Scroll to see all the pictures from last night's count 

CONSERVATIVES were sent a 'shot across the bows' last night as they held on to Witney with a reduced majority after yesterday's by-election.

Tory candidate Robert Courts was elected as the new MP to replace David Cameron after defending the 'safe' seat with a majority of 5,702.

AS IT HAPPENED: Catch-up on all the action overnight with our updates live from the count 

It was despite a huge campaign effort by the Liberal Democrats that propelled the party past Labour into second place with 11,611 votes.

At the count in Witney's Windrush Leisure Centre, there were roars of approval from Lib Dem members as the results were read aloud and candidate Liz Leffman said it was 'a terrific accolade'.

Oxford Mail:

  • Lib Dem Liz Leffman claimed the result 'rattled' Conservatives

In his victory speech Mr Courts said he looked forward to being a 'strong local voice in Parliament' but left shortly afterwards without speaking to the press.

He said: "It is a huge honour to have been elected as the MP for the area I love, live in and call home. Thank you to everyone who has supported me."


Former Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron tweeted his congratulations to Mr Courts after the vote, saying he would be a 'great' representative for the constituency.

The Conservatives saw their share of the vote fall from about 60 per cent under former MP Mr Cameron to 45 per cent under Mr Courts, but party sources insisted they were 'celebrating an impressive victory'.

They pointed out Mr Cameron also won 45 per cent of the vote when he was first elected in 2001, although Mr Courts' majority was nearly a third lower.


Ms Leffman claimed the by-election result had 'rattled the Tories' and suggested it was a sign voters were unhappy with the Government's approach so far to the UK's impending exit from the European Union.

Oxford Mail:

  • The count was held in Witney's Windrush Leisure Centre

The campaign was dominated by debates about Brexit, the NHS, housing and grammar schools, with the Lib Dems sending hundreds of volunteers to canvass the constituency alongside party heavyweights like Lord Ashdown and current leader Tim Farron.

Ms Leffman added: "That is the reason [Prime Minister] Theresa May came down here to campaign.

"This is a real shot across the bows and sends the message that people in West Oxfordshire are not happy with the direction that she is taking."

A jubilant Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said the result was a rejection of the Tories' plans for a "hard Brexit" while marking a return to the "political big time" for his party after their disastrous general election performance.

"The result not only signals that the Liberal Democrats are back in the political big time and the return to three-party politics, it is a clear rejection of the Conservative Brexit government's plan to take Britain out of the single market.

"This was the tenth safest Tory seat in the country with a massive 25,000 majority, yet the Conservatives were seriously rattled," he said.

"They are riding high in the polls, but my sense is that has largely been because people did not feel there was a real opposition to the Conservative Brexit government.

"Witney proves there is now a real opposition, and that opposition is the Liberal Democrats."

Meanwhile, Labour's Duncan Enright saw his share of the vote reduced by about two per cent but rejected suggestions it was a disappointment.

He said: "The Conservative vote has gone down dramatically so those votes were always going to go somewhere.

Oxford Mail:

  • Labour candidate Duncan Enright said he was not disappointed

"Our vote is still about two thirds of what it was in the last general election, which matches the fall in turnout."

The district councillor added: "I felt we led on the arguments right through the campaign. But I was here before the election and I will still be here afterwards.

"We will keep holding the Tories' feet to the fire."

The UK Independence Party, whose candidate was Dickie Bird, also saw its vote share slip by two thirds, from 9.2 per cent last year to 3.5 per cent, winning 1,354 votes.

It narrowly lost fifth place to the Green Party, which won 1,363 votes for candidate Larry Sanders.

Mr Sanders, the brother of former US Democrat presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, said it was ‘not a great campaign’.

The former social worker, whose campaign focused largely on the NHS and social care, added: “There is a really big issue with the NHS, which could see £22bn taken out of its budget over the next four years.

“But the Government is pretty awful and there are no signs anything will change.

“We have to do better.”

Turnout was reported to be 46.8 per cent. That was lower than the 73.3 per cent of last year’s election but was high when compared to historical figures for other by-elections.

THE FULL RESULTS:

  • Emilia Rose Arno of the One Love Party - 44
  • Dickie Bird of Ukip – 1,354
  • David Bishop of the Bus-Pass Elvis Party - 61
  • Robert Courts of the Conservative Party – 17,313
  • Duncan Enright of the Labour Party – 5,765
  • Mad Hatter of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party - 129
  • Lord Toby Jug of the Eccentric Party of Great Britain - 59
  • Adam Knight, independent - 27
  • Liz Leffman of the Liberal Democrats – 11,611
  • Winston McKenzie of the English Democrats “Putting England First!”- 52
  • Helen Salisbury of the National Health Action Party - 433
  • Larry Sanders of the Green Party – 1,363
  • Daniel James Skidmore, independent - 151
  • Nicholas Ward, independent - 93