In true-blue Berkshire, the skies were a prophetic grey on Friday as the Liberal Democrats were a whisker away from winning Wokingham.
The district, where the veteran Tory MP John Redwood and the former prime minister Theresa May hold their parliamentary seats, has long been a Conservative stronghold. Redwood’s constituency has returned a Tory MP since its creation in 1885.
The Lib Dems won 27 seats in Wokingham borough, one away from forming a majority. The near-victory comes as the party had a softer-than-expected performance in local elections across England and Wales. Wokingham was a council the Lib Dems expected to win outright.
Labour did better than anticipated in Wokingham, winning eight seats. The Tories won 19, losing three overall.
Local Lib Dems said a stronger-than-expected Labour showing prevented them from winning key seats and forming a majority. Reform UK did not field any candidates in Wokingham, meaning the Conservatives were the only rightwing option.
In the town centre, the drizzle did not dampen the anger fuelled by the Tories. “They’re a bunch of crooks,” said Sarah Lowrie, 63. “They give all their mates money instead of putting it back into the country.”
She had previously voted Conservative but went for the Lib Dems this time. “I gave up about five years ago after Brexit,” she said. “It should never have happened.”
In 2016, about 57% of those who cast their ballot in the constituency voted to remain in the EU.
Redwood, who served in John Major’s cabinet, is a staunch Brexiter. “I wanted to get rid of the Conservatives in Wokingham and in government,” said Lowrie. “I want to see John Redwood voted out.”
Reacting to the result, Stephen Conway, the Lib Dem leader of Wokingham council said he was “very pleased” but added it was “a little frustrating that we didn’t manage full control”.
He said the result bodes well for the party’s chances in Redwood’s seat at the next general election. “It’s very noticeable how strongly we performed in wards that lie in the Wokingham parliamentary constituency.”
Emily, 36, who did not want to provide her last name, is a psychologist. “I’m normally a Labour voter but I’m tactically voting Lib Dems,” she said.
She said the sight of seeing Redwood voted out of office would make her “very pleased”, adding: “The Conservatives aren’t great. I work in the NHS and I’m watching it gradually disintegrate.
“It feels like everything is getting worse. I’m not very positive about government and how things have been for the last 10 years.”
May’s constituency, Maidenhead, is split between Wokingham and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, and has been Conservative since its creation in 1997.
In Twyford, a village in the constituency, there was a similar appetite for change. “I’ve always been a Labour voter but I went for the Lib Dems to get the Tories out,” said Theresa Gaughory, 72.
“In this area, they’re the ones that can pose the most threat to the Conservatives,” she said.
“It’s a tactical vote. The Tories are woeful. Since the Brexit vote, life has become much more difficult. Costs have gone up, everything is worse.”
In recent years, Wokingham has been shifting from blue to orange. Since 2018, the Conservatives have lost 22 seats in the district. In 2019, the Lib Dems won 19 council seats and another nine in 2021.
The following year, the Conservatives lost overall control of the council after 20 years when the Lib Dems won another five seats.
The Lib Dems are hoping their performance in Wokingham will show they can knock some more bricks out of the “blue wall” – seats in the south of England where the Tories have traditionally done well – after a string of parliamentary byelection victories in nearby constituencies.
