Thank you to all who voted!

The by-election in Wellingborough was held on the 15th of February 2024, following the recall of former MP Peter Bone after allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct. Ana Savage Gunn, standing for the Liberal Democrats, got 1,422 votes, finishing fourth out of eleven candidates. Gen Kitchen was elected for Labour, and as a local party we congratulate Gen and hope to work constructively with her to make sure she delivers on the promises made in the campaign.

First of all, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted. A by-election with most of the campaigning occuring during some cold patches in January and early February was one that was always going to have a lower turnout, but so many did still go out and vote. Unfortunately, with the introduction of voter ID requirements, it has become a bit harder to vote - especially for young people, where many of their photo IDs are not accepted by the Government. We also really appreciated the contact from various members of the public telling us your concerns, and wishing us well.

A huge thank you also has to be given by the local party to Ana and to all of the volunteers who came out and delivered for us. We delivered thousands of leaflets, surveys and letters across the campaign, and spoke to so many people on the doors. For the local party, while the result may not have been as high as we would like, we have walked away satisfied with the campaign - Ana ran a fantastic campaign on local issues and bringing back dignity to politics, and the local party spoke to so many local people about their concerns. We look forward to staying in contact, and campaigning year round to deliver change at the council elections next year.

The result is a strong indication of the liberal feeling within the people of Wellingborough and Rushden, especially in light of the forceful campaign put out by Labour - where it was obvious from early on that the campaign was Labour's to lose. With Labour bringing in MPs and their leaders team multiple times to the seat, even before the election was called, and no doubt spending a sizable 6 figure sum - and alongside the Conservatives sputtering as they tried to include disgraced former MP Peter Bone - many Liberal Democrat voters made the call to lend their votes to Gen Kitchen this time to get the Tories out. We hope that Labour voters in next year's council elections will remember this, and where the Lib Dems are best placed to defeat the incumbent Conservative administration they will lend us their support so we can deliver real change for our area.

Though the by-election is over, our campaign to bring integrity and competence back into local government continues. If Ana's campaign inspired you, please do consider joining the party by clicking on the link at the top of the page or going to this link. If you don't want to join, but do want to deliver in your area, please drop us an email.