Labour's newest MP warns Tories their 'time is up' after winning byelection

Labour's newest MP has issued a warning to the Tories after she won a byelection.

Ashley Dalton won the West Lancashire byelection last night with 14,068 votes after Rosie Duffield resigned last Autumn.

There was a 10 per cent swing to Labour and nearly 11 per cent away from the Tories.

Celebrating her win to a Sky reporter, Dalton said "time is up" for the Tories.

She said: "What we've seen tonight is that they're definitely losing votes in the country and they can no longer have that mandate to govern and Rishi Sunak doesn't have a mandate to lead.

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"If this government wants to limp on without a proper democratic mandate and push things through parliament maybe they'll do that but I think the message that has come tonight from the British people is that time is up for this Conservative government and we do need a general election."

Labour also said the result was the worst for the Conservatives in West Lancashire since the constituency was created. It has been Labour-held since 1992, when Colin Pickthall was voted in to replace the Conservatives’ Ken Hind.

And Dalton’s victory in West Lancashire marks the fifth byelection Labour has won since the 2019 general election.

Time is ticking for the Tories.

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