The new MP for Chester has said voters sent a strong message that they think “it’s Labour’s turn”.
Samantha Dixon, the former leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, won the seat in Thursday’s by-election, increasing the Labour majority in what was the first electoral test for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Speaking to media after the result, she said: “I think I have been in receipt of a very strong message from the voters of Chester that they want the Conservative cost-of-living crisis tackled immediately.
She described the City of Chester as a “bellwether constituency” and said the result was “really, really encouraging”.
In a speech following the result, Ms Dixon described meeting a pensioner who answered her door “wrapped in blankets” and was worried about her heating bills.
She said: “People in Chester and across our country are really worried.
“This is the cost of 12 years of Conservative Government.
“The Government which has wreaked havoc with our economy, destroyed our public services and betrayed the people who put their trust in them at the last general election.”
She said voters had sent a “clear message” to the Government.
“His Government has broken the promise that each generation should do better than the last.
“His Government has no ideas, no plan to address the big issues facing our country.
“His Government is on borrowed time and people want to change.
“It’s time for a general election and it’s time for a Labour Government.”