RECLAIM Party leader Laurence Fox was dealt a humbling blow as he lost his deposit in the by-election to replace Boris Johnson.
The former actor turned right-wing politician failed to achieve the number of votes needed to hold onto the £500 the party will have paid to contest the Uxbridge and South Ruislip election on Thursday.
Fox picked up just over 2% of the vote with just 714 votes – less than the 5% required to recoup the money put down to stand.
He was hoping to become Reclaim’s first elected MP. Andrew Bridgen, who was booted from the Tories after comparing the Covid vaccine drive with the Holocaust, became Reclaim’s first MP when he joined the party earlier this year.
Despite predictions the Tories would lose three seats this week, the party managed to hold onto Uxbridge but lost Selby and Ainsty to Labour while the LibDems picked up Somerton and Frome.
Very pleased to come 4th and have beaten the @LibDems a long established party. Shows that promoting conservative values can win. We are now in the mix. Mission accomplished. Well done everyone for standing. Takes courage. Congratulations to Steve. Off for a nap. 💤 https://t.co/0Yl8ckMplW
— Laurence Fox (@LozzaFox) July 21, 2023
Tory candidate Steve Tuckwell held the seat on a platform of fierce opposition to the Labour Mayor of London’s plans to extend the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to include the outskirts of London.
Currently, the Ulez is bounded by the North and South Circular roads but Sadiq Khan wants to extend it to include all of the city.
Senior Labour figures have said Khan’s policy was to blame for their defeat.
Tweeting the results, Fox said: “Very pleased to come fourth and have beaten the Lib Dems, a long established party.
“Shows that promoting conservative values can win. We are now in the mix. Mission accomplished. Well done everyone for standing. Takes courage. Congratulations to Steve [Tuckwell]. Off for a nap.”
