Lib Dems Storm to Victory in Dunfermline and West Fife by-election

4.28.00pm GMT Wed 15th Feb 2006

Willie Rennie MP - 63rd Liberal Democrat MP

Willie Rennie and the Liberal Democrats have won a sensational victory in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election.

There was a massive swing of 16% from the Labour Party to the Liberal Democrats (and 9% from Conservative to Lib Dem), just nine months after the General Election. The Liberal Democrats turned a Labour majority of 11,562 into a Lib Dem majority of 1,800. This victory was the first ever Liberal Democrat gain from the Labour party in a Scottish by-election.

Steve Sollitt, Liberal Democrat Campaigner for Southampton Test said, "This is an outstanding victory for the Liberal Democrats, representing the constituency Gordon Brown actually lives in. It is a real wake up call to Labour that the public have not forgiven them..

Steve has worked with Willie Rennie in the past " Wilie will make a great MP. He is hard working and will make a huge difference to the community"

"The 16% swing, if repeated at a general election, would be enough to gain Southampton Test. In fact we only need a swing of 10% to take this seat from Labour. This kind of swing would lead to 200 seats falling to the Liberal Democrats across the UK"

The result has stunned Labour and saw David Cameron's Conservative Party finish fourth in his first major electoral test since becoming Conservative leader. The result was the worst Conservative parliamentary by-election result for eight years.

"The result shows that whilst the Tories would like to have believe believe that they are doing well under David Cameron, they are not. The public are enough enough to realise that, as he was the co-author of the Tory Manifesto last year, he is responsible for appalling appalling General Election result. He now chooses to change every policy possible to make his party electable but the public can see through this"