue reading
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Eastleigh: the different results and what they’d mean
So now that the polls have closed in Eastleigh, here are the likely scenarios for tonight’s Eastleigh by-election result, and what each combination will mean: A) 1. Tories 2. Liberal… Continue reading
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PMQs sketch: Miliband has ‘one of those days’
What a strange PMQs. The house seemed half empty. The tug of elsewhere dominated proceedings. Richard Drax asked the prime minister if ‘prospective members of parliament’ should ever speak in… Continue reading
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Small By-Election in Hampshire; Not Many Dead
By-elections are catnip for the media. But they are also, almost invariably, subject to greater scrutiny than they can reasonably bear. Only occasionally do they herald a new era or… Continue reading
3 Comments How will the Rennard allegations affect the Eastleigh by-election?
What effect will the Rennard allegations have on the Eastleigh by-election? Channel 4 has been working on the story for months, but it is obviously taking off at an inconvenient… Continue reading
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Nick Clegg drags Danny Alexander into the Rennard allegations
Nick Clegg has come back from Spain to admit that he did know about the allegations about Lord Rennard’s behaviour towards women – and, for good measure, has told us… Continue reading
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Nick Clegg needs a QC to address the Rennard crisis
‘What did he know and when did he know it’ is one of the staples of modern journalism and it is the question Nick Clegg is struggling to answer over… Continue reading
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UKIP surge in Eastleigh
By-elections are notoriously hard to call. But everyone who comes back from Eastleigh says the same thing, UKIP are the party with forward momentum. This morning’s Populus poll bears that… Continue reading
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Eric Pickles in Eastleigh: Lib Dems are holding Tories back
All the evidence is pointing to a Lib Dem win in Eastleigh, but those Tories visiting are continuing to fight to the bitter end. Eric Pickles was down there today,… Continue reading
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Eastleigh shows how difficult the 2015 Tory/Lib Dem fight will be
The good news for Nick Clegg—and the bad news for David Cameron—is that the Liberal Democrats are racing certainties to hold Eastleigh in the by-election next Thursday. As I say… Continue reading
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Maria Hutchings says what she thinks. But is she thinking what Eastleigh voters are thinking?
One of the key strands of the Conservative campaign in Eastleigh is trust: not just because campaigners can remind voters about Chris Huhne, but thanks to a contrast they can… Continue reading
39 Comments