Somerton and Frome by-election results: Labour finish in fifth place

Labour’s candidate Neil Guild has finished fifth in the Somerton and Frome by-election, with the Liberal Democrats winning more than double the Tory vote.

Guild is a trade union UNISON’s regional convenor for the South West and previously held the role of chair of the South West regional Labour Party. Outside politics, he served in the British Army for more than six years and now works as a civil engineer.

But he secured only 1,009 votes, behind the Reform UK, Green, Conservative and Lib Dem candidates. The Lib Dems took back the seat, with their candidate Sarah Dyke elected with more than 21,000 votes to the Tory Faye Purbrick’s 10,179.

Labour MP Darren Jones told Sky News it showed a “clear message” voters wanted change in Tory heartlands, but noted the Lib Dems had traditionally performed strongly in rural seats in the South West. “That will reduce the Tory majority in any Westminster election for the whole country, so that’s welcome.”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said the “stunning victory” showed voters were “fed up with Rishi Sunak’s out-of-touch Conservative government.”

The by-election was triggered following the resignation of David Warburton in June, who was suspended from the Conservative Party last year amid an investigation into allegations of harassment and drug use.

The MP has admitted taking cocaine but denies claims of harassment, and a House of Commons investigation recently closed without finding against him, according to the BBC.

Warburton had represented the seat in parliament since 2015, achieving a majority of 19,213 votes at the last general election in 2019. The constituency was previously held by the Liberal Democrats from 1997 to 2015.